Prof. Dr Niek Peters

Olympisch Stadion 24-28
1076 DE Amsterdam

Postbus 4023
2301 RA Leiden

Attorney-at-law

Liability, Damages and Insurance law, Dispute resolution, International Trade and Transport, Arbitration team

Niek specialises in dispute resolution. He represents clients in arbitration and state court proceedings, including in enforcement and setting aside proceedings. Niek also regularly sits as arbitrator.

In addition, Niek is a professor of international commercial arbitration at the University of Groningen. He has published several books and a large number of articles in the field of private international law and arbitration, including on the New York Convention. Because of his special expertise, Niek is also regularly requested by other lawyers to provide an expert opinion.

Many proceedings in which Niek is involved relate to (international) sale and service agreements, shareholder disputes, joint venture disputes, post M&A disputes and professional liability issues. Niek also regularly acts in investment disputes. Moreover, he advises and litigates on issues involving the ECHR and the EU Charter

When it comes to arbitration, Niek has extensive experience in both institutional arbitration (including NAI, ICC, LCIA, UNUM and ICSID) and ad hoc arbitration (including UNCITRAL), both in the Netherlands and in foreign jurisdictions. Foreign law has been applicable frequently.

Niek is listed in the Legal500 and mentioned in Who's Who Legal. By Who's Who Legal he has been described as ‘a great attorney’, ‘a clever practitioner’, ‘quick minded and smart’, ‘full of excellent ideas’, ‘extremely thorough’, ‘with a strong knowledge of arbitration law’, with ‘the ability to find practical and effective solutions to difficult issues’.

Specialisations

Niek has special knowledge of and experience with:

commercial arbitration, both as counsel and arbitrator, with a range of international institutes (ICC, NAI, LCIA, CEPANI, UNUM and SIAC) as well as ad hoc, and with application of the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules;
investment arbitration and state immunity;
the enforcement of arbitral awards;
litigation to set aside and to revoke arbitral awards;
litigation regarding the conclusion, performance and termination of commercial contracts, civil liability and damages;
disputes concerning professional liability and related disciplinary proceedings;
shareholder disputes, joint venture disputes and post M & A claims; and
mass claims and cartel follow-on damages claims.

Work experience

Niek has been in private practice for more than 20 years. Before he joined Legaltree, he was a partner at Simmons & Simmons, where he headed the Amsterdam commercial litigation and arbitration group. Niek has recently represented, among others:

Crescent Gas Corporation Limited and Crescent Petroleum Company International Limited regarding the recognition and enforcement of a foreign arbitration decision (value > USD 2.5 billion)
Cairn Energy PLC and Cairn UK Holding Limited in proceedings against India to set aside an arbitration decision (value > USD 1.1 billion)
a foreign state in various proceedings to prevent the enforcement of foreign arbitration decisions (value > USD 500 million)
a foreign party in an international arbitration and before a national court concerning a guarantee claim by a foreign bank
a machine manufacturer in an international arbitration
a global food corporation in an international arbitration
a private equity fund in an arbitration concerning a post M & A dispute
Credendo-Short-Term Non-EU Risks S.A. in proceedings to enforce a foreign arbitration decision (value > USD 15 million)
a home care organisation in a dispute with pension fund PFZW, to set aside a binding advice
Mazars, in various professional liability cases
Bunq, in a contractual dispute with a service provider.

In addition to his work as attorney-at-law, Niek is also a Professor of International Commercial Arbitration at the University of Groningen, where he has taught International Commercial Dispute Settlement Law since 2008. Niek is also a guest lecturer at several Dutch and foreign universities.

Memberships & ancillary positions

Ancillary positions

Professor of International Commercial Arbitration – University of Groningen
Board Member – Royal Netherlands Society of International Law (KNVIR)
Member – ICC Commission on Arbitration & ADR
Member – UNUM Arbitration Rules Revision Committee
Editorial Board Member – Czech Yearbook of Arbitration
Board Member – Dutch Arbitration Association (DAA)

Memberships

Dutch Arbitration Association (DAA)
Dutch Association of Procedural Law (NVvP)
Corporate Litigation Association

Education

Education

University of Groningen – PhD, 2015
Erasmus University Rotterdam – Dutch Law and Public International Law, 2004

Books and publications

Books

Openbare orde en arbitrage (inaugural lecture), Wolters Kluwer, 2023
The fundamentals of international commercial arbitration, Maklu, 2017 (1st edition), 2020 (2nd edition)
IPR, Proces & Arbitrage: Over grondslagen en rechtspraktijk (dissertation), Maklu, 2015
A selection of Conventions, Rules and Guidelines used in International Arbitration, Publishing House Hephaestus, 2011

Book contributions, articles and other publications

The application of the Non-Discrimination Principle of Article III NYC in the Netherlands, TvA 2024/73, p. 236-242
De toepassing van gunstiger nationaal recht op grond van art. VII lid 1 Verdrag van New York, in: P. Koerts & E. Verheul (red.), Toonaangevend, Deventer: Wolters Kluwer 2024, p. 125-133
De (on)mogelijkheid van erkenning en tenuitvoerlegging van arbitrale voorlopige voorzieningen op grond van het Verdrag van New York en artikel 1076 Rv, TvA 2023/85, p. 203-210
Online arbitration: the counsel perspective, in: P. Ortolani, A. Janssen & P. Wolters, International Arbitration and Technology, Deventer: Wolters Kluwer 2022, p. 31-42
De vraag naar de uitvoerbaarheid van arbitrale voorlopige voorzieningen in het Koninkrijk mede bezien in het licht van art. 1022c Rv en art. 1074d Rv, TvA 2022/2, p. 7-13
Practical Insights on Article II(1) and (2) of the New York Convention, Kluwer Arbitration 2022, 2023, 2024
Practical Insights on Article II(3) of the New York Convention, Kluwer Arbitration 2021, 2023, 2024
Fouten van arbiters en de gevolgen daarvan voor hun honorarium, NTBR 2021/1, p. 17-27
Enkele gedachten over de toepasselijkheid van het beginsel van ius curia novit in gerechtelijke procedures in verband met arbitrage en de gevolgen daarvan voor arbitrage, NIPR 2020/4, p. 715-730
Arbitration and conflict of laws, NIPR 2020/4, p. 631-633
Aansprakelijkheid van arbiters: Enkele gedachten over maatstaf, vernietiging, grondslag, ipr en exoneratie, MvV 2020/10, p. 364-371
JOR 2020/164
The enforcement of mediation agreements and settlement agreements resulting from mediation, Corporate Mediation Journal 2020/5
Artikel 10:13 BW, in: P. Vlas & M. Zilinsky (red.), Commentaar Internationaal Privaatrecht (boek 10 BW), Den Haag: SdU 2020
De toepasselijkheid van de Herschikte Brussel Ibis-Verordening bij mediation, bindend advies en arbitrage, NIPR 2019/2, p. 299-317
De mondelinge behandeling in arbitrage: achttien praktische aanbevelingen, in: C.J.M. Klaassen, G.J. Meijer & C.L. Schleijpen (eds.), Going Dutch: ADR in Nederland, in het bijzonder bij het NAI, Deventer: Kluwer 2019, p. 547-573
Drie jaar nieuwe arbitragewet: tien suggesties voor verbetering, TCR 2018/4, p. 101-110
Het belang van de plaats van arbitrage voor het toepasselijke recht, Bb 2017/3, p. 41-46
De herziene Nederlandse arbitragewet, ORP 2016/5, p. 22-29
Het toepasselijke recht op de overeenkomst tot arbitrage, NIPR 2016/2, p. 239-247
De overeenkomst tot arbitrage: wat zet je er in?, ORP 2014/8, p. 16-19
Remission in de nieuwe arbitragewet, TCR 2013/4, p. 117-127
De Europese stichting: terug naar de tekentafel?, NtER 2013/3, p. 93-101
De (on)bevoegdheid van het Gerechtshof Amsterdam in WCAM-zaken, NIPR 2013/1, p. 3-12
De Wet collectieve afwikkeling massaschade: wat is zij waard in het buitenland?, NTBR 2013/2
Artikel 6:166 BW: onbekend maakt onbemind?, AV&S 2012/21
Vernietiging van arbitrale vonnissen door ad hoc scheidsgerechten, is dat niet vernieuwend?, in: M.H. Kroeze, L. Timmermans & G.J. Meijer (eds.), Piet Sanders: een honderdjarige vernieuwer, Den Haag: Boom Juridische Uitgevers 2012, p. 217-223
Bevoegdheid van de Nederlandse rechter bij een exequaturprocedure en een actio iudicati, NIPR 2010/3, p. 215-222
Verrekening in het ipr, NIPR 2007/1, p. 3-9

Testimonials

Niek was included in the first (2022) Legal500 Arbitration Powerlist – Benelux Region and is ranked as a leading individual for arbitration.

'The level of expertise and quality is very high.'

'We appreciate Niek Peters' tactics in our case, which helped winning more than once.'

'Strong legal knowledge with a determination to win.'

'Niek Peters is a strong intellect, committed to win.'

'The legal knowledge and practical awareness of the court system is outstanding.'

'Niek combines high-level academic knowledge with practical experience and a low-key, can-do approach.'

'Niek Peters has great academic background that really helps to solve the most difficult questions.'