The history of the firm dates back to 7 September 1894. On that date, mr. Hendrik de Visser was registered as a lawyer at the court in Groningen. He started his firm at Grote Spilsluizen (number unknown).
On 5 December 1919, mr. Marcus (Max) Koppius was sworn in. His office was located at Ubbo Emmiussingel 37. Koppius was a founding member of the soccer club ‘Voorwaarts’, later G.S.A.V.V. ‘Forward’, a subassociation of the Groningen Student Corps Vindicat Atque Polit.
At a date lost in time, De Visser and Koppius started to practise law at the office at Ubbo Emmiussingel.
In November 1929, mr. Pieter Dorhout was sworn in. He joined the firm of De Visser and Koppius.
Besides working as a lawyer, Dorhout was active in local politics and he held various management positions. From 1970 to 1975 Pieter Dorhout was a dean.
When De Visser ended his career as a lawyer in 1940, Koppius and Dorhout continued his practice as a professional partnership. The fact that the war forced them into hiding hampered their work, but did not lead to insurmountable problems. Koppius stopped practising law in 1950. Dorhout continued the practice under his own name at Oude Ebbingestraat 8. In 1964, his son mr. Marten Dorhout joined him after completing his apprenticeship with Dutilh in Rotterdam. In 1968, his other son, mr. Johannes Dorhout also joined the firm after his internship with De Vries Robbé & Kuijpers in Arnhem. In the meantime the office had moved to Oude Ebbingestraat 91.
From 1968 to 2005 – a period when many trainee judicial officers took their external work placement with Dorhout – the firm continued its gradual growth until further expansion at the former location in the city centre was no longer possible.
On 1 June 2005, Dorhout c.s. Advocaten merged with Rollingswier Advocaten.
Rollingswier had been established three years earlier following a merger of two relatively young Groningen law firms, Rollingswier & Breuker and Blokzijl & Lettinga Advocaten.
Housed in a stately villa in Zuiderpark on the outskirts of the old city centre of Groningen, Rollingswier Advocaten was increasingly involved in commercial practice.
The firm consisted of seven lawyers. The aim was to grow into a firm of fifteen lawyers (specializing in commerce) within five years. But the size of the building did not allow expansion.
In 2005, the two firms decided to start working together which would enable them to realize their goals. Their joint name became Dorhout Advocaten and their address, the current address.
On 14 March 2011, the former professional partnership was converted into a public limited company with retroactive effect from 1 January 2011; Dorhout Advocaten N.V. Its current partners are: mr. Kastelein, mr. Lettinga, mr. Breuker and mr. Koenders.