About Mariëtta Buitenhuis
Mariëtta Buitenhuis is an attorney-at-law at AKD who specialises in issues pertaining to public order and its maintenance. The options to take enforcement measures against digital disturbances of the peace and related issues have her particular attention.
In her role, Mariëtta regularly assists mayors issuing closure orders under Article 13b of the Dutch Opium Act and the Municipalities Act. Apart from advising on and litigating in matters relating to decisions under the Public Administration (Probity Screening) Act, she also handles issues about public protests. Her advisory work regularly includes complex considerations relating to upholding law and order and demonstrations taking place in the public or semi-public space.
Mariëtta is well-versed in the fields of environmental law enforcement, planning blight, compensation for loss resulting from administrative acts, government liability and other matters of administrative law. Although she typically represents local and higher authorities in these matters, Mariëtta also has experience assisting companies and private individuals. In her practice, she regularly deals with integrity and confidentiality issues in the public sector.
Mariëtta is considered an approachable and pleasant person to work with. The cutting edge where the interests of the corporate sector and the public sector meet is where Mariëtta feels right at the home. Her clients describe Mariëtta as an engaged lawyer who is good at helping them navigate complex issues thanks to her political awareness and affinity with administrative relationships, which goes beyond matters of law. Always going the extra mile, she is particularly adept at attuning her message and powers of persuasion to the target audience. These are skills that Mariëtte developed and honed over the years she spent in local politics. She still combines her work as a lawyer with chairing a local chapter of a Dutch political party.
Mariëtta is a well-known and frequent author of clear and intelligible blogs and publications about public order and policy. She is a regular annotator for the De Gemeentestem journal and has since 2022 published a monthly newsletter on developments in the law relating to public order and policy. In 2020, Mariëtta was awarded the prize for best administrative law blog by the Academie voor de Rechtspraktijk. She published two articles in the "De Gemeentestem" journal on the question whether Dutch mayors have the power to impose “digital area bans” and internet bans.
Mariëtta regularly teaches classes on her specialist subject to mayors and municipal lawyers.
You can follow Mariëtta on Twitter and LinkedIn for the latest updates in her area of expertise.