Law firm VanEps Kunneman VanDoorne believes in Bonaire

May 08, 2009 7:00 AM

The law firm VanEps Kunneman VanDoorne opens its doors in Bonaire in June 2009. The island of Bonaire, now still part of the Netherlands Antilles, but shortly a municipal of the Netherlands (BES), will thus be the first full service Netherlands Caribbean law firm, according to VanEps Kunneman VanDoorne.

The firm also invests in its offices in Curaçao and Aruba, and that makes it the largest law firm in the area, in its own words.

Managing partner Frank Kunneman: “Bonaire is heading for a tremendously exciting and interesting future because of the dismantling of the Netherlands Antilles. In addition to a strong economic development, this will lead to a strongly increased welfare for residents and companies. VanEps Kunneman VanDoorne would like to contribute to that and be part of this development.”

Mark Kater has been hired and charged with the management of this office in Bonaire.

Except for the opening of the office in Bonaire, the law firm of VanEps Kuneman VanDoorne is content with J.M. (Jeannot) de Cuba joining the Aruban partnership as partner as per January 1, 2009. De Cuba was employed by VanEps Kunneman VanDoorne in Curaçao in 1996. He left the partnership in 1999 and opened his own office in Aruba with several partners. Since August 2006 he has been back with VanEps Kunneman VanDoorne. As partner, he will continue to conduct the day-to-day management of the Aruban office.

In the past month, two new lawyers of the office were also sworn in:
Laura E. Fresco and E.A.D.M.E.J. (David) Wever.

Many legal changes BES
Mark Kater, hired by VanEps Kunneman VanDoorne to manage the office in Bonaire, finished his studies of Dutch law at the University of Groningen in 1994, upon which he worked with the Dutch law firm Houthoff Buruma. In the past years, Kater worked with the law firm Allen & Overy LLP in Amsterdam as Head Business Development and Marketing. “It is a privilege to experience the changes in the Kingdom from so closely. The legal changes for the BES islands (Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba) are enormous, and the question is still what the role of the world-wide economic situation is in this respect”, according to Kater.

The office will be temporarily located in the Bonaire Business Centre in the Kaya Gobernador Debrot 58, in order to move to its own premises at the same Kaya Gobernador Debrot in due time, for which the alterations start in the near future.

VanEps Kunneman VanDoorne describes itself as “a full service office, providing its clients – varying from legal entities to government bodies – with all kinds of legal necessities in commercial practice and under administrative law. The office has an established reputation regarding expertise in the field of complicated local and international takeovers and the banking and financing practice. The lawyers of this office also established themselves as market leaders in the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba in the field of corporate litigation, maritime practice, labor law, IT and telecommunications.”

(Source: National Newspaper “Antilliaans Dagblad”)

May 6, 2009