Vanessa Bertram

Rechtsanwältin (Lawyer)

Vanessa Bertram has been working as a lawyer at our Cologne office since 2022. She advises clients primarily on complex cases involving insurance and liability law, with a particular focus on insurance law, especially director and officer liability (D&O). Her practice also covers general liability law, product liability and product safety law, as well as contract law. Another key area of her practice is advising on compliance issues and cyber risks.

She regularly publishes on topics related to insurance and liability law, particularly in the areas of product liability and product safety, as well as on current developments in the field of cyber risks.

Languages

German

English

Practices

Publications

Produktsicherheit: Neue Spielregeln im EU-Produktrecht [Product Safety: New Rules in EU Product Law], recht., Issue 04/2025, p. 30 et seq. (together with Tobias Lenz)

Zur unionsrechtlichen Produkthaftung im Verhältnis zur nationalen Verschuldenshaftung [On Product Liability under EU Law in Relation to National Fault-Based Liability], ZIP 2026, p. 1833 et seq. (together with Tobias Lenz)

Cyber insurance and cyberattacks – Case law and current developments, 1st edition, 2026 (co-authored with Tobias Lenz, Lukas Kalkbrenner, and Fabian Lenz)

Damoklesschwert Erprobungsklausel? Entwicklung und aktuelle Rechtsprechung zum Erprobungsausschluss in der Produkthaftpflichtversicherung (Trial clause: a sword of Damocles? Developments and current case law on exclusion of trials in product liability insurance, Die VersicherungsPraxis 09/2025, p. 23 ff. (together with Tobias Lenz)

Grundlegende Novationen im Produktsicherheitsrecht – Wie die Produktsicherheitsverordnung die EU-Wirtschaftsakteure und die VR vor neue Herausforderungen stellt (Fundamental changes in product safety law – How the Product Safety Regulation poses new challenges for EU economic operators and the VR), r+s 2025, p. 145 (together with Tobias Lenz)

EU-Notizen: EuGH: Freier Zugang zu harmonisierten (technischen) Normen – Auswirkungen der Entscheidung auf das Normungssystem („DIN/EN“) in Europa? (EU- Notes: ECJ: Free access to harmonized (technical) standards – effects of the decision on the standardization system (“DIN/EN”) in Europe?), PHi 2/2024, p. 52-53 (together with Fabian Lenz)

Keine Produkthaftung für Bruch eines Keramikinlays in Hüftprothese und Ausblick auf Änderungen der neuen EU-Produkthaftungsrichtlinie (No product liability for breakage of a ceramic inlay in a hip prosthesis and outlook on changes to the new EU Product Liability Directive), comment on Federal Court of Justice judgment of August 1, 2023 – VI ZR 82/22, in: LRZ 2024, marginal no. 355 (together with Tobias Lenz)

Wegweisende Entscheidung: Das „Thermofenster-Urteil“ des EuGH – Vorbote für die Kehrtwende der Herstellerhaftung? (Landmark Decision: The ECJ’s “thermal window ruling” – harbinger of the turnaround in manufacturers’ liability?), StoffR 2-2023, pp. 70-76 (together with Tobias Lenz)

AGB-Klausel zur Fernabschaltung einer Autobatterie ist unwirksam (General terms and conditions clause on remote disconnection of a car battery is invalid), discussion of Federal Court of Justice ruling of October 26, 2022 – XII ZR 89/21, StoffR 1-2023, pp. 34-37 (together with Tobias Lenz)

Lenz/Bertram, EU Notes: Das “Thermofenster”-Urteil des EuGH – Ein Paukenschlag für die Herstellerhaftung (The ECJ’s “thermal window” ruling – A drumbeat for producer liability), PHi 2/2023, pp. 58-61

Repairing instead of replacing – How the European “Right to Repair” is changing German sales law

The landscape of German sales law is once again undergoing “restructuring”: At the EU level, Directive (EU) 2024/1799 on promoting the repair of goods establishes another building block of the “Right to Repair,” which is likely to have a comprehensive impact on German law. The goal is to make repairs more attractive than buying new...

Vanessa Bertram

Practices

Publications

Articles by Vanessa Bertram