Partners

Ranked as Leading Firm in the Dutch Caribbean by Legal 500

Willemstad, 6 November 2025 – OX & WOLF legal partners is proud to be recognized once again in the Legal 500 as Leading Firm for the Dutch Caribbean. This repeated recognition highlights the firm’s continuing reputation as a “practical, solution-oriented, locally rooted law firm,” providing clients with expert, tailored support.

Legal 500: Leading Firm
The Legal 500 praises OX & WOLF’s partner-only structure, which ensures clients receive bespoke legal guidance across all practice areas. We congratulate the following partners who have been individually recognized this year:

Leading Partners: Sabine Altena, Mayesi Hammoud, Carine Jänsch
Next Generation Partners: Willemieke Princée, Sueena Francisco

Client Testimonials
“What sets this practice apart is the combination of deep legal expertise, a pragmatic approach to complex matters, and an exceptionally responsive and accessible working style.” 

Work Highlights
Represented the Central Bank of Curaçao and Sint Maarten in the restructuring of ENNIA and recovery actions against former executives.

About Legal 500
Legal 500 has analyzed law firms worldwide for over 30 years, based on feedback from more than 300,000 clients, firm submissions, and interviews with lawyers. It provides in-house counsel with insights into the top legal teams globally.

About OX & WOLF legal partners
Since its founding in 2015, OX & WOLF has rapidly become a trusted law firm in the Dutch Caribbean. The partner-led approach delivers specialized support across diverse legal fields, tailored to the unique needs of clients. This year, the firm proudly celebrates its 10th anniversary.

EXPERTISE
  • Litigation
  • Insurance and Liability
  • Commercial Contracts
  • Employment
  • Shipping, Transport and Logistics
EXPERIENCE
Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, The Netherlands 2001 - 2002
VanEps Kunneman VanDoorne (now: VANEPS) 2003 - 2018
Social-Economic Council, member August 2008 - December 2016
Civil Service Advisory and Arbitration Committee of Curaçao, member 2015 - present
Avant Legal January 2019 - August 2019

Mayesi is the current co-managing partner of OX & WOLF.

She is a highly qualified and experienced litigator. She assists international and local clients in the public and private sectors in complex litigation. She focusses on contracts, torts, insurance & liability, employment, corporate governance and maritime matters.

Mayesi is strategic, highly responsive, pragmatic and has a detailed knowledge of the law. She has an exceptional ability to quickly see all angles of any given issue, both legally and from a business and/or political perspective. She has the innate ability to stay calm in any situation, providing exceptional comfort to her clients. Her extraordinary skill set makes her the general counsel and litigator of choice for large local and international corporates. Her track record is impeccable, and she is highly respected by her peers for her expertise, experience, poise and integrity.

Mayesi is a member of the disciplinary boards for attorneys in Curaçao and Aruba. She is also a member of the civil servants and arbitration committee in Curaçao. She co-authored the chapter on the arrest of vessels in the Wolters Kluwer Maritime Law Handbook. Mayesi was previously a member of the Social Economic Council of Curaçao.

Mayesi is ranked individually by Chambers and Partners in the Chambers Global and the Legal500 Guide.

Quote from Legal500 2026: “Our collaboration with Mayesi Hammoud is defined by a strong sense of trust, transparent communication, and a proactive mindset. This has resulted in a lasting and highly effective working relationship, built on mutual commitment and professionalism. Mayesi is sharp in analysis, meticulous in preparation, and highly effective in negotiations and litigation. Her approach is always solution-oriented, with a strong emphasis on achieving our goals efficiently.”

EXPERTISE
  • Employment
  • Litigation and Dispute Resolution
  • Hospitality and Leisure
EXPERIENCE
VanEps Kunneman VanDoorne (now: VANEPS) 2010 - 2015
Board member of the Curaçao Bar Association 2016 - 2020

Karina is the current co-managing partner of OX & WOLF.

She started her career as an attorney with VANEPS, where she specialized in employment law, while also focusing on litigation in the commercial practice in general.

Karina is a pragmatic, straightforward and hands-on attorney and provides clients with strategic advice in all employment related matters and proceedings, such as reorganizations, mergers & acquisitions, (collective) labor disputes, collective and individual redundancies and immediate dismissals. In addition to the aforementioned Karina runs a general commercial litigation practice.

Karina used to be guest lecturer in employment law at the University of Curaçao and was nominated as the rising star in employment law by her peers in a quality ranking of the Dutch Caribbean Legal Portal. Karina also regularly provides lectures on employment issues for her clients and other interested parties.

EXPERTISE
  • Corporate, Mergers and Acquisitions
  • Banking, Finance and Investment Management
  • Regulatory
  • Corporate Governance
EXPERIENCE
De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek 1998 - 2008
Spigt DC 2008 - 2010
VanEps Kunneman VanDoorne (now: VANEPS) 2010 - 2015
Curaçao International Financial Services Association, Member of the Board 2012 - 2018
Onderlingehulp N.V., Member of the Supervisory Board 2017 - present
Curaçao Airport Holding N.V., Member of the Supervisory Board 2019 – present

Sabine is a corporate and finance lawyer with twenty-five years of experience. Sabine advises both national and international clients on their (equity) structuring and corporate governance. She regularly assists corporate clients and private equity firms with mergers, acquisitions and restructuring transactions. Her clients also seek her advice on matters driven or affected by the supervision and regulation of the Central Bank.

During her career Sabine has held several additional positions. She was a board member of the Curaçao International Financial Services Association (CIFA) and was a part-time lecturer at the University of Curaçao (UoC). She currently serves on the supervisory boards of an insurance company.

Sabine is ranked by Chambers and Partners in the Chambers Global Guide since 2016.

RECENT PUBLICATIONS
Tijdschrift Ondernemingsrecht 2022/71, Financial Supervision in the Dutch Caribbean.

Michiel van den Brink
EXPERTISE
  • Litigation and Dispute Resolution
  • Real Estate and Project Development
  • Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions
  • Hospitality and Leisure
EXPERIENCE
Blenheim Attorneys 2007 - 2011
VanEps Kunneman VanDoorne (now: VANEPS) 2011 - 2014
Blenheim Attorneys 2015 - 2017
HBN Law & Tax 2018 - 2020

Michiel heads the Bonaire branch of OX & WOLF.

Michiel provides legal services to clients with interest in Curaçao and Bonaire, focusing on real estate, project development, corporate matters and commercial contracting.

Over the years, Michiel has advised clients in numerous real estate and corporate transactions and gained extensive experience in litigating matters concerning real estate in the broadest sense, project development and corporate disputes. His clients include real estate developers and investors, real estate agents, construction companies. Michiel also acts as sparring party for many of his clients in the hospitality sector, e.g. hotel and restaurant owners and operators.

EXPERTISE
  • Intellectual Property
  • Commercial Contracts
  • Tech, Data, Telecom, Media and Entertainment
  • Litigation and Dispute Resolution
EXPERIENCE
Ekelmans Den Hollander (now: Hogan Lovells) 1995 -1999
VanEps Kunneman VanDoorne (now: VANEPS) 2000 - 2015
Trademark Association, founder and current president 2004 - present
Curaçao Bar Association, president (deken) 2020 - present

Carine assists a variety of clients, ranging from globally operating companies to regional service providers and local tech start-ups. Carine is a seasoned counsel and litigator, particularly in the areas of intellectual property, media and entertainment, online gaming, privacy, competition and commercial contracts.

Although well-equipped to guide her clients through the challenges of proceedings before any of the courts in the Dutch Caribbean, Carine is also committed to investigate a settlement if this is in the best interest of her client.

Currently, Carine serves as the president (deken) of the Curaçao Bar Association. As a long-time member of the International Trademark Association (INTA) and the Asociación Interamericana de la Propriedad Intelectual (ASIPI), Carine has an extensive network of expert lawyers who are frequently contacted to the benefit of her clients.

RECENT PUBLICATION:

Caribisch Juristenblad (CJB) 2020/4, p. 567-580, Het recht van de intellectuele eigendom 2000-2020, C.A.D. Jänsch and J.A. de Baar.

EXPERTISE
  • Corporate, Mergers and Acquisitions
  • Banking, Finance and Investment Management
  • Regulatory
  • Commercial Contracts
  • Energy Law
EXPERIENCE
Houthoff Buruma 2008 – 2011
VanEps Kunneman VanDoorne (now: VANEPS) 2011 – 2015
United Telecommunication Services N.V., in-house legal counsel 2015 – 2017
Curaçao Financial Services Association, Member of the Board 2018 – 2024
University of Curaçao, Dr. Moises Da Costa Gomez, President of the board of trustees 2019 – present
Bureau for Supervision and Standardization of Government Entities, Member of the Supervisory Board 2022 - present
Regulatory Authority of Curacao, President of the board of trustees 2024-present

Sueena’s main areas of specialization are corporate and financial law, financial regulatory law and energy law. She has vast experience with mergers & acquisitions, corporate and financial (re)structurings and advising her clients within the private -, (semi-)public- and energy and industrial sectors on a variety of subjects within her areas of specialization. With a good understanding of dynamics in the board room on all levels of top-management, she is known to be a sound and strategic board room advisor.

Sueena serves as a supervisory board member of the Bureau for Supervision and Standardization of Government Entities, is the chairwoman of the board of trustees of the University of Curacao and is the chairwoman of the board of trustees of the multi-sectoral Regulatory Authority of Curacao.

EXPERTISE
  • Litigation and Dispute Resolution
  • Insurance and Liability
  • Shipping, Transport and Logistics
  • Commercial Contracts
EXPERIENCE
De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek 2008 - 2012
VanEps Kunneman VanDoorne (now: VANEPS) 2012 - 2015

Willemieke is a skilled commercial lawyer specialized in cross-border litigation, insurance and transport law. She advises on commercial contracts, supports clients in negotiations and represents clients in various legal proceedings, including inquiry proceedings, enforcement of foreign judgments and arbitral awards and the levying and lifting of attachments. Clients describe her as hands-on, to the point, strategic and committed.

Willemieke also assists many players in the shipping industry. Her clients include (re)insurers, P&I Clubs, ship owners, agents, charterers, managers, cargo handling companies, maritime authorities and mortgagees. She is the go-to lawyer for arrests and judicial sales of vessels, cargo and bunkers on all the islands of the Dutch Caribbean (Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten).

Willemieke serves as vice president of the Curacao Maritime Association, is a member of the Caribbean Committee of the Dutch Arbitration Association, and member of the Litigation, Insurance and Transport committees of the International Bar Association.

Legal 500 Caribbean 2025 praises Willemieke as Next Generation partners as a “very experienced, well-connected, practical and solution-oriented partner with in-depth legal knowledge.”