History since 1899
‘Since 1899’ isn’t just a slogan we use to reflect our long history; it is actually the year the first precursor of JPR advocaten was founded. What has changed over the course of more than 120 years? And how does the firm look ahead to the future? Pascal Hulsegge and Tian Herstel answer those questions and offer a unique insight into the past and the future.
How it started 1899
The foundation for today’s JPR was laid in the Dutch town of Zutphen by Bon de Jonge, who founded a firm there in 1899. Tian Herstel: “At that time, the legal profession was still a posh profession, so de Jonge was a nobleman. His family remained involved with our firm until 1985.”
After a number of mergers and the opening of branch offices, between 1982 and 2000, the offices of Peters, Leppink, and Remmelink joined the firm. The current name, JPR advocaten, was officially implemented in 2007. There are now three branch offices: one in Deventer, one in Doetinchem, and one in Utrecht.
Changes in the legal profession
Over the years, the legal profession has become much more accessible. Nevertheless, sometimes the profession is still viewed in a negative light because people believe you only need a lawyer if you have a problem. Pascal Hulsegge: “On the other hand, I’m also met with a lot of enthusiasm when I tell people I’m a lawyer. They’re curious about the cases we work on and surprised when I tell them that we do most of the work beforehand, so that we can try to avoid going to court. I see that as the biggest gain we’ve made over the years. We meet with our regular clients several times a year to advise them on restructuring, acquisitions, and other major issues. That ultimately saves them a lot of time, money, and stress.”
Shift in types of services
It is clear that the services offered are different than they were in 1899 when it all started. On the one hand, this has to do with the spirit of the times but, on the other hand, it also has to do with conscious choices. Tian Herstel explains: “For instance, we no longer work in criminal law, and we’re increasingly focusing on entrepreneurs who need services related to corporate law, real estate law, insurance law, and employment law. Particularly in recent years, we’ve been increasingly focusing on privacy law and intellectual property law as well. Now we also have multidisciplinary teams, so that each member can contribute something based on their own expertise. That’s what benefits our clients the most.”
The new lawyers
JPR wants to reflect the legal profession in an approachable way by actively entering the market and sitting at the entrepreneur’s table. We’ve taken a good look at our internal organisation and asked the question: what values and standards motivate us to practise law with passion and skill?
We discovered that all of our JPR colleagues share the same sentiment. We summed up that sentiment in our manifesto. It describes our definition of the modern legal profession. Because although the legal profession in general is changing slowly, we’ve been a proud example of ‘the new lawyers’ since 1899.
We're happy to help you
Want to know more about JPR advocaten?
At JPR, you’ll find high-quality professionals who are just like you. Accessible and always willing to help.
A journey through time
Bon de Jonge was admitted to the Bar on 15 June 1899 and founded the De Jonge law firm. Around 1903, De Jonge entered into a partnership with Henri Charles Pennink, creating the firm De Jonge & Pennink. Over time, several mergers took place and the firm’s name reflected those changes.
In May of 1975, the Zutphen office of the Mrs De Jonge brothers opened a branch office in Groenlo. From then on, the Zutphen firm also practised in Groenlo. It did not operate separately from the Zutphen office, but members and associates of the partnership worked there in rotation. This branch office later grew into a full-fledged office.
On 14 June 1976, Mr P.S.L. Peters opened his own office at Geert Grootestraat 11 in Deventer. Shortly afterwards, Mr Peters associated with Mr Van Oosten and Mr Ketting, after which an annex was opened in Raalte in 1978. On the occasion of the relocation of the office from Geert Grootestraat to Binnensingel, the branch was closed, as it proved more efficient.
On 1 January 1982, the Deventer office merged with De Jonge’s Zutphen office, creating the partnership De Jonge, Peters, Van Oosten & Ketting. A year after this merger, the letterhead was once again changed, this time to De Jonge & Peters.
On 1 January 1990 the name changed again, as the firm merged with the Enschede-based firm Leppink c.s. The new name became, albeit temporarily, De Jonge, Peters & Leppink. As of 1 November 1995, the name of the partnership changed back to De Jonge & Peters.
In 2000, the firm merged with Remmelink Advocaten in Doetinchem and changed its name again to De Jonge, Peters, Remmelink Advocaten.
In 2007, the firm changed its name to JPR advocaten. This new name came with a change in corporate identity.
A new consolidation of services and branches took place in 2011, and the Zutphen and Groenlo branches merged into the offices in Deventer, Doetinchem, and Enschede. This development led to further specialisation.
In 2015, a decision was made to further consolidate the branch offices. This involved incorporating the Enschede branch into the Deventer and Doetinchem offices.
JPR advocaten are increasingly working for organisations and companies that operate on a national level. Our experience and down-to-earth mindset are appreciated everywhere. JPR opened its Utrecht office in 2021. This new office has enabled us to attract even more talent and improve accessibility for our clients.