M&A Awards 2026: Michelle de Vries (Best Young M&A Lawyer 2026)
Company: Stek
Job Description: Associate
Age: 29
Years of working experience in M&A: 5
You cannot vote on this nominee. To vote, you need to be logged in. If you don't have an account yet, please register for free first.
What are the specialties of this talent?
Michelle specialises in corporate M&A, advising private equity investors, corporates and entrepreneurs on domestic and cross-border transactions. She has particular experience in private equity, buy-and-build strategies and transactions in the technology and business services sectors.
Her recent track record includes the sale of A.Hak to BAM, the sale of AMCO Solutions to Deutsche Private Equity-backed CorpPerformance and the sale of Eco-Movement, a leading EV charging data platform, to Dow Jones. She also recently advised Castellum Security Collective, a portfolio company of HC Partners, on several add-on acquisitions, including Safetyproof and Embrace.
What stands out is that Michelle is equally comfortable working on large, complex transactions as she is taking the lead on mid-market deals. In the Castellum transactions, she was fully in charge of the legal process, from due diligence and transaction documentation through to negotiations and closing.
Michelle combines strong technical skills with a practical understanding of what matters to clients. She is good at identifying the real issues in a transaction and finding workable solutions without losing sight of the commercial objectives.
How does the talent distinguish itself from its peers?
What sets Michelle apart is the level of responsibility she can take on independently, combined with her commercial judgment and the ease with which she deals with clients and other advisers.
A good example is her recent work for Castellum Security Collective. Michelle was fully in the lead on several add-on acquisitions, managing the legal process, negotiating transaction documentation and coordinating the various parties involved. She handled these transactions with remarkably little partner involvement, which says a great deal about the confidence we have in her.
Michelle is also very good at seeing the bigger picture. She understands what drives a transaction, knows which points are worth negotiating and which are not, and is not afraid to take a position. At the same time, she is thorough and has a keen eye for detail.
Just as importantly, Michelle is a pleasure to work with. She is straightforward, approachable and remains calm when things get difficult. She builds relationships easily and manages to be firm in negotiations without making matters unnecessarily confrontational. And through all of that, she is genuinly fun to work with.
In short, Michelle already operates with a degree of independence and maturity that we would normally expect from a considerably more experienced M&A lawyer.
What impact does the talent have within the organization?
Michelle has quickly become an important member of Stek's Corporate M&A team. She is someone partners can rely on to take responsibility for a transaction and make sure things get done, without needing to be involved in every detail.
Her work for Castellum Security Collective is a good illustration. By independently leading several add-on acquisitions, Michelle has shown that she can manage transactions from start to finish, allowing partners to focus on other matters while knowing that the client is in good hands.
She also makes a real contribution to the team beyond her own transactions. Michelle is always willing to help colleagues, share her knowledge and take the time to explain things to more junior lawyers. She combines high standards with a positive, down-to-earth attitude, which makes her a valued colleague.
At Stek, we place considerable importance on giving talented lawyers responsibility early in their careers. Michelle has embraced that opportunity and shown just how well that approach can work. She is a strong example for younger members of our team.
What impact does the talent have outside the organization?
Outside her transactional practice, Michelle is actively involved in legal education and the development of future legal professionals. She lectures at Utrecht University Summer School on private equity, joint ventures and shareholders' agreements, sharing her practical experience with students and giving them an insight into how M&A transactions work in practice, beyond what they learn from textbooks.
Michelle is also committed to her own professional development. She is currently pursuing a postgraduate programme in M&A at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU), further developing her expertise in the legal, financial and commercial aspects of transactions. This reflects her ambition to continuously improve as an M&A lawyer and broaden her understanding of the wider dealmaking process.
In addition, Michelle maintains strong relationships with other advisers and professionals in the M&A market. She is easy to work with, constructive in negotiations and genuinely interested in the people she deals with. She is a frequent visitor of Young M&A Community events and has already built up an extensive network in the broader M&A sector.
To what extent does the talent make a difference when working with clients?
Michelle understands that clients want more from their M&A lawyer than technically correct advice. They want someone who understands their business, thinks ahead and helps them get the deal done.
She is particularly good at translating complex legal issues into clear, practical advice. Rather than presenting clients with a list of risks and leaving them to decide what to do, Michelle explains the options, gives her view and helps clients make decisions.
Her work for Castellum Security is a good example of the difference she makes. Michelle acted as the lead lawyer on several add-on acquisitions, dealing directly with the client, managing negotiations and keeping the transactions on track. She was able to take much of the day-to-day legal work off the client's hands while ensuring that important decisions were brought to their attention at the right time.
Michelle is also very responsive and easy to reach. She takes responsibility, follows through on commitments and does not need to be chased. Particularly in M&A, where processes can be unpredictable and deadlines demanding, these qualities make a real difference.
Clients appreciate that Michelle is approachable and pragmatic, but also that she is prepared to push back when necessary. She is focused on getting the right result, not on making legal points for their own sake.
Why does the talent deserves this nomination?
We believe Michelle is an excellent candidate for Best Young M&A Lawyer because she has already developed into a highly capable and independent deal lawyer, while still being at a relatively early stage of her career.
Her experience speaks for itself. She has worked on significant transactions such as the EUR 504 million sale of A.Hak to BAM, the sale of AMCO Solutions and the sale of Eco-Movement to Dow Jones. At the same time, she has shown that she can independently lead transactions, as demonstrated by her work on several add-on acquisitions for Castellum Security Collective.
For us, that combination is what makes her stand out. Michelle is not only a strong lawyer who contributes to complex transactions led by others; she is someone we trust to run deals herself, manage client relationships and make sound judgments along the way.
She is also a great colleague who contributes positively to our team and invests time in developing others, both internally and externally through her teaching at Utrecht University Summer School.
Michelle is ambitious, hardworking and technically excellent, but also practical, approachable and refreshingly down-to-earth. She has all the qualities we look for in a future leading M&A lawyer and, in many respects, is already performing at that level.
We would be very pleased to see her receive the recognition she deserves.
Any references or recommendations from clients or (colleagues)?
Bas Hendriks, managing partner at Improved Corporate Finance
Luuk Bruna, partner at Clairfield
Max Louter, M&A manager at Castellum Security Collective
You cannot vote on this nominee. To vote, you need to be logged in. If you don't have an account yet, please register for free first.
