Expertises
Employment law Privacy law Employee participationPart of team
Transport and Logistics Distressed companiesMichelle works as a lawyer in the Employment Law department. She deals with employment law in a broad sense and advises and litigates on matters such as co-determination, reorganisations, individual dismissals, flexible employment relations and issues concerning (collective) employment conditions. She is particularly interested in employee participation, especially in combination with corporate employment law: think mergers and acquisitions, major reorganisations and company closures. Advising both managements and works councils on these topics allows Michelle to oversee the whole playing field. This of course involves not only the purely legal perspective, but also the most practical approach, always keeping an eye on the mutual relationship between parties.
In addition to her specialisation in employment law, Michelle is also part of Ploum's privacy team. She regularly deals with privacy issues, especially when it comes to privacy in the workplace: for instance, camera surveillance, employee access control, alcohol and drug tests or accessing the mailbox of a potentially fraudulent employee. Because Michelle has extensive knowledge of the relevant obligations under privacy law as well as under employment and employee participation law, she can advise clients effectively and comprehensively.
Michelle assists both employers and employees and works councils. She regularly gives courses and workshops on various employment law and privacy-related topics for HR professionals, entrepreneurs, works council members and managers.
‘Michelle Westhoeve and Kim Prooij are experts in this area of law – very productive, accurate and nice people to work with.’ – Legal 500 EMEA 2023
Michelle holds master’s degrees in Civil Law (Erasmus University Rotterdam) and Employment Law (Leiden University). She joined Ploum in 2016 while studying, and since January 2018 Michelle has been working as a lawyer in the field of employment and privacy law. In 2022, she successfully completed the Postgraduate Course in Employment Law (PALA). In 2022, she spent time on secondment at a container terminal in the Port of Rotterdam, which makes Michelle have a good understanding of labour relations in that sector.
Michelle is a member of the Netherlands Employment Lawyers Association (VAAN), the Rotterdam Employment Lawyers Association (VRAA) and the Privacy Law Association (VPR).
Some examples of work Michelle has been involved in recently:
Michelle Westhoeve has registered the following principal (and secondary) legal practice areas in the Netherlands Bar’s register of legal practice areas (rechtsgebiedenregister):
Based on this registration, Michelle Westhoeve is required to obtain ten training credits per calendar year in each registered principal legal practice area in accordance with the standards set by the Netherlands Bar.
Knowledge of the law is relevant, but knowledge of the business is at least as important. Whether Michelle is advising a large multinational, an individual employee, a works council in the port sector or a small entrepreneur: in all cases, the advice must not only be legally correct, but also practical and immediately understandable. This requires no legal jargon, but clear language with clear action points.
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