Kennedy Van der Laan opens doors of Portal 2C
AMSTERDAM, 20 August 2009 - Tomorrow Kennedy Van der Laan will
open the doors of Portal 2C. This inspiring, open wing of the
Amsterdam office will accommodate both innovative businesses and
staff of the law firm. Through this initiative Kennedy Van der Laan
wants to stimulate cooperation and enhance the firm's
innovative strength.
Portal 2C, which will be officially opened on Friday, is the
result of cooperation between Kennedy Van der Laan and Dialogues
House, an initiative of ABN AMRO Bank. Office furnishings company
JBK and designer/builder Peter Bedner were responsible for its
unusual design.
"To anticipate developments in the market is an exceptional
thing in itself for the traditional world of lawyers. We are taking
it a step further and seek to make a proactive contribution to
these developments," commented Richard Klatten, partner of
Kennedy Van der Laan. "It is our belief that the quality and
innovative strength of our work will benefit if we open the
windows, bring knowledge in and stimulate teamwork with external
parties and clients. Our lawyers want to learn from experiences in
other businesses and sectors. Portal 2C is the first tangible
evidence that the time has come for a new way of working and a
broadening of horizons."
Kennedy Van der Laan worked closely with Dialogues House to
realise Portal 2C. Dialogues House is an independent platform
launched by ABN AMRO bank to foster an innovative business climate.
Dialogues House acts as an incubator, accommodating a number of the
bank's holdings until they are ready to go it alone. One such
company is Brightbox HR.
Brightbox HR first company for
Portal 2C
The first external company that will operate out of Portal 2C is
Brightbox HR. In the past few years this ABN AMRO Bank subsidiary
has accumulated a great deal of expertise in the field of HR
management. Brightbox HR advises the HR departments of various
companies, based in part on the experience that ABN AMRO bank has
built up in this area over the past few years. Based on the
bank's 'best practice' HR applications, Brightbox has
developed HR applications and process techniques which are now
being applied at other companies. Sjoukje Wynia, director of
Brightbox HR: "By sharing proven HR concepts we speed up the
HR function and save on costs. In other words: for the price of a
mid-range vehicle the customer gets a Rolls Royce that goes at the
speed of a Formula 1 car."
Expectations are that before long other innovative businesses
will also start using Portal 2C. Talks with an innovator in the
field of sustainable entrepreneurship have reached an advanced
stage. With respect to Kennedy Van der Laan, staff from the
Employment Law Group will be amongst those working out of Portal
2C. Klatten: "We expect that Portal 2C will operate within
Kennedy Van der Laan as a centre of inspiration for our lawyers and
clients, and for parties in other sectors. We will be launching new
types of legal services out of Portal 2C in the coming years. The
first results can already been viewed at
www.legalportal.nl and
www.foodquality.nl."
Colourful
and inspiring office space
Designer and builder Peter Bedner was responsible for designing
various items of furniture, including the easy-to-move work
stations known as 'train trucks'. Other eyecatching
features include the conference rooms - the 'Pressure
Cooker' and the skybox. Office furnishings company JBK advised
on and implemented the colour scheme and supplied the furniture to
go with it. Kennedy Van der Laan gained new insights from working
with JBK.
End of press release
Publication date
:
21 August 2009
About Kennedy Van der Laan:
Kennedy Van der Laan was launched in 1992 and is now one of the
top 20 law firms in the Netherlands. The firm represents the
interests of globally and nationally operating businesses,
starters, and (semi) governmental bodies. The mission of Kennedy
Van der Laan is to provide the best possible legal guidance and
expertise to clients and at the same time to live our commitment to
run our business in a socially responsible way.
For
further information:
Kennedy Van der Laan
Richard Klatten
Tel: +31 20 5506 678
E-mail:
richard.klatten@kvdl.nl