Elizabeth van Schilfgaarde is Managing Partner of NautaDutilh's New York office. She serves as Dutch counsel in a wide range of cross-border finance transactions, including asset based lending, tech finance, acquisition finance, financial restructuring, as well as debt capital markets transactions. Elizabeth represents borrowers and issuers, as well as many of the leading international banks and direct lenders.

Elizabeth graduated from Utrecht University Law School in 1989 with highest honors and received her LL.M. from Harvard Law School in 1990. She joined NautaDutilh in 1996, was named Partner in 1998 and served on the firm's Steering Committee for six years, three of which as Chair. Elizabeth is currently the Chair of the firm's Opinion Committee and has been a leader in diversity and inclusion initiatives.

Elizabeth has been formally elected to the American College of Commercial Finance Lawyers (ACCFL), making her one of the few European practitioners to be granted this honor. She is a member of the Secured Finance Network (SFNet) and the ABA Business Section Legal Opinions Committee. She is also a member of the board of The Netherland-America Foundation (NAF), and member and past president of the American Foreign Law Association (AFLA). She is a regular speaker on cross border secured finance and opinions. 

Chambers Global Banking & Finance ranks Elizabeth for Expertise Based Abroad in the US, for Netherlands law (2023).

Clients describe Elizabeth to Chambers and Legal500 stating:

• "…a Dutch finance lawyer in the same time zone is a tremendous benefit, as she is able to respond promptly to questions and issues."
• "…a pragmatic problem solver who identifies issues and solutions expeditiously.”
• "…extremely knowledgeable and has always been very helpful on our complex transactions."
• "…serves as a bridge between the Dutch team and the US, as head of the firm’s New York office, taking on a vital role in deals …"