International claimant litigation firm Hausfeld is to open in Amsterdam after absorbing niche claimant firm Zippro Meijer.

Zippro Meijer’s team of three partners and two associates will transfer over to Hausfeld on 1 March. The two firms have enjoyed a longstanding working relationship acting together on several local cases.

The Amsterdam office will be the US-based firm’s seventh in Europe, prompting it to lay claim to being the leading claimant firm on the continent.

Hausfeld is noted for positioning itself to take advantage of European legal reforms allowing companies and individuals to launch collective actions, particularly in the field of competition law.

In The Netherlands, the firm filed 20 claims collectively representing around 200,000 trucks affected by the ongoing trucks cartel price fixing litigation.

In a statement, the firm noted: ‘With the recent changes on Dutch collective redress including the enactment of a new law taking effect in January 2020, Dutch lawmakers recognise the importance of offering businesses and individuals an efficient mechanism when they fall victims to such behaviour.’

Vice Chair Anthony Maton said The Netherlands operated a “progressive and claimant-friendly” legal system.

Zippro Meijer name partner Rogier Meijer added: “Our combining of forces is a natural consequence of having worked so effectively together over the years for our shared clients.”

Hausfeld’s European offices are in London, Brussels, Berlin, Düsseldorf, Paris and Stockholm. It launched in Paris in January 2018.