WilmerHale > Berlin, Germany > Firm Profile

WilmerHale > The Legal 500 Rankings

Germany > Antitrust

WilmerHale‘s antitrust team is experienced in antitrust proceedings, where it primarily represents large players in cartel damages proceedings as well as national and cross-border antitrust administration and fine proceedings; here, the team acts in both the defense against and the enforcement of claims. Another mainstay is merger control support, thanks to the close cooperation with the locations in Brussels, London and the US. The team is jointly led by Ulrich Quack (merger control),  Stefan Ohlhoff and Hans-Georg Kamann, the latter two are both experienced in cartel damages.

Information technology > Data protection Tier 2

WilmerHale is well-know for supporting the technology company Meta, which is regularly demonstrated in numerous major proceedings before the ECJ, the European Data Protection Board and national authorities. The team frequently cooperates with the Brussels location in connection with EU-related matters. Further key areas include the advice on contentious data protection matters, the structuring of international data transfers as well as data breach response and IT law. The latter is a focus of practice head Martin Braun, who is additionally well versed in the ​​social media segment.

Intellectual property > Unfair competition Tier 2

In the competition sphere and across the soft IP spectrum, WilmerHale is particularly known for its dispute resolution capabilities, which are primarily applied for clients from the fashion, consumer goods, pharmaceutical and e-commerce industries. The group further assists with advertising campaigns, licensing and strategic issues. In addition to companies, including several from the US , the practice is also instructed by German authorities, which is not least due to its cross-location cooperation. Practice head Vanessa Wettner, whose expertise includes litigation before courts such as the Federal Court of Justice and the European Court of Justice, is the key contact and advises several Silicon Valley companies, among others.

Public sector > Commercial administrative law Tier 3

WilmerHale focuses on regulatory advice and litigation and counts large companies such as Meta as well as state-owned companies and state ministries among its client base. The team combines administrative and constitutional law skills with data protection and antitrust expertise and represents clients in related disputes before administrative courts and cartel offices as well as before the European Court of Justice; Hans-Georg Kamann regularly acts in regulatory disputes. He also provides regulatory advice on public digitisation and cultural projects and jointly heads the practice with Martin Seyfarth, who occasionally applies his policy-related administrative expertise in legislative procedures.

Public sector > State aid Tier 3

WilmerHale impresses with in-depth expertise in state aid dispute resolution, which it applies for transport, hotel and infrastructure companies in complaint proceedings and competitor actions before national and European courts. The team also assists numerous public sector players (especially state ministries) with privatisation initiatives as well as with the state aid compliant structuring of various cultural and scientific funding projects. Hans-Georg Kamann, whose expertise ranges from European state aid and antitrust law to data protection, heads the practice.

Dispute resolution > Commercial litigation Tier 4

WilmerHale particularly focuses on complex civil and regulatory disputes, especially with an antitrust background, while the team also has expertise in corporate litigation as well as product liability and warranty proceedings. The practice is jointly led by Vanessa Wettner, who was recently involved in numerous civil proceedings against consumer protection associations, Stefan Ohlhoff, who is active in large cartel damages proceedings in the automotive, automotive supplier, finance and healthcare industries, and Hans-Georg Kamann, who handles antitrust, state aid and EU law litigation.

Industry focus > Healthcare and life sciences Tier 4

WilmerHale's team is led by Hans-Georg Kamann and focuses on regulatory issues pertaining to the pharmaceutical sector and medical devices. Kamann and Peter Gey regularly join forces in contentious proceedings for pharmaceutical and medical device companies as well as associations. Both act from Frankfurt and Brussels and advise at the interfaces with antitrust, competition and EU law. Martin Braun has data protection expertise and advises on product approvals and data transfers as well as clinical studies.

Compliance Tier 5

WilmerHale's German compliance practice frequently cooperates with the firm's US location on cross-border matters, including regular instructions in connection with US monitorships, where the team acts on behalf of pharmaceutical and industrial clients. Antitrust compliance, data protection and sanctions are also core areas of the team. Co-head Jan Wendler is experienced in DOJ mandates and also advises on compliance management systems and business partner due diligence; he jointly heads the practice with Christian Crones, who regularly handles complex compliance and cross-border US and EU-related matters.