Antitrust and competition

Our antitrust and competition practice is recognised as a world leader. We are specialists in regulated industries, international trade and all essential aspects of cartel, antitrust and competition law. We advise on merger controls, antitrust investigations, competition restrictions, trade agreements, state aid and public procurement procedures.

Step by step, you will become familiar with the key elements of European antitrust law. Training for newcomers to the profession, focuses on the areas of EC antitrust law that are important in our work. Practice partners and renowned external experts will assist you in understanding these central legal principles, and will introduce you to the decision-making practice of the European Commission and the European Court of Justice. They will also provide you with case studies to demonstrate practical relevance.

You will attend a basic course in industrial economics. In a combination of lectures and group work led by international economists, you will learn first hand about the increasingly strong links between antitrust law and economic structures.

After gaining several years of professional experience, you will join a firm-wide antitrust law “Skills Group” which meets several times a year to discuss current legal issues and exchange experiences gained from working for clients.

Corporate and M&A

Our corporate and M&A practice group, which is recognised as a market leader, has won many awards and is one of the firm’s most important areas. We provide our clients with broad and innovative specialist and industrial know-how on all major challenges in corporate law. Our main areas of expertise include public takeovers and private company acquisitions, restructuring and transformation, equity and securities issues, litigation, private equity, financial services, investment funds, joint ventures and insurance. Well-known industrial and financial companies trust us with their particularly demanding, often international transactions and projects.

You will begin with a two-week, basic corporate law course which will provide you with specialist knowledge on transactions and corporate law issues. In your second year of employment, you will attend the basic course on tax law which covers the following topics: taxes in corporate law, reorganisation tax law and tax aspects of company acquisitions.

You will receive further training in the specialised sector and topics within your area of practice. By participating in regular courses, discussions and conferences, you will be kept up-to-date or even one step ahead of the competition. In addition, you will be able to regularly exchange information and views on current topics from corporate law practice in short presentations at all our offices.

Disputes, litigation and arbitration

Our main areas of expertise in disputes, litigation and arbitration include plant construction, corporate dispute resolution, energy law, financial services litigation, risk management, compliance and fraud action, reorganisation and restructuring, international civil procedure, arbitration, product risks and liability and distribution law. With such a strong team, we support our clients in major commercial disputes, international arbitration, alternative dispute resolution and regulatory disputes.

We start with our basic seminar which provides you with essential knowledge of civil procedure law, arbitration and both international and European civil procedure law. Aspects such as interim legal protection, taking evidence or questioning witnesses will be dealt with in greater depth in seminars based on these issues.

In practical case studies, you will learn how to negotiate in a goal-oriented manner or how to effectively represent your client’s interests in settlement discussions. Our courses on communication skills, which are particularly important for this purpose, are also geared towards the challenges involved in practice, and are conducted by external trainers.

Regular national and international specialist meetings complement our further training programme. Here, we discuss current legal developments and consolidate our international cooperation through personal contacts.

Financing and capital markets

Our finance law team advises banks and financial service providers on all corporate law issues. In addition, we provide specialist know-how to support our clients in structured asset financing, restructuring and reorganisation as well as in real estate, energy and infrastructure projects.

Our basic courses, which last several days, will prepare you for your future advisory practice. The training programme primarily equips you with specialist knowledge of contract and corporate law. It also gives you an understanding of the essential  conditions that play a role in financial transactions. The intensive seminars, based on these courses, focus on tax and finance law, while our international finance training programmes provide you with the necessary insight into Anglo-Saxon transaction practice. The seminars will give you a deeper understanding of cross-border transactions and offer a platform for intensive knowledge sharing with international colleagues.

Subsequent in-depth seminars will enable you to approach specific issues concerning individual financial product areas.

Intellectual property, data and commercial

Our lawyers form one of the most powerful IP/IT teams in the market. The focus on consulting in this area is high-profile patent disputes, brand and competition issues, regulatory aspects and compliance. We represent our clients in court and use our extensive specialist and industry know-how to advise on major M&A transactions and projects such as pharmaceutical/biotech licensing, outsourcing and major IT projects in data protection, for example.

Our advanced training programme not only provides you with the necessary basic knowledge in all areas of intellectual property law and IT, media and telecommunications law, but also addresses your personal training needs. You will also take part in international conferences on current legal topics.

The supplementary seminars combine theory with the challenges of daily consulting and thrive on regular professional exchange with other practice areas. Among other things, we provide you with relevant know-how in patent, trademark and copyright law and other intellectual property rights as well as in internet and e-commerce law. We discuss typical advisory situations in due diligence and show you how we draft and negotiate contracts.

If you wish to specialise, we are here to help you and we will also encourage you to participate in external courses if required.

People and reward

Our people and reward practice covers both independent projects such as outsourcing, restructuring or cross-border corporate transformations, as well as large M&A transactions. The range of our advice covers all aspects of collective and individual labour law, such as employee and corporate co-determination, appointment and dismissal of board members, pension structures and employee participation models, or corporate governance issues relating to the payment of executives.

At least twice yearly, in special courses, we get you ready to take up the challenges of future labour law. On a national level, you will discuss current developments in established court rulings and legislation, while, on an international level, the focus will be on comparative law issues, European law topics and cross-border cases. Further in-house events on specific labour law topics and the courses offered by external providers, will round off your training.

We will also support you in obtaining a specialist qualification in labour law.

Real estate

Our advice in the area of real estate law focuses on the acquisition and sale of large properties and portfolios, including innovative financing structures, real estate development, complex investment structures and cross-border transactions.

On your way to becoming an industry professional, we provide you with all the important knowledge you need in real estate law. You will deepen your knowledge of the important aspects of client advice through practice group workshops and regular in-house training, which regularly features invited business professionals. This also includes knowledge and aspects of corporate law, financing and public law relevant to the advisory service that we provide for our clients.

Our knowledge management team will keep you up-to-date with what’s new in your practice area. You will also find opportunities for professional knowledge sharing with international colleagues and for networking at our pan-European real estate conferences.

Regulatory

Our specialists combine experience and know-how in construction and planning law for large public projects, public procurement and administrative law and regulatory and environmental law issues, such as industrial emissions and climate protection, as well as public affairs.

En route to the LL.M. (Master of Laws) in “Environmental, Planning and Regulatory Law”, you will take part in an advanced, international training programme in public economic law. We developed this programme together with the law faculty of Nottingham Trent University in Great Britain. The course combines theory and practice in such a way that neither academic nor legal requirements are overlooked. During the first three years of your career, the focus will be on your practical training. With case studies from the field, in six seminar units, you will not only develop your legal skills, such as in environmental and product law or genetic engineering, but also your communication skills, required for negotiations and lobbying etc.

During the second training phase, you will continue your development with learning modules on the theory of legislation, comparative law in public law and practice management. Once you have also successfully mastered the second training phase, you will be awarded the LL.M. in “Environmental, Planning and Regulatory Law”.

As well as all that, we also organise annual national and international conferences which are primarily devoted to current legal developments.

Tax

Our international, award-winning tax team advises on all major corporate taxes and on tax aspects of structured capital market financing, products and transactions. It also represents clients in tax audits and tax litigation. The practice group offers specialist know-how on core topics such as M&A transactions, restructuring, private equity and real estate, asset finance and family businesses/private clients.

In the first year of your career at our Tax Academy you will learn about the tax aspects of company acquisitions. These are essential for our transaction-related practice, and about German reorganisation tax law.

At the beginning of your employment, you will also complete the International Tax Training course in Leuven, Belgium. This course covers case law at the European Court of Justice, OECD agreements and the structuring of cross-border transactions.

You can also discuss current German and international topics at our regular tax law conferences and at Tax Practice Group Conferences.

We would be delighted to help you obtain additional qualifications as a tax advisor.

Knowledge Lawyer / Senior Knowledge Lawyer

As a Knowledge Lawyer, you will be responsible for the ongoing development of best practice knowledge in your practice group and thus contribute to improving the quality and efficiency of our client work. You will work closely with partners and associates, and channel practice-related know-how in your area of expertise. To do this, you will rely on your professional excellence whilst always keeping an eye on current legal developments.

For Knowledge Lawyers, we seek fully qualified lawyers with honours degrees, business fluency in English, and professional experience as a lawyer in the relevant field. The position requires initiative, communication skills, team spirit and an enjoyment of taking innovative approaches. At the same time, the position will give you the freedom to implement your own ideas and will allow you to work flexibly with an attractive salary — even on a part-time basis. With appropriate experience and after a probationary period, you could achieve promotion to Senior Knowledge Lawyer.

Knowledge Assistant / Knowledge Executive

As a Knowledge Assistant, you will support our Knowledge Lawyers in collecting, preparing and providing legal information and know-how products. In cooperation with our Knowledge Lawyers, you will take care of the systematic structuring and organisation of knowledge for our international databases, and help our lawyers in their search for existing know-how. You will be involved in preparing newsletters and client briefings and automating sample documents. As a Knowledge Assistant, you will already have at least passed the first state exam or hold a degree in Business Law with above-average results and also have very good English skills. The position is also suitable for doctoral work or as a part-time job during your legal clerkship. If you remain with us for a longer period, you will take on more responsibility over time and will naturally develop into a Knowledge Executive.