Legal matters

Legal system

The Dutch legal system has two different types of attorneys: notaries (notaris) and attorneys (advocaat).

The notary cannot go to court, and instead handles general civic matters and documents. For example, you would go to a notary if you wanted to gain a marriage certificate, a will, a power of attorney, exchange deeds to property or access help for setting up a business. As notaries are impartial by definition, they usually work for both parties involved in the legal matter. If it is a case of buying/selling, usually the buyer will choose the notary.

Attorneys do go to court, and work exclusively for one party. They will have their own specialisms, for example a criminal case will need a criminal lawyer, and a tax case will need a tax lawyer.