TWO BUILDINGS, ONE LAW FIRM
Straightforward
BZSE Attorneys & Tax Advisers operates in the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. This sometimes raises the question of what our offices look like. We have two buildings: one in Curaçao and one in St. Maarten. And they look very different. However, what is important is what is behind the walls. Independence and integrity are paramount to the lawyers of BZSE. They operate and litigate in an open, transparent and independent manner.
Please note that although the lawyers of BZSE are based in St. Maarten and Curaçao, they are also qualified to …
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LAWYERS IN THE DUTCH CARIBBEAN
BZSE Law is the best firm to hire
To start with, I’m not an expert in all areas of law. A little exaggeration would be allowed, but that’s not my M.O. These days you are supposed to tell the “honest story”.
Practical and well-founded advice based on more than 30 years of experience as an attorney and in legal science: that’s why you should consult me.
I specialize in corporate, financial and (commercial) private law in general in the Caribbean parts of the Dutch Kingdom. Although I have litigated for more than 30 years, I no longer do so. As …
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LAWYERS IN THE CARIBBEAN
Corporate law, corporate governance, finance law and business law
Do you know a good lawyer who is versed in the laws of Aruba, Curaçao, St. Maarten or the BES islands (Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba)? No doubt such a question will be asked with some frequency. The answer: BZSE Attorneys at Law and Tax Advisers.
In Curaçao, the attorneys of BZSE focus on a select number of areas: corporate law, corporate governance, finance law and business law in general. Much is also published on these topics at the academic level. That expertise is applied effectively and in a practical manner. …
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ADVOCAAT IN DE CARIBBEAN
Ondernemingsrecht, corporate governance, financieel recht en privaatrecht
Weet jij een goede advocaat die thuis is in het recht van Aruba, Curaçao, St. Maarten of de BES-eilanden (Bonaire, St. Eustatius en Saba)? Een dergelijke vraag zal in het Europese deel van Nederland ongetwijfeld met enige regelmaat worden gesteld. Het antwoord: BZSE Advocaten en Belastingadviseurs.
In Curaçao richt BZSE Advocaten zich op een beperkt aantal terreinen: ondernemingsrecht, corporate governance, financieel recht en privaatrecht. Over die onderwerpen wordt ook veel gepubliceerd op wetenschappelijk niveau. Die expertise wordt effectief en op praktische wijze toegepast. De partners in Curaçao zijn Karel Frielink en Jaap Maris …
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ABOLITION OF BEARER SHARES IN BONAIRE
Legislative amendment as of 1 July 2019
With effect from 1 July 2019, Book 2 of the Civil Code of the BES islands (Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba) has been partially amended. Bearer shares will be completely abolished; in the Netherlands, where the law has also been amended, an exception has been made for “book entry” (girale) bearer shares, unlike on the BES islands.
The consequence of the amendment of the law is that only registered shares can be held in a public limited liability company (NV). The NV is under an obligation to convert bearer shares into registered shares …
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CARIBISCH JURISTENBLAD
Nu ook op Facebook
Het Caribisch Juristenblad verscheen eerder onder de naam TAR Justicia. Vanaf 1985 werd dit tijdschrift in eigen beheer uitgegeven door de stichting Tijdschrift voor Antilliaans Recht Justicia. Het Caribisch Juristenblad wordt thans uitgegeven door Boom Juridisch en heeft tot doel een bijdrage te leveren aan de rechtsontwikkeling in Aruba, Curaçao en Sint Maarten en in Bonaire, Saba en Sint Eustatius.
Sinds enkele maanden heeft het Caribisch Juristenblad ook een eigen Facebookpagina. Handig om te ‘liken’ en zo op de hoogte te blijven van de nieuwste publicaties.
(29 juli 2016)
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LEZING NIEUW VENNOOTSCHAPSRECHT SINT MAARTEN
Nieuw Boek 2 BW en nieuw personenvennootschapsrecht
Op verzoek van de Orde van Advocaten te Sint Maarten heb ik op 21 mei 2014 in de Flamboyantzaal van het Courthouse te Sint Maarten een lezing gegeven voor de rechterlijke macht en de advocatuur. De lezing ging over enkele van de wetswijzigingen die in Sint Maarten op 1 april 2014 van kracht zijn geworden.
Er is een herzien Boek 2 Burgerlijk Wetboek (Rechtspersonen) ingevoerd en een nieuwe regeling inzake de personenvennootschappen. Mijn verhaal is hier te lezen.
Karel Frielink (advocaat)
(30 mei 2014)
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DE ENE ADVOCAAT IS DE ANDERE NIET
En het ene kantoor is het andere niet…
Je moet werken vanuit je eigen identiteit en overtuiging. Dat kunnen we vandaag lezen in een interview met Mark van Eck van Business Openers in Advocatie.nl. Een kantoor dat werkt vanuit wat dat kantoor uniek maakt, waarin het zich dus onderscheidt van andere kantoren, is meer succesvol. De kern van zijn boodschap is dat je moet werken vanuit je eigen kracht, ofwel: doe waar je goed in bent. En hij bedoelt werken, niet alleen maar praten, en al helemaal niet praten over je concurrenten, laat staan negatief. Volgens Van …
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INDEPENDENT SUPERVISORY BOARD IN ST. MAARTEN
Should be mandatory for government-owned entities
Under the laws of St. Maarten, the main task of a board of supervisory directors is to supervise the board of managing directors of a limited liability company (NV or BV).
The St. Maarten Corporate Code provides for two different kinds of boards of supervisory directors, a “regular” board of supervisory directors and the so-called “independent” board of supervisory directors (Section 2:139 Civil Code). Within this context the word independent means that the supervisory directors are independent of the shareholders, interest groups (“belangengroepen”) and to a certain extent from the shareholders’ meeting.
An independent …
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LIFTING THE CORPORATE VEIL IN ARUBA
Only under exceptional circumstances
In terms of “piercing the corporate veil” and shareholders’ liability, the laws of the Netherlands and Aruba are nearly identical. As far as a tort matter concerns the laws of Aruba, Dutch case-law and Dutch legal literature should be considered as well.
In exceptional cases shareholders of an Aruba company can be liable for the company’s debts and obligations. Generally, two grounds for such liability are mentioned: a tort (onrechtmatige daad) committed by the shareholder and an “alter ego” situation (vereenzelviging) as regards the shareholder and his company. Under Aruba law, both can be categorized under …
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REGULATORY LAWS IN THE BES ISLANDS
There are three regulators
According to the Dutch Central Bank (“DCB”), financial institutions must be sound, reliable and stable to ensure confidence among businesses, consumers and others. DCB states on its website: “In addition to making certain their customers are properly informed about their products and services, these institutions also have a duty of care towards their customers. The financial services industry should also give a high priority to integrity and should never be used for money laundering, terrorist financing, fraud, corruption or other illegal activities. Finally, the market should function properly and there should be adequate market access, with …
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THE ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION OF A CURAÇAO COMPANY (II)
Articles determine the nature of the company
A company’s articles of association determine the nature of the company (take for example the description of the purpose), regulate the internal competences (e.g. dismissal and appointment), limit the powers (e.g. decisions requiring approval), determine the internal responsibilities (e.g. drawing up the annual report and accounts), regulate the external powers (who represents the company in law), determine the method of decision-making, etc. As indicated above: the articles of association are somewhat comparable with the constitution or the state regulations of a country. The articles of association are therefore essential to the proper functioning …
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