General Terms and Conditions of Petit Legal

GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Version: 27-8-2026

Scope & Contractor

These general terms and conditions apply to all quotes, services, assignments and other agreements to which Petit Legal — a Dutch sole proprietorship of mr. S.A.E. Petit, based at BounceSpace, Overtoom 141-3, 1054 HG Amsterdam, registered with the Dutch Chamber of Commerce (KvK) under number 69922616, along with any other trade name it uses, such as De Dance-advocaat and Sander Petit — (“Contractor”) is a party. You can reach the Contractor through his business social media accounts, by phone on +31641940540, and by email at sander@petitlegal.nl.
Mr. S.A.E. Petit is registered with the Dutch Bar Association (Nederlandse Orde van Advocaten) under bar number A28063, and Petit Legal under office number K13923.
Backstage Legal is a shared trade name for a collective of lawyers who each take on assignments and handle matters independently, through their own business and at their own expense and risk. It’s not a partnership or “maatschap” within the meaning of Article 5.4 of the Dutch Bar Regulation (Verordening op de advocatuur). Backstage Legal is never a party to any engagement, and as a company isn’t responsible or liable for how its affiliated partners carry that work out. Backstage Legal’s affiliated partners are:
mr. S.A.E. Petit of Petit Legal (KVK 69922616);
mr. S.D. Bakker of Sem Bakker Advocatuur (KVK 34368634);

Any general terms and conditions of the client or third parties are hereby expressly rejected.

Entering into the agreement

Agreements not entered into in writing only become binding on the Contractor once he’s confirmed them in writing.
Articles 7:404 and 7:407(2) of the Dutch Civil Code (“DCC”) are excluded to the extent possible.
All quotes, written price proposals and offers from the Contractor are valid under unchanged circumstances and for 14 calendar days from the date on the document, unless the offer expressly states otherwise in writing.
The Contractor’s offer, including delivery times and prices, is based on the information the client provided, and the Contractor may rely on that information being accurate and complete.
The agreement between the parties consists of the Contractor’s quote, these general terms and conditions, and the client’s acceptance of them, in whatever form that takes. If there’s a discrepancy between these general terms and the quote and/or engagement confirmation that declares them applicable, the engagement confirmation prevails over the quote. If no engagement confirmation was sent, the quote prevails over these general terms.

Client’s cooperation

The client will always give the Contractor, in good time, all information, details, substantiation and evidence useful and necessary for a proper performance of the assignment, and will cooperate fully. The client guarantees that the information given to the Contractor is accurate, complete and reliable, even where it comes from a third party.
The client’s guarantees are meant to allocate risk between the Contractor and the client so that the consequences of a breach of a guarantee are always fully for the client’s account and risk, and the client can never invoke Article 6:75 DCC in relation to a breach of a guarantee. That also applies if the client knew, or could reasonably have known, about the breach.
If performance of the agreement is delayed because the client fails to meet its obligations, or because the information the client provided is incorrect, incomplete, or doesn’t meet the requirements set out in these terms, the resulting extra costs — based on the Contractor’s hourly rate — are for the client’s account, and the Contractor may charge the resulting adjustment, remedial or additional work on top of any fixed-price arrangement or time already spent and/or invoiced.
The Contractor will make an effort to carry out the assignment as a good contractor should. Anything the Contractor says about possible outcomes — such as the results of a collaboration, income, damages, compensation, settlement negotiations or, for example, court proceedings — is never a guarantee.
In carrying out the agreement, the Contractor will take the client’s reasonable wishes into account as much as possible, provided that, in the Contractor’s judgment, doing so helps the agreement get carried out properly.
Where proper performance of the agreement requires it, the Contractor has the right to have certain work carried out by third parties at his own discretion. The cost of engaging those third parties is passed on to the client. The Contractor will let the client know about those costs in advance as much as possible.
The client isn’t allowed to make advice or contracts the Contractor drafted for the client or its affiliated or related (legal) persons available to third parties for their use (because that third party would then effectively get free use of an agreement the Contractor was only paid for once, causing the Contractor to lose out on income and suffer loss), sell them on to third parties, or trade them in any other way. This also covers republishing such advice or contracts in media publications, or offering or making them available as a download or copy. Copyright in delivered documents always stays with the Contractor. If the client acts in breach of this clause, a penalty becomes immediately due — without any further notice of default or court intervention — equal to 5 times the invoice amount owed, without prejudice to the Contractor’s other rights, including the right to claim additional or substitute damages.

Carrying out the assignment

The client agrees that his personal data will be recorded in an automated system. That’s necessary to carry out the assignment effectively and to meet legal obligations. By providing an email address, the client agrees that the Contractor may use it to send newsletters, invitations and surveys, until the client explicitly says he no longer wants to receive them. The (email) address the client provides is mainly used for communication. Electronic communication by email counts as being in writing. The client is responsible for having a working email address and for making sure messages and attachments sent to it are properly received. The client acknowledges that electronic communication isn’t always secure and can be intercepted, tampered with, infected, delayed or misdirected — including through viruses and spam. The Contractor isn’t liable for that. Article 6:227b(1) DCC, on providing information in e-commerce transactions, and Article 6:227c DCC, on how e-commerce transactions are concluded, are hereby expressly excluded where the client is acting in the course of a profession or business.
The Contractor keeps copies of the key documents from the case file for the duration of the assignment(s) plus 7 years afterwards. Once that period has passed, the Contractor may destroy the case files without further notice.
The Contractor retains full copyright in all texts, images and other media he produces or provides to the client for the purposes of his work for the client. If payment is incomplete or late, the Contractor may prohibit the client (or anyone acting for the client) from using that material. Using it in breach of the above obliges the client to pay the Contractor an amount equal to the full invoice amount for the relevant assignment, plus a penalty of €100 for each day, or part of a day, the breach continues, capped at €5,000, without prejudice to the Contractor’s other rights, including the right to claim damages on top of the penalty.
The Contractor may move a scheduled course, training or talk to a different location, date and/or time. If that creates a demonstrably unworkable or impractical situation for the client, the client may cancel the assignment free of charge.
The client’s information will be treated as confidential, in line with the Dutch Bar’s Code of Conduct (Gedragsregels advocatuur). It won’t be shared with third parties without the client’s consent. The Code of Conduct and other relevant laws and regulations for lawyers can be found at https://regelgeving.advocatenorde.nl/.
Petit Legal runs a check to prevent conflicts of interest with any partners it works with. The client should therefore flag any opposing or counterparties as soon as possible.

Fees

Unless expressly agreed otherwise in writing, the Contractor’s invoice amount is based on the time the Contractor spent for the client, multiplied by the hourly rate, calculated in units of 1/10 of an hour with a minimum of 6 minutes. Published hourly rates are always exclusive of VAT. Court fees, travel and accommodation costs, and (other) expenses paid to third parties (such as bailiffs, trade register extracts, land registry extracts, translation costs, and postage/courier costs) are billed to the client separately.
If input from a (counter)party on a contract doesn’t arrive, the parties don’t reach an agreement, negotiations break down, or rounds of edits, negotiation, discussion or advisory hours go unused, none of that affects the quoted and agreed fixed prices.
Rush matters carry a 50% surcharge on the Contractor’s hourly rate. A matter counts as a rush matter if the client indicates that, implicitly or explicitly, or if the nature of the matter or (part of) the assignment calls for it. For rush matters, the Contractor will try to deliver within 48 hours, barring unforeseen circumstances.
If the client has legal expenses insurance that might provide cover and wants to use it, the client must arrange confirmation of cover from the insurer. The client authorizes the Contractor to keep the legal expenses insurer updated on the content and progress of the matter. If the insurer indicates the maximum insured amount has been reached, or cover ends or is suspended for any (other) reason, the resulting legal costs are fully for the client’s account, at the rate used for that matter.
If the client questions the accuracy of advice, a court filing, a message or an agreement, asks the Contractor to comment, and the Contractor is then able to show it’s plausible that the information, documents or actions in question weren’t incorrect, the Contractor may bill the client in full for the extra hours worked and other costs incurred in connection with that.
Hourly rates and fixed prices the Contractor agreed via the quote (or by email, WhatsApp, chat, etc.) may be increased and indexed by the Contractor annually on 1 January — for instance because of inflation. The indexation is calculated using the Consumer Price Index (“CPI”) published by Statistics Netherlands (“CBS”), using the preceding year as the reference year.
Hourly rates are also increased annually from 1 January by at least €25 excl. 21% VAT, to reflect growing years of experience.

Payment

Unless stated otherwise, the Contractor’s invoices are payable within 14 days of receipt, regardless of the invoice date, without any set-off or reversal, by transfer to a bank account designated by the Contractor. Where permitted, invoices will only be sent digitally. An invoice will be sent by post on request.
The Contractor will generally invoice monthly, at the start of each calendar month, for the preceding period. Where a fixed price has been agreed, the Contractor may invoice immediately after delivering the first draft documents.
If the client doesn’t pay the amounts owed within the agreed term, the client is in default without any notice of default being required. Any discounts granted or installment arrangements immediately lapse as a result.
For businesses: If the client is acting in the course of a profession or business and the Contractor hasn’t received the invoiced amount within the stated payment term, the client automatically owes extrajudicial collection costs of 15% of the outstanding total, with a minimum of €150. If the payment term is exceeded, this client also owes an administrative penalty of 10% of the original principal amount, without any reminder being required, with a minimum of €50. From the day the payment term expires, the unpaid amount is increased by the statutory commercial interest rate applicable when the term is exceeded, plus 2% per month on the invoice amount, until the day full payment is received, capped at €2,000. Interest on part of a month is calculated as a full month.
For consumers: If the client is a private individual not acting in the course of a profession or business, the unpaid fee for the Contractor’s services is increased by extrajudicial collection costs, with a minimum of €40, in line with the Dutch Extrajudicial Collection Costs Decree (Besluit vergoeding voor buitengerechtelijke incassokosten). This amount automatically becomes due if the client hasn’t paid the Contractor in full within 14 days of receiving a payment reminder. The amount of these costs is set out in the statutory scale for extrajudicial collection costs: https://www.rechtspraak.nl/voor-advocaten-en-juristen/reglementen-procedures-en-formulieren/civiel/paginas/staffel-buitengerechtelijke-incassokosten.aspx. On top of that, an administrative penalty of €50 is owed. From the day the payment term expires, the unpaid amount is increased by the statutory interest rate under Article 6:119 DCC plus 1% on the invoice amount, until the day full payment is received, capped at €250. Interest on part of a month is calculated as a full month. This arrangement can be set aside by agreement with the Contractor and against security. The client must notify the Contractor of any intention to do so before invoicing, on the 1^st of the calendar month.
Bank and transaction charges, exchange-rate differences and currency conversions are fully for the client’s account. The invoiced amount is the amount the Contractor is meant to actually receive. Any shortfall must be topped up within 24 hours.
If the client fails to meet its (payment) obligations to the Contractor, the Contractor may invoice all work carried out but not yet billed immediately, apply a 3-business-day payment term, and require security or an advance payment for any further work to be carried out.
Payments made by the client are always applied first to any penalties, interest and costs owed, and only after that to outstanding invoices — with the longest-outstanding invoices settled first, even if the client indicated the payment was meant for a different invoice.
If the client (applies for) bankruptcy, (provisional) suspension of payment, winding up or dissolution of its business, becomes subject to the Dutch debt-restructuring scheme for individuals (WSNP), has an attachment placed on (part of) its assets, or knows any of these situations is (likely to) occur, the client must notify the Contractor of this immediately, in writing. In that case, all of the Contractor’s claims against the client become immediately and fully due and payable, and the Contractor may terminate the engagement with immediate effect, without owing any compensation.
Any objection to a (interim) invoice or time overview must be raised in writing, with reasons and substantiation, within 7 days of receipt — failing which the invoice, work and costs are deemed accepted.
In connection with work to be carried out, the Contractor may require payment of an advance beforehand, plus VAT. This advance will be offset against subsequent invoices. The Contractor may suspend work for as long as the client hasn’t paid the (full) advance.
If an invoice isn’t paid within the payment term, the Contractor may, after notifying the client, suspend his work for the client until the invoice amount has been paid. The Contractor isn’t liable for any loss resulting from that suspension.
The client has no unilateral right to set off amounts, and waives the right to suspend performance of any obligation under the agreement between the parties, in whole or in part.

Ending the assignment early

If the client ends an assignment early, the client must pay in full for the part of the assignment already carried out, with a minimum of 25% of the quoted amount. Where applicable, the client must also pay a fee, based on the Contractor’s agreed or standard hourly rates, for research and preparatory work already carried out on the remaining part.
If the Contractor had reserved time to carry out an assignment the client then withdrew, the Contractor may charge a fee of 10% of an invoice for the part of the assignment not carried out.
If the client has entered into an agreement with the Contractor for a course, training or talk given by the Contractor, that course, training or talk can only be cancelled in writing before it starts. The client must pay a €100 (excl. VAT) administration fee, the time the Contractor already spent, costs incurred, plus the following percentages of the course fee (excl. VAT): 10 days or more before the start: 0%; 9–5 days before the start: 10%. 4 days before the start: 50%. 3 days before the start: 75%. After that, 100% is due.
If the client (or its employees or other people connected to it) doesn’t show up for a course, training or talk, that counts as a cancellation, and 100% of the invoice amount for that course, training or talk is due to the Contractor. The Contractor doesn’t have to offer a replacement course, training or talk.

Liability

The Contractor’s liability is insured in line with the Dutch Bar’s Professional Liability Regulation (Verordening op de beroepsaansprakelijkheid) and is capped at the amount the Contractor’s professional liability insurance pays out, plus the deductible under that policy. That insurance covers €500,000 per claim per year, capped at €1,000,000 for all claims in the insurance year combined. The Contractor only has to pay once the insurer has paid out. A summary of cover and proof of insurance will be sent on request. If, for whatever reason, no payment is made under that insurance, liability is capped at the fee paid for the assignment that gave rise to the loss, with a maximum of €2,500.
The Contractor isn’t liable for business, consequential or indirect loss.
The Contractor isn’t liable for loss caused because the client failed to provide, in good time, accurate information the Contractor, in his judgment, needed to properly carry out the agreement.
The Contractor isn’t liable for loss caused by third parties engaged by the Contractor on the client’s behalf, or otherwise in connection with the assignment. When engaging a third party, the Contractor may accept any limitation of that third party’s liability on the client’s behalf too.
The client indemnifies the Contractor against all claims and other demands from third parties, and any resulting loss, arising from a failure by the client to meet its obligations under this agreement, or from any other act or omission by the client, without prejudice to Article 38 of these general terms (liability).
The Contractor isn’t liable for loss caused by a missed deadline, except for procedural deadlines. Agreed delivery times are explicitly not strict deadlines.
Outside the liability described in this section, the Contractor has no liability whatsoever for damages towards the client and/or third parties, regardless of the legal basis on which a claim would be made.
Any claims the client has against the Contractor — whether for a failure to perform an agreement, a tort, or any other basis — lapse once 12 months have passed since the day the client became aware, or could reasonably have become aware, of the claim, if the client hasn’t taken legal action on that claim within that 12-month period.
This doesn’t exclude the Contractor’s liability for loss resulting from his own intent or deliberate recklessness.

Force majeure

In addition to Article 6:75 DCC, a failure by the Contractor to meet an obligation to the client isn’t attributable to the Contractor where it results from a circumstance beyond the Contractor’s control that wholly or partly prevents him from meeting his obligations to the client, or where he can’t reasonably be expected to meet those obligations. Such circumstances include, among others, failures by suppliers or other third parties, power outages, fire, computer viruses and hacks, strikes, transport disruptions, illness, work stoppages, government measures, terrorist attacks, riots, war, natural disasters, and pandemics and epidemics.
When such a situation arises, the Contractor’s obligations are suspended for as long as he can’t or isn’t allowed to meet them. If that situation lasts 30 days or longer, the parties will discuss a joint solution. If no solution is reached within 7 days after that period, either party may terminate the agreement, in whole or in part, in writing. In that case, the Contractor doesn’t have to pay any compensation or costs, even if the Contractor benefited from the force majeure situation.

Other provisions

The client may not transfer its rights under these general terms or the agreement to third parties without the Contractor’s prior written consent. This provision has effect in rem as referred to in Article 3:83(2) DCC.
The client waives the right to annul or dissolve the agreement with the Contractor, in whole or in part, or to claim its annulment, dissolution or amendment, in whole or in part.
Third parties can’t derive any rights from the services the Contractor provides to the client.
The Contractor’s complaints procedure is available as a PDF at https://petitlegal.nl/kantoorklachtenregeling/. Raising a complaint doesn’t relieve the client of its payment obligations.
All reasonably incurred judicial and extrajudicial costs resulting from the client’s failure to meet its obligations under the agreement are for the client’s account.
The Contractor doesn’t have a third-party funds foundation or client trust account, and therefore can’t receive third-party funds.
If any provision of these general terms is or becomes unenforceable, the remaining provisions stay fully in effect. The parties undertake to replace the unenforceable provision with an enforceable one that deviates as little as possible from it in substance and intent.
The Contractor may amend these general terms (and any translations of them) at any time, without prior notice. The amended terms will then apply to all legal relationships with the client.
These general terms are drafted in Dutch. An English version is available on request. In the event of a dispute over the content or meaning of these general terms, the Dutch text prevails.
The laws and regulations for lawyers can be found at https://regelgeving.advocatenorde.nl/.
Petit Legal’s privacy statement can be found at https://petitlegal.nl/privacy-statement/.
These terms are sent free of charge on request (digitally or on paper), and are also available for inspection at the Contractor’s office. They can also be viewed and downloaded at www.petitlegal.nl/algemenevoorwaarden or in English here: https://petitlegal.nl/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/General-Terms-and-Conditions-Petit-Legal.pdf

Governing law & jurisdiction

These general terms, all agreements to which they apply, and any resulting disputes, are governed exclusively by Dutch law.
Any disputes arising from these general terms and any agreements to which they apply will be submitted exclusively to the court in Amsterdam, without prejudice to the Contractor’s right to bring disputes before whichever court has jurisdiction under the law.