Sophie Stevens

Sophie Stevens has extensive experience providing advice and legal assistance to legal entities and individuals in criminal cases. Her practice encompasses both general criminal law and financial-economic criminal law, with particular expertise in fraud, environmental law, and industrial accidents. She advises companies, directors, shareholders, and employees, and represents them at all stages of criminal proceedings – from the investigation phase through prosecution and trial. She also handles non-financial criminal cases and asset forfeiture proceedings (ontnemingsprocedures), and regularly represents (police) officers. In addition to her practice before courts of first instance and appeal, she acts as counsel in criminal cassation proceedings before the Supreme Court of the Netherlands (Hoge Raad).

Sophie studied Dutch law at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, specialising in criminal (procedural) law (2014). After graduating, she gained several years of practical experience within the judiciary: she served as a judicial clerk (gerechtssecretaris) at the criminal law division of the District Court of The Hague and subsequently at the Court of Appeal Amsterdam. In this capacity, she was closely involved in the handling of a wide range of criminal cases at first instance and on appeal, with a focus on fraud and economic offences. In 2022, she completed the advanced criminal law course at the Willem Pompe Institute (Utrecht University), followed in 2025 by the postgraduate Criminal Law Specialisation Programme at the same institute.

On the publication side, Sophie is a contributing author to Tekst & Commentaar Strafrecht, an authoritative commentary series on the Dutch Criminal Code, and contributed to the SDU Commentary on the Code of Criminal Procedure. She also provided the periodic current affairs column on environmental criminal law for the Journal of Sanctions Law & Business (Tijdschrift voor Sanctierecht & Onderneming). She regularly speaks for representatives of businesses and their employees on the criminal law risks associated with investigation and enforcement proceedings.

Sophie is a member of the Dutch Criminal Defence Lawyers Association (NVSA) and an associate member of the Association of Cassation Lawyers in Criminal Cases (VCAS). She previously served as a board member and committee member of the Young Bar Association at the Supreme Court of the Netherlands (Jonge Balie bij de Hoge Raad der Nederlanden) and was an active member of the Dutch Association of Young Criminal Defence Lawyers (NVJSA).

In the Register of Jurisdictions of the Netherlands Bar, Sophie is registered as a specialist in criminal law. This specialism includes:

• Financial-economic criminal law
• Fiscal criminal law
• International criminal law
• Environmental criminal law

She is also registered as a specialist in cassation (punishment).

Sophie Stevens obtains a minimum of ten training points each calendar year in the field of these specialisations according to the standards of the Netherlands Bar.

• Dutch Criminal Defence Lawyers Association (NVSA)
• Association of Cassation Lawyers in Criminal Cases (VCAS)