My service offering is specifically tailored for inhouse counsel in the U.S. or other overseas (non-European) jurisdictions who need competent assistance when entering and navigating the complex legal landscape in Europe. I can act as your strategic adviser, your general legal counsel and your manager of external legal services. My role is to take out complexity, remove uncertainty, and - most importantly - save time and money for you and your company.
 

Strategic Guidance 

Europe is a continent with a vast variety of cultures, political and legal systems. Although most European countries are liberal democracies with market economies and developed legal systems, the details in laws, regulations and procedures can be quite different from country to country. This diverse and complex legal landscape can constitute significant barriers for foreign companies entering the markets in various European countries. With my experience of over 30 years as corporate attorney, inhouse counsel and as a managing partner of a major law firm I can help you to find the best strategy to approach a new jurisdiction in Europe. This involves in particular the identification and choice of the most suitable and efficient resources for a given project or transaction. It also includes an analysis of the potential need for inhouse capabilities in a given jurisdiction. My ultimate goal is to protect you from expensive mistakes for your business and its legal operation.
 

General Legal Advice

When a legal problem or question in a foreign jurisdiction comes up, it is often important and sometimes critical to have a first initial view from an experienced independent counsel before law firms are instructed and significant expenses are incurred. Today, AI tools can be very effective resources to address specific legal questions, but often they can not replace the sound judgement based on decades of practical experience.

Although my background and admission to practice are German, I have also worked in the UK and France and spent most of my career working on cross-border legal matters involving other European and overseas jusrisdictions . This truly international experience gives my a sound judgement on legal questions even beyond German and European law. Often a good initial assessment is critical when looking to resolve new problems in foreign jurisdictions. Of course I do not have the answer to all legal questions, but I can certainly help you find the right direction and to decide how to resolve a problem effectively and efficiently. If the matter concerns German commercial, corporate or antitrust as well as European competition law, I will often be able to handle it myself and save you significant legal fees. In all other cases, I will help you to identify the most effective and efficient way to resolve it. 

Coordination of Local Counsel

Legal cultures and markets in Europe vary from country to country. This also applies to the way lawyers and law firms work and charge their services. This may not only deviate from your expectation and common experience with U.S. law firms but also create a complexity that is extremely time consuming and keeps you from doing your ordinary work at home. In my 30 years of international legal practice I have built an extensive network of contacts to hundreds of first class lawyers and experts in all relevant European jurisdictions. On that basis I will be happy to assist you in:

• Selecting the most suitable local counsel for the matter in any given jurisdiction,
• Negotiating favourable local billing rates and commercial terms (thus avoiding premiums for U.S. clients),
• Managing the work of local counsel and ensuring that the quality of services meets your expectations,
• Reviewing the invoices and ensuring adequate cost control.

This service offering will give you the option to delegate some of your time-consuming tasks to an experienced counsel who is on your side when it comes to ensuring top quality work at reasonable costs in any European jurisdiction.