Wir beraten Sie in allen wirtschaftsrechtlichen Auseinandersetzungen und vertreten Ihre Interessen vor den zuständigen staatlichen Gerichten, wenn sich ein Streit nicht vermeiden oder einvernehmlich lösen lässt. Der Schlüssel zum Erfolg ist eine umfassende Prozessstrategie, die nicht nur das konkrete Verfahren, sondern auch den größeren, meist internationalen Kontext und Ihre langfristigen Ziele im Blick hat. Unsere langjährige Erfahrung ermöglicht es uns, komplexeste Sachverhalte nüchtern zu analysieren und zugleich leidenschaftlich für Sie zu kämpfen.
Unsere Schiedsverfahrenspraxis gehört zu den größten und renommiertesten Praxen weltweit. In 30 Standorten berät unser Team von über 30 Partnern und Counseln in hochkomplexen Schiedsverfahren mit erheblichen Streitwerten. Wir decken jede Jurisdiktion ab, beraten in allen Wirtschaftssektoren, agieren weltweit an allen zentralen Schiedsorten und sind aufgrund unserer globalen Präsenz und internationalen Vernetzung mit allen gängigen Schiedsordnungen bestens vertraut.
Bei Verdacht auf Compliance-Verstöße oder Straftaten im Unternehmenskontext stehen wir Ihnen beratend zur Seite, um Sie sicher durch die Krise zu begleiten. Neben der Durchführung interner Untersuchungen und der Vertretung des Unternehmens in behördlichen Ermittlungsverfahren können Sie auch im Rahmen der präventiven Compliance-Beratung auf unsere langjährige Expertise vertrauen.
31 August 2023
The Hague Judgments Convention, i.e. the Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Judgments in Civil or Commercial Matters, will enter into force on 1 September 2023 between the EU Member States (excluding Denmark) and Ukraine. The Convention aims to facilitate the resolution of international disputes by establishing a multilateral system for the recognition and enforcement of judgments. In our briefing we take a closer look at the Hague Judgments Convention and what it means for international dispute resolution.
17 August 2023
Parallel court proceedings in mass actions remain very common in Germany but pose great challenges to the judiciary and the parties. The Government therefore proposes to introduce a so-called preliminary ruling procedure at the Federal Supreme Court, aimed at enabling an early decision on fundamental legal questions that arise in a large number of parallel proceedings.
17 Juli 2023
Welcome to the quarterly Linklaters ESG Disputes Bulletin. In this summer edition, we cover some of the key developments in contentious ESG matters since our March 2023 edition.
13 Juli 2023
Der kollektive Rechtsschutz in Deutschland ist in Bewegung: Nach Einführung einer zivilprozessualen Musterfeststellungsklage und Durchführung erster Musterfeststellungsverfahren steht derzeit die Umsetzung der – weitergehenden – EU-Verbraucherverbandsklagerichtlinie auf der Agenda.
13 Juli 2023
The German Bundestag eventually adopted a bill to implement the EU Collective Redress Directive. Following controversial debates in expert hearings and the public, the Bundestag made important changes to the Government’s draft. While the implementation act still needs to pass the Bundesrat in autumn before coming into force, the main pillars for collective redress actions now appear to be in place and the new regime will be far more consumer-friendly than initially envisaged.
05 Juni 2023
Die Einhaltung der Menschenrechte in Lieferketten ist seit Jahren ein Thema für Unternehmen aus allen Industriezweigen. Lange wurde auf Freiwilligkeit gesetzt, doch mit dem im Frühsommer 2021 verabschiedeten Lieferkettensorgfaltspflichtengesetz kommen nun verbindliche Vorgaben für die Supply Chain Due Diligence auf Unternehmen zu, mit denen neue Pflichten und Haftungsrisiken einhergehen.
31 März 2023
Welcome to the March edition of the ESG Disputes Bulletin, our quarterly update covering key developments in the UK, EU and globally on the full range of ESG topics.
30 März 2023
Following a controversial debate, the German Government adopted a draft law to implement the Collective Redress Directive on 29 March 2023. The bill largely corresponds to the draft that the Ministry of Justice prepared. Upon pressure from the Ministry for the Environment and Consumer Protection, the Government’s draft does, however, differ from the Ministry of Justice's draft in some important details.
30 März 2023
The EU Commission’s right to repair initiative aims to promote the repair of goods and to strengthen consumer rights in case of defective products, but the proposed directive will also lead to additional obligations for companies active in the production, sale or repair of goods.
14 März 2023
In its latest decision on cartel damages, the CJEU gives guidance on damages estimation – and for once issued a decision that will not make life easier for claimants.
16 Februar 2023
The CJEU recently shed light on the disclosure provisions of the Cartel Damages Directive. In its judgments in PACCAR and RegioJet, the CJEU ruled on the temporal scope of application of these provisions as well as the scope of the disclosure obligations. While these decisions are (again) good news for plaintiffs, defendants and competition authorities are likely to be less pleased.
01 Februar 2023
Hardly any EU member state has transposed the Collective Redress Directive into national law on time. As a result, the EU Commission recently launched the first stage of infringement proceedings against 24 member states, sending them letters of formal notice for failure to implement the directive.
01 Februar 2023
This global perspective draws together analysis, thought leadership and highlights from our Dispute Resolution team around the world. The guide summarises and anticipates a selection of the major developments in Dispute Resolution for 2023.
20 Dezember 2022
On 2 December 2022, the European Commission issued a proposal for a directive on the definition of criminal offences and penalties for the violation of Union restrictive measures, that will completely overhaul the enforcement system as we know it.
If adopted, Member States would be obliged to ensure that a broad range of breaches of EU sanctions constitute a criminal offence. With enhanced cooperation at EU level and fines possibly going beyond 5% of a company’s global turnover, the EU seems to be showing its teeth and companies may feel the bite. To find out more, see our latest blog post.
19 Dezember 2022
Welcome to the December edition of the ESG Disputes Bulletin, our quarterly update covering key developments in the UK, US, EU and globally on the full range of ESG Dispute topics. In this edition we cover greenwashing, strategic ESG-related litigation, climate change & environment, judicial review and human rights-related litigation.
11 Oktober 2022
Advocate General Campos Sánchez-Bordona has delivered his long-awaited opinion in UI v Österreichische Post (Case C-300/21). The opinion takes a sensible and pragmatic approach to compensation claims under the GDPR, limiting them to cases of actual material or non-material damage.
29 September 2022
The Commission adopted two proposals to adapt liability rules to the digital age, circular economy and the impact of global value chains. It proposes to modernise the existing rules on strict liability of manufacturers for defective products through a newly drafted Product Liability Directive and suggests a targeted harmonisation of national liability rules, facilitating compensation for damages caused by AI-driven products. Should the – extremely claimant friendly – proposals be implemented, the entire European product liability regime will change drastically.
29 September 2022
Linklaters hat die Volkswagen AG und die Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG (Porsche AG) umfassend im Rahmen des Börsengangs der Porsche AG und des Aktienkaufvertrags mit der Porsche Automobil Holding SE beraten.
28 September 2022
Following intense discussions, the German Ministry of Justice has prepared a first draft of an implementation act for the EU Collective Redress Directive (Verbandsklagenrichtlinienumsetzungsgesetz). The draft has been eagerly awaited since the directive requires Germany to introduce a collective redress action for the first time and contains elements that are rather alien to the German judicial system. In our blog post, we analyse the main elements of the proposal and provide an outlook on the way forward.
15 September 2022
The Regional Court of Stuttgart dismissed a climate lawsuit against Mercedes-Benz, which aimed at obliging the company not to sell combustion engines as of 2030. The ruling had been eagerly awaited, as it is the first German decision in climate change proceedings against companies after the Constitutional Court’s landmark ruling on the unconstitutionality of the German Climate Change Act.
15 September 2022
On 14 September 2022, the European Commission published its long-awaited proposal for a regulation prohibiting products made with forced labour on the Union market. However, it does not aim to impose additional reporting or due diligence requirements in addition to the ban, and only marks the beginning of what will likely be a controversial legislative process.
13 September 2022
Mit Beginn des Jahres 2022 ist das Ablaufdatum des bedeutendsten Referenzzinssatzes LIBOR (London Interbank Offered Rate) für den Großteil der LIBOR Zinssätze eingetreten. Die Auseinandersetzung mit den damit einhergehenden Folgen beschäftigt die Finanzwelt schon seit geraumer Zeit und wird dies auch weiterhin – wohl auch in Form streitiger Auseinandersetzungen – tun.
05 September 2022
FATF’s most recent evaluation of anti-money laundering processes in Germany found there are still essential improvements to be made. To address these concerns, the German Finance Ministry has published proposals to improve the country’s fight against money laundering and financial crime, including the establishment of a new Federal Financial Crime Agency.
01 August 2022
The Legal 500 has launched its comparative guide on Competition Litigation, designed to provide the in-house community with a pragmatic overview of the competition litigation landscape across a variety of jurisdictions.
29 Juni 2022
The potential impact for an organisation of being held liable for criminal activity can be severe, leading to financial penalties, operational sanctions and reputational damage. For international businesses, an understanding of how corporate criminal liability is regarded in different jurisdictions is key to managing risk. However, not all jurisdictions treat corporate wrongdoing in the same way. Explore our fully updated review of corporate criminal liability which assesses the risks corporates face across 22 jurisdictions.
24 Mai 2022
Mediation is one of the most popular forms of alternative dispute resolution. It is a flexible, confidential and without prejudice consensual process in which parties appoint a neutral individual to facilitate negotiations between them. In many cases, mediation will be a quicker and cheaper form of dispute resolution than court proceedings. It can also help the parties to preserve an on-going commercial relationship – something that is particularly important in long-term contractual situations.
18 Mai 2022
Aller Internationalisierung von Patentstreitigkeiten zum Trotz sind die eigentlichen Gerichtsverfahren bislang eine nationale Angelegenheit. Das wird sich ändern, sobald der Unified Patent Court (UPC) seine Arbeit aufnimmt. Dann wird es möglich, Patente mit Wirkung für mehrere Länder in einem einheitlichen Verfahren durchzusetzen. Unser Partner Dr. Bolko Ehlgen
erläutert im Gastbeitrag in der FAZ worauf Unternehmen nun achten müssen.
11 Mai 2022
Recent years have seen a step up in the offering of dedicated commercial courts across the world, often with the promotion of them as dispute resolution “hubs”. This has left businesses who wish to litigate their disputes with lots of choice; but are they all alike and what do they offer? In this new cross-border review from our Global Dispute Resolution practice we take a closer look at some of the centres around the world by reference to a number of key questions.
31 März 2022
Following its Circular Economy Action Plan, the EU Commission adopted a proposal for a Sustainable Products Ecodesign Regulation on 30 March 2022. The Commission wants to replace the existing Ecodesign Directive with a – directly applicable and much broader – regulation, which includes far-reaching new obligations for companies.
23 Februar 2022
The European Commission published today its much-awaited proposal for a Directive on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence. It aims at imposing on companies of a certain size operating in the EU far-reaching due diligence obligations covering the adverse human rights and environmental impacts of their own operations, and those of their subsidiaries and their upstream and downstream value chain.
21 Februar 2022
The "Litigation & Dispute Resolution Laws and Regulations 2022" guide for Germany summarizes the latest developments in this area
16 Dezember 2021
Mit Inkrafttreten des Lobbyregistergesetzes am 1. Januar 2022 sehen sich natürliche und insbesondere auch juristische Personen mit umfangreichen Eintragungs- und Offenlegungspflichten im Zusammenhang mit Lobbyaktivitäten konfrontiert. Der bewusst breite Anwendungsbereich des Gesetzes und die fehlenden Erfahrungswerte in Bezug auf das erstmalig eingeführte Register werden die betroffenen Unternehmen, Verbände, Agenturen und Kommunikationsdienstleister vor neue Compliance-Herausforderungen stellen.
08 Dezember 2021
The Dispute Resolution Year in Review and Year to Come – A Global Perspective draws together analysis, thought leadership and highlights from our Dispute Resolution team around the world. The guide summarises a selection of the major developments in dispute resolution from 2021 and highlights a number of significant developments on the horizon in 2022.
06 Dezember 2021
As enforcement agencies increasingly cooperate to tackle bribery and corruption across the world, we have seen an uptick in large-scale investigations and correspondingly large penalties imposed on companies engaging in unlawful behaviour. Our comprehensive review of anti-bribery and corruption law and enforcement covers 22 jurisdictions across the globe and will be of particular interest to businesses with international operations.
26 November 2021
Aus der diesjährigen Bundestagswahl ergibt sich erstmalig eine Bundesregierung, bestehend aus drei Parteien. Die von der SPD geführte Koalition mit dem Bündnis90/Grüne und der FDP wird voraussichtlich eine neue Dynamik im Deutschen Bundestag bewirken. Nach 16 Jahren unter konservativer Führung sind bei den vielen durch die neue Regierungskoalition angekündigten Gesetzgebungsverfahren teils tiefgreifende Veränderungen sowie die Setzung neuer Schwerpunkte zu erwarten.
24 November 2021
Das von der Großen Koalition in der letzten Legislaturperiode geplante Gesetz zur Stärkung der Integrität in der Wirtschaft konnte nicht mehr beschlossen werden. Die neue Ampelkoalition hat in ihrem Koalitionsvertrag aber bereits angekündigt, die Unternehmenssanktionsvorschriften einschließlich der Sanktionshöhe überarbeiten zu wollen.
06 August 2021
For years, business and human rights in supply chains have been a top priority for many companies across various industries. For a long time, the focus was on voluntary compliance, but this is currently changing in many jurisdictions and on EU level.
28 Juli 2021
On 20 July 2021, the European Commission presented a set of legislative proposals to overhaul anti-money laundering ("AML") and countering the financing of terrorism ("CFT") rules in the EU as a first step to implement its 2020 AML action plan. The ambitious package which includes proposals to transfer AML/CFT rules to a regulation accompanied by a directive as well a proposal for the creation of a new EU authority, might take the fight of financial crime to a next level.
27 Juli 2021
The laws on legal professional privilege are a point of significant interest and divergence across the global legal landscape. Advice that is privileged in one country may not be protected in others. Differences in the application of legal professional privilege by courts and regulators across jurisdictions can lead to difficult decisions for organisations under investigation. Even within a jurisdiction, the scope and application of legal professional privilege may be the subject of debate amongst experts - and lead to dispute between parties. Linklaters’ revised and fully updated comparative review of legal professional privilege provides a quick reference tool to practice in 24 jurisdictions across the globe.
17 Juni 2021
Germany has been preparing a reform of the Patent Act for some time now. The German parliament (Bundestag) has now passed a reform bill that will introduce these changes. The reform is expected to change the way injunctions for patent infringement are granted in Germany.
11 Juni 2021
Following intense discussion, the German Bundestag passed a mandatory Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (Lieferkettensorgfaltspflichtengesetz) that has the potential to become one of the most significant statutes in that area worldwide. Once the new law enters into force in 2023, in-scope companies will find themselves exposed to a whole range of new obligations along their supply chains. In our client alert, we summarise the main elements of the new law and give recommendations on how to comply with the new requirements.
09 Juni 2021
Mit dem Urteil gegen Shell hat ein Zivilgericht erstmals ein Unternehmen zur Einhaltung der Pariser Klimaziele verurteilt. Im Gastbeitrag in der FAZ erläutert unser Partner Alexandros Chatzinerantzis warum das Thema Nachhaltigkeit damit endgültig in der Chefetage angekommen ist, was das Urteil problematisch macht und welche Herausforderungen damit auf die Unternehmen und ihre Führungsspitzen zukommen.
29 April 2021
Heute hat das Bundesverfassungsgericht seinen Beschluss vom 24. März 2021 veröffentlicht, wonach die Regelungen des Klimaschutzgesetzes vom 12. Dezember 2019 (KSG) insofern mit Grundrechten unvereinbar sind, als hinreichende Maßgaben für die weitere Emissionsreduktion ab dem Jahr 2031 fehlen. Darüberhinausgehende Grundrechtsverletzungen begründet das Klimaschutzgesetz nach Auffassung der Verfassungsrichter nicht.
28 April 2021
According to the published press release, in its judgement (file reference: XI ZR 26/20), the German Federal Court of Justice (BGH) held certain clauses deeming the customer's consent in the event of an amendment to the bank's standard business terms to be invalid.
25 März 2021
The Covid-19 pandemic is a pressure test for the global interconnected economy. One expected consequence is an uptick in insolvencies. In international contracts, many companies will have concluded arbitration clauses.
26 Januar 2021
The Dispute Resolution Year in Review and Year to Come – A Global Perspective draws together analysis, thought leadership and highlights from our Dispute Resolution lawyers around the world. The guide summarises a selection of the major developments in dispute resolution from 2020 and highlights a number of significant developments on the horizon in 2021.
04 Dezember 2020
The approval in November 2020 by the European Council and Parliament of the EU Directive on representative actions means that widespread collective redress procedures should be introduced across Europe in 2023 at the latest. Once implemented by the member states, the Directive may have a significant impact on the balance of power in consumer redress and is likely to facilitate the current trend of increased commercialisation of consumer rights and actions in Europe.
16 November 2020
Bei der Beurteilung der Wirksamkeit von AGB im unternehmerischen Verkehr stellen sich komplexe Rechtsfragen. Unsere Checkliste gibt einen ersten Überblick, was es zu beachten gilt.
28 September 2020
Rasante Entwicklungen auf allen Ebenen haben dazu geführt, dass ESG zu Recht als das Gegenwarts- und Zukunftsthema begriffen wird. Wie so oft bei komplexen gesellschaftlichen und rechtlichen Veränderungen gehen damit Chancen und Risiken, aber auch erhebliches Konfliktpotenzial einher. In unserem Newsletter geben wir einen Überblick über die verschiedenen Haftungsthemen und einige Hot Topics.
02 Juli 2020
Kaum sind die ersten Musterfeststellungsverfahren abgeschlossen, droht der deutschen „Sammelklage“ Konkurrenz: Die EU-Institutionen haben sich nach intensiven Diskussionen Ende Juni auf eine Verbraucherverbandsklagenrichtlinie geeinigt, die weit über das bestehende deutsche Recht hinausgeht.
01 Juli 2020
In this comparative review we look at the types of collective actions permitted in each jurisdiction and who may bring them. We examine whether they are opt in or opt out and what this means for the efficacy of the procedure. How collective actions are funded and the relief that is available is also considered. We also look forward to how the concept might develop in the future in each jurisdiction reviewed.
04 Mai 2020
If a second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic or a further lockdown was to occur, disruptions to contractual performance are no longer “unforeseeable” as required by force majeure, hardship or statutory provisions. As outlined in our newsletter, parties are therefore advised to insert specific pandemic clauses into new commercial contracts.
21 Februar 2020
Understanding global trends and the attitudes towards corporate criminal liability in different jurisdictions is key to managing corporate risk.
For our fully revised and updated comparative guide to corporate criminal liability we examined the position of companies across 24 jurisdictions and assessed the risks they face in each. We discovered a number of key themes and issues that arise for companies no matter where they are located.
Our guide will be of interest to businesses across the globe and particularly to those with international operations.
01 Januar 0001
