General Terms and Conditions of House of Lawyers B.V. (version 12-2024) 

1. House of Lawyers B.V. (hereinafter “House”) is a private company with limited liability, with its registered office in Amsterdam and listed in the Commercial Register under number 82908621. House’s objective is to provide legal services in the broadest sense. In this context, House operates in the field of mediation of independent professionals engaged by House for the execution of assignments (hereinafter referred to as the “Senior Legal Counsel”).

2. House considers all assignments from clients to be exclusively awarded to House, even if the explicit or tacit intention is for a specific person to carry out the assignment. The effect of Article 7:404 of the Dutch Civil Code, which provides a regulation for such cases, and the effect of Article 7:407(2) of the Dutch Civil Code, which establishes joint and several liability where an assignment is given to two or more persons, are explicitly excluded.

3. House reserves the right to replace the Senior Legal Counsel executing or participating in the execution of the assignment with a Senior Legal Counsel who has at least the level of knowledge and experience agreed upon in the assignment.

4. Assignments between House and the client may be terminated without further notice of default as soon as the client is declared bankrupt, applies for a suspension of payment, or is in default of fulfilling any obligation under the agreement. This does not affect House’s right to claim full damages.

5. Payment must be made within 15 days of the invoice date by transferring the amount to the account number stated on the invoice, unless a different payment term has been agreed upon in the assignment. The client must always pay without deduction or set-off, without suspension due to an alleged or actual failure of performance, and without the client being entitled to block payment by means of attachment or otherwise. If the client fails to pay within the agreed term, default shall commence from the due date without further notice of default or demand, and statutory interest for commercial transactions pursuant to Article 6:119a of the Dutch Civil Code will be owed. Complaints regarding the invoice must be submitted in writing to House within 15 days after the invoice has been sent. After this period, the right to file a complaint is forfeited. A complaint does not affect the payment obligation.

6. House is entitled to use the client’s name and logo in its external communications, including but not limited to publishing the client’s name and logo on House’s website. Additionally, if the information is not deemed confidential, House is entitled to provide a brief description of the work performed. At House’s request, the client will provide House with a high-resolution digital version of its logo.

7. The client and all its affiliated natural and legal persons and enterprises are prohibited, both during the term of the assignment and for twelve months after its termination, from directly or indirectly establishing an employment relationship or any form of cooperation with Senior Legal Counsels and/or persons involved in executing the assignment through or via House, without the express prior written consent of House. In this context, the client is responsible and liable for (in)directly affiliated natural and legal persons and enterprises.

8. If an event occurs during the execution of an assignment that results in House’s liability, such liability shall be limited to the amount or amounts covered by House’s professional liability insurance, including the deductible borne by House under that insurance. An event as mentioned in the previous sentence also includes an omission. If, in the execution of an assignment, damage is caused to persons or property for which House is liable, this liability shall be limited to the amount or amounts covered by House’s general liability insurance, including the deductible borne by House under that insurance. If and insofar as no insurance payout occurs for any reason, the aforementioned liability is limited to EUR 35,000, or if the fee charged by House for handling the relevant case or matter is higher, to that fee up to a maximum of EUR 100,000.

9. It is possible that Senior Legal Counsels engaged in an assignment wish to limit their liability for the execution of the assignment. The client agrees to such a further limitation of liability, in line with the agreements made between House and the Senior Legal Counsel in this regard.

10. The legal relationship between House and its client shall be governed by Dutch law. In the event of a dispute between House and the client, Dutch law shall apply. The Dutch courts shall have exclusive jurisdiction to adjudicate any disputes arising between House and the client.

11. Not only House but also all persons involved in the execution of any client assignment may invoke these general terms and conditions. The same applies to former employees, including their heirs, if they are held liable after leaving House.

12. These general terms and conditions also apply to additional and follow-up assignments awarded by the client. 

House of Lawyers B.V. is registered in Amsterdam and listed in the Commercial Register under number 82908621.