Linklaters is the firm of choice for several clients looking to secure German and EU approval for mergers and joint ventures, guiding them through Phase I and, where it becomes necessary, Phase II hearings. The team also assists clients with the filing of FDI and FSR notifications across European jurisdictions, and is also sought after for help with competition compliance programmes. Daniela Seeliger advises on the spectrum of competition matters and is noted for her expertise in assisting automotive and telecoms clients among others. Both Seeliger and Christoph Barth offer expertise in cartel litigation, with the latter also taking on abuse of dominance and Phase II hearings for his clients. Kaan Gürer advises clients facing competition investigations, in addition to seeing them through FDI proceedings. Carsten Grave departed the firm in May 2025.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'The team is very responsive, cooperative and has a great understanding of the needs of an in-house lawyer. There is always a productive and positive mood in meetings with the team, that even makes discussions about difficult questions feel easy. I very much appreciate the expertise and knowledge they keep about us as a client and the industry sectors we are active in.'
- 'David-Julien dos Santos Goncalves is committed, responsive and forward thinking. Christoph Barth has the ability to describe complex matters in a brief and comprehensible way, the perfect contact if you need external counsel to explain something to higher management.'
- 'The Linklaters antitrust team in Düsseldorf, with Daniela Seeliger and Kaan Gürer, are outstanding antitrust advisers which we regularly contract. Their advice is to the point and pragmatic.'
- 'Impressive bench breadth, up-to-date in terms of substance, but also simply nice to work with.'
- 'Daniela Seeliger is always a responsive and calm contact on partner level, which is of great help in difficult situations as she provides clear guidance and understands the full picture at very short notice. Kaan Gürer is a key member of the team who not only works in the team at eye-level, but at the same moment it seems like he is a good mentor to the younger team members. I very much appreciate him being responsive and a reliable advisor who always and directly shares solutions or advice.'
- 'Ingo Klauß has strong antitrust expertise and industry sector knowledge.'
- 'First-class service, very experienced.'
- 'Great team.'
Key clients
- Carrier Global Corporation
- Covestro
- E.ON SE
- Fosun International
- Mytheresa.com
- Novo Holdings A/S
- Thyssenkrupp
- Hamburger Hafen und Logistik
- Silgan Holdings
- Triton
- Volkswagen AG/Audi AG
- Telecom Operators Consortium
- DigitalBridge/Vantage Data Centers
Work highlights
Advised a consortium of AT&T, Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telefonica, T-Mobile, Verizon and Vodafone on the formation of a new venture with Ericsson, to combine and sell network application programming interfaces on a global scale to spur innovation in digital services.
Advised Mytheresa on the acquisition of 100% of the share capital of Yoox Net à Porter Group and the 33% re-investment by Richemont in Mytheresa with regard to all regulatory approvals.
Advised the Volkswagen Group on the launch of the planned 50-50 joint venture with Rivian for the development of software and electronics architectures, intended to be used in both companies’ future electric vehicles, as well as on planned investments by Volkswagen in Rivian.
Lawyers
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Other key lawyers
Christoph Barth; Daniela Seeliger; David-Julien dos Santos Goncalves; Kaan Gürer