The People behind the Alliance : Olav Andriese

On trust, friendship, and the quiet engine behind cross-border legal work

https://vimeo.com/1191564828

Some lawyers build their practice on reputation. Others build it on relationships. Olav Andriese, experienced business lawyer based in Amsterdam and long-standing member of the GBL Alliance, will tell you without hesitation that the two are inseparable — and that the second almost always comes first.

Olav has been part of GBL for roughly six years, and for a good stretch of that time he served on the GBL Board. He founded his Amsterdam firm together with a former colleague from one of the large English law firms where the two had worked side by side. When the moment came to strike out on his own, the choice of partner was straightforward: he went back to the person he had trusted most. That instinct, as it turns out, runs through everything Olav does.

Knowing the person on the other side

Although much of Olav's work is domestic in nature, cross-border matters are never far away. And it is precisely in those situations, he says, that the difference between a smooth file and a difficult one has very little to do with the law. It has everything to do with whether you already know, and trust, the lawyer you are calling on the other side of the border.

"You can buy legal information anywhere," Olav says. "But once you know someone, once you have really gotten to know each other, it lowers the threshold to ask a question, to sound off on a case you are struggling with. I would not easily make that late-night call to a lawyer I don't know."

That threshold matters more than most people realise. In complex cross-border matters, speed and frankness between counsel can determine the outcome of a case. The relationship has to already be there before the file arrives.

A case that couldn't be improvised

Olav offers a vivid example from the Covid years. A German company operating in the Netherlands ran into serious trouble. What emerged was a fraud case — one that had gone undetected precisely because the pandemic had disrupted the normal checks and oversight that would have caught it earlier. The matter required a coordinated investigation across two jurisdictions and close cooperation with law enforcement on both sides.

"It was a very interesting case," Olav recalls. "I don't do much criminal law, but the object of the fraud was real estate related, and the complexity came from having to act quickly, across borders, with the authorities involved." The file demanded exactly the kind of trust and coordination that cannot be built in the middle of a crisis. It is built at conferences, over dinners, in side conversations that seem inconsequential at the time.

Friends making money — and meaning it

Olav is refreshingly direct about what a network like GBL is ultimately for. Friendship matters. Fun matters. Spending time together matters. But at the end of the day, he says, it also comes down to making money together — and he means that in the best possible sense.

"It sounds a bit blunt to say it that way," he acknowledges, "but it only works when you trust each other, when you know that the work being done for a shared client is really done properly. That's what friendship and trust are built on. And yes, that trust is built at GBL conferences."

His advice to members who are not yet fully investing in the conference experience is simple: show up, spend time, go beyond the formal programme. "If you want to extract value from the GBL network, spend time together. Not only at conferences, but also in between. If someone is visiting Amsterdam, call me — we'll have drinks. That's how it works."

The shopping window problem

One of Olav's sharpest observations is about visibility within the Alliance itself. A network is only as strong as the clarity with which its members understand what each other actually does — and that is an area where GBL, like many professional networks, still has room to grow.

"Sometimes we just don't know enough about what we're all doing," he says. "If I don't know who handles what in the UK, for example, it's very hard for me to think of going to that specific person. GBL is like a large shop of capabilities. But if nobody is tending to the shop window, people don't know what you're selling."

His message to all members, new and established alike, is to make themselves known — not just to potential clients on the outside, but to fellow members on the inside. What are you doing? What are you best at? What kinds of matters do you want more of? That information has value, and it belongs in front of the network.

Still here, still sharp

Olav speaks with the ease of someone who has learned not to take things for granted. In recent years he dealt with a serious health issue that affected his memory and his energy levels, and he has adapted his practice accordingly, stepping back from the heaviest litigation work and from some of his board responsibilities. He speaks about it openly, without drama.

"The doctor said to give it time. And I'm happy to be here." It is said simply, and it lands that way. What comes through above all is the same thing that comes through in everything else he says: a genuine enjoyment of the work, of the people, and of what it means to be part of something that extends well beyond your own desk.

Olav Andriese is a business lawyer based in Amsterdam and a long-standing member of the GBL Alliance. The full video interview is available above.