Brigitte Spiegeler LL.M.
Founding partner of Heffels Spiegeler Attorneys-at-Law / artist graduated in fine art at the Royal Academy of Arts in the Hague
Brigitte is an attorney-at-law in The Netherlands and France. She gained extensive experience in legal services to companies, non-profit organizations and (foreign) governments. From 2002 to 2008 she worked with the Ministry of Economic Affairs as a senior policy advisor on Intellectual Property. In this work she was leading research projects on intellectual property and she did negotiations in a national, European and international context at organizations such as the European Council, the European Commission, the World Intellectual Property Organization and several diplomatic conferences. She was also responsible for legislation in the field of Intellectual Property. In 2008 she graduated successfully in fine arts at the Royal Academy of Arts in The Hague. With her art she has participated in many international exhibitions among which the Venice Biennial in 2017.
Brigitte is co-author of the Kluwer Lexplicatie volume ‘European and international trade mark law’ and ‘Enforcement of intellectual property rights for small and medium enterprises’, published by the Netherlands Ministry of Economic Affairs.
Brigitte is a member of the Dutch association for copyright and board member of the l’Association Henri Capitant. Additionally, she is a member of the Amicus Committee at the International Trademark Association and she is member of the Netherlands Board of Union-IP. She is a mediator at the Shanghai mediation center of the China Chamber of International Commerce (CCOIC). In January 2020 she was appointed to the original Arbitration pool of CAfA, the Court for Arbitration of Art.
Brigitte is a member of the supervisory board of CultuurSchakel.
Brigitte’s eductional background includes:University of Amsterdam Dutch law and European Studies (1995); In 1992, she studied at the Université Pierre Mendès France Grenoble II, French law (1992); scholarship of the Deutsche Akademische Austausch Dienst (DAAD) to participate in Germany in an exchange at the University of Tübingen and at the High Court in Düsseldorf.
She speaks Dutch, English, French, German and Spanish.
Michiel Heffels LL.M.
Of Counsel
Michiel Heffels graduated in 1998 from the University of Amsterdam with the thesis ‘The Agreement between Galleries and Artists’ where the contract of assignment, agency, mediation agreement were central. After graduation he became an attorney-at-law specialising in intellectual property law at an internationally renowned law firm in Amsterdam until the end of 2002. Michiel worked for 12 years as a Senior Legal Counsel in the Corporate Legal & Regulatory department of telecommunications company Royal KPN where he was involved with matters concerning consumer law, administrative law, competition law, contract law, intellectual property rights, media law, ICT law, distribution and agency law. At KPN’s headquarters, he was responsible for the legal supervision of dozens of lawsuits in the area of among others misleading advertising, copyright and trademark related cases. He continued advising KPN as a Senior Legal Counsel when KPN launched its television-services in 2004 and continued to advise in this specific area of copyright- and medialaw until 2009. Until the end of 2014 he was responsible for advising the External Distribution departments of KPN Retail Corporate and KPN Retail Consumer and KPN Wholesale Mobile (E-Plus The Netherlands) on new agreements and developments in the field of resale, distribution and agency law.
Michiel Heffels is also active in the field of art and culture. He has been a member of the Supervisory Board of Droog Design and is still active as a board member of the Foundation for Modern Music Nijmegen and Gallery Marzee.
Michiel Heffels speaks Dutch, English and German.
Mathijs van Riet LL.M.
Mathijs van Riet finished his law studies at Maastricht University in 2019. During his studies, Mathijs specialised in national and international private law, contract law, corporate law, liability law, and financial securities.In 2020, Mathijs was admitted to the Bar of Amsterdam. He has worked at several international law firms, focusing on national and international commercial disputes, particularly in contract law, corporate law, commercial liability law, and arbitration. Mathijs also worked for nearly a year at a law firm in Brussels. Since the end of 2024, Mathijs has been admitted to the Bar of The Hague and Heffels Spiegeler Attorneys-at-law. He works in the national and international litigation practice, advising and litigating on various matters of contract law, corporate law, and commercial liability law.
Mathijs is also committed to various board positions within the organisational bodies of the Young Bar. He is currently the president of the Dutch national Young Bar. In this role, Mathijs is in contact with the Dutch Bar Association, the boards of all local Jonge Balie associations, the training institutions of the professional formation of Lawyers, and the European Young Bar Association.
Mathijs speaks Dutch, German, English, and French.
Eline Cremers LL.M.
attorney-at-law
Eline obtained a master’s degree in law at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam with a specialisation in intellectual property law. During her studies, Eline completed several internships at law firms and worked at the Central Processing Office of the Public Prosecutor.
Eline speaks Dutch and English.
Thessa Gomes
Thessa is a trainee lawyer at the Paris Bar School. She completed a Master’s degree in private law and a training in Digital law at the Pantheon-Sorbonne University. Thessa obtained a degree in intellectual property with a focus on artistic fields. During her training, Thessa interned in French and global law firms, and as an in-house lawyer. She speaks French and English.Kim Goudzwaard
office manager
contact
HEFFELS SPIEGELER Attorneys-at-Law
Parkstraat 99,
2514 JH Den Haag
The Netherlands
T +31 70 2170200
send us an email
www.spiegeler.com
Office The Hague:
Parkstraat 99, 2514JH Den Haag
T +31 (0)70 2170200
Office Paris:
2 rue de Penthièvre – 75008 PARIS
Office Amsterdam:
Adm. De Ruyterweg 345 hs
1055 MA Amsterdam
T +31 (0)20 2170005