WilmerHale > Frankfurt, Germany > Firm Profile

WilmerHale > The Legal 500 Rankings

Germany > Antitrust

WilmerHale covers numerous aspects of antitrust law, with litigation, in which the practice has a strong track record, representing a clear focus for the group. The team assists clients with antitrust administration and fine proceedings, damages claims as well as with major arbitration proceedings involving antitrust issues; long-standing clients further specifically seek the practice for merger control advice. Notably, cross-office cooperation with colleagues in Brussels, the US and London also plays an important role. Berlin-based duo Ulrich Quack and Stefan Ohlhoff as well Hans-Georg Kamann in Frankfurt jointly head the team. Quack acts with a 'prudent and goal-oriented approach to authorities' while Ohlhoff and Kamann have extensive experience in antitrust tort litigation.

Information technology > Data protection Tier 2

At WilmerHale the representation in data protection disputes takes centre stage, with the group around the renowned Martin Braun being mainly known for its participation in data protection proceedings before the European Data Protection Board, national authorities and the ECJ. In addition to Braun, Brussels-based lawyers Hans-Georg Kamann and Frédéric Louis often take the lead. The practice frequently acts for Facebook which the team recently represented in proceedings concerning user data merging before the German Federal Cartel Office.

Public sector > Commercial administrative law Tier 2

Hans-Georg Kamann in Frankfurt and Martin Seyfarth in Berlin jointly head WilmerHale's commercial administration law team, which has particular strengths in European constitutional and administrative law, especially in relation to proceedings before the ECJ and the EuG; the team is also involved in proceedings before the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. Another focus lies on interdisciplinary constitutional, special administrative and competition matters; here, the group advises international, especially US, internet companies with a special focus on data protection issues with Vanessa Wettner being a key contact with experience in contentious proceedings. The practice also offers strategic political legal advice, for example on legislative procedures.

Public sector > State aid Tier 2

WilmerHale's state aid practice is characterised by a diverse client portfolio and multi-faceted instructions: the team assists international players with large-scale projects and in Germany acts for companies and the public sector, with long-standing relationships with individual federal states standing out in particular. The group represents clients in proceedings at EU level and before national courts, but also advises on a wide range of state aid issues. A special sector focus lies on the transport industry, such as aviation and shipping, while social housing is also an increasingly important area for the practice. Frankfurt-based practice head Hans-Georg Kamann has experience in litigation and is supported, among others, by special counsel Peter Gey.

Intellectual property > Unfair competition Tier 3

Headed by Frankfurt-based Vanessa Wettner, WilmerHale specialises in extensive, strategically important contentious proceedings. The e-commerce sector generates the lion's share of the team's workload, but the group is also active in advising clients from the consumer goods, fashion and pharmaceutical industries. The team is predominantly instructed by large international corporations and routinely advises at the interface between competition law and data protection law, as well as on related consumer law aspects. Wettmer's experience in mass litigation is another strength. In a purely advisory capacity, the team assists with the clearing of advertising campaigns, licensing agreements and transactions. The group has particularly close ties with the US colleagues.

Dispute resolution > Commercial litigation Tier 4

WilmerHale is instructed by German and international companies in conflict situations and has particular expertise in interdisciplinary civil and regulatory disputes, often working across practices with the firm's competition, antitrust, corporate, patent and data protection teams. In the latter area, Hans-Georg Kamann is particularly adept, while Stefan Ohlhoff covers antitrust disputes; they jointly head the practice with litigator Vanessa Wettner.

Industry focus > Healthcare and life sciences Tier 4

The team at WilmerHale fields practice head Hans-Georg Kamann and special counsel Peter Gey (both active from Frankfurt and Brussels), and is thus well versed in interface matters such as data protection and antitrust law. The practice also has industry-specific know how. In addition to regulatory advice on clinical studies in the pharmaceutical and medical device sector and distribution law issues, the team also advises on certification issues for medical devices, which was of particular prominence in 2020.  

Compliance Tier 5

An integrated part of the firm's global investigations and compliance practice, WilmerHale's German team particularly stands out for its experience in monitorships in the US, transactional due diligence as well as business partner due diligence. The latter is a key focus of Jan Wendler, who made partner in January 2021 and jointly heads the practice with Christian Crones. Crones focuses on commercial and corporate law issues.