The chair will focus on significant litigation concerning the position of corporations, the stakeholders involved and corporate governance, with a particular focus on ESG/sustainability.
The impact or necessity of sustainable action for a business has moved to the courtroom in recent years. It is expected that in the coming years, further development of the law by the legislator and the judiciary will take place in that area to define the responsibility of (the board of) the company and the legal position of stakeholders involved in the company. Central themes in this regard are disputes about rights and powers of various stakeholders in the legal entity, the liability of group companies and officials for negative externalities caused by the company and liability for misleading green claims (‘greenwashing’), among others.
Daniella Strik: ‘In the light of, among other things, an increasingly polarising (political) climate and the role of legal proceedings as a means of enforcing societal changes in the field of corporate governance, a growth of lawsuits in this area can be observed. Examples include ‘climate lawsuits’, lawsuits on mining damage caused in the Netherlands and abroad, and personal liability of company directors for environmental damage. Such lawsuits are often part of an international trend. The increase in such cases will be fuelled in the coming years by the available capital for litigation funding and the consequences of the implementation of EU collective action legislation in all EU member states. I am keen to explore the (international) trends in and legal implications for businesses of these developments.’
The chair is part of the Van der Heijden Institute, which is part of the Radboud Business Law Institute (‘OO&R’). Challenges in areas such as sustainability for businesses and law is one of the overarching themes of OO&R. Strik's appointment makes OO&R even better equipped to contribute to the (inter)national theory building in the field of corporate litigation from a positive law and international perspective. Her connection with legal practice gives her a good overview of important proceedings and developments in international litigation. OO&R and the Van der Heijden Institute are therefore particularly pleased about Strik's appointment. The chair is in line with Radboud University's strategy A Significant Impact, aimed at contributing to a healthy, free world with equal opportunities for everyone and being significant both regionally and internationally. In doing so, sustainability has a prominent place in education, research and operations. The chair will focus on legal business-oriented aspects of this.
About Daniella Strik
Strik has worked as a lawyer since 1996. She started her career at NautaDutilh, from 2005 as a partner. From 2010, she has been a partner at the international law firm Linklaters LLP, where she set up and leads the Dutch litigation department. She also leads Linklaters' global group in the field of class actions. She assists companies in complex, international disputes, with a special focus on class actions and ESG.
In addition to her career in the legal profession, Strik has always remained active academically. In 2010, she obtained her PhD in Rotterdam with a dissertation on the foundations of directors' liability. Strik has also published widely in the field of corporate governance, (corporate) litigation and ESG, especially in an international perspective. Strik has also been a board member of various associations in the field of corporate litigation and arbitration. She was also a member of the Combined Committee on Company Law (‘Gecombineerde Commissie Vennootschapsrecht’), which advises various Dutch ministries and the parliament on draft laws and legislative proposals on behalf of the NoVA and the KNB. Strik regularly lectures at conferences. For example, she spoke on ‘Cross-border litigation’ at the biennial Van der Heijden Institute conference in Nijmegen at the end of 2023. She has also been a regular guest lecturer at various universities and the Grotius Academy.
Daniella Strik studied law at Utrecht University (1996) and business economics at Erasmus University Rotterdam (1997).