About Mariëtta Buitenhuis
Mariëtta Buitenhuis has been an attorney-at-law with AKD since 2018. She specialises in issues pertaining to public order and its maintenance. The options to take enforcement measures against digital disturbances of the peace 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 surrounding events taking place in the public or semi-public space.
Mariëtta, in addition, is well-versed in the fields of environmental law enforcement, 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. She is described by her clients as an engaged lawyer who communicates in clear language and who is good at helping them navigate complex issues thanks to her political awareness and affinity with administrative relationships, which goes beyond mere matters of law. Always going the extra mile, she is particularly adept at attuning her message and powers of persuasion to the target audience. Skills that Mariëtta developed and honed over the years she spent in local politics as chair of a national political party's chapter.
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 called Ontwikkelingen Openbare Orderecht. In 2020, Mariëtta was awarded the prize for best administrative law blog by the Academie voor de Rechtspraktijk. She published two articles in De Gemeentestem on the question whether Dutch mayors have the power to wield their powers in the digital space, imposing “digital area bans” and internet bans.
Mariëtta regularly teaches classes on public order and policy to mayors and municipal lawyers, for instance through the Dutch Association of Mayors [Nederlands Genootschap van Burgemeesters].
You can follow Mariëtta on LinkedIn for the latest updates in her area of expertise.