We advise on M&A transactions at all stages and in all areas. Primarily, we are active in corporate transactions (mainly private equity, M&A, joint ventures) concerning small and medium-sized enterprises, both on the seller’s and the buyer’s side, as well as in contentious M&A disputes.

These include in particular:

• Preparation and review of letters of intent
• Legal due diligences of companies and shareholdings; for tax and financial due diligences we cooperate with experienced partners in these fields
• Design of the purchase structure
• Drafting and negotiation of company purchase agreements (especially purchase agreement in the form of a share or asset deal)
• Shareholder Agreements, Re-participations
• Transactions in crisis or out of insolvency (distressed M&A), restructuring
• Integration after acquisition (in particular also adjustment of corporate governance & compliance)
• Design and negotiation of joint ventures
• Enforcement and defense of warranty claims

Intellectual property law and competition law are also part of our activity profile. ­We offer professional know-how, many years of experience and contacts to renowned patent attorneys – in cases patents are involved – for the acquisition as well as the assignment of intellectual property rights ­or their enforcement on a ­national and international level.

We support our clients in the effective protection and successful exploitation of their ideas, industrial property rights (in particular trademarks) and intellectual creations.

In particular, we are active in the following matters:

• Enforcement of intellectual property rights, in particular copyright, patent, trademark, design, utility model, name or company rights, and positions under competition law, also by way of preliminary injunction proceedings ­and proceedings before the trademark and patent offices
• Trademark application, enforcement and defense, development of trademark strategies, drafting and monitoring of delimitation agreements­­, protection against and of internet domains
• Defense against ­warning letters and other attacks based on property rights ­or ­competition law
• Drafting agreements in connection with the exploitation of employee inventions ­and enforcement of given claims
• Press law, personality law and law of expression, also in online matters
• Preparation of licensing, development and engagement agreements for film, television and music

Real estate law is also one of our fields of activity. We assist our clients in the planning and during the construction phase as well as in the purchase and sale of real estate and its leasing. In addition, our advice covers the essential interdisciplinary interfaces with corporate, banking and capital markets law.

In particular, these include:

•     Real estate transactions
•     Real estate law
•     Commercial tenancy and lease law
•     Real estate companies
•     Real estate financing
•     Asset management and administration
•     Property development law

Although we will do our utmost in the interest of our clients to avoid legal disputes in advance by means of settlement agreements favorable to our clients, we will of course assist our clients as experienced advisors in asserting their interests in court proceedings.

We also represent our clients in court and arbitration proceedings in all our practice areas, in particular in the area of corporate disputes, directors’ and officers’ liability and post-M&A disputes. This includes both the enforcement and defense of claims. In specialized areas and in matters of foreign law, we work together with specialists.