René Rieter

As a Civil Law Notary, with more than 25 years' experience in corporate law and international structuring, I am a partner in Bird & Bird's Corporate Group. I also lead our Notary department and am co-head of our Netherlands Real Estate Group in The Hague.

In my corporate practice, I advise on corporate matters, corporate finance, and commercial transactions. This includes the structuring of partnerships and the formation of companies and other legal entities. I am also active in national and international cross-border mergers and demergers and advise on joint ventures, takeovers, strategic alliances, and complex multi-jurisdictional corporate restructuring projects.

I often advise on Corporate Governance and the Large Companies Regime ('Structuur regime') and have wide-ranging experience in setting up employee participation structures (ESOPs) and tax efficient structures for IP rights.

As part of our real estate team, I advise clients on the acquisition and finance of real estate and have experience in commercial real estate transactions, urban development and re-development and complex real estate structuring. Working together with my team, I have a special focus on infrastructural real estate related to the communications and energy & utilities sectors. This includes the registration and transfer of cable networks, and special projects for solar and wind energy.

Here in the Netherlands, notarial deeds are compulsory in the transfer of shares and pledge thereof, the incorporation of companies, the alteration of their articles of association, the merger and demerger of companies and the transfer and mortgaging of real estate. Having lawyers and notaries in-house provides our clients with an integrated, multidisciplinary team for the co-ordinated delivery of services.

I was appointed as a Civil Law Notary – 'Notaris' - by the Crown in 1995 and joined Bird & Bird in 2008.