About Hans
In brief
30 years of experience as a lawyer. A leading expert in the field of media and entertainment. Previously worked as a publisher, bookseller, youth worker, and journalist, among other roles.
“If all those elements come together, I’m the ideal jack-of-all-trades.”
I don’t view other lawyers as competitors. So what definitely won’t happen at &Bousie is that I’ll refer a case to someone who happens to be a colleague of mine but doesn’t know the first thing about a specific subject. I have absolutely no interest in keeping a case or question “in-house,” for the simple reason that I am the firm and I’m the one who brings flavour and expertise to the table.
Universalist
I am regularly called upon for questions regarding procedural law, which translates into litigating on virtually any subject. I specialize in a number of legal fields, such as copyright law, unlawful press publications and competition law. And where competition law and procedural law intersect, I have experience in antitrust damages litigation. I am highly experienced in the media and entertainment industry, specifically books, music, and film. When all these elements converge (copyright infringement in the film industry, for example), I am the ideal jack-of-all-trades. If that is not the case, I bring in people who complement me in the areas where I lack knowledge or experience. That is where the & comes into play.
Trust
In my experience, people come to me because they trust me—because I am, in the most literal sense of the word, a counsellor. If you’re in need of advice, you’ve come to the right place. If you’ve been struck by sudden misfortune (for example, because you’ve been served with a summons or because a contracting party has suddenly terminated an important agreement), then give me a call. I inspire trust, and I also provide it.
An experienced attorney.
In brief: I joined the former Van der Kroft law firm in 1994 through Cor Hellingman and became a partner there in 1995 (what you might call a meteoric rise). At Van der Kroft, I worked alongside Maarten Leopold and Maarten Russchen, among others. In 2003, I founded Bousie Advocaten; later, Sander Dikhoff and Rob van Dongen (now Dikhoff van Dongen) became my partners there, and I also worked with Charissa Koster, Allon Kijl, Anna van Essen, Jason Meyer, Bjorn Schipper, and Sophie Besselink.
In 2014, Sander, Rob, and I ended our partnership on good terms (we still refer clients to one another), and I became one of the founders of Brandeis. Together with Louis Berger, I established the antitrust litigation practice there. My focus typically lasts about ten years, as I’ve found, and then I need a change—which is why I started two new firms in 2024. Together with Syb Terpstra, I founded Porterfield, which Syb now runs on his own, and then &Bousie. Because even for Hans Bousie, running two firms is a bit too much. And for anyone reading this page and thinking, “I’m definitely not going to work with &Bousie,” I’ve listed a selection of excellent lawyers and legal professionals above whom you can also turn to.
Some time during those years, I was one of the founders of the tax advisory firm Greymen, and I was also involved in setting up an artist management agency and a legal software company. And last but not least, I’m currently putting the finishing touches on a novel. I have a background as a journalist, and writing is in my blood.