DIRECTORS’ LIABILITY IN THE DUTCH CARIBBEAN

Personal and several liability The members of the Board of Directors are personally and severally liable towards the NV (or BV, as the case may be) for any loss caused by the improper performance of duties. Each member of the Board who proves that he cannot be blamed for such improper performance and that the… Continue reading DIRECTORS’ LIABILITY IN THE DUTCH CARIBBEAN

CARIBBEAN KIDS NEWS WINS KNN AWARD 2010

  Item about fire trucks (click here) The kids news in the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba has won the ‘KNN Award’ during the annual summit of the eight Kids News Network programmes. The award is a yearly professional prize for the best report of the network (see FreeVoice news item). Sulin Passial, chief editor of the… Continue reading CARIBBEAN KIDS NEWS WINS KNN AWARD 2010

SUPERVISION OF TRUST COMPANIES IN THE DUTCH CARIBBEAN

Trust companies render management services The supervision of trust companies is dealt with in the National Ordinance on the Supervision of Trust Service Providers 2003 (‘Landsverordening toezicht trustwezen’, the ‘NOST’). Supervision of trust companies (a.k.a. fiduciary or company service providers) falls in the category integrity supervision and not in the category prudential supervision. The supervisor… Continue reading SUPERVISION OF TRUST COMPANIES IN THE DUTCH CARIBBEAN

LAW FIRM MARKETING AND THE INTERNET

Blog posts reinforce your expertise and reputation I found this article on CNN’s website: ‘How can small companies make money from social media?’, and it made me start thinking about whether social media is a business for law firms. I joined LinkedIn and SunZu (f.k.a. Ecademy) back in 2004. I was among the 1st million members of LinkedIn: member number… Continue reading LAW FIRM MARKETING AND THE INTERNET

THE THREE STAGES OF LEGAL PROCEEDINGS IN THE DUTCH CARIBBEAN

General observations regarding adversarial proceedings All adversarial proceedings in the Dutch Caribbean shall be initiated by means of a petition to the Court of First Instance of the Netherlands Antilles or Aruba. Claims will be denied or rejected (afgewezen) by the Court if ruled that they are unfounded. If a claim is denied for reasons… Continue reading THE THREE STAGES OF LEGAL PROCEEDINGS IN THE DUTCH CARIBBEAN

ORDINARY ADVERSARIAL VERSUS SUMMARY PROCEEDINGS IN THE DUTCH CARIBBEAN

The court only considers the key issues According to Article 110 and 111 of the Netherlands Antilles Code of Civil Proceedings (NACCP), all adversarial proceedings shall be initiated by means of a petition to the Court of First Instance. Proceedings so initiated are ordinary proceedings, unless the petitioner expressly opts for preliminary relief proceedings (kort… Continue reading ORDINARY ADVERSARIAL VERSUS SUMMARY PROCEEDINGS IN THE DUTCH CARIBBEAN

OBITER DICTUM OR NOT?

Litigating twice on the same matter is not allowed The Netherlands Antilles Code of Civil Procedure prevents parties from litigating twice on the same legal issue. The principle that a final judgment of a competent court is conclusive upon the parties in any subsequent litigation involving the same cause of action is known as ‘res… Continue reading OBITER DICTUM OR NOT?

DUTCH CARIBBEAN LITIGATION AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF FACTS

Failing to contest may make a fact true Facts play an important role in civil litigation. Facts are established by the Court in First Instance of the Netherlands Antilles or Aruba and by the Joint Court of Appeal of the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba, not by the Supreme Court. A review by the Supreme Court… Continue reading DUTCH CARIBBEAN LITIGATION AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF FACTS

CHAMBERS GLOBAL 2010 LAUNCHED

All-new law firm rankings The Chambers Global 2010 was launched at the end of February 2010. You will find the all-new rankings and editorial on their website – www.chambersandpartners.com. The Chambers Global focuses on firms and lawyers who have truly international practices. This is what Chambers and Partners has to say about Spigthoff Attorneys &… Continue reading CHAMBERS GLOBAL 2010 LAUNCHED

PREJUDICED INTERESTS OF MINORITY SHAREHOLDERS IN THE NETHERLANDS ANTILLES

They may force the company to take-over their shares Article 2:251(1) of the Netherlands Antilles Civil Code reads as follows: “A shareholder of registered shares, whose rights or interests are prejudiced to such an extent, by the conduct of the company or one or more co-shareholders, that a continuation of his shareholding cannot reasonably be required… Continue reading PREJUDICED INTERESTS OF MINORITY SHAREHOLDERS IN THE NETHERLANDS ANTILLES

ARUBAN LAW REGARDING CORPORATE AUTHORITY

The Aruba Trade Register should be checked The laws of Aruba provide that, subject to restrictions laid down by any statutory provision or a corporation’s articles of association, the board of directors of a company shall be competent to represent the company, i.e. a limited liability company (NV, AVV or VBA). In the event of… Continue reading ARUBAN LAW REGARDING CORPORATE AUTHORITY

PLC CROSS BORDER LAW FIRM RECOMMENDATIONS 2010

Netherlands Antilles According to PLC Cross Border (Which lawyer?), Spigthoff Attorneys & Tax Advisers is one of two firms dominating the Netherlands Antilles market for international work, both on- and offshore. Spigthoff ranks high in corporate / M&A and dispute resolution. Martijn Welten, who specializes in corporate law, mergers & acquisitions and corporate litigation, is… Continue reading PLC CROSS BORDER LAW FIRM RECOMMENDATIONS 2010