Home / People / Dr. Gerd Leutner
Portrait ofGerd Leutner

Dr. Gerd Leutner

Partner
Rechtsanwalt

CMS Hasche Sigle
Lennéstraße 7
10785 Berlin
Germany
Languages German, English, French

Gerd Leutner advises German and international companies on structuring their business activities in Germany with a focus on M&A, restructuring of groups of companies, change of legal form and mergers (domestic and cross-border). His practice includes corporate and contract law (limited liability companies, partnerships, sector-specific contracts), international private law and international procedural law.

Gerd has special hotel, smart mobility, electromobility, transport, logistics and rail sector expertise as well as long-standing experience advising major business cooperations, including public-private partnerships. As the coordinator of CMS’s German-French Group, he particularly focuses on German-French mandates and on supporting the firm’s German-French teams of advisors.

Before joining CMS, Gerd startet his legal career with a business law firm in Düsseldorf in 1998. In 2001/2002, he was seconded to CMS in Paris and in 2004 became a partner. He regularly publishes articles on German-French corporate law topics and speaks on German corporate law and M&A topics. Gerd also represents CMS in the "digital networking" and "rail" steering committees of Deutsches Verkehrsforum (German Transport Forum).

more less

Listed for Corporate

Deutschlands beste Anwälte 2023 – Handelsblatt in Kooperation mit Best Lawyers

Listed for Mergers and Acquisitions

Deutschlands beste Anwälte 2023 – Handelsblatt in Kooperation mit Best Lawyers

Relevant experience

  • Advising Accor on acquiring and selling various hotel portfolios (since 2006)
  • Advising Cofiroute/VINCI on its investment in truck toll system Toll Collect (since 2000)
  • Advising Elior on entering the German market with a portfolio of motorway services and on expanding the company’s German activities (since 2009)
  • Assessing the acquisition of a German transport provider for a foreign transport provider including structuring of alternative financing models in the regional rail sector
  • Advising allego/Alliander on the successful participation in the federal state of Berlin’s tender for setting up and running a network of electric vehicles charge points
more less

Memberships & Roles

  • Cercle économique franco-allemand de Berlin
  • Arbeitsgruppe "Internationaler Rechtsverkehr" des Deutschen Anwaltvereins
  • Steering committees "Rail" and "Telematics" of Deutsches Verkehrsforum (German Transport Forum)
  • Head of the Advisory Board of the Humboldt European Law School - Foundation
more less

Publications

  • Gewerbemiete; "Vertragsparteien" C.H. Beck 2023 (co-author)
  • Die Operation am lebenden Unternehmenskörper, Die Welt "SMART Rechtsguide 2021", co-authors: Prof Dr Marion Bernhardt, Prof Dr Winfried Bullinger
  • Beurkundung von Unternehmenstransaktionen, Praxishandbuch mit Gestaltungshinweisen, C.H. Beck 2015, co-authors: Dr Jochen N. Schlotter, Dr Jörg Zätzsch
  • Standardvertragsmuster zum Handels- und Gesellschaftsrecht Deutsch-Französisch, C.H.Beck, 2nd edition 2013, (co-author)
  • Beurkundungsbedürftigkeit der Verknüpfungsabrede beim Geschäftsanteilskaufvertrag?, NZG 2012, page 1406 (co-author: Dr Igor Stenzel)
  • Wrongly unnoticed: the enforceable lawyer's settlement agreement (Anwaltsvergleich), NJW 19/2012, page 1318, co-author: Maximilian Hacker
  • Kommentar zum Handelsregisterrecht, Band 61, C.H. Beck 2010, co-authors: Prof Dr Martin Schmidt-Kessel, Dr Peter-Hendrik Müther
  • Fusion tranfrontalières en Allemagne: premiers retours d'expériences, Option Finance, Hors-série N°32, January 2010
  • Neubearbeitung der Teile "Organisation Judiciaire" und "Droit des Sociétés", Dossiers Internationaux Editions Francis Lefebvre, "Allemagne - Juridique, Fiscal, Social", 8. Auflage 2007
  • Ausländische GmbH: Insolvenzverschleppungshaftung des Alleingesellschafter-Geschäftsführers einer englischen "Limited" wegen Unterkapitalisierung, GmbHRundschau, Heft 13, Verlag Dr. Otto Schmidt Köln 2006, (co-author)
  • Die Entdeckung der Grundschuld: Die "wiederauffüllbare Hypothek" (hypothèque rechargeable) als neues Kreditsicherungsmittel im französischen Recht, Zeitschrift für Immobilienrecht, ZfIR 2006, p. 817 ff, (co-author)
  • Verabschiedung der EG-Verschmelzungsrichtlinie, GPR Zeitschrift für Gemeinschaftsprivatrecht 2006, p. 32 ff, (co-author)
  • "Confusion de patrimoines" nach Art. 1844-5 Code Civil: Ausweg bei deutsch-französischen Verschmelzungen, Recht der Internationalen Wirtschaft 2004, p. 264 ff, (co-author)
  • Anmerkung zu BGH IX ZB 11/97 vom 26.06.1997 (Vollstreckung Dänischer Schuldurkunden in Deutschland), Zeitschrift für Zivilprozeß 1998
  • Die vollstreckbare Urkunde im europäischen Rechtsverkehr, Duncker & Humblot 1997
  • Die Rechtsstellung des gewerblichen Zwischenmieters nach § 549a BGB, Juristenzeitung JZ 1996, (co-author)
more less

Education

  • 1996: PhD on comparative law, "The enforcable deed in European Law"
  • 1995 - 1997: Trainee lawyer in Freiburg, Rostock and London
  • 1988 - 1994: Law studies at the Universities of Freiburg and Montpellier
more less

Feed

30/11/2022
CMS advises Synergie on the acquisition of InterKadra
Berlin – International law firm CMS has advised French Group Synergie on its acquisition of Polish temporary employment agency InterKadra. Synergie Group is one of the top five global groups operating...
02/09/2022
CMS advises Spread Group on acquisition of shares in digital B2B merchandise...
Berlin – The Spread Group, a global provider of customised fashion and lifestyle products headquartered in Leipzig and Greensburg, PA (USA), has acquired shares in Berlin-based B2B merchandise platform...
09/12/2021
CMS Public Procurement Forum
Public procurement on the move to ecological transition We are delighted to announce that the 7th CMS Public Procurement Forum will take place in Paris on Thursday, 9 December 2021 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:30...
24/11/2021
CMS Expert Guide to hydrogen energy law and regulation
Hydrogen guide – introduction The important role that low-carbon hydrogen will play in decarbonising our energy usage is becoming increasingly widely recognised. Its versatility and broad range of...
29/04/2021
CMS advises Equitix on European project portfolio acquisition
Berlin – CMS has advised key infrastructure fund client Equitix on the conditional acquisition of stakes in six public-private partnership (PPP) projects held by DIF Capital Partners. The projects are...
21/05/2020
Autonomous vehicles law and regulation in Germany
1. Is the testing of AVs (SAE Levels 3-5) permitted on public roads in your jurisdiction? Level 51German Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure is introducing a new and refined definition of...
11/01/2019
Law passed to prepare UK limited companies in Germany for possible Hard...
German lawmakers have prepared a corporate environment that could help UK limited companies stay in Germany in the event of Brexit. This German action comes in response to recent events in the UK surrounding...
10/09/2018
CMS advises shareholders of software provider Softgarden on sale to Investcorp...
Berlin – Technology investor Investcorp Technology Partners has acquired Softgarden, a human resources (HR) software provider. The seller is a group of investors including Cipio Partners, Brandenburg...
30/08/2018
US entertainment group Advance Publications advised by international CMS...
Berlin – US entertainment group Advance Publications, Inc. (Advance) has acquired 100% of the shares in musical group Stage Entertainment from private equity investor CVC Capital Partners (CVC) and...
02/08/2018
Electric vehicle regulation and law in Germany
Germany, Europe’s largest automobile market and world leader in vehicle exports, has immense potential for e-mobile development. Although the sales and manufacturing market for EVs is still second to...
29/09/2017
CMS advises Synergie on acquisition of shares in Völker GmbH
Vienna – Synergie International Employment Solutions SL, a subsidiary of Synergie SE, one of the largest employment services companies in Europe, has acquired 80 per cent of the shares in Völker...
13/07/2017
CMS advises Abellio on acquisition of WestfalenBahn
Berlin – Abellio GmbH, a leading private provider of public rail services in Germany, has increased its stake in WestfalenBahn from 25% to 100% by acquiring the shares of its previous co-share­hold­ers...