Friedrich Graf von Westphalen recommended again by The Legal 500 Germany 2023

We are pleased to be recommended in the new edition of The Legal 500 Germany 2023 handbook in the eleven practice areas of labor and employment law, health, corporate law, M&A, trademark law, competition law, trade, distribution and logistics, construction law, insurance law (dispute resolution), environmental and planning law and, for the first time, IT & digitalization.

Jörn Zons and Claudia Maaßen LL.M. are considered "Names of the Next Generation", "Leading Names" are again Tobias Lenz and David Kipping LL.M..

We also receive a mention in the new category "Firms to Watch":

"Friedrich Graf von Westphalen & Partner is particularly adept at advising private individuals with regard to inheritance law and succession planning, and shows proven expertise in advising church foundations in the area of foundation law."

We were also very pleased to receive references like these:

'From the client's point of view, a very salient point is the high professionalism of the colleagues as well as, at the same time, a very human and collegial closeness in the advice - the lawyers really take care of the facts, not just on a higher level.'

'In difficult processes, they are there to accompany and advise from the beginning to the end of the process.'

'First and foremost, very competent and knowledgeable legal counsel. Always available, highly responsive, very reliable!'

'Very broadly positioned labor, contract and business law firm, well organized, with international contacts, very capable of foreign languages. Besides, very nice people.'

Specifically, the following other lawyers and attorneys are recommended in their practice areas:

Labor and Employment Law

Friedrich Graf von Westphalen & Partner advises mid-sized companies and corporate groups not only on individual and collective law issues in day-to-day business, but also on transactions and restructuring - this in close cooperation with the corporate and M&A teams - as well as on co-determination issues. The management of the group is distributed among various offices of the firm: Sabine Schröter in Frankfurt, for example, mainly advises clients from the healthcare sector, while Christoph Fingerle in Freiburg is experienced in negotiating with employee representatives in the hospital sector. Also in Freiburg, Stefan Daub often applies his expertise in works constitution and collective bargaining law to restructuring. In Cologne, Andreas Imping is an experienced litigator, and Sven Köhnen is an expert on issues at the interface of distribution and antitrust law. The Berlin office was expanded with the addition of Andrea Wilke in August 2022; she serves the employment-law interface with corporate law and previously worked at insurance broker WTW. Volker Marquart is another core lawyer.

Construction law (including dispute resolution)

The team of Friedrich Graf von Westphalen & Partner advises construction companies, clients and the public sector on all phases of a construction project; from the drafting of contracts to disputes and also serves as an interface to the areas of product liability and insurance law and this in particular in mechanical and plant engineering. In addition to practice group head Uwe Steingröver, whose advisory focus also includes real estate law and litigation, the key contacts include Jörn Zons (plant construction projects and project-related disputes), Hannes Reiher (construction-related advice, plant construction, dispute resolution, advice to architects and planners) and Till Böttcher (public as well as private law projects), who was appointed partner in January 2022. Another core lawyer is Markus Beaumart.

Corporate Law

Friedrich Graf von Westphalen & Partner advises clients from German and international medium-sized companies on all corporate law issues, with a particular focus on companies from the life sciences and healthcare sectors. Expertise exists primarily on corporate law aspects in connection with M&A, corporate governance and contract law, as well as in the area of litigation, often acting in manager liability proceedings. Since August 2022, the practice group has been co-led by transaction specialists Arnt Göppert and Annette Bödeker, transformation expert Albert Schröder, commercial lawyer Hendrik Thies and financing lawyer Alexander Hartmann.

Healthcare

The team at Friedrich Graf von Westphalen & Partner has a client portfolio consisting of small and medium-sized German companies as well as internationally active groups from the pharmaceuticals, medical devices and biotechnology sectors. The firm's advisory work is similarly broad: Sabine Schröter, based in Frankfurt, is the lead partner for hospitals and hospital groups at the interface of labor law, while Hendrik Thies in Freiburg advises clients on commercial and corporate law issues, in particular on international contract drafting, and the firm has a specialist in pharmacy law in Morton Douglas (also in Freiburg), who is regularly retained by pharmacies and chambers of pharmacies. This is complemented by expertise in the areas of compliance and data protection. Other core attorneys are Jan Henning Martens, Meike Kapp-Schwoerer, Annette Bödeker.

Trade, distribution and logistics

Companies from the automotive dealership sector count on the expertise of Friedrich Graf von Westphalen & Partner in the area of trade, distribution and logistics. Here, the practice group can advise across all forms of distribution and is closely linked to the firm's antitrust expertise. In addition, clients from other sectors such as medical technology and the IT industry also turn to the team led by Sven Köhnen and Hendrik Thies. Issues relating to data protection are handled by Lukas Kalkbrenner, while Frank Jungfleisch's advice is linked to IT law in particular. Stephan Dittl shines in setting up distribution systems and enforcing franchisors' rights in court.

Information Technology and Digitalization

Under the leadership of Werner Bachmann, Friedrich Graf von Westphalen & Partner advises international corporations as well as start-ups, many of which come from the biotech sector. Through networking with other practice groups, areas such as commercial and corporate law, pharmacy law - a particular strength of the team - and transactions are covered in addition to traditional IT law. Lukas Kalkbrenner, who has been a partner since January 2022, focuses his practice on healthcare.

M&A

The M&A team at Friedrich Graf von Westphalen & Partner acts for family-owned companies as well as listed corporations in Germany and abroad, with a particular focus on the healthcare, real estate and technology sectors; start-ups in the mid-market segment are also a focus for the practice, which supports them from formation to sale. Arnt Göppert and Alexander Hartmann advise on portfolio transactions as well as financing and restructuring, while Stefan Lammel provides expertise on company acquisitions and sales as well as tax, insolvency and corporate law issues. Hendrik Thies and Jan Henning Martens act with a focus on transactions in the healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors.

Trademark Law

The trademark practice of Friedrich Graf von Westphalen & Partner was recently marked by growth: Eva Kessler (trademark, design and domain law) and Lukas Kalkbrenner (inter alia, official and infringement proceedings, licensing agreements) were appointed partners at the beginning of 2022, while food and utility model law expert Hildegard Schöllmann joined the team already at the end of 2021 from KWG Rechtsanwälte. Thus, the practice group, which is already popular with pharmaceutical groups and brand name companies, was further strengthened and supports clients both in the context of prosecution and with regard to contentious trademark cases. Norbert Hebeis (German and Community trademarks, international filing strategies), Morton Douglas (filing strategies, portfolio advice, infringement proceedings), David Kipping (intellectual property law, advertising law, licensing agreements) and Stephan Dittl (copyright and media law) jointly head the team. Other core attorneys are Anne Bongers-Gehlert and Wolfgang Schmid.

Environmental and Planning Law

Friedrich Graf von Westphalen & Partner focuses on environmental, chemical and substance law as well as public construction law. In waste law, the team led by Olaf Konzak is particularly active in the context of the Packaging Act and represents numerous companies in application and appeal proceedings. The practice also focuses on advising national and international companies on public construction and construction planning law as well as public procurement law.

Insurance Law (Dispute Resolution)

The insurance law team at Friedrich Graf von Westphalen & Partner has strengths in the areas of manager liability and D&O and is particularly convincing with its capacities at the interface between insurance and corporate law. In addition, the practice is characterized by a high degree of internationalization in the area of product liability; here, in addition to European business, the jurisdictions of Singapore, Australia, South Korea and the USA are covered. The practice is jointly led by Tobias Lenz and Carsten Laschet, who are both active in product liability law and the liability of managing directors and officers, among other areas. At the beginning of 2022, two additional team members were added to the partner roster: Mike Weitzel and Claudia Maaßen represent clients in litigation and arbitration proceedings, inter alia concerning manager and product liability.

Competition Law

Friedrich Graf von Westphalen & Partner advises on various competition law issues, both in an advisory capacity and in court, including the fight against product counterfeiting and piracy as well as the drafting of license agreements and advertising law issues. The team offers additional expertise in trademark, design and copyright law and also advises on IP aspects of M&A transactions. The main contacts include litigator Norbert Hebeis, Morton Douglas (including drug advertising and pharmaceutical law) and Of Counsel Wolfgang Schmid (including pharmaceutical and food law) in Freiburg; David Kipping in Cologne, who is experienced in licensing agreements, and Stephan Dittl in Frankfurt, whose practice areas also include copyright and trademark law, are further key contacts. At the turn of the year 2021/22, the team was strengthened with the addition of Hildegard Schöllmann from KWG Rechtsanwälte, who is experienced in trademark and product advertising law, and also added Lukas Kalkbrenner (TMT) and Eva Kessler, who is experienced in trademark and label law, among other areas, to the partnership. Anne Bongers-Gehlert is another core attorney.

We would like to thank all those who contributed to this result!

Sabine Schröter