dutch-contract-review

Dutch Contract Review

When to Use

• User submits a contract or set of clauses for review under Dutch law
• User asks whether specific contract terms comply with Dutch law (Burgerlijk Wetboek)
• User wants a risk assessment of a commercial agreement governed by Dutch law
• User asks about general terms and conditions (algemene voorwaarden) validity
• User requests comparison of contract positions against market standard

Process

1. Identify contract type - Determine which BW Book 7 specific contract type applies (koop, opdracht, aanneming, huur, arbeidsovereenkomst, etc.) or if it is an innominate contract
2. Check governing law - Confirm Dutch law applicability; if foreign law governs, flag and recommend local counsel
3. Extract key clauses - Parse the contract into reviewable sections
4. Clause-by-clause analysis - For each clause: a. Identify the legal topic (liability, indemnity, IP, termination, etc.) b. Check against mandatory law (dwingend recht) - provisions that cannot be contracted out of c. Check against default law (aanvullend/regelend recht) - assess deviations d. Flag consumer protection rules if B2C (Afdeling 6.5.3 BW - algemene voorwaarden) e. Assign risk rating: GREEN (standard/favorable), YELLOW (non-standard but negotiable), RED (legally problematic or unenforceable)
5. Cross-clause analysis - Check for internal inconsistencies, gaps, and missing standard clauses
6. Generate summary - Produce executive summary with overall risk profile
7. Append disclaimer

Key Legal Framework

• BW Boek 3 - Vermogensrecht (Property Law) - Arts. 3:33-37 (juridische handelingen), 3:40 (nullity), 3:44 (defects of will)
• BW Boek 6 - Verbintenissenrecht (Law of Obligations):
  • Afdeling 6.1.8 (Opschortingsrechten / right of suspension)
  • Afdeling 6.1.9 (Gevolgen van niet-nakoming / consequences of non-performance)
  • Afdeling 6.1.10 (Wettelijke verplichtingen tot schadevergoeding / damages)
  • Afdeling 6.5.2 (Totstandkoming / formation of contracts)
  • Afdeling 6.5.3 (Algemene voorwaarden / general terms and conditions)
  • Afdeling 6.5.4 (Rechtsgevolgen / legal effects of contracts)
  • Art. 6:74 (Toerekenbare tekortkoming / attributable failure)
  • Art. 6:89 (Klachtplicht / duty to complain)
  • Art. 6:228 (Dwaling / mistake)
  • Art. 6:233-234 (Vernietigbaarheid algemene voorwaarden / voidability of general terms)
  • Art. 6:248 lid 2 (Beperkende werking redelijkheid en billijkheid / derogating effect of reasonableness and fairness)
• BW Boek 7 - Bijzondere overeenkomsten (Specific Contracts):
  • Titel 1: Koop (Sale)
  • Titel 7: Opdracht (Services)
  • Titel 10: Arbeidsovereenkomst (Employment)
  • Titel 12: Aanneming van werk (Contract for work)
• Courts: Rechtbank (first instance), Gerechtshof (appeal), Hoge Raad (cassation)

Consult references/key-case-law.md for landmark court decisions relevant to this domain.

Ethical Guardrails

• Mandatory disclaimer: Always append the disclaimer from assets/disclaimers/ stating this is not legal advice
• Citation requirement: Every legal conclusion must reference specific BW articles or case law (ECLI citations)
• No drafting: Do not draft contract clauses from scratch; only review and flag issues in existing text
• Conflict check: If the user appears to be both parties, clarify which party's perspective to review from
• Jurisdictional limits: If non-Dutch law governs, state inability to fully assess and recommend local counsel
• Confidentiality warning: Remind users not to share truly confidential documents without understanding the system's data handling

Disclaimer Language Selection

• Use Dutch disclaimer (assets/disclaimers/disclaimer-nl.md) when:
  • The query is in Dutch
  • The output document is in Dutch
  • The user's organization config specifies Dutch as primary language
• Use English disclaimer (assets/disclaimers/disclaimer-en.md) when:
  • The query is in English
  • The output document is in English
  • Default when language is unclear
• Use both disclaimers when:
  • The output is bilingual
  • The user requests both languages

MCP Tools to Use

• search_legislation - Look up specific BW articles referenced in contract clauses
• get_legislation - Retrieve full text of relevant BW provisions
• search_case_law - Find relevant case law on disputed clause types
• get_case_law - Retrieve specific court decisions by ECLI
• search_eu_legislation - Check EU directive implementation where relevant (e.g., consumer sales directive)

Related Skills

• dutch-corporate-law - For SHA/SPA and corporate transaction agreements
• dutch-employment-law - For employment contracts (arbeidsovereenkomst) and related clauses
• nda-triage-nl - For NDA/confidentiality agreement specific triage
• dutch-privacy-gdpr - For data processing agreements (verwerkersovereenkomst)

Output Format

## Contract Review Summary

**Contract Type**: [e.g., Service Agreement (overeenkomst van opdracht)]
**Governing Law**: [e.g., Dutch law]
**Parties**: [Party A / Party B]
**Review Perspective**: [Which party's interests]

## Overall Risk Assessment: [GREEN / YELLOW / RED]

## Clause-by-Clause Analysis

### [Clause Number/Title]
- **Risk Level**: [GREEN/YELLOW/RED]
- **Summary**: [What the clause does]
- **Legal Basis**: [Relevant BW article(s)]
- **Issues**: [Identified problems or deviations from standard]
- **Recommendation**: [Suggested action]

[Repeat for each clause]

## Missing Clauses
[Standard clauses not found in the contract]

## Key Risks
1. [Numbered list of most critical issues]

## Recommended Actions
1. [Prioritized action items]

---
[Disclaimer]

Escalation Triggers

• Contract involves criminal liability or fraud allegations
• Dispute value exceeds EUR 1,000,000
• Contract involves regulated sectors (financial services, healthcare, energy) requiring sector-specific expertise
• Consumer contract with potential Afdeling 6.5.3 BW (unfair terms) implications requiring litigation assessment
• Cross-border elements requiring private international law analysis (Rome I / Rome II)
• Contract is already in dispute or litigation is pending
• Contract involves state aid or public procurement law
• User indicates they are about to sign imminently and need definitive legal advice

Disclaimer

Append the appropriate disclaimer from assets/disclaimers/ to every output.