For entrepreneurs challenging a government decision or wanting control over permits and enforcement.
Administrative law governs your relationship with the government: how a municipality, inspectorate, or other agency may make decisions that affect you, and how you challenge these through objections and appeals. Our lawyers and in-house counsel assist both international corporations and the local entrepreneur — with practical and legally sharp expertise.
Administrative law attorneys and in-house counsel in one team.Practical specialist legal assistance for entrepreneurs.
Active for SMEs and corporates — from large corporations to the baker on the corner.Practical specialist legal assistance for entrepreneurs.
Core themes: objections, appeals, permits, and enforcement.Practical specialist legal assistance for entrepreneurs.
Specialist administrative law advice from €155 per hour excl. VAT.Clarity regarding the process, approach, and next steps.
We worked for, among others:
We worked for, among others:
Expertise in Administrative Law
Administrative law governs your relationship with the government: how a municipality, inspectorate, or other agency may make decisions that affect you, and how you challenge these through objections and appeals. Our lawyers and in-house counsel assist both international corporations and the local entrepreneur — with practical and legally sharp expertise.
Construction law
We serve organizations from a wide variety of sectors and advise on issues within administrative law. These issues may concern subsidies, environmental law, permits, enforcement decisions, or legal proceedings. We provide legal advice to SMEs, as well as to listed companies and international enterprises.
Did you receive an enforcement decision from a municipality, province, or supervisory authority? Our lawyers and in-house counsel defend against orders subject to penalty payments, administrative coercion, and administrative fines – from international corporations to the baker on the corner.
Hospitality entrepreneurs have extensive dealings with the municipality: permits, enforcement, Bibob, and sometimes even closure. Our lawyers and in-house counsel assist you, from an initial permit application to proceedings before the Council of State.
From permit requirements to notifications, and from applications to objections and appeals: our lawyers and in-house counsel guide companies — from the baker on the corner to the international corporation — through environmental permits under the Environment and Planning Act.
Environmental law governs building, living, and doing business in the physical living environment. Much has changed since the Environment and Planning Act of 2024. Our lawyers and in-house counsel assist you with permits, enforcement, objections, and appeals.
From admission, suspension, and expulsion to funding, inspection, and participation: our mixed team of lawyers and in-house counsel knows education law and administrative law inside out.
We serve organizations from a wide variety of sectors and advise on issues within administrative law. These issues may concern subsidies, environmental law, permits, enforcement decisions, or legal proceedings. We provide legal advice to SMEs, as well as to listed companies and international enterprises.
From subsidy applications to objections against recovery claims: our mixed teams of lawyers and in-house counsel are familiar with Title 4.2 of the General Administrative Law Act (Awb) and European state aid rules. For the international corporation as well as the baker on the corner.
From residence permits and highly skilled migrants to asylum, objections, appeals, and Dutch citizenship. Our lawyers and legal experts guide individuals and employers through every phase of immigration law.
A conflict with the water board affects your business operations. Our lawyers and in-house counsel assist you, from an international corporation to the baker on the corner.
Requesting government information or protecting your business data? Our lawyers and in-house counsel guide you through every Woo and Wob request, from international corporations to the baker on the corner.
Administrative law governs the relationship between you as an entrepreneur and the government. It determines how an administrative body—municipality, province, an inspectorate, or the Tax and Customs Administration—may make decisions that affect you, and what avenues you have to challenge such a decision. The rules of the game are largely set out in the General Administrative Law Act (Awb). A decision is a written ruling by an administrative body with a public law legal effect (Article 1:3 Awb); only an interested party (Article 1:2 Awb) can challenge it.
Our lawyers and in-house counsel assist both international corporations and the baker on the corner in their dealings with the government — from a refused permit to an enforcement order or a threatened penalty payment.
Objecting to a government decision
If you disagree with a decision, you generally first lodge an objection with the administrative body that made the decision. An objection is almost always a mandatory preliminary step before you can go to court (Article 7:1 of the General Administrative Law Act). The time limit is strict: six weeks after the decision is announced (Article 6:7 of the General Administrative Law Act). An objection lodged too late is inadmissible. Your notice of objection must meet the requirements of Article 6:5 of the General Administrative Law Act: it must be signed and state your name and address, the date, the contested decision, and the grounds. If the substantiation is not completed in time, you must submit a pro forma notice of objection in a timely manner and supplement the grounds later.
In principle, the administrative body decides within six weeks, or within twelve weeks if there is an appeals committee (Article 7:10 of the General Administrative Law Act). Usually, you have the right to be heard.
Appeal and further appeal
If the administrative body upholds its decision in the decision on the objection, an appeal may be lodged with the administrative court of the District Court (Article 8:1 of the General Administrative Law Act), again within six weeks. Subsequently, an appeal against that ruling is often possible, depending on the subject matter, before the Administrative Jurisdiction Division of the Council of State, the Central Appeals Board, or the Appeals Tribunal for the Business Sector. For judicial proceedings, it is advisable—and for some steps necessary—to engage a lawyer; we will determine the appropriate course of action together with you.
Urgent: the preliminary injunction
Sometimes you cannot wait for the outcome of an objection or appeal — for example, in the case of an impending closure or an accumulating penalty payment. In such cases, you ask the preliminary relief judge for a preliminary injunction (Article 8:81 of the General Administrative Law Act), such as suspending the decision, provided there is sufficient urgency. We assess whether this route has a chance of success and draft the request.
Permits, enforcement and administrative sanctions
Many administrative law disputes revolve around permits and enforcement. If your permit is refused or revoked, or if an administrative body imposes a sanction, there are various instruments available: an order under administrative coercion (Article 5:21 Awb), an order subject to a penalty payment (Article 5:32 Awb), or an administrative fine (Article 5:40 Awb). In doing so, an administrative body must adhere to its own policy but may deviate from it under special circumstances (Article 4:84 Awb). We assess whether the decision has been carefully prepared and is properly substantiated (Articles 3:2 and 3:46 Awb) and, where necessary, present a defense or a statement of views.
Administrative law for SMEs and corporations
The top end of the market often focuses on large cases and large corporations. We do not: our mixed team of lawyers and in-house counsel assists both international corporations and local entrepreneurs. Accessible and practical, yet legally sharp — we translate the General Administrative Law Act (Awb) to your specific situation and stick to your objective, without unnecessary jargon.
Relationship with environmental law
If it specifically concerns construction, the environment, spatial planning, or the Environment and Planning Act, please visit our environmental law. This page focuses on general administrative law: the decision-making, objections and appeals, and enforcement that apply to virtually every government decision.
Responding on time: the pro forma notice of objection
The six-week deadline is fatal. If it threatens to expire before your substantiation is ready, a pro forma notice of objection your salvation: you first confirm that you are lodging an objection and then supplement the grounds. Our legal experts will draft it or review your draft within the deadline.
What we help with
From filing a timely objection to litigating before the administrative court — our lawyers and legal experts support you in every area of administrative law.
Objecting to a government decision (Article 7:1 of the General Administrative Law Act)
Pro forma notice of objection within the six-week period (Article 6:7 of the General Administrative Law Act)
Appeal and further appeal to the administrative court (Article 8:1 of the General Administrative Law Act)
Interim relief in urgent cases (Article 8:81 of the General Administrative Law Act)
Permit applications, refusals and revocations
Defense against an order subject to a penalty payment (Article 5:32 of the General Administrative Law Act) and administrative coercion (Article 5:21 of the General Administrative Law Act)
Defense against an administrative fine (Article 5:40 of the General Administrative Law Act)
Views and advice in the decision-making phase
Enforcement, toleration decisions and collection decisions
When do you engage this team?
In administrative law, every day counts: deadlines are fatal. The sooner you involve us, the more options you retain. If you recognize any of these situations, seeking advice is wise.
In administrative law, your starting position determines the outcome, and the time limit determines whether you can still exercise that position. Before we file an objection or initiate proceedings, we check the time limit, map out the decision, the documents, and the facts, and assess the preparation and reasoning against the General Administrative Law Act (Awb). In this way, we choose the route—statement of views, objection, appeal, or preliminary relief—that best serves your interests, rather than the first step that comes to mind.
Our approach
From decision to solution in four steps.
1
Intake
We discuss the decision, your interests, and your goal, and immediately check the timeframe.
2
Analysis
We assess the decision against the General Administrative Law Act and the facts, and map out opportunities and risks.
3
Strategy
We choose the route — statement of views, objection, appeal, or preliminary injunction — and the involvement of a lawyer or legal expert.
4
Execution
We handle everything from drafting the notice of objection to litigating before the administrative court.
Mr. Jaime BoogaersCorporate Law · Lawyer
In a legal dispute, it is not just about being right. It is also about evidence, timing, negotiating position, and the business consequences of every step.
Specialists in Administrative Law
Our specialists combine legal analysis with experience in cases for entrepreneurs, directors, and organizations.
Our team of corporate counsel and lawyers are specialists in administrative law. We assist a variety of organizations with environmental law issues, subsidies, permits, objection procedures, appeal procedures, and enforcement decisions. We have extensive experience at the negotiating table, are decisive, and can make sound assessments of opportunities and risks. Furthermore, we have extensive experience in conducting various litigation proceedings.
Frequently asked questions about administrative law
The questions entrepreneurs ask us most often.
Within what timeframe must I file an objection?
As a rule, within six weeks of the announcement of the decision (Article 6:7 of the General Administrative Law Act). This deadline is fatal: an objection filed too late is inadmissible. If the deadline is about to expire, submit a pro forma notice of objection on time and supplement the grounds later.
Do I have to file an objection first before I can go to court?
Usually, yes. Filing an objection with the administrative body is generally a mandatory preliminary step before an appeal to the administrative court is available (Article 7:1 of the General Administrative Law Act). If you skip this step, recourse to the court is, in principle, closed.
What must be included in a letter of objection?
Pursuant to Article 6:5 of the General Administrative Law Act (Awb), at least: your name and address, the date, a description of the contested decision and the grounds for your objection, with your signature. If anything is missing, you will be given the opportunity to rectify this.
What do I do in the event of an urgent decision, such as an impending closure?
In that case, in addition to an objection or appeal, you request a preliminary injunction from the preliminary relief judge (Article 8:81 of the General Administrative Law Act), for example, suspension of the decision. A sufficient urgent interest is a prerequisite. We assess the chances of success and draft the request.
Do I need a lawyer or a legal expert?
That depends on your situation. For advice, drafting an objection or statement of views, and negotiating with an administrative body, an in-house counsel is often sufficient. For judicial proceedings, a lawyer is mandatory or at least advisable. Our firm has both in-house and determines together with you what is appropriate.
Is administrative law also for small business owners?
Yes. We help both international corporations and the baker on the corner. Especially for a small business owner, a denied permit or a penalty payment can directly impact their survival; responding promptly and decisively makes all the difference.
Discuss your situation with an administrative law specialist.Our administrative law attorneys and legal experts help both large companies and small business owners. Schedule a meeting and know where you stand within a single session — before the deadline expires.
