After reading law at the University of Amsterdam, Spong began working as a lawyer in 1973 in Surinam. In 1976 he returned to the Netherlands and started, after taking part in a criminal law specialisation programme, one of the first Dutch law firms specialising exclusively in assistance to criminal defendants (Wladimiroff & Spong).
Gerard Spong handles all criminal cases before courts and courts of appeals and is specialised in appeals in cassation before the Dutch Supreme Court. Spong also provides legal assistance in extradition cases, disciplinary cases, medical or otherwise, and in criminal cases in the Carribean part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Spong published many articles on criminal law and procedure and regularly gives lectures. In the Handboek Verdediging he wrote the chapter on legal assistance in the cassation procedure and, with Mirto Murray and Roan Lamp, the chapter on legal assistance in the Dutch Carribean. Spong gives postgraduate courses for other lawyers in the Spong Law Academy.
Furthermore Spong published legal thrillers De Breuk (2013) en De uitvaartverzorger (2016) and gave a performance about criminal law in more than 70 theaters in the Netherlands during the 2018-2019 theater season. Spong was appointed Officer in the Order of Orange-Nassau in 2019.
Bernard Sprenger started working as a criminal defence lawyer for Spong Attorneysin February 2016. He holds a bachelor's degree from Utrecht University and a masters degree in criminal law from the University of Amsterdam. Sprenger can be characterized as an enthusiastic defence lawyer with a sharp eye for the position and the interests of his clients. His work focus is on the general criminal practice.
Elizabeth Bijl joined Spong Advocaten on February 1st, 2023. Elizabeth obtained a bachelor's degree in law and European studies (European and international law) and a master's degree in financial criminal law at the University of Amsterdam. During her studies, she also worked as a law clerk at the insolvency sector of the District court Amsterdam. After completing her degrees, Elizabeth worked for two years as a law clerk at the criminal law sector of the Court of appeal Den Haag, before she was sworn in as a lawyer (advocaat) in 2020. With her expertise in Dutch criminal law and her experience as clerk and lawyer (advocaat) in and around the courtroom, Elizabeth is well-positioned to provide adequate and effective legal assistance to her clients.
Stijn Peerik joined Spong Advocaten in June 2019. He specialized in criminal law and procedure at the University of Amsterdam. During his studies he also worked for seven months as full-time intern at the office of the public prosecutor in The Hague and Amsterdam. This background strengthened his ability to analyse and defend the interests of clients in criminal cases.
Jeroen Gunning is with Spong Advocaten since 2nd March 2020 and studied law at the University of Amsterdam. After his studies, Jeroen worked as law clerk at the criminal law sector of the District court Amsterdam, where he acquainted himself with the administration of justice and with the court from within. After that he worked at law firm Stroobach & Dijkers advocaten in Amsterdam, first as paralegal and since 2016 as attorney. He applies his knowlegde and experience with one goal only: to achieve the best result possible in your case.
