Sanne van Oers and Jeroen Soeteman Elected as General Deans

Sanne van Oers and Jeroen Soeteman have been elected as General Deans by the Board of Delegates. These NOvA board members will jointly assume the deanship from Robert Crince le Roy, who will step down as General Dean on September 1, 2024.

Since early 2022, Van Oers and Soeteman have been part of the General Council. Starting January 1, 2024, they have jointly served as Acting Deans. Given the prominent role of the General Dean within NOvA, the decision was made for Van Oers and Soeteman to share this position.

Both bring extensive experience in the legal profession and in administrative roles. Van Oers is a social lawyer at Van Schie Advocaten in Nijmegen and previously served as a member of the Board of Delegates and as a board member of the Gelderland Bar Association. Soeteman is a criminal lawyer in Amsterdam at Jebbink Soeteman Advocaten, having previously worked at CMS and Korvinus Abeln Advocaten. From 2016 to 2021, he was the chairman of the Dutch Association of Criminal Defence Lawyers.

Statements from the New General Deans

Sanne van Oers: “Jeroen and I look forward to representing the bar jointly as General Deans. Important issues such as an independent legal profession, the lawyer’s role in the democratic rule of law, confidentiality, and access to justice will require significant effort in the coming years. Additionally, we will continue to focus on strengthening the connections between NOvA’s bodies and the various committees within the bar.”

Jeroen Soeteman: “As NOvA board members and later as Acting Deans, Sanne and I have developed a strong working relationship. We will continue this collaboration. Together, we can fulfill the demanding role of General Dean in a flexible and high-quality manner. This also allows us to modernly balance this leadership role with our legal practices and family lives.”

With the election of Sanne van Oers and Jeroen Soeteman as General Deans, their current role as Acting Deans will end on September 1. The General Council will decide on the division of the General Dean’s statutory duties, representative tasks, and policy portfolios before September 1, 2024.

Composition of the General Council

As of July 1, 2024, the General Council comprises Robert Crince le Roy (General Dean until September 1), Sanne van Oers (Acting Dean, General Dean from September 1), Jeroen Soeteman (Acting Dean, General Dean from September 1), Jan Broekhuizen, Else Loes Pasma, and Maaike Bomers. Pasma and Bomers will start on July 1, while Susan Kaak will step down as a NOvA board member on the same date. The General Council will be expanded with one or more members later this year.