Our focus areas of legal counsel are oriented towards our clients from private entities, mid-sized companies, and large corporations.

A team of experts in Germany and other international locations is available to our clients.

We support mid-sized company and large corporations. Our counselling activities are focused on commercial law: corporate, banking, securities/capital markets, tax and bankruptcy law as well as questions regarding succession planning.


We counsel both sellers and buyers in national and international business and real estate transactions.

Our focus areas

Banking, Finance and Capital markets law
Since the founding of the law firm, banking/finance law and capital markets law are among the core competencies of our legal counsel. Our specialized attorneys represent companies, institutions, investors, family offices, and private clients.

Foci in banking and finance law:
  • Banking and credit agreement law
  • Law governing loan collateral
  • Finance law and corporate finance
  • Banking supervisory and regulatory law
  • Law on payment services
Foci in capital markets and securities law:
  • Securities and stock trading law
  • Capital investor class actions
  • Investment law
  • Defense and support for investor lawsuits
  • Laws governing asset management

Your contact:

Alexander Lingert (lingert@steinpichler.de)

Real Estate Law / Commercial Real Estate Law
In addition to real estate law, residential property law, and commercial tenancy law, we also support our clients with our expertise in the affiliated legal fields of private construction law, and architectural law.

Commercial Property Law

Commercial property law bundles core areas of commercial law at the interface with real estate transactions. When unfamiliar situations arise, partiularly tax-related questions, we work together with experts of our law firm in other specialty fields and collaborative partners.

Focus areas:
  • Real estate transactions, especially the sale and acquisition of real estate and real estate portfolios
  • Structuring in accordance with tax and corporate law
  • Development and negotiation of financing options
  • Structuring and negotiation of property and fractional ownership agreements
  • Structuring and negotiation of commercial lease and rental agreements with a focus on the hospitality industry

Your contacts:

Christian Steinpichler (steinpichler@steinpichler.de)

Christian Hansen (hansen@steinpichler.de)

Corporate Law / Mergers & Acquisitions / Corporate Compliance

Corporate Law / Mergers & Acquisitions

Corporate law is a key element in legal counseling and support of corporations and entrepreneurs.

There are many details that have to be set on the right track even before the founding of a company: from the optimal legal structure from a tax perspective, appropriate structuring of corporate agreements, required corporate organizational and financing measures, up to restructuring or liquidation of a company. Of course, we focus on the corporate goals of our clients.

As a core discipline of corporate legal counsel, the area of ​​business transactions (“Mergers & Acquisitions”) requires an understanding of the company’s interests on the buyer and seller side. With our team, we support you throughout the various stages of a transaction, from establishing a bidding process to due diligence, SPA and warranty preparation to post-merger integration.

Focus areas in corporate law:
  • Law of capital corporations (especially securities law, articles of incorporation)
  • Partnership law
  • Corporate governance and corporate compliance
  • Corporate litigation and arbitration (civil and arbitral court)
  • Startup consulting, investor-friendly structuring
  • Consultation on shareholder meetings and general meetings (preparation and execution)
  • Employment contracts with corporate bodies
Focus on Mergers & Acquisitions:
  • Business transactions on the buyer and seller side
  • Acquisition financing
  • Legal due diligence
  • Private equity and venture capital
  • Distressed companies
  • Post M&A litigation and arbitration (particularly breach of warranty, compensation for damages)

Compliance / corporate governance

Corporate compliance and corporate governance
are important aspects of corporate management and part of the overall due diligence of the bodies of a corporation. Important components are careful risk analysis and, in the event of an incident, sanctioning of violations by bodies of the corporation.

Typically, a compliance system consists of specialty control and monitoring requirements, including documentation requirements, information systems, compliance guidelines or code of conduct, commitment declarations, training, etc.

We support companies throughout the entire process of implementing rules and management foundations and, together with experts in corporate and commercial law, train both corporate entities and employees in the regulation and implementation of corporate compliance and corporate governance.

Your contacts:

Christian Steinpichler (steinpichler@steinpichler.de)

Christian Hansen (hansen@steinpichler.de)

Alexander Lingert (lingert@steinpichler.de)

Case Management / Litigation, Dispute Management, Claim Management
Our precautionary approach to counsel by our law firm looks for solutions outside of confrontational court proceedings, since disputes pose incalculable risks for companies and private individuals. Buildup of reserves, financial hazards, and damage to one’s image in the networked world of the 21st century are significant factors that contribute to the avoidance of legal disputes in court.

Already in the development phase of contracts prior to the founding of a company, but also within the context of a review of contracts of an already active company, a course to avoid future legal proceedings can be set. Our experience in handling arbitration, escalation and shoot-out clauses can prevent long-standing and costly disputes between partners and associates. Especially the optimization of corporate agreements within the framework of a clever dispute management mandate has in the past helped many SMEs to achieve an efficient and cost-optimized separation from partners.

If, on the other hand, it still comes to arbitration or a legal dispute, we provide our clients with specialists who have comprehensive forensic experience. We always pursue the development of a cost and interest-oriented litigation strategy with the goal of fully implementing the client’s position. This also includes the result-oriented recommendation, at certain stages of the proceedings, to create an amicable settlement solution in order to avoid greater damages caused by the loss of a legal position in court.

If the resolution of a dispute is more efficient through a juristic/extrajuristic mediation procedure due to economic or personal reasons, we will address this openly and advise and support our clients accordingly.

Under no circumstances is our activity terminated with the title of a claim. This is where the enforcement department of our law firm steps in and, equipped with many years of experience, enters the claim of the client into a sophisticated and effective claims management system with successful execution on the part of the opponent. Even large collection mandates are not unfamiliar territory for our law firm. Our high enforcement quotas attest to the successful work of our experts in the field of enforcement.

Your contacts:

Alexander Lingert (lingert@steinpichler.de)

Italian Desk

With our Italian Desk, we provide our clients well-founded advice based on many years of legal experience in disputes in both legal systems. Native language skills and an extensive network of attorneys who are admitted in both Germany and Italy distinguish us in this arena.

Through a practical, fast, and successful approach, we are thus in a position to provide our clients with the best possible counsel and tailored solutions for their interests and challenges.

Your contacts:

Christian Steinpichler (steinpichler@steinpichler.de)

Daniela Grasso (grasso@steinpichler.de)

International Desk

We provide clients from Russian speaking countries, Arabic speaking countries, as well as Turkish speaking countries who wish to conduct business in Germany with a legal and commercial services package by attorneys who speak their native language. We support clients from the first steps – questions regarding visas and residence permits, to sustainable investment decisions as well as the development of commercial activities and the acquisition and administration of real estate in Germany.

Your contacts:

Christian Steinpichler (steinpichler@steinpichler.de)

Christian Hansen (hansen@steinpichler.de)

Bankruptcy Law
We provide counsel in the area of bankruptcy law as well as the area of reorganization/restructuring, domestically and abroad. In addition to early precautions and defense and enforcement of claims for contestation, the cornerstones of our counsel include management and organizational liability issues as well as emergency assistance in the event of filing for bankruptcy.

Focus areas:
  • Counsel on reorganization and restructuring in collaboration with our experts employment law
  • Negotiations and agreements with creditors
  • Representation at creditor meetings
  • Insolvency proceedings
  • D&O liability
  • Counsel regarding liquidation and development of settlement concepts
  • Reorganization and restructuring trust
  • Insolvency in EU countries for private individuals and companies

Your contacts:

Christian Steinpichler (steinpichler@steinpichler.de)

Intellectual Property Law and Copyright Law

Trademark Law

Trademarks and business designations are of great importance to companies and often represent substantial value. Trademarks are invaluable for the economic success of goods and services and their distinction from the competition.

In collaboration with you, we develop a strategic concept for the protection of your trademarks and business designations. We also represent you in registration and opposition proceedings before the German Patent and Trademark Office (DPMA), the Federal Patent Court (of Germany), the Office of European Union for Intellectual Property (EUIPO), and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

In the event of violation of your trademark rights, we represent your interests both out-of-court, and, if necessary, in expedited proceedings and principal proceedings.

Focus areas:
  • Review of the recordability of your trademark, comprehensive consulting in selecting trademark forms, and development of goods and services indexes.
  • Review of the recordability of your trademark, extensive consulting in the selection of trademarks, and development of goods and services indexes.
  • Registration of national trademarks (DPMA) and European Union trademarks (EUIPO) as well as international registration of national and European Union trademarks (WIPO)
  • Representation of your interest in opposition and appeal proceedings before the DPMA and EUIPO
  • Out-of-court and judicial enforcement of your trademark and logo rights
  • Initiation of border seizures in cases of trademark piracy
  • Consultation regarding contractual matters and creation of license contracts

Design Law

Through design law, the aesthetic design of a product or part thereof can be protected.

We provide counsel on how you can protect the design of your product in Germany, the European Union, as well as worldwide, and represent you in the event of a violation of your design rights.

Focus areas:
  • Review of the protectability of your design structure and counsel regarding the options for protecting your design in specific cases.
  • Review of the protectability of your design structure and counsel regarding the options for protecting your design in specific cases.
  • Registration of nationally recorded designs (DPMA), aesthetic models recorded with the European Union (EUIPO) and of industrial designs according to the Hague Agreement (WIPO)
  • Extrajudicial and judicial enforcement of your design rights
  • Border seizure proceedings
  • Enforcement of your rights during conventions
  • Counsel regarding contractual matters and creation of license agreements
  • Design Monitoring

Competition law

The Act against Unfair Competition (UWG) is designed to ensure and warrant free and genuine competition. Disputes in this arena are often based on misleading advertising, but also on counterfeit products.

We provide counsel as early as in the development of advertising measures, but also when launching new product and packaging designs. We also provide support in the creation and operation of online stores with regard to the requirements and risks from the perspective of competition law.

We pursue anti-competitive behavior of your competitors out-of-court and judicially, and defend against unjustified warnings from competitors or associations.

Focus areas:
  • Comprehensive counsel in the development of your marketing and advertising measures and review of their compliance with relevant regulations of the Act against Unfair Competition (UWG)
  • Legal review of your website and online shop
  • Review and modification as well as new development of general terms and conditions and privacy policies
  • Out-of-court and juristic pursuit of competition violations by a competitor
  • Defending against unjustified warnings or judicially asserted claims of competitors

Copyright

In matters of copyright law, we represent internationally renowned product designers as well as authors, among other clients. We counsel you on the exploitation of your copyrighted works. To this end, we design, review, and negotiate all types of license agreements and other contractual arrangements for granting and transferring usage rights.

In the event of violation of your copyrights, for example through plagiarism, we represent your interests judicially as well as out-of-court.

Focus areas:
  • Comprehensive assessment of the copyright protection of your work and the determination of the specific scope of protection
  • Comprehensive assessment of the copyright protection of your work and the determination of the specific scope of protection
  • Creation, review, and negotiation of license agreements for the granting and transfer of usage rights
  • Counsel and representation in copyright violations on the Internet
  • Judicial and extrajudicial enforcement of your copyrights

Your contact:

Andreas Hauck (hauck@steinpichler.de)

Art Law

Art is the language of the soul – but to be heard, it sometimes requires a legal voice. We therefore have been providing our clients with legal counsel in the area of art law for the last several years. In addition to renowned collectors and important collections, family foundations, well-known gallery owners and galleries, international auction houses are also part of our clientèle. Works of art are also assets whose possession and ownership is associated with various contractual and tax legalities.

We not only provide legal counsel and support in buying and selling transactions, but also in enforcement of claims based on misattribution and claims for restitution.

Our attorney specialty areas include:
  • Contract law in reference to art law, also internationally
  • Auction law
  • Bequest of art objects and transfer prior to inheritance
  • Tax liability optimization through the acquisition of art
  • Insurance and freight law

This department of the law firm is managed by the partnership of attorney Christian Hansen.

Email: hansen@steinpichler.de