Paul de Vries has been appointed Professor of Company Law by Special Appointment at Utrecht University (UU), effective 1 December 2021. He will hold this part-time position while continuing to work as partner in Houthoff’s Corporate/M&A practice and as a civil-law notary.

His research and educational activities will revolve around the theme of “cooperation and transactions”, focusing on how companies structure and end their cooperation and on the related subjects of mergers & acquisitions as well as domestic and cross-border restructurings of companies.

Paul specialises in public and private M&A and other strategic corporate transactions. He has extensive experience in advising on cross-border restructurings, capital market transactions and public takeover bids, creating joint ventures and complex corporate structures and advising on corporate governance matters. In 2015, he practised in the firm’s New York office.

Furthermore, Paul is a frequent speaker and author on topics of company law and corporate governance. He is an editorial board member of Sdu Comments on Company Law, and board member of the Royal Commercial Law Association.

Paul is also part of Houthoff’s multidisciplinary team, with experts in corporate governance and regulatory and corporate litigation, carrying out governance stress tests to improve and reinforce governance practices. Read more about the governance stress test.

Paul is a member of Houthoff’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee.

Managing Partner Edward de Bock comments, “We are very proud of Paul’s appointment. Strong ties to the academic community are a key part of developing our practice and academic understanding, and we are pleased to have yet another professor at our firm. Considering the quality of his work and his experience, I firmly believe that Paul’s appointment will greatly benefit both UU and our alliance with them.”