Full Profile
Frits van der Woude is a leading Dutch attorney with over four decades of experience in insurance law, professional and Directors and Officers liability and complex litigation. He advises insurers, professionals, and institutions on high-stake dispute strategies, often involving reputational risk and cross-border dimensions. Where necessary he litigates in media-sensitive cases, including the Imtech case, where he successfully defended insurers up to the Dutch Supreme Court. He played a key role in translating and adapting English Financial Lines policies for the Dutch market and was instrumental in the introduction of the first cyber insurance policies in the Netherlands.
Frits began his academic career with a study in economics that was followed by a degree in notarial law and a degree in civil law at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. He is currently a respected lecturer in insurance law at the same University, combining academic insight with practical expertise.
Before entering private lawyers practice, Frits held senior legal and executive roles in the insurance industry for nearly 20 years, focusing on underwriting, claims, and legal strategy. His deep industry knowledge informs his practice, particularly in Insurance law, professional liability and directors’ and officers’ liability (D&O). Frits was appointed by the Dutch Minister of Finance to the Committee on Actual Damages in the childcare benefits scandal, helping design compensation frameworks for affected families.
Frits’s work has been recognized by Legal 500, Chambers Europe and clients commend his strategic insight, clarity of advice, and (courtroom) effectiveness.
