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… Continue reading LEZING NIEUW VENNOOTSCHAPSRECHT SINT MAARTEN
Tag: dutch west indies
LAW FIRMS SEE ALTERNATIVE FEE ARRANGEMENTS AS HERE TO STAY
“I don’t think the billable hour is dead, but I think it has company” According to an article by Kim Lyons of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, “the billable hour has long been the mainstay of law firms and their pay structure. But in recent years, firms have had to become more creative in how they get… Continue reading LAW FIRMS SEE ALTERNATIVE FEE ARRANGEMENTS AS HERE TO STAY
ADVOCATEN EN DECLARABELE UREN
Wat is daar eigenlijk mis mee? Overal lees je dat advocatenkantoren moeten veranderen. Ze zijn te conservatief. Ze houden vast aan het verleden en zijn alles behalve innovatief. Naarmate het economisch slechter gaat wordt de roep om verandering steeds sterker. Met name het systeem van ‘uurtje factuurtje’ moet het ontgelden. Advocaten wordt verweten dat zij… Continue reading ADVOCATEN EN DECLARABELE UREN
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… Continue reading INDEPENDENT SUPERVISORY BOARD IN ST. MAARTEN
US LAW GOVERNED AGREEMENTS
Curaçao and St. Maarten Courts will accept the choice of laws One of the questions frequently asked is whether the Courts in Curaçao or St. Maarten, if an action is brought before them, will pay deference to a “choice of governing law” and/or venue provision in an agreement, in particular when the parties have chosen… Continue reading US LAW GOVERNED AGREEMENTS
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… Continue reading LIFTING THE CORPORATE VEIL IN ARUBA
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… Continue reading REGULATORY LAWS IN THE BES ISLANDS
ELECTRONIC MONEY INSTITUTIONS IN ARUBA
A license is required The European Central Bank defines e-money as follows (a non-legal definition): “E-money can be defined as any amount of monetary value represented by a claim issued on a prepaid basis, stored in an electronic medium (for example, a card or computer) and accepted as a means of payment by undertakings other… Continue reading ELECTRONIC MONEY INSTITUTIONS IN ARUBA
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… Continue reading THE ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION OF A CURAÇAO COMPANY (II)
ANTI-MONEY LAUNDERING LAWS IN CURACAO
Money laundering is prohibited Title XXXI of the Penal Code of Curaçao basically prohibits any type of money laundering. The National Ordinance on the Reporting of Unusual Transactions (NORUT) obliges service providers acting in the course of a business or profession, to report unusual transactions. The National Ordinance on Identification of clients when Rendering Services (NOIS)… Continue reading ANTI-MONEY LAUNDERING LAWS IN CURACAO
IMPACT OF THE LIABILITY TO THE DIRECTOR OF THE DIRECTOR (II)
2nd degree director as director of a foreign corporate director It appears from the 2011 ruling referred to by the Supreme Court that Section 2:11 of the Dutch Civil Code is applicable to the joint and several liability of a director of a Dutch legal entity being a director of another Dutch legal entity. The… Continue reading IMPACT OF THE LIABILITY TO THE DIRECTOR OF THE DIRECTOR (II)
ASSET PROTECTION IN CURACAO
Curaçao: a jurisdiction not to be missed A Curaçao private foundation or a trust is often used for asset protection and privacy purposes. The Curaçao private foundation and the Curaçao trust must be set up by a notarial deed executed before a civil law notary in Curaçao. Both the private foundation and the trust are… Continue reading ASSET PROTECTION IN CURACAO