Partner Sophie has nearly twenty years’ experience in the field of corporate and commercial litigation. Her practice has a particular focus on class actions and collective actions (under the Dutch Act on Collective Damages in Class Actions (WAMCA) ), sanctions law disputes and international cross-border liability cases. Sophie has extensive knowledge and experience in setting up the structures required for group actions and collective actions, and in devising an appropriate strategy for bringing such actions. She is renowned for her passionate and pragmatic approach, which enables her to bring together parties with divergent interests towards a common goal.
In addition, Sophie regularly litigates and advises on a wide range of corporate and commercial matters, such as commercial contracts, asset recovery, shareholder disputes and other forms of liability. Sophie thinks creatively and is always focused on finding clear, effective solutions for her clients. Sophie is chair of the board of Stichting Collectief FGS, a claims foundation dedicated to securing compensation for individuals who have suffered loss as a result of a breach of the duty of care by banks that facilitated a Ponzi scheme. She is also a member of the editorial board of ’Rechtspraak Contractenrecht‘, a Dutch compendium of jurisprudence in the field of the law of contracts, and a member of the Corporate Litigation Association and the Association for Procedural Law.
Career
2024 – heden
Agorax | Attorney | Partner
2023 – 2024
SG Legal | Attorney
2021 – 2023
Lemstra Van der Korst | Attorney
2014 – 2021
Jones Day | Attorney
2013 – 2014
Klos Morel Vos Schaap | Attorney
2009 – 2013
Allen & Overy | Attorney
Additional positions
- Chair of the board of the FGS Collective Foundation, a claims organisation dedicated to securing compensation for individuals who have suffered losses as a result of a breach of the duty of care by banks that facilitated a Ponzi scheme.
- Member of the editorial board of Rechtspraak Contractenrecht.
- Member of the Corporate Litigation Association and the Association for Procedural Law.
Education
2017 – 2018
Grotius specialisation course ‘Business & Liability’ (cum laude)
2007 – 2008
LL.M, Information Law (University of Amsterdam)
2002 – 2007
LL.M, Criminal Law (Leiden University)
Publications
- Commentary on the Amsterdam Court of Appeal judgment of 17 June 2025, ECLI:NL:GHAMS:2025:2103, ‘Joint hearing of a request for an inquiry and a request for expulsion. The special role of a board member of a cooperative’, Rechtspraak Ondernemingsrecht 2026/13.
- ‘Prohibition or defence? Interpretation of the no-claims clause under EU sanctions’, Compliance, Ethics & Sustainability Journal 2026/1, pp. 51–58.
- Commentary on the Court of Appeal for Arnhem-Leeuwarden, 7 October 2025, ECLI:NL:GHARL:2025:6145, ‘Was the restructuring carried out with the intention of prejudicing the creditor?’, Case Law on Company Law 2025/79.
- Commentary on the Arnhem-Leeuwarden Court of Appeal, 3 December 2024, ECLI:NL:GHARL:7476, ‘Is a director seriously at fault if he causes the other party’s recourse options to be frustrated whilst proceedings are pending?’, Case Law on Company Law 2025/79.
- Annotation to the Amsterdam Court of Appeal, 26 November 2024, ECLI:NL:GHAM:2024:3344, ‘Does a freezing order under EU sanctions legislation constitute an exceptional and specific circumstance justifying the immediate transfer of shares by way of consignment?’, Corporate Law Case Law 2025/8.
- Commentary on the judgment of the District Court of Rotterdam of 22 December 2021, ECLI:NL:RBROT:2021:12807, ‘Termination of a contract. Is exercising the option to terminate the contract early unacceptable according to the principles of reasonableness and fairness?’, Case Law on Contract Law 2022/25.
- Commentary on the Amsterdam Court of Appeal, 21 July 2020, ECLI:NL:GHAMS:2020:2088, ‘Mistake. Is an issue of shares voidable on the grounds of a mistake regarding the tax consequences?’, Case Law on Contract Law 2021/4.
- Commentary on the Amsterdam Court of Appeal, 6 October 2020, ECLI:NL:GHAMS:2020:2621, ‘Can the bank justifiably invoke force majeure where sanctions imposed on the client prevent the bank from performing certain acts?’, Contract Law Case Law 2021/18.
- Annotation on the judgment of the Amsterdam District Court of 27 August 2020, ECLI:NL:RBAMS:2020:4226, ‘Are general terms and conditions applicable in the case of repeated contracting between professional parties?’, Case Law on Contract Law 2021/79.
- Commentary on Amsterdam District Court 14 May 2020, ECLI:NL:RBAMS:2020:2644, ‘Has the buyer prevented the fulfilment of a condition precedent, such that it is deemed to have been fulfilled? Can the contract of sale not be signed unchanged due to the coronavirus crisis?’, Case Law on Contract Law 2020/80.
- Commentary on the Supreme Court judgment of 12 October 2018, ECLI:NL:HR:2018:1900 (X v Stichting ANV Fondsen) on the concept of an interested party and the involvement criterion within the framework of Article 2:298(1) of the Dutch Civil Code and Article 2:229 of the Dutch Civil Code (dismissal of the foundation’s board and appointment of a new board), JIN 2018/210.
- Te Winkel and S.M.Y. Van de Graaff, ‘Temporary transfer of shares for management purposes’, in Holtzer, Leijten and Oranje (eds.), the Corporate Litigation Association 2014–2015.