Bird & Bird boosts disputes team in The Hague with appointment of Johan Polet as partner

Johan is a seasoned expert in commercial litigation and arbitration, representing companies in complex, often highly technical, disputes. His specialisms include insurance litigation, mass claims and settlements, shareholder disputes, post-M&A disputes and D&O liability. Johan works with clients in the financial services and TMT sectors. 

The appointment of Johan is a significant opportunity for the firm to further develop its Dutch Dispute Resolution offering. Johan will be working closely with Evelyn Tjon-En-Fa (Co-Head of Bird & Bird’s International Dispute Resolution Group and head of the International Insurance Group) and Olaf Trojan (Dispute Resolution Partner and co-head of our Media Group in the Netherlands).  As the litigation market in the Netherlands continues to grow and becomes more and more international, Johan’s experience in litigation and arbitration within an international context will further strengthen the firm’s broader contentious offering.  

Johan joins from Simmons & Simmons where he became a partner in 2010. He is a lecturer at the mandatory professional education programme of the Dutch Bar Association and regularly publishes on legal developments in the Netherlands in the areas of commercial contracting, litigation, insurance law and mass claims. 

Evelyn Tjon-En-Fa, Co-Head of Bird & Bird’s International Dispute Resolution Group says: “We are delighted to welcome Johan, an incredibly seasoned and well-respected litigator and arbitrator, to our disputes team in The Hague. His international outlook and sector focus are well-aligned with our own, as is his experience in insurance and mass claim litigation. Olaf and I look forward to working with him closely to further develop our offering together with our fantastic team of talented associates. We are looking to expand our team in the near future. Our International Dispute Resolution Group is excited for Johan’s arrival, particularly as the Netherlands becomes increasingly recognised as an excellent forum for settling international disputes.”

Johan adds: “I’m excited to join the Bird & Bird team in the Netherlands and to get to know my new colleagues around the firm. The Netherlands is seeing a real increase in complex, international disputes, so I look forward to working with the Bird & Bird team in the Netherlands and around the world to ensure our clients are receiving the best possible service.”