Commended for its wide-ranging foreign trade law experience, Noerr is not only adept at handling investment control work but also trade compliance matters. This includes sanctions, export and customs law as well as support in criminal and administrative fine proceedings. Bärbel Sachs, who has an excellent reputation in the market, especially for trade compliance programmes, heads the department. She is also well versed in anti-dumping, anti-subsidy and WTO law. Christian Pelz is called in for investigations and disputes and assists companies with compliance matters and internal investigations as well as when faced with offences and breaches of duty by executives and executive bodies. Senior associate Johannes Schäffer works closely with financial institutions but also advises other companies on embargo, customs and WTO law.

Thanks to the firm’s global reach, Dentons is well placed to handle cross-border and cross-regional work, which, in foreign trade law, includes assistance with the set-up of compliance systems. The team also handles corporate transactions with foreign investors and represents clients in criminal and administrative fine proceedings. Frankfurt-based Julia Pfeil, who has recently been increasingly involved with issues under Chinese law, jointly heads the practice with Andreas Haak. Together with his team in Düsseldorf, he puts significant emphasis on trade compliance including investment audits and customs law issues. Gabriele Haas, who only joined the team in 2019, was elevated to the partnership in April 2020. Her focus area revolves around compliance systems pertaining to international sanctions and embargoes. Counsel Maria Brakalova is particularly active in export control and deals with transactions with Iran and Russia.

Oppenhoff advises logistics service providers, financial institutions and companies active in foreign trade on strategy and contract drafting, licensing and information proceedings as well as on criminal and administrative fine proceedings. Core aspects include export control, sanctions and embargoes as well as international contract, excise, WTO and customs law. Stephan Müller, who is experienced in the compliance arena, heads the practice, which includes Holger Hofmann; among other matters, Hofmann handles M&A transactions and licensing procedures. Key associate Mareike Heesing specialises in advising high-tech companies and also handles investment audits.

CMS is particularly active in the area of investment control and, thanks to its connections to the Moscow office, is able to offer in-depth sanctions advice on trade with Russia. Hermann Müller, who is one of the team's key contacts alongside Brussels-based Kai Neuhaus, handles foreign trade audits and instructions pertaining to the dual-use regulation. In the contentious space, the team relies on the expertise of white-collar crime expert Daniel Kaiser, who has been part of the team's partner roster since January 2020 and handles, among other matters, administrative fine and criminal proceedings in a foreign trade law setting.

Its interdisciplinary cooperation enables Deloitte Legal Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbH to handle the subject matter in its entirety and at international level. One focus lies on handling compliance work pertaining to embargoes, sanctions, export control and customs law, while the team is also experienced in investment control proceedings. Team head Bettina Mertgen is well versed in excise law and advises clients on company audits as well as on contentious proceedings through all instances. In May 2020, the practice was strengthened with the arrival of associate Erika Trujillo, who has in-depth knowledge of US law and its extraterritorial application thanks to her training in New York.

At DLA Piper, foreign trade law matters are handled by the litigation & regulatory department led by Ludger Giesberts. Clients from various sectors, such as automotive and information technology, count on the team's expertise in export control and sanctions law and also instruct it to assist with foreign trade audits and subsequent proceedings. Counsel Thilo Streit is the key contact for foreign trade law compliance as well as for cross-border transactions pertaining to investment control law.

Hogan Lovells International LLP pursues a cross-practice and cross-location approach based on the team's integration into the firm's global network. Export control and sanctions issues as well as regulatory matters are part of the practice's regular workload. Practice head Patrick Ayad primarily deals with the commercial law side of the field and often assists foreign companies entering the German market. Providing advice on merger and investment control is one of Falk Schöning's main areas of expertise; he divides his time between Brussels and Berlin in order to act in investment control proceedings before the BMWi. Ingmar Dörr has expertise in tax and customs law.

At Osborne Clarke, the firm's expertise in the TMC and digital business sector is also at the forefront of its foreign trade law work. Its advisory spectrum therefore includes export control for the export of TMC and digital products, sanction and customs law matters and investment review procedures concerning transactions in the military and digital sectors. Team head Christoph Torwegge is a key contact for this type of work and complements this offering with expertise in the energy and infrastructure sectors. Theresa Gutsche is a key individual at associate level and assists national and international clients with the full range of foreign trade issues.

Trade compliance and investment review procedures are the two central pillars of Taylor Wessing's foreign trade practice. Clients include Chinese investors and German sellers as well as manufacturing and service companies from various sectors. Marco Hartmann-Rüppel heads the competition, EU & trade team and focuses on antitrust matters, while Michael Brüggemann is the key contact for foreign trade law issues. Within this space, his focus lies on embargoes and dual-use rules. Associate Melanie Moser is regularly called upon to assist with EU foreign trade law work.

At Bird & Bird LLP, providing foreign trade advice falls under the remit of the practice group trade & customs, which assists clients with cross-border trade. Its range of services includes advice on export licences, export control and on dual-use goods as well as due diligence and audits. Practice head René Voigtländer is particularly experienced in export control and customs law and frequently takes the lead in such work. Sectorally, the team is often involved in technology-related matters, advising on technology-related projects and technology transfers. In other work, the team advises on US export control law, including corresponding regulations, and on dealing with US authorities in connection with export control matters.

Luther Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbH is experienced in export control law, embargoes and arbitration as well as in WTO law and EU market regulation. In response to increased demand in the area of investment protection, a team of experienced corporate lawyers led by Thomas Weidlich was recently integrated into the department. The practice continues to be co-led by Ole-Jochen Melchior and Brussels-based Helmut Janssen. Melchior focuses on litigation and handles the full range of export control and embargo law, while Janssen handles the subject area from an antitrust perspective and is well versed in international trade law.

SKW Schwarz Rechtsanwälte primarily handles contentious foreign trade law, defending clients in investigative proceedings, among other procedures. The practice is led by Jürgen Sparr, who has a personal focus on anti-dumping law as well as on representing clients in customs audits. Counsel Sven Pohl is experienced in setting up and optimising internal control systems and customs compliance systems.