
HBN Law is, with 20 civil law attorneys, the largest and trough continuation
also the oldest law firm in The Netherlands Antilles and Aruba. HBN Law
was founded in 1938 when Mr. S.W. van der Meer established Law office
Van der Meer in Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles. At the end of the
forties begin fifties of the 20th century, Van der Meer associated with
Mr. Ronchi Isa.
The name of the firm was changed to Law office Van der Meer & Isa.
In 1954 Van der Meer temporarily left the firm in connection with his
appointment as Minister of Justice of the Netherlands Antilles. In 1959
Isa was in turn appointed Minister of Justice of the Netherlands Antilles
and Van der Meer took up his old profession as an attorney. In the beginning
of the sixties of the 20th century, the firm changed its name to Van der
Meer and Govaerts, which name remained until 1965 when Govaerts became
a judge and later the President of the Supreme Court of the Kingdom of
the Netherlands in The Hague.
In the beginning of the seventies of the 20th century, Van der Meer associated
with Mr. Samfrits le Poole. Van der Meer retired in 1974. Le Poole continued
the firm and associated with Mr. E. Zielinski. On January 1, 1978, the
firm was continued under the name Zielinki and Halley, which was due to
the joining of Mr. Lucius A. Halley as a partner in the firm. On January
1, 1991 Mr. Robert E. Blaauw became a partner in the firm and the name
of the firm was changed to Halley & Blaauw. In 1993 the firm moved
from its old offices in Pietermaai to Huize Belvedere in Otrobanda, Curacao,
at which time Mr. Nelson N. Navarro joined as a partner.
The name of the firm changed to Halley Blaauw & Navarro and in 1997
the firm opened offices in St. Maarten together with its local partner
Mr. J. Verzijl. In the years following the firm opened further offices
in Aruba and Bonaire, and Mr. Eric R. de Vries joined the firm as a partner.
Subsequently Mrs. Mildred Schwengle became a partner of the firm in Aruba
and Mr. Maarten Le Poole became a partner of the firm in St. Maarten.
At the end of 2005, and thus 67 years after being founded, the firm changed
its name to HBN Law.
HBN Law runs a general civil practice, mainly in the areas of corporate
law, commercial law, banking and insurance law, telecommunication law,
labour law, bankruptcy law, trademark law and of course litigation in
those areas. The HBN Law practice further includes constitutional and
administrative law as HBN advises and represents the federal and island
governments in those areas on several occasions.
HBN Law is associated with Pels Rijcken & Droogleever Fortuijn, established
in The Hague, the Netherlands, which office of attorneys and civil law
notaries is the official legal counsel to the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
HBN Law further maintains good working relations with many national and
international laws firm, including the leading law firms in the world.
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