In 2023, Gerard Spong has been working as defense attorney for fifty years. Grootmeester is the compelling story of his colourful life, written by Gerlof Leistra and Patricia Jimmink. Gerard Spong was born in Paramaribo, Suriname, the son of the only psychiatrist in Suriname. He spent his youth on the grounds of the National Psychiatric Institution. Two years before the December murders of 1982, he narrowly escaped death. Starting out as a young lawyer in Paramaribo, Spong developed a high-profile practice in The Hague, and later Amsterdam. In his long career he assisted, among others, the right-hand of drug lord Johan V., war criminal Pieter Menten and RAF suspects. He also advised the Surinamese government in the criminal case against Desi Bouterse. Candid and flamboyant, Spong talks about the highs and lows of his life and career. In Grootmeester, Leistra en Jimmink, who also spoke to many people in Spong's social orbit, unravel the secret of one of Holland's top criminal defense lawyers in a fascinating way. Language: Dutch.