Hans Londonck Sluijk is an expert in insurance coverage issues and international insurance and reinsurance programs. He brings over 30 years of experience from Houthoff, one of the leading independent law firms in the Netherlands, where he served as a partner for 22 years. He chaired the Dispute Resolution practice group for many years and served as a Member of the Board during his final years at the firm.

Hans specializes in complex international coverage disputes in the field of Financial Lines, including D&O, E&O, and Professional Indemnity, as well as in General and Product Liability, W&I, Property, CAR, Surety, and Credit Insurance. Additionally, Hans is an expert in coverage disputes involving Reinsurance. He represents both Dutch and international clients in mediation, litigation, and arbitration, including several landmark cases that have attracted significant media attention.

Hans Londonck Sluijk is recognized as a leader in his field by all major legal reference guides, including Chambers, Legal 500, and Who’s Who Legal. He has been ranked as a Band 1 leader in Insurance by Chambers for 17 years. Described as "very knowledgeable with a great talent for strategic thinking." Hans is praised by clients as “the best insurance expert in the Netherlands."

Hans is the past Co-Chair of the Insurance Committee of the International Bar Association (IBA) and served on the Presidential Council of the Worldwide Association for Insurance Law (AIDA) for over 15 years. He currently sits on the Board of the Dutch Insurance Law Association, the Vereniging voor Verzekeringswetenschap. Hans frequently lectures and publishes on insurance law.

SPECIALTIES
  • Insurance coverage issues across all lines of business insurance
  • International corporate insurance and reinsurance programs
  • Complex multi-party litigation, including cross border disputes
  • Directors and Officers and Professional Liability
QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE
  • Dutch Law (Master, University of Amsterdam 1992)
  • Political and Socio-cultural Sciences (Master, University of Amsterdam 1992)
  • Post-graduate Grotius Program 1997
  • Harvard Business School, Leading Professional Service Firms 2009
EXAMPLES OF RECENT MATTERS INSURANCE
  • Assisted a foreign listed company in resolving a multimillion W&I coverage dispute regarding the acquisition of a Dutch subsidiary.
  • Advising a Dutch multinational in a multimillion property and equipment loss case resulting from the 2023 earthquake in Turkey.
  • Represented an international insurance company in a coverage dispute exceeding EUR 500 million, involving a Dutch manufacturing company facing multiple US class action claims.
  • Represented a Dutch company in a multimillion business interruption loss.
  • Represented three international insurance companies in a coverage dispute exceeding EUR 300 million, involving various liability class actions against the US subsidiary of a Dutch financial institution.
  • Advising an international insurance company on a coverage issue involving a Dutch multinational facing a multibillion-dollar product liability claim in Australia.
  • Advising a consortium of international banks as pledgees of multimillion-dollar insurance proceeds against a group of international insurance companies for a failed construction project.
  • Acting for two international insurance companies in an E&O coverage dispute against a leading Dutch financial institution involved in class actions by noteholders of a bankrupt Dutch listed company.
REINSURANCE
  • Assisting a leading Surinamese insurance company in a coverage dispute against a group of international reinsurance companies regarding a multimillion-dollar property loss.
  • Advised a Dutch insurance company in a reinsurance coverage dispute with an international reinsurance company concerning losses from its occasional disability insurance portfolio.
  • Advised a Dutch captive reinsurance company on coverage for Covid-19 related claims under an events insurance portfolio.
  • Assisted an international insurance company in a dispute involving a large Dutch bank's captive reinsurance program.
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
  • Annotation to Court of Appeal The Hague, 11 July 2023, ECLI:NL:GHDHA:2023:1528, published in Jurisprudentie Ondernemingsrecht (JOR), 2023, nr. 305.
  • “Conflict of Interest”, contribution to “Integrity in the legal profession” (“Integriteit in de zakelijke advocatuur”), Boom 2022.
  • Annotation to Court of Appeal Amsterdam, 12 June 2018, ECLI:NL:GHAMS:2018:1938, published in Jurisprudentie Ondernemingsrecht (JOR), 2019, nr. 42.
  • Annotation to District Court of Rotterdam, 29 November 2017, ECLI:NL:RBROT:2017:9620, published in Jurisprudentie Ondernemingsrecht (JOR), 2019, nr. 86
  • “Coverage under D&O Liability Insurances”, contribution to handbook “Liability of directors and supervisory directors” (Aansprakelijkheid van Bestuurders en commissarissen), WoltersKluwer 2017
  • “International Insurance Programs and Master Policies”, contribution to handbook “Insurance at the Dutch Bourse” (Verzekering ter beurze), WoltersKluwer 2017
  • Annotation to European Court of Justice 7 April 2016, ECLI:EU:C:2016:216 and ECLI:EU:C:2016:218, published in Jurisprudentie Ondernemingsrecht (JOR), 2016, nr. 236
  • Annotation to District Court of Rotterdam, 25 februari 2015, ECLI:NL:RBROT:2015:1508, published in Jurisprudentie Ondernemingsrecht (JOR), 2015, nr. 217