Christiaan Zillinger Molenaar (1977) is an experienced attorney specializing in employment law. With a career that began in 2001, he has become a recognized expert in this field. Christiaan is the founder and partner of Zilver Advocaten.

He provides counsel to national and international companies, executives, employees, and contractors on various employment law matters. His expertise includes collective and individual dismissal cases, summary dismissals, disputes related to non-compete agreements, compensation structures, sickness and reintegration, and employee participation processes. Christiaan also frequently advises expatriates on their legal position in the Netherlands. He is often sought after to assist in drafting various agreements, such as settlement agreements, employment contracts, flexible employment contracts (zero-hours and min/max), volunteer agreements, and service agreements.

Christiaan studied law at Leiden University and spent a semester at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, where he completed several international courses. During his studies, he interned at the law firm Nauta Dutilh in Amsterdam. After graduating, he gained practical experience as an attorney at a medium-sized law firm in Rotterdam, where he focused on corporate law and bankruptcy law. Following that, he worked for five years as an attorney at the international law firm Allen & Overy in the Employment, Pension & Benefits practice group. In 2009, he established himself as an independent employment lawyer under the name Haseborg & Zillinger Advocaten, which was subsequently renamed Zilver Advocaten in 2015.

Christiaan finds great satisfaction in resolving legal issues and contributing to practical outcomes. His approach is to settle when possible and litigate when necessary. He always strives for the optimal result, considering the personal interests of his clients. To stay up-to-date with legal developments, he participates in regular case law meetings and attends relevant courses in his field. He is a regular annotator for the JAR (Journal for Employment Law), providing commentary on interesting court decisions. Due to his keen interest in non-compete agreements, he regularly publishes overview articles on this topic in the ArbeidsRecht magazine. Alongside other employment law attorneys, he hosts a podcast called “9 tot 5,” which covers current employment law topics. The podcast is available on Spotify.

Christiaan is a member of the Association of Labor Law Attorneys in the Netherlands (VAAN) and the Ondernemende Advocaten Amsterdam (OAA). He is also a member of the Forward Foundation, which advocates for the LGBTQ+ community within the Dutch legal profession.

In his free time, Christiaan enjoys engaging in social activities with friends, such as fine dining, watching films and series, and occasionally visiting theaters and museums. He stays active through fitness and hockey. He enjoys reading books and discussing them with a book club. In winter, he likes to go skiing, and in summer, he prefers tropical island getaways.