NEW YORK (January 6, 2025) – Tarter Krinsky & Drogin LLP announced today that it has launched a Benelux practice with the addition of international business and corporate partner Carl van der Zandt and counsel Aafke Pronk in New York. The hires add depth to the firm’s market-leading International Practice Group that also includes already-established Italy, German, French, Canada, China & India, and Turkish regional practices.

“Carl and Aafke embody the forward-thinking and collaborative values that we look for in Tarter Krinsky & Drogin lawyers. Their international experience – especially with clients across the Benelux region – is a perfect complement to the work our International practice group does for other global clients,” said Tarter Krinsky & Drogin managing partner Alan Tarter. “The continued growth of this practice is an important part of our firmwide expansion strategy, and we are excited to enhance our capabilities to service this important European market.”

With a focus on transatlantic transactions and investments, van der Zandt’s practice includes a diverse mix of U.S. and international corporate and commercial law, intellectual property and business litigation. He has experience in a wide variety of industries including insurance, industrial manufacturing, luxury and consumer goods, retail, e-commerce, software and Internet-based services. He often acts as outside general counsel to U.S. affiliates of foreign enterprises, advising businesses in all aspects of their corporate life, including formation and day-to-day business matters, capital raising and restructuring, mergers and acquisitions and other strategic transactions.

Pronk brings over 15 years of BigLaw experience working with diverse cross-jurisdictional teams at Hogan Lovells and Freshfields. She focuses on transatlantic and domestic corporate and commercial matters, advising clients on M&A, commercial contracts, joint ventures, corporate reorganizations, and other international transactions.

“We started the International practice with a goal of expanding into geographies worldwide where there are businesses looking to enter the U.S. market, and to create a team that can handle both the day-to-day and more complex legal issues for clients,” said Giuliano Iannaccone, chair of Tarter Krinsky & Drogin’s International and Retail Practices and co-chair of the Italy Practice. “Carl and Aafke are deeply immersed in the cultural and business customs of the Benelux region and understand the challenges that businesses in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg face in a way that few U.S. attorneys do. We are delighted to welcome them to the team.”

Both attorneys join Tarter Krinsky & Drogin from Wuersch & Gering. Van der Zandt, who spent time early in his legal career as an associate for several major international law firms in Amsterdam and New York and is fluent in Dutch, received his law degree from the University of Amsterdam and holds an LL.M. degree from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. Pronk, who also speaks fluent Dutch, earned her law degree from Leiden University in the Netherlands and received an LL.M. from Fordham University School of Law.  

“Joining a full-service firm like Tarter Krinsky & Drogin provides Aafke and me with a unique opportunity to expand the work we do for our Dutch and Benelux clients through collaboration with our new colleagues,” said van der Zandt. “The firm’s multi-disciplinary approach to client service is a great fit for us, and we couldn’t be happier to join this impressive group of lawyers.”

About the Practice: Tarter Krinsky & Drogin’s International practice features an experienced, global-minded team of professionals who provide legal guidance to U.S. and international clients as they establish and expand their businesses in the U.S. and abroad. Members of the practice frequently serve as general counsel to their clients, garnering a comprehensive understanding of their needs and opening opportunities for clients to access deep and widespread expertise across the firm in various areas of law. In the past year, this holistic approach to service resulted in clients’ international matters benefiting from the highly skilled acumen of nearly every Tarter Krinsky & Drogin attorney. 

The International practice advises large multinational companies, emerging businesses, family offices, and individuals with business interests and investments in the U.S. Clients span nearly two dozen industry sectors, such as architecture/interior design, construction, food/beverage, hospitality, non-profit/education, and retail. More than 2,000 clients have been served by the team since the practice was established in 2011.

Through the firm’s national network of legal and business associates, Tarter Krinsky & Drogin attorneys serve Benelux businesses in major U.S. markets. Whether businesses are based in Benelux, U.S. subsidiaries of Benelux companies, or U.S. companies seeking to expand into the Benelux market, the firm has the breadth of expertise to guide clients through every phase of their business and strategic pursuits.

About Tarter Krinsky & Drogin:   

Celebrating more than two decades of legal service, Tarter Krinsky & Drogin is a bicoastal midsize law firm with an established international reputation. Keeping our clients’ business objectives and concerns top of mind, we focus on what matters – partnering with them to achieve their goals, offering holistic and practical legal advice, and devising creative strategies for complex disputes. Purposefully designed to integrate seamlessly with any client’s business team, we are a vibrant, multidisciplinary law firm dedicated to smart thinking and strong client relationships. We advise clients of all sizes providing services spanning over 30 practice areas. Our attorneys, many of whom are multilingual, are as diverse as the clients they serve. Learn more at http://www.tarterkrinsky.com.