In Memoriam: Gertjan van Andel

It is with intense sadness that we announce the passing of Gertjan van Andel, former colleague and partner of our firm, on July 10, 2022. 

Gertjan was born in 1943 in Oosterbeek. After his military service in the Royal Dutch Navy, he studied Law at the VU and subsequently worked for the Legal Aid Center in Amsterdam from 1977 until 1987. In that year, he joined our firm.

Gertjan was a sharp-witted and pragmatic lawyer. He possessed the skill to obtain the desired result for his clients via the shortest paths. He did not hide his dislike of chitchat or fuzzy talk. He did, however, have a linguistic talent, ranging from showing off his rich vocabulary in Dutch, to speaking many foreign languages, including Russian.
Next to his law practice, he taught immigration law at OSR for many years. In more recent years, the focus of his legal practice was on labor migration. One of Gertjan’s biggest professional achievements was the Jany-ruling, in which the European Court of Justice provided further criteria to distinguish employees from self-employed persons in EU law.

Gertjan was fond of the arts in a broad sense. His office was decorated with the works of his many artist clients. He attended concerts of his musician clients regularly. He loved classical music and always listened to it while he was working. A keen reader, he kept up to date with the latest literature. He never failed to pick a book well suited to the person for a birthday gift.

He joined every office city trip we made and never missed out on a birthday drink, maternity visit, or housewarming party. Gertjan and his family liked to spend their holidays hiking or cycling, in Havelte, on Texel, and abroad. Gertjan also loved cooking and was pretty good at it.

Gertjan dedicated his entire working life to the provision of legal assistance, most of it in immigration law, and within our firm. We regard Gertjan as one of the firm’s founders and one of the people who gave it color – especially since we were so lucky to have him with us for 35 years.

We will never forget him.

Gertjan leaves behind his wife Tineke and his sons Jan and Hans. We are keeping his family in our thoughts during this sad time.