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The name Civil Code stands for what we do and how we do it. The name Civil Code also contains a reference to the surname of the founding partner.
What we do
Civil Code literally translated stands for the (codified) legislation that governs the interactions between civilians, including legal entities. Unlike for instance England and most states in the US, The Netherlands have known a codified civil law system for centuries.
The Dutch Civil Code ('DCC') is the natural habitat of Dutch civil law notaries, like Civil Code. The DCC can be subdivided into eight books. All eight books give examples of core business for civil law notaries:
Book 1 DCC: prenuptial agreements; mediation in divorce cases; surety ship.
Book 2 DCC: incorporation of legal entities e.g. corporations, foundations; change of articles of association; emission of shares; legal mergers; legal split; 'structure regime'.
Book 3 DCC: poa's; mandatory legal pledge; usufruct; common pledge, mortgage.
Book 4 DCC: last will & testaments; inheritance law.
Book 5 DCC: real estate law.
Book 6 DCC: shareholders agreements.
Book 7 DCC: partnerships; sale.
Book 8 DCC: (sale and lease back) of aeroplanes, ships.
How we do it
Civil means, besides 'for civilians', respectful, nice. Other synonyms are pleasant and educated. A code is a set of rules by which one can live, and rules laid down in a code are not necessarily enforceable in court. In a more abstract way: a code is a set of standards, values or norms.
Besides a legal codification as in the DCC, Civil Code also stands for a respectful approach. The essence of Civil Code is that we strive to be a decent law firm, respectful to clients and to ourselves.
Who does it?
From October 2006 the Civil Code team consists of five lawyers, two paralegals and support staff. V.A.E.M. Meijers. Ph. D. founded Civil Code N.V. He wants to emphasize that to practice law a collective effort by a team is not only consisting of a partner, but also of associates and staff. This is why the surname of Meijers was not chosen as name for the firm. On the other hand, the DCC, the current Civil Code in The Netherlands was concipiated by the scholar E.M. Meijers sixty years ago.