De twee petten van de gerechtsdeurwaarder

Dutch judicial officers are public officials who also perform commercial debt collection work. This has been the case since the first Dutch regulations from 1838. These regulations lagged behind other professional groups and surrounding countries.

Hendrik van Horrik, a candidate and aspiring judicial officer, made a proposal for a legal regulation in 1919, which partly relied on ancient statutory French law. This proposal has been completely forgotten. Van Horrik, disappointed with the progress of his career, turned his back on the judicial officers’ practice and became a municipal bailiff. He also started debt collection work, under that banner, as if he were a judicial officer. His dubious manner came to light when he applied to be admitted as a lawyer in Utrecht.