Background
I started in 2011 as a lawyer at Norton Rose Fulbright in Amsterdam, in the banking & finance practice, on asset, trade, acquisition and project finance for banks and multinationals. In 2015 I set up an independent practice serving financial institutions, corporates and law firms needing senior transaction expertise on a project or interim basis.
In 2018 I co-founded Bond Advocaten — the first Dutch boutique firm dedicated exclusively to banking & finance transactions. We advised lenders and borrowers on corporate, asset, real estate, acquisition, renewable energy project and trade finance transactions, for clients including Société Générale, ABN AMRO, Triodos Investment Management, Kas Bank, ENGIE and Holland Casino.
Since 2021 I have worked independently again, and since 2026 under the name Blijdenstein Legal. Alongside that, in 2025 and 2026 I spent eight months as interim Head of Legal at a European SME lender with an Amsterdam branch, with end responsibility for the legal side of its lending operation: LMA documentation, a securitisation programme, KYC/CDD onboarding and vendor contracts under DORA.
What that means for a client
A large international firm, a niche firm of one's own and an in-house role give three different readings of the same transaction. A large firm teaches you what documentation should look like; your own practice teaches you what a client is willing to pay for it; an in-house role teaches you which part of it actually matters on Monday morning. Clients tend to name the same three things: depth of expertise, availability at short notice and a pragmatic approach.
“Duco is an experienced lawyer in the field of banking and finance and is able to perform under tight deadlines.”IFLR1000 — Legal Market Review
Education and memberships
Grotius Academy
Postgraduate specialisation in Finance and Securities Law (2018–2019).
University of Amsterdam
LLM in private law and BSc in Economics and Business.
Law Firm School
Professional training for lawyers, established by the major Dutch law firms.
Memberships
Loan Market Association (LMA), Dutch Association for Financial Law (VvFR), Koninklijke Industrieele Groote Club.
Languages: Dutch (native), English (fluent), Spanish (fluent), German (intermediate).
Beyond the practice
Since 2022 I have chaired the investment committee of the Koninklijke Industrieele Groote Club, advising the board on a restructuring of the club's investment portfolio towards a long-term value investing strategy.
In 2026 my book Gras laten groeien — Beleggen voor de lange termijn was published, on patient long-term investing in the tradition of Buffett, Munger, Graham and Fisher, with illustrations by Margreeth Leopold.
The name
The Blijdenstein name has deep roots in Dutch financial history. Benjamin Willem Blijdenstein (1811–1866), an ancestor, founded the Twentsche Bank — one of the leading Dutch merchant banks and a predecessor of ABN AMRO.