NETHERLANDS CASE
February 1st, 2002
BY ALAN OSBORNTHE EUROPEAN Court of Justice has ruled that the Netherlands, and by precedent other Member States, has the right to prevent lawyers entering into multi-disciplinary partnerships with accountants, even though it accepts that this may restrict competition in legal services.Judges said there was incompatibility between the "advisory" activities carried out by a lawyer and the "supervisory" activities of an accountant. Accountants in the Netherlands are not subject to a duty of secrecy comparable to that of its legal practitioners.The case was sparked ...
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