Notary Ed Bijster is retiring

Dismissal
Ed celebrated his 70th birthday in good health on August 17th. That's not something everyone is fortunate enough to be able to do. It was certainly a reason for a celebration. But that celebratory day also turned out to be a day you knew was coming. Article 14, paragraph 1, of the Civil-Law Notaries Act states that a civil-law notary is automatically discharged from office with effect from the month following the age of seventy.

The Deputy President of the Chamber for Civil-Law Notaries in The Hague has appointed Mr. GHHJ (Geert) Janssen MRE MBA, managing partner of MAES Civil-Law Notaries, as observer of the protocol and other notarial documents of Mr. EM Bijster, effective September 1, 2020.

September 1st of this year therefore marks a dual moment. The end of a beautiful period. And a wonderful new beginning. Like spring.

Looking back
Ed was a civil-law notary for over a quarter of a century. He previously worked for the former Kooijman Lambert firm, and since 2013, he has been an independent contractor under the proud flag of the full-service, high-quality firm MAES Notarissen and the affordable online discounter Basisnotarissen Rijnmond. Ed began his career at the Rotterdam firm Nauta van Haersolte, the legal predecessor of the current Nauta Dutilh. First as a lawyer, later as a junior civil-law notary. He studied law at Erasmus University Rotterdam and, in addition to his full-time job, notarial law at Leiden University.

During his 25 years as a notary, Ed has served tens of thousands of people with care and dedication. He has succeeded in keeping the firm's costs low and, consequently, its rates competitive. The firm has consistently scored highly in audits, and clients currently give it a solid 9 out of 10 for customer satisfaction. According to the Land Registry, we are among the top 8% of all notary offices in the Netherlands—including the large Zuidas offices—in terms of the number of deeds submitted for registration. This says nothing, however, about the quality and complexity of these deeds, nor about their economic importance and revenue, but it does demonstrate that we are an experienced and productive team and that we have our business well-organized. Ed leaves behind a thriving notary office, and that is a significant achievement. We are all quite proud of that.

Thank you
On behalf of all my colleagues, I would like to thank my former partner for everything he has done for us. We will miss Ed, with his decisive, practical, and no-nonsense approach. We are fortunate that he is willing to continue working for the office and our clients until at least December 31st.

Of counsel
Starting January 1, 2021, he will retire from his new home in Zierikzee, along with his wife Wanda, their dogs, and with their children and grandchildren nearby, to enjoy all the wonderful things that await him and his family. Ed will now focus on things he's already enjoyed, but to which he can now devote more time. He has been a seasoned rally driver for years and has been chairman of the board of the Dutch Historic Rally Federation since May of this year.

In addition, Ed will—in this, to use rally terms, final leg —serve as counsel on the Advisory Board of MAES Civil-Law Notaries. If desired, he can also continue to provide services to the firm from the MAES Flex Pool as needed.

Should you here in the region occasionally hear the slightly too-loud roaring engine sound of a lovingly restored vintage BMW, know that the sporty driver (who in daily life travels by electric BMW i3) is in all likelihood the experienced rally driver Ed Bijster, expertly navigating from the salty Zeeland countryside to our office to provide us with his wise advice, whether solicited or unsolicited – always with good intentions.

Parting
If the COVID-19 (Corona) pandemic hadn't hindered us, we would have loved to invite all our office contacts to a personal farewell for Ed. To our great disappointment, that's not possible at the moment.
However, Ed will at some point, before he actually retires from professional notarial life, express to many of you with a personal or digital thank you how meaningful it has been for him to have been of service to you.

Continuation of services
Our goal is to keep the office's costs low in the future and, consequently, our rates competitive. Because the client's interests are our top priority. In everything we do. Our clients determine our success. We are available 24/7, if needed. In person at the office, by phone, chat, video call, or email. Year-round. We offer evening hours and free walk-in consultations. We serve both individuals and entrepreneurs. Because many of our clients are entrepreneurial, just like us. Entrepreneurs know that business success lies in managing risk and simplifying complex matters. We understand the complexity our clients face. We reduce it to its essence, making their lives more manageable.

Our approach is distinctive. Not as a goal, but as a result. We counter all shades of gray with color. We show who we are and what we stand for. With our energy, vision, and dedication. We are visible. Entrepreneurial. Social. We go out into the world. We take responsibility, including social responsibility. We are innovators. Not followers. Because we realize that today's Tesla is tomorrow's classic car. We are motivated to be the most client-focused notary office in the region. We want our clients to be proud of the personal relationship we have with them. And euphoric about what we offer them professionally. But above all, we want them to enjoy being with us. We want them to be able to laugh together. And sometimes even a little at themselves.

With the undersigned as our cooperating foreman, our dream team will continue to work tirelessly every day to provide the services you've come to expect from us since 1992 to the clients of MAES Notaries and Basisnotaries Rijnmond. Impeccable, dedicated, and honest.

Vlaardingen, August 31, 2020


Geert Janssen