Amsterdam|

Code of Civil Procedure presented to Dean of the Amsterdam Bar

At an event organised by the Netherlands Commercial Court (NCC) on Monday 14 November 2022, Duco Oranje, the president of the Netherlands Commercial Court of Appeal, presented the first copy of the new English translation of the Dutch Code of Civil Procedure to the Dean of the Amsterdam Bar Association, Barbara Rumora-Scheltema.  

Translation process

The translation was prepared by a committee consisting of judges Duco Oranje and Lincoln Frakes and NCC registrar Willem Visser, as well as Stephan Machon (editor) and Alex Burrough (translator). At the event, the committee members gave a presentation about the translation process. The book presents the translation alongside the original text in two columns. The committee carefully deliberated on the translation of each article using numerous sources. The result is a straightforward, manageable and accessible translation for lawyers, general counsel, academics and others dealing with international litigation. With this translation, the committee hopes to increase access to Dutch civil law and to the NCC as an international commercial chamber, as well as to enhance the openness and transparency of Dutch civil procedure. 

Glossary freely available online

The glossary (pdf, 353 KB) accompanying the translation is freely available on the NCC website. This is a living document that will be useful to anyone with an interest in litigation in the Netherlands and internationally. The full translation can be obtained as a book from publishing house BOOM and is available digitally via a range of legal subscription services.

Panel discussion

The event was concluded by a lively panel discussion on the further steps to open up Dutch civil law to international business, which was moderated by Alex Burrough. The panel members were Rieme-Jan Tjittes (professor, lawyer and NCC judge sitting by designation), Marishka Neekilappillai (lecturer and PhD candidate at the Institute of Private Law, Leiden University) and Lincoln Frakes (president of the NCC first instance). The panel and the audience, which consisted mainly of lawyers and a number of judges, exchanged ideas about a range of topics, including the Dutch schemes for mass damage claims (Wamca) and insolvency restructuring (Whoa), as well as access to justice.