Thijs is a real estate lawyer, specializing in project development, procurement law, state aid law, construction law, land exploitation and purchase of investment properties. In the context of real estate transactions, he also advises on private law, public law and corporate law issues. He works for municipalities, developers, investors, corporations and healthcare institutions.

Thijs is noted for his contracting expertise in relation to large-scale construction projects, area developments and property transactions. He also regularly represents clients in construction and procurement law litigation and in other conflicts pertaining to private law.

Thijs studied Dutch law and Public Administration at Erasmus University Rotterdam. After graduating, he successively worked as a research assistant at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), legal secretary of the Association of Dutch Property Development Companies (Neprom) and as a lawyer at Van Wijmen Nouwen in Breda, and from 1999 he was part of the real estate team of Houthoff Buruma in Rotterdam. In February 2006, he and Wilfried Koster founded Straatman Koster advocaten.

Thijs regularly publishes on property-related issues and also gives lectures and courses in the field for Kluwer and the Netherlands Institute for Construction Law (IBR), among others. Thijs is co-author of the informative guide ‘Aanbestedingsrecht’ (procurement law) published by Sdu Commentaar.

Since 2009, Thijs has been ranked annually in both Legal500 and Chambers.