Taco Wiersma
1076 DE Amsterdam
2301 RA Leiden
Attorney-at-law
Taco specializes in the international trade, transportation, and insurance practice, with an emphasis on litigating maritime, shipping and commercial disputes. For over thirty years he has acted for insurers, ship owners and charterers, dredging companies, banks, retailers, governments, litigation funders and private equity firms. In matters concerning international litigation and contracts, Taco frequently works with Dutch and foreign law firms from his personal network. He also regularly acts as an arbitrator in the resolution of international disputes.
Specialisation
In addition to being an all-round expert in contract law and procedural and attachment law, Taco also has special knowledge and experience in the field of:
- maritime and shipping law;
- (recovery) procedures against foreign states and the law on immunity;
- arbitration, inter alia in commercial disputes, shipbuilding and maritime accidents;
- international commodities trade and financing (commodities trade and letters of credit);
- disputes involving (liability) insurance;
- drawing up complex transport and distribution contracts.
Since 1999 Chambers and Legal 500 have spoken highly of Taco as a specialist in Transportation and Shipping.
Clients like to work with Taco because of his expertise, personal attention and matter-of-fact approach. He understands the subject matter and the business in detail and knows what is required in order to get the client to reach his goal within the shortest possible time span.
Work experience
Taco has been a lawyer since 1989. In the first few years he worked at the law firm of NautaDutilh, but in 1995 he set up his own law firm with a number of other lawyers (Wiersma Mensonides Advocaten), where until 1 January 2022 he was active as a managing partner.
Ancillary positions
Taco holds various ancillary positions, including the following:
- Chairman Transport & Maritime Committee of the Dutch Arbitration Association
- Panel of Arbitrators: UNUM Transport Arbitration and Mediation, Dutch Arbitration Institute (NAI), CEPANI (Belgian Center for Arbitration and Mediation
- Member UNUM Arbitration Rules Revision Committee
Memberships
- Nederlandse Vereniging voor Vervoerrecht (Dutch Association for Transport Law)
- Nederlandse Vereniging voor Vervoerrechtadvocaten (Dutch Transport Lawyers Association
- International Bar Association (Arbitration Committee, Litigation Committee and Maritime and Transport Law Committee)
- Association of Average Adjusters
- London Maritime Arbitrators Association
- German Maritime Arbitration Association
Education
- Utrecht University – Dutch Law (1987)