Banking & Finance Legal Consultant
LMA loan documentation, securitisation and compliance — on an ad hoc and interim basis for banks, lenders, asset managers and law firms.
Eight months with end responsibility for all legal aspects of the lending operation of this European lender: LMA transaction documentation, securitisation, KYC/CDD onboarding of international client structures and vendor contracts under DORA.
Advised a consortium of lenders on the refinancing of one of the world's largest cinema chains. Dutch borrower, multiple obligors, syndicated structure.
Advised the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) on the project financing of a 100 MW solar power plant in Uzbekistan.
Leading the compliance team on an interim basis: onboarding more than 150 clients and transactions and optimising internal compliance processes.
Advised on the loan and security structure and drafted and negotiated the transaction documentation for the financing, through a multi-investor SPV, of a solar energy project under the World Bank-funded DARES programme.
Two and a half years of legal support to an international capital markets service provider on Debt Capital Markets transactions, client onboarding, documentation and regulatory liaison.
Drafting, reviewing and negotiating full LMA documentation for syndicated loans, bilateral facilities and term loans — from term sheet to financial close, including the Dutch security package and legal opinions.
Read more →Support on securitisation and structured finance for originators, arrangers and investors. Documentation, legal opinions, risk retention and STS qualification.
Read more →Senior capacity for banks, lenders, asset managers and law firms — as interim Head of Legal, external general counsel or additional transaction capacity.
Read more →Interim leadership and reinforcement of the compliance function. KYC/CDD onboarding of complex international structures, remediation, Wwft policy and DORA vendor contracts.
Read more →Blijdenstein Legal is the practice of Duco Blijdenstein, an experienced banking & finance transaction lawyer with over fifteen years in the Dutch and international financial markets.
After a career at Norton Rose Fulbright and as co-founder of Bond Advocaten — the first Dutch banking & finance transaction boutique — Blijdenstein Legal provides senior legal support on an ad hoc and interim basis: available at short notice, without firm overhead.
The practice serves banks, lenders, asset managers, institutional investors, corporate service providers and law firms that need high-calibre transaction expertise outside the structure of a large firm. The core areas are LMA loan documentation, securitisation and structured finance, compliance and KYC/CDD, and ISDA and derivatives documentation.
Duco holds an LLM in private law and a BSc in economics from the University of Amsterdam, completed the postgraduate Grotius specialisation in Finance and Securities Law, and is a member of the Loan Market Association and the Dutch Association for Financial Law. Read more about Duco Blijdenstein.
The Blijdenstein name has deep roots in Dutch financial history. Benjamin Willem Blijdenstein (1811–1866), an ancestor of Duco, founded the Twentsche Bank — one of the leading Dutch merchant banks and a predecessor of ABN AMRO.
Alongside the legal practice, Duco wrote a book on patient, long-term investing — for those who prefer the long view to the noise of the day. Illustrations by Margreeth Leopold.
Order a copy →“Duco is an experienced lawyer in the field of banking and finance and is able to perform under tight deadlines.”
Blijdenstein Legal is the independent practice of Duco Blijdenstein, a banking & finance transaction lawyer in Amsterdam. The practice provides senior legal advice on finance transactions — LMA documentation, securitisation and structured finance — and interim legal and compliance capacity to banks, lenders, asset managers, corporate service providers and law firms.
Both — from an interim Head of Legal role of several months to documenting a single transaction, or a set number of half-days per month as external general counsel. The form is agreed per engagement, on an hourly rate or a fixed fee.
Usually within days, including mid-transaction. There is no ramp-up or internal handover: I do the work personally.
With no firm structure behind it, the rate sits materially below an equivalent seniority at a large firm — and the work is actually done by that senior rather than by a junior. Ask for an indication for your transaction.
Yes. Firms engage me for additional senior transaction capacity under deadline, either under the firm's name or directly with their client. Previous instructions include Baker McKenzie, Norton Rose Fulbright, Bird & Bird and Stek Advocaten.