Ben Steinbrück

Prof. Dr. Ben Steinbrück, MJur (Oxford), is a partner at SZA Schilling, Zutt & Anschütz and a leading German dispute resolution lawyer specializing in complex commercial litigation and international arbitration. He acts for clients in high-stakes disputes before German courts and in domestic and international arbitration proceedings, and regularly serves as an arbitrator (including appointments as chairman, sole arbitrator and co-arbitrator) in institutional and ad hoc tribunals. Ben's practice spans a broad range of commercial conflicts, where he combines practical litigation experience with deep academic knowledge.

Ben is well-versed in all types of high-stakes commercial disputes. He has a particular focus on defending major corporations against large-volume securities claims, shareholder lawsuits, post–M&A disputes, and follow-on antitrust damages cases. He also has significant experience in competition-related litigation. Ben's combination of deep substantive knowledge and tactical acumen enables him to anticipate opponents’ moves and develop litigation strategies that safeguard his clients’ interests. He is also adept at coordinating large-scale proceedings (including mass actions under the German Capital Markets Model Case Act) and managing multi-party litigation.

Ben also acts as counsel and as arbitrator in international commercial arbitration. He has experience under a variety of arbitral rules, including the ICC, DIS, Swiss Rules, VIAC and HKIAC. His arbitration expertise centers on complex commercial and corporate disputes. In particular, he focuses on post-M&A arbitrations, shareholder disputes, joint venture conflicts, and other corporate-law matters, as well as general commercial contract disputes. Ben is particularly skilled in cases that require coordinating several applicable laws or multiple proceedings (such as parallel court and arbitration cases), thanks to his strong background in private international law and civil procedure.

Ben regularly advises and publishes on conflicts of laws issues and questions of civil procedure arising in cross-border settings. Ben also serves as an Honorary Professor at Trier University in Germany, where he teaches courses on international arbitration and international commercial law. He has also acted as an expert witness on questions of German civil procedure, including in foreign proceedings for forum non conveniens.