Merijn de Jong graduated in Dutch Law at Maastricht University in 1994. Although he mainly focused on criminal law during his studies, he started on immigration law soon after graduating. First as a volunteer at the Utrecht Council for Refugees and later, from 1996 onwards, as a legal assistant at Pels Rijcken & Droogleever Fortuijn Advocaten and Notarissen in The Hague (the law firm representing the nation in cases on immigration). Merijn was sworn in as an attorney in Rotterdam in 1998. During his training, he worked for Advokatenkollektief Vreewijk, where he took on cases concerning immigration law, criminal law, landlord-tenant law, and family law. He worked for Aartsen & Van der Biezen Advocaten in Utrecht in 2001 and 2002. That is where he developed himself as a specialist in the field of asylum law, especially for refugees from Iraq. Merijn interrupted his career in the legal profession in 2003. He taught and worked at the Dutch Competition Authority in The Hague, where he cooperated in the ‘construction fraud affair’.

On 1 January 2007, Merijn re-entered the legal profession. He conducts cases in the field of his familiar specialisms: regular immigration law (all immigration law except asylum). Additionally, he handles cases in the field of general contract law. Merijn’s core qualities are his ability to think analytically and to choose the best strategy for a case. He also has a sharp pen and can present a case in court with lots of vivacity. In his spare time, he is involved with badminton and music, and practices the oriental board game ‘Go’.