From Interpol to Efteling: Wil van den Broek fights for his client

The theme of our anniversary is "45 Years Sharper. And not for nothing do we call ourselves the tough warriors among attorneys. In search of the origins of that combative character, we reminisce with the founder of our law firm, Wil van den Broek. Ha fine, time for tough stories....

To begin with a disclaimer: we do not publish all the tough stories. As a lawyer, you come into action when interests clash. That is the charm of the profession: it never gets boring. It also means combining eloquence with discretion. And that is Wil van den Broek, now 81 years old, in every sense, both during his work and during this interview. He regularly remains silent like an oyster, with a twinkle in his eye. Fortunately, he also releases some gems.

Because I wanted it myself

"Actually, I was going to do hbs," Wil begins the conversation, "that was my father's wish. But I had thought of helping him in his construction business. My father tried to change my mind by giving me the hardest jobs." A stalwart warrior, Wil then stood imperturbably by himself for four weeks digging up a building plot. In the evenings, he took courses in math and teacher carpenter. "Not because that's what I wanted to be, but it was a nice introduction to construction technology. Not long after that, I suffered an arm injury in military service, which made physical work in construction more difficult and I looked out for alternatives. I chose a commercial position in the building materials trade and did hbs and a year of Greek and Latin in the evenings. That was enough to register with Nijmegen University as an external student for the notarial studies program. It took eight years, but after just under four years I completed those studies."

The time to start your own office

Wil was hired at Interpolis, as an aspiring claims lawyer. But the hunger for knowledge remained, so he supplemented his civil law knowledge from notarial practice with Dutch law. Within a year, he earned his second doctorate. "In my work at Interpolis I had regular contact with attorneys and that work seemed fun. It was therefore a logical step to join law firm De Mul in Nijmegen in 1973. Three years later things happened and that was the moment to start our own office together with three attorneys, including Pierre Hautvast. After a while we got the nickname 'the cowboys of the Curacao road', because our approach of 'Term expired? Subpoena!" people were not used to it. Also, we were the first with a telex, later fax and then word processors in the office."

Nijmegen's largest office within 5 years

"In those days you were supposed to be all-round as a lawyer, but we immediately introduced that everyone in our office had their own subject specialization. Thanks to the subject specialization, within 5 years we grew to 16 attorneys and were the largest law firm in Nijmegen. In 1980 Winfried Poelmann joined us. We were both on the board of attorneys and I knew he was good, so I asked him to join. At one point he was, after Ferd Grapperhaus, the best lawyer in the Netherlands on labor law. By the way, we have always selected keenly for talent. The club that's there now is also top-notch. It's a pleasure to see how they approach cases." 

Advertising was actually not allowed

Advertising as a lawyer? That was not allowed. But here again the tough-minded militancy came into play; Wil did not care much. "Through my father and my work in the building materials trade, I naturally knew many construction companies, including the executives by name. I wrote to those. It was touch and go whether that was allowed by the regulation on publicity. What also helped was that I spoke the language of construction. Flat if I had to. So in no time our office had a large construction practice."

Secret recipe for a successful defense

Wil: "At that time, most cases in construction consisted of collection problems. Not because the client couldn't pay. But often because there was a disagreement about quality or completion dates. As a lawyer, it is of course very useful to be able to read construction drawings and specifications and to understand exactly what is and what is not right in the agreements. And even now, our attorneys speaks the language of business owner and can get to grips with technical drawings and technical regulations. As far as I am concerned, that is the secret recipe for successful consulting."

Celebrating together is sacred

The professionalism that Wil encouraged tremendously from the beginning results in the attorneys building a good relationship with customers. In addition, it also strengthens the bond between them. About this, Wil explains, "Only by working closely together can you keep up with your profession and remain critical. Otherwise it is unthinkable, with so many new laws and regulations and new case law. The mutual bond was strengthened on Friday afternoons with drinks. That free mibo on Curaçaoweg, where we had our office until 1996, also became a meeting point with clients and many others. One of my running friends and director of the Rabobank, Gerard Dekker, almost never skipped. One of us even drove all the way to Munich after the drinks to visit his girlfriend. Celebrating together was sacred then and it still is. For example, with the office cabaret to conclude the annual office party and a long weekend of skiing together."

Tough battles

The clashing interests, which we talked about briefly at the beginning ... you get into the craziest situations as a lawyer. Sometimes even at the deathbed of an official in a case involving corruption. Clashing interests often led to acrimonious battles, such as a contractor company that built a 450-meter-long dam wall in the sea as the basis for a new port. They had to demolish and rebuild that same dam at their own expense because they had mistakenly relied on an architect's no-obligation advice. That battle involved many millions.

From Interpol to Efteling

Wil also did international business, in which his client was suspected by Interpol of forgery of excise taxes. Max Moskowicz defended the opposing party; Wil won. But probably the best case is the arbitration conducted for the Efteling against the contractor on the additional work involved in building the fairy-tale entrance. This is where all of Wil's expertise and experience in the construction world come together.

"I felt it had to happen."

Wil not only fights for the good cause at the office, he is also socially active. As commissioner of several construction companies and chairman of the RVC of a housing corporation and as chairman of the foundation Houdt u Fit, a sports club with 500 participants in the eighties. But also as founder and director of the Psychiatric Center Nijmegen. Although he knows nothing about the GGZ, he takes it on anyway. "At first I felt like a cat in a strange warehouse, terribly unhappy. But I felt it had to be done. A running friend of mine became psychiatrically ill and later blind, so I noticed up close the need for a ggz institution in the Nijmegen area." 

Having an eye for others and helping where we can, these traits Wil holds dear to the office. We do not sit in an ivory tower, but stand in the middle of the world and seek connection. Among other things, by supporting valuable local initiatives, from culture to welfare and from sports to education. And if clients initiate a good cause, we are happy to participate. Because the closer we are together, the further we can get together. Also in the social sphere. 

Don't forget the home front

After the elaborate stories of struggles, Wil closes the conversation with wise counsel: "Besides the expediency of everyday life and the urgency of the client's interest, don't forget the home front." And then he leaves, off to another conversation with a client of his new plastic roofing sheet trading company, Weikhoplex.