As business people and long-time advisers to companies, entrepreneurs and foundations, we know that their plans usually focus on economic interests rather than legal matters.

When providing strategic advice, we contribute our legal expertise and experience and work closely with advisers in other fields (e.g. tax advisers, management consultants). We either work with our clients’ consultants or recommend suitable service providers.

The legal side is usually only one instrument and not the driving factor for decisions. This is precisely why we believe in interdisciplinary cooperation.

We are our clients’ partners and act as such. As an external legal department, we stand by you through all challenges.

We provide pragmatic and fast answers to legal questions that arise in everyday business. We know that page-long briefs in legalese are no help in a real situation, such as a time-sensitive issue with a supplier. We consult with our clients on the preferred form and design of our advisory products and services and work closely together with them. This ensures that projects progress smoothly and allows us to know our clients’ business models even better in the process.

We ensure that our clients are free to concentrate on their core business.

The aquistion/sale of companies and mergers are two of our main advisory areas.

We advise our clients throughout the M&A process and help them to carry out the transaction. From strategic planning (carve-out, asset deal, share deal) to due diligence, negotiations, preparation of contract documentation, signing and closing as well as post-M&A support, we are there for our clients.

Foundation and restructuring
The foundation and restructuring of companies is one of our core competences. We provide advice from the choice of legal form (corporation or partnership) and initial structuring idea to the final implementation of the project, contributing our many years of experience and highly specialised expertise.

When drafting contracts, the implementation of suitable long-standing parameters is of key importance for us. With our prudence at the drafting stage, we prepare the companies we advise for any future scenario (growth and crisis).

Succession
The planning, design and implementation of successful company succession plans are part of our DNA, as they demonstrate the strength of our interdisciplinary advisory approach. In addition to corporate law, strategic advice as well as inheritance and family law play an important role for us.

Whether it be classic succession in the family business by family members, employees or third parties, the implementation of family foundations and family pools as well as the installation of supervisory bodies (supervisory board and advisory board) — we keep everything in view and work out the best solutions together with our clients and their tax advisers.

We advise shareholders, management boards and supervisory bodies (supervisory boards and advisory boards) on their daily challenges and on strategic and legal matters. We also prepare meetings for corporate bodies and prepare draft resolutions, internal regulations and other contractual documentation. We regularly accompany our clients to meetings and represent their interests.

Another area in which we advise is managerial liability (in particular managing directors’ liability).

Should disputes between shareholders or between shareholders and company management or other disagreements occur within companies, we provide advice with the aim of resolving the conflict in the interests of the company.

We always keep abreast of the available legal means and, if necessary, assert our clients’ interests in court.

We advise companies, management board members and employees in all areas of employment and service contract law. We also advise on atypical employment types, such as freelancers or temporary workers.

Contract drafting
In addition to drafting employment and service contracts as well as other types of contracts, we provide advice on the design of remuneration systems and bonus agreements. We also have particular expertise in structuring exit agreements and other employee participation programs. Further, we advise reagarding company pension schemes.

Termination of employment
We conduct dismissal protection proceedings for our clients and provide support in all matters relating to the termination of employment relationships (including severance agreements).

Collective employment law/co-determination
In the area of co-determination, we are also active as strategic advisers in dealings with works councils and other employee representation bodies. We negotiate works council agreements, reconciliations of interests as well as social plans and support you in all questions of co-determination, spanning all the way to the execution of conciliation boards.

Transaktionsarbeitsrecht
Neben den klassischen Arbeitsrechtsthemen bringen wir unsere arbeitsrechtliche Expertise bei der Transaktionsberatung ein und unterstützen unsere Kollegen aus dem Bereich M&A/Gesellschaftsrecht. Wir prüfen sowohl Individualarbeitsbedingungen, Betriebsübergangsrisiken, Betriebsänderungen (u. a. Betriebsspaltungen) als auch Tarifverträge, Betriebsvereinbarungen sowie Mitbestimmungsthemen und erstellen die erforderliche Vertragsdokumentation.

In addition to the traditional matters of employment law, we contribute our employment law expertise to transactional advice and support our colleagues in the M&A/corporate law practice. We examine individual terms and conditions of employment, the risks involved in transfers of undertakings, changes in undertakings (including carve-outs) as well as collective agreements, works councilagreements and co-determination issues, and prepare the necessary contractual documentation.

Drafting contracts is part of our DNA. Whether NDAs, general terms and conditions, partnership agreements, employment contracts, master supply agreements, distribution agreements, purchase agreements, , agency agreements, pool agreements, etc. — we have got you covered!

We develop tailor-made and innovative solutions for our clients and negotiate these with their contractual partners. We strive to draw up contractual statutes that can handle any future scenario and reflect the interests of our clients.

Of course, we also review the draft contracts of the counter party and develop strategies to enforce our clients’ interests in negotiations on contractual terms.

Many of our clients are active in cross-boarder an international businesses. We therefore work in German and English and, if desired, prepare bilingual contract documents. Some of our advision preside over international experience, from which our clients benefit.

We apply our expertise in commercial law to the full range of our clients’ advisory needs with regard to domestic and international trade. Our clients operate in Germany and across borders. We strive to flank our clients’ top products with advisory services of corresponding quality.

National and international sales law, e-commerce, terms and conditions of purchase and delivery, freight and forwarding contracts, development and distribution contracts, commercial agency contracts, etc. — to name just a few of the things that keep us busy every day.

Private construction law and architectural law
We support companies and other property developers as well as tradespeople and other parties involved in construction with their building projects. We support our clients as advisers on construction projects and other infrastructure projects, from the negotiation and drafting of contracts to the provision of advice during construction and the assertion/defence of claims due to material defects in a building structure.

Litigation in construction and architectural law
We have particular expertise in the area of litigation in construction matters. We have already conducted large and complex construction litigation for our clients in the high double-digit million range.

Our range of advice in the field of industrial property protection comprises competition law, trademark law and copyright law.

Competition law
We support our clients with matters regarding the permissibility of advertising measures and, if necessary, work out legally permissible and creative solutions in cooperation with their responsible advertising departments. Furthermore, we advise in and out of court on issues regarding antitrust violations.

Trademark law
In the area of trademark law, we help our clients to register trademarks, and represent them in and out of court in the event of potential or actual trademark infringements.

Copyright law
In the area of copyright law, we assist our clients with the drafting and negotiation of license agreements in order to commercially exploit their own or third party works. We also provide advice in relation to copyright infringements.

We have many years of experience in litigation before state and non-state courts.

State courts
The high number of cases we have handled prooves that our lawyers practising in the area of state court litigation are well versed. In court, we have only one goal: we want to win for our clients or — if this is not possible due to the merits of the case — achieve the best possible settlements.

Arbitration proceedings
We regularly represent parties in arbitration proceedings. We are particularly experienced in arbitration proceedings under the German Arbitration Institute’s Arbitration Rules (DIS) and have successfully conducted arbitration proceedings involving amounts in dispute in the high millions.

We advise our clients on property transactions (purchase and sale) and in the area of commercial tenancy law.

Property
We support the purchase and sale of property in all phases. We draft and review contracts and conduct contract negotiations. In particular, we apply our expertise in the field of property law when advising on corporate transactions, where property regularly plays an important role due to its high material value.

Commercial tenancy law
Commercial tenancy law is another important area in which we advise. We advise companies on the drafting of tailor-made contracts and conduct contract negotiations alongside our clients. Like the area of property, commercial leases regularly play an important role in corporate transactions due to their long terms, and we evaluate them as part of our due diligence process.

We advise companies on the implementation of data protection requirements and prepare the necessary documentation. We have particular expertise in the areas of GDPR and employee data protection. Our partner Patrick Maneck is also a certified external data protection officer.

Our range of advisory services includes the development of compliance structures and advising on criminal investigations for our clients.

Compliance
We develop and implement compliance management systems (CMS) and perform monitoring tasks (ombudsman, whistleblowing hotline). In doing so, we work according to the ZIEFLE UNGER seven-phase system and are guided by the IDW and ISO standards.

Commercial criminal law
In the area of commercial criminal law, we advise companies, entrepreneurs and members of management boards as well as executives. We support our clients all the way from the initial contact with the investigating authorities to the conclusion of the proceedings. We always focus on bringing the proceedings to an early conclusion.

The settlement of claims and accidents for companies is a classic advisory field. We take over the entire settlement process for our clients and enforce their claims against third parties and insurance companies.

In the area of accident claims settlement (especially in the automotive sector), we focus on innovative solutions and work with our clients to develop IT-supported solutions that fit their business model.