The Legal 500

Clifford Chance ably covers a wide range of matters and remains a great choice for director’s liability cases, an area in which the team recently represented BayernLB. Other instructions include the ongoing representation of The Free State of Saxony in claims against the former auditor of SachsenLB, and the recent defence of Leipzig trade fair against claims lodged by Qimonda’s insolvency administrator. Clients from the energy, electronics and pharmaceuticals industries rely on the team’s arbitration expertise, and there has been a notable surge in engineering and project-related arbitration. Uwe Hornung heads the practice.

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer’s ‘extremely broad practice’ is able to ‘handle massive assignments extremely quickly and efficiently’. The team works for clients from a wide range of sectors. It defended a UK life insurer against mass claims by German policyholders, acted for a German automotive manufacturer in US litigation, and is acting for an American investment firm in arbitration claims against a Turkish energy company. Christian Duve ‘does 
an excellent job’ and Boris Kasolowsky is ‘very 
result-oriented and attentive to clients’. Lars Westpfahl heads the group.

Hengeler Mueller’s strong team provides ‘perfect information flow’ to clients, and has sharpened its profile on the arbitration side to complement its litigation work. It recently represented BayernLB in damages actions against former board members. The team also defended Deutsche Telekom against claims by the Federal Republic of Germany arising from the delayed start of a toll collection system, and defended Porsche against performance, compensation and declaratory claims brought by investors. Markus Meier ‘does a superb job’ and is ‘in a class of his own’. Hartwin Bungert is recommended for his ‘excellent legal knowledge combined with business acumen’.

Allen & Overy LLP enhanced its roster of clients in the financial services industry, a particular area of expertise for the firm, 
where the team represented clients in cases including mis-selling claims. The practice frequently acts for international banks and insurance sector clients and has seen dynamic growth on the arbitration side. Daniel Busse is the key partner and is recommended.

Baker & McKenzie is excellent for arbitration matters, where Jörg Risse in particular enjoys a good reputation. The team represented a company in ICC arbitration regarding an infrastructure project, and acted for a Swedish pharmaceuticals company in CIETAC arbitration against a Chinese business partner. Litigation mandates included representing Allianz against a renewable energy company. Günter Pickrahn ‘gets directly to the point’ and is ‘convincing at hearings’.

CMS has strong standalone litigation 
and arbitration practices within the department, and its partners display ‘benchmark professionalism’ and ‘walk the extra mile for clients’. The latter team acted for Suzuki and Volkswagen in respective ICC arbitrations. Hochtief instructed the firm in litigation regarding the Elbphilharmonie construction project. The firm also acted for Oppenheim in lawsuits brought by investors in closed-end property funds. Dorothee Ruckteschler heads the team, which ‘quickly gets familiar with issues and asks the right questions’.

Gleiss Lutz’s ‘thorough’ team provides ‘very effective assistance’, despite the dissolution of its alliance with Herbert Smith Freehills LLP. The practice represented Deutsche Bank in litigation regarding the collapse of Kirch Group, acted for Infineon Technologies in disputes arising from Qimonda’s insolvency, and defended Deutsche Bahn against contractual claims. Stefan Rützel heads the practice.

Hogan Lovells International LLP has strong product liability expertise, grew its corporate litigation practice and has a broad spread of industry knowledge. It defended TÜV Rheinland in liability claims regarding the certification of P.I.P.’s breast implants, and represented Media-Saturn in a dispute between its two main shareholders. Ina Brock is ‘extremely reliable and trustworthy’ and ‘an expert in product liability issues’, Detlef Haß has ‘very good commercial acumen’, and Alexander Loos is ‘a very experienced and tactically adept litigator’.

Latham & Watkins LLP focuses on banking litigation and mass actions but also managed to expand its arbitration caseload, an area in which Sebastian Seelmann-Eggebert is well regarded. The team is representing Clerical Medical Investment Group in mass securities litigation and acting for Kemira Oyj in the first pan-European follow-on cartel damages case brought by CDC. The firm is also acting for Indorama in an investment dispute against Egypt. Ulrich Börger is a key figure.

Linklaters LLP’s broad practice has been involved in several significant multi-jurisdictional matters, including representing Telekomunikacja Polska in litigation pending in eight jurisdictions. The team continues to represent the insolvency administrator of British Lehman Brothers against its German counterpart, and acted for a logistics services provider in ICC arbitration against a car manufacturer. Rupert Bellinghausen heads the practice.

Noerr’s ‘very broad practice’ has recently seen an increase in D&O insurance disputes. The firm also handles a range of other liability claims, where clients include pharmaceuticals companies and banks. The firm regularly advises Deutsche Bank and WestLB on a range of matters. The firm also acted for a board member of a German energy company regarding claims for damages. Michael Molitoris and Oliver Sieg are recommended.

White & Case LLP excels at banking and finance litigation, where its clients include UniCredit Bank, Credit Suisse and Postbank. Another area of focus is insolvency disputes, where the team recently represented the insolvency administrator of TelDaFax in several appeal cases. Markus Burianski and Christian Wirth are recommended. Sabine Dieckmann left the firm.

DLA Piper’s large, successful practice is representing the Kingdom of Thailand against the insolvency administrator of Walter Bau, and advising Bayerische Landesbank in D&O issues. Other clients include Kraft Foods and Kuwait Petroleum. Thomas Gädtke has ‘deep insurance law knowledge’. Carsten Grau left the firm.

Haver & Mailänder Rechtsanwälte’s small but extremely prominent team is acting for Targobank in a mass action, and Klaus Gerstenmaier was recently appointed as arbitrator in proceedings between International Petroleum Investment Company (IPIC) and MAN as well as between Wingas and RWE.

Heuking Kühn Lüer Wojtek’s ‘extremely broad practice’ represented Kaupthing Bank in a dispute with another financial institution, and is acting for Nord-Ostsee Sparkasse regarding white-collar criminal proceedings. Wolfgang Kühn and Ulrike Gantenberg are recommended.

Richard Kreindler heads Shearman & Sterling LLP’s highly regarded arbitration team, which frequently works as part of the firm’s integrated cross-border practice in matters such as representing IPIC as claimant in a DIS arbitration in Germany against MAN. The team is also acting for EDF International as respondent in ICC arbitration in Zurich initiated by Neckarpri. Litigation clients include Allianz.

Taylor Wessing’s broad practice acts for clients from various industries, and recent matters include disputes regarding renewable energy, construction work, and a squeeze-out action. Henning Moelle and Wolfgang Gruber ‘have extensive experience regarding strategic and legal issues of cases’, and are ‘very good in anticipating relevant questions from a US perspective’.

Beiten Burkhardt’s practice head Holger Peres is recommended for arbitration. He represented the Federal Republic of Germany in arbitration proceedings against Toll Collect. The team is also acting for a photovoltaic sector company in litigation.

Kantenwein Zimmermann Fox Kröck & Partner’s compact team has again been remarkably visible, representing a major US 
bank in arbitration and acting for a group 
of companies in high-value disputes relating 
to delivery contracts. Annett Kuhli is ‘straightforward’ and ‘presents clearly’, and Alexander Kröck is also recommended.

Luther Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbH’s large team has a broad spread of expertise and is adept at handling cross-border disputes. Highlights were representing Vattenfall in arbitration proceedings against the Federal Republic of Germany, and acting for Greek company Mamidoil Jet Oil in ICSID proceedings against Albania. Ulrich Theune heads the practice, which includes ‘good tactician’ 
René-Alexander Hirth.

Jamie Nowak heads Norton Rose LLP’s practice, which is representing a Slovenian bank in proceedings against a German bank. 
Well-regarded arbitration expert Patricia Nacimiento is representing the Republic of Kazakhstan in arbitration proceedings.

Oppenhoff & Partner produces ‘quick responses, in-depth analyses and practical results’. The practice has seen a rise in distribution disputes and product liability cases, and recently represented an insurer in liability claims arising from a clinical study. The firm also acted for an international food retailer in disputes with German food importers, and represented Opfermann Arzneimittel in the Federal Court of Justice in proceedings concerning dietetic food. Peter Klappich heads the team.

Orrick Hölters & Elsing’s arbitrator Siegfried Elsing is highly regarded and, on the litigation side, the team frequently acts in cases with a US element, capitalising on the firm’s network there. The firm recently acted for Merckle against Porsche.

Thriving boutique firm Wach + Meckes LLP is a good choice for commercial litigation 
and arbitration, and has seen an increase in liability litigation. Recent instructions include representing a former managing director of a bank in a damages case, and advising a 
large German retailer on potential claims 
arising from the insolvency of a contractual partner. Frank Meckes and Karl Wach are the 
key figures.

Weil, Gotshal & Manges frequently advises on restructuring-related matters and acts for clients in international disputes. The team represented Oaktree Capital in the fraud case affecting its portfolio company Beluga, and acted for Wilhelm Karmann in a dispute with the insolvency administrator. Britta Grauke is the 
key figure.