Firm PROFILE
GvW Graf von Westphalen
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GvW Graf von Westphalen

Germany 2026

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Rankings

Germany

Leading firm in Germany 2026

Overview

Provided by GvW Graf von Westphalen

  • Managing Partners: Dr Robert Theissen, Christof Kleinmann

    Number of partners: 80

    Number of lawyers: 230 (including partners)

    Languages: Danish, English, French, German, Gujarati, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Tamil, Turkish, Ukrainian, Urdu

    Firm Overview:

    GvW is a partnership of 230 lawyers. With national offices in Berlin, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt am Main, Hamburg, Munich, Stuttgart and international offices/representations in Brussels, Ho Chi Minh City, Istanbul and Shanghai, the firm is one of the largest independent law firms in Germany.

    Main Areas of Practice:

    ■ Administrative

    ■ Antitrust

    ■ Banking & Banking Supervisory

    ■ China

    ■ Commercial

    ■ Corporate

    ■ Distribution

    ■ Employment

    ■ Energy

    ■ ESG

    ■ Food

    ■ Foreign Trade & Customs

    ■ Healthcare

    ■ Hospitality – Hotels & Resorts

    ■ Infrastructure & Public Sector

    ■ Insolvency & Restructuring

    ■ Insurance

    ■ IP, IT & Media

    ■ Litigation & Arbitration

    ■ M&A

    ■ Public Procurement

    ■ Real Estate & Construction

    ■ State Aid & Subsidies

    ■ Telecommunications

    ■ Transport and Logistics

    Litigation:

    16 partners, 20 fee earners

    ■ Long-standing representation of Volkswagen AG in the defense of direct diesel lawsuits

    ■ Long-standing representation of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia in the timber dispute with Klausner Sägewerke

    ■ Assumption of legal representation of SCHUFA Holding in mass litigation complex for consumer claims

    ■ Representation of freenet DLS GmbH in all legal disputes relating to contract or general terms and conditions law

    Contact: Wolf Müller

    Tel: +49 40 35922-262

    Email: [email protected]

    Corp/M&A:

    14 partners, 21 fee earners

    ■ Advising Enagás, S.A. on the acquisition of a stake in Hanseatic Energy Hub GmbH (HEH)

    ■ Advising the Fielmann Group on transactions in North America

    ■ Advising Hexad on the sale of the Mobility Services Platform business unit to CARIAD SE

    ■ Advising Metall Zug AG on a joint venture with Miele

    ■ Advising Sartorius AG on the Chinese legal aspects of the acquisition of Polyplus

    Contact: Dr Markus Sachslehner

    Tel: +49 69 707970 130

    Email: [email protected]

    Real Estate:

    9 partners, 9 fee earners

    ■ Advising DIC on several acquisitions of logistics properties

    ■ Advising Württembergische Lebensversicherung on the purchase of a hotel development

    ■ Credit Suisse Asset Management: Comprehensive ongoing advice on commercial tenancy law

    ■ Ongoing advice to Nuveen on real estate transactions in the logistics sector

    ■ Acquisition of the industrial site Stahlwerk Rasselstein from Thyssen Krupp and project development of the approx. 80 hectare site

    Contact: Bettina Schmitt-Rady

    Tel: +49 69 707970-116

    Email: [email protected]

    Construction:

    8 partners, 10 fee earners

    ■ University Hospital Dusseldorf: Strategic expansion of the advisory services to all construction law related areas of the hospital

    ■ Union Investment: Construction and planning law advice regarding various projects all over Germany

    ■ Construction advice regarding major projects for euromicron

    Contact: Dr Thomas Senff

    Tel: +49 211 56615-0

    Email: [email protected]

    Information Technology & IP, Data Protection:

    12 partners, 20 fee earners

    ■ SapientNitro: Providing ongoing full scope legal services

    ■ VDMA: Preparation of the guide ‘Data Protection in Industry 4.0’

    ■ Blue Mesa Health in development and distribution of apps for the prevention of diabetes

    ■ Asseco Solutions in the review of the standard software contracts and in all IT and data protection issues

    Contact: Stephan Menzemer

    Tel: +49 69 707970 186

    Email: [email protected]

    Foreign Trade & Customs:

    6 partners, 10 fee earners

    ■ GEA Group: Comprehensive export control advice

    ■ Celanese: Advice on foreign trade law and customs

    ■ Cube Bikes: Advice on customs law issues and anti-dumping

    ■ Shell Deutschland: Ongoing customs law and energy tax law advice

    ■ Representation GE Healthcare in a customs law model proceeding

    ■ JT International: Representation before the Federal Ministry of Finance in model proceedings on the tax classification of tobacco products

    Contact: Dr Gerd Schwendinger

    Tel: +49 40 35922 0

    Email: [email protected]

    Employment:

    8 partners, 12 fee earners

    ■ T-Systems: Employment law advice after business transfer

    ■ VAC: Restructuring and downsizing of approx. 350 employees

    ■ Advising Alnatura on legal disputes with the works’ council

    ■ Cockpit: Ongoing advice in proceedings and on collective bargaining law

    ■ DekaBank: Ongoing employment law advice and representation, inter alia in matters of works constitution and personnel representation law

    ■ Advising VION on factory closings, arbitration proceedings etc

    Contact: Dr Philipp Wiesenecker

    Tel: +49 69 707970-167

    Email: [email protected]

Ranked Offices at GvW Graf von Westphalen

Provided by GvW Graf von Westphalen

Germany - Head office

Hamburg

Poststraße 9 Alte Post , Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany, 20354, Hamburg

Germany

Berlin

Potsdamer Platz 8 , Berlin, Berlin, Germany, D-10117, Berlin


North Rhine-Westphalia

Königsallee 61, Köblick, Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, 40215, Düsseldorf


Hessen

Ulmenstraße 23–25, Frankfurt am Main, Hessen, Germany, D-60325, Frankfurt am Main


Bavaria

Nymphenburger Straße 64 , Munich, Bavaria, Germany, 80335, Munich

Ranked Departments at GvW Graf von Westphalen (7)

Germany

Ranked Individuals at GvW Graf von Westphalen (8)

Germany

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