Wouters v Nederlandse Orde van Advocaten | |
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Court | European Court of Justice |
Full case name | Wouters v Algemene Raad van de Nederlandse Orde van Advocaten |
Citation | (2002) C-309/99 |
Keywords | |
Competition, regulation |
Wouters v Algemene Raad van de Nederlandse Orde van Advocaten (2002) C-309/99 is decision of the European Court of Justice concerning competition law and the freedom of establishment. In both of these areas, the ECJ held that restrictions could be justified on the grounds of legitimate public policy, in this case ensuring the impartiality of the legal profession, if the measures taken were both necessary and proportionate (and in the case of restrictions on competition, purely ancillary) to that objective.
The Dutch bar prevented lawyers from entering a partnership with non-lawyers, including accountants. It was argued that these rules could limit production and technical development contrary to article 81(1)(b).
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