The central government, which currently comprises eleven ministries and a very large number of executive agencies, implements measures, enacts laws and supervises the enforcement of those laws in various fields.
The government's focal points are very diverse and range from healthcare issues, administrative relations, human rights, the fight against serious crime, the regulation of the financial markets and the conservation and protection of the environment to the construction and installation of large infrastructural projects and participating interests. The central government is charged with an ever-increasing number of tasks and policy areas, despite the fact that fierce budget cuts are now forcing it to critically review its own performance more than ever before.
The public interest which is at stake in cases being handled for the central government usually requires a slightly differently approach from the one needed for cases on behalf of private parties. Pels Rijcken is the central government's preferred partner and the State Advocate has, by tradition, been a partner in Pels Rijcken. Furthermore, all the attorneys in the firm - over 130 in total - are also active in the State practice. Their understanding of the often exceptional political or administrative (and consequently social) context in which the central government operates is unequalled.
The attorneys at Pels Rijcken distinguish themselves through their extensive experience with a high-quality litigation practice and the State Advocate and his colleagues represent central government in over a thousand cases per year. Their collective memory of legal issues faced by central government in the past constitutes a valuable source of knowledge for the central government.
Recommendations
- "Pels Rijcken has an outstanding reputation for advising clients from the public sector." - Chambers Europe, 2024
- "Pels Rijcken is one of the go-to firms for government-related mandates, with a sound understanding of the political interests involved." - Chambers Europe, 2024
