Michiel van Driel

Attorney | Partner

Michiel advises and litigates for project developers, municipalities, investors, housing corporations and (retail) companies.

Michiel van Driel specialises in spatial planning law (e.g. zoning plan, environmental permit, Buildings Decree), environmental law (e.g. Activities Decree, environmental impact assessment, air quality, noise, external safety, etc.), other property-related administrative law (e.g. enforcement, housing law, monuments law, nature protection law), European law (e.g. freedom of establishment, Services Directive) and government decision liability (including loss compensation).

Michiel frequently advises and litigates in the context of multifunctional (inner) urban (re)developments, transformations and area developments, including shopping centres and peripheral retail locations, offices, industrial estates, leisure projects, hotels, housing, industrial heritage and infrastructure. He acts for project developers, municipalities, investors, housing corporations and (retail) companies. Michiel also advises on transactions (administrative law due diligence) and property management.

Michiel has registered the following areas of law in the Register of Jurisdictions of the Netherlands Bar Association:

• Real estate law / Construction law
• Environmental law

This registration obliges him to earn ten training points each calendar year in each registered area of law according to the standards of the Netherlands Bar Association.

Michiel studied both Dutch law and European law (LL.M.). He started his career as a staff lawyer at the Administrative Law Division of the Council of State (Planning Chamber) and has been working as a lawyer since 1998. Michiel has worked as a lawyer with the real estate sections of Stibbe and Lexence (as a partner since 2004).

Michiel is recommended in the Chambers EMEA (2014-2020) as Leading Individual in the area of ‘public law: planning and environment’. Legal 500 states: “Michiel van Driel is a true specialist in his field – a seasoned real estate transaction lawyer and an equally strong litigator”. Chambers EMEA 2020 states: “Michiel van Driel is described by one impressed interviewee as “very dedicated and kind.” He acts for construction and development companies on zoning plans and permitting matters. He is particularly active on residential developments.”

Michiel is an author of the legal journal Rechtspraak Vastgoedrecht (Kluwer). Michiel joined Real Estate Research Quarterly, a quarterly publication of Property NL and the Association of Real Estate Researchers in the Netherlands (VOGON), with the cooperation of the Amsterdam School of Real Estate (ASRE), as a reference since September 2013, and before that, from 2007, as a member of the editorial staff.

From 2004 to 2009 Michiel was a member of the Objections and Appeals Committee of the Amsterdam Zuid district council. In addition, he taught at the NVM brokers course and the Project Development course at Euroforum.

With his research article on ‘The Air Quality Decree’ Michiel won the VOGON Property NL Research Award 2005, a prize awarded by an independent expert jury. Michiel is a member of the Construction Lawyers Association (VBR-A), the Administrative Law Association (VAR), the Environmental Law Association (VMR) and the Netherlands Real Estate Research Association (VOGON).