Home / Europe / Germany / Dispute Resolution / Litigation

Litigation

Back to Dispute Resolution

It is not always possible to resolve business conflicts through negotiation. Experienced litigation lawyers are needed to enforce or defend against contentious claims before state courts.

CMS's Dispute Resolution Practice Area Group is one of the most frequently recommended practices for litigation. The approximately 80 litigation experts in our team advise DAX-listed corporations as well as large and medium-sized companies from a wide range of industries ahead of commercial law disputes. If an amicable solution cannot be reached, they seamlessly take over representation in court.

Clients benefit here from litigation experience acquired over many years. In addition, when the successful enforcement or defence of claims requires it, our lawyers draw on the know-how of colleagues from other practice areas, such as Corporate/M&A, Commercial, Technology, Media & Communications, Banking & Finance, Energy and Insolvency. 

We solve complex conflicts of all kinds

Our Dispute Resolution Practice Area Group is notable for its high level of competence in progressing and managing litigation. Getting a detailed grasp of the matter and fully understanding the commercial context are extremely important to us. We take a strategic approach to the litigation we conduct on your behalf and impress in court through our professionalism and rhetorical skills. We are members of the relevant professional associations and interest groups and help shape the latest developments in the field of dispute resolution. 

Strong international presence

We also represent our clients in international disputes before the state courts, often in conjunction with colleagues from across the CMS network. We offer deep country-specific knowledge, especially in all European jurisdictions as well as Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America. We have German lawyers on the ground in Hong Kong, Singapore, Shanghai and Beijing. 

Key benefits

  • Local contacts throughout Germany
  • Excellent market reputation and respected by the courts
  • Efficient project management 
  • Deployment of legal tech
  • Cooperation with your press office/litigation PR
  • Interdisciplinary teams
  • Proven track record of cooperating with authorities and government agencies
  • Competitive pricing

"The practice group is one of the largest in the market and has recently experienced another significant surge in growth. The main reason for this is mass litigation for its clients [...], which CMS handles in a separate group using a high level of technology. In addition to classic legal proceedings, the team's work increasingly includes claims management and the worldwide coordination of product liability cases. In addition, the practice group has been instructed to advise on numerous new mandates in the classic disciplines of arbitration, product liability and commercial and corporate disputes. [...] Furthermore, CMS [...] is one of the firms that is most frequently called upon to deal with Asia-related disputes."

JUVE Handbuch, 2023/24

"A notable law firm in the dispute resolution world, CMS offers comprehensive services with a particular focus on representing clients from various industries in arbitration. The firm is respected for its prowess in handling commercial and investment arbitration cases, with members of the team regularly being appointed as presiding arbitrators. Furthermore, CMS offers expertise in mass litigation and liability claims and is regularly involved in politically sensitive projects, acting as counsel on multi-jurisdictional disputes [..]."

Chambers Global, 2023

"CMS is well equipped to advise on contentious proceedings that are multi-jurisdictional. Clients seeking guidance in relation to litigation and arbitration proceedings are well served by the full-service disputes team, which is particularly adept at advising on proceedings relating to Asian markets."

Chambers Global, 2023, Germany International & Cross-Border Capabilities

Awarded as "Innovative Lawyers Europe" and 2023 Winner in the category "Innovation in Client Delivery"

Financial Times Awards 2023

"One client describes the team at CMS as 'brilliant professionals with an outstanding knowledge of the law, and they know people across all sectors as well'."

Chambers Europe, 2022

Dispute Resolution Law Firm of the Year

JUVE Awards 2022

"In addition to its traditionally strong disciplines, such as arbitration, product liability and commercial and corporate disputes, the versatile practice is also tapping into the growing market of mass litigation."

JUVE German Commercial Law Firms 2023 (GCLF)

"A notable law firm in the dispute resolution world, CMS offers comprehensive services with a particular focus on representing clients from various industries in arbitration. The firm is respected for its prowess in handling commercial and investment arbitration cases, with members of the team regularly being appointed as presiding arbitrators. Furthermore, CMS offers expertise in mass litigation, liability claims and procurement disputes. The team is also regularly involved in politically sensitive and strategically salient projects, acting as counsel in multi-jurisdictional disputes."

Chambers Europe, 2022

"'Involved in top-quality work', CMS 'has a very broad-based team and is knowledgeable in a variety of areas'. The arbitration group is highly rated."

The Legal 500 EMEA, 2022

„Als einer der personell stärksten Praxen in Deutschland kann CMS eine Vielzahl von Verfahren bedienen. Man wird von dem Mittelstand und Hidden Champions aber auch vermehrt von Großkonzernen in streitigen Situationen mandatiert, [...], die oftmals grenzüberschreitende Aspekte beinhalteten.“

The Legal 500, 2021

"[the team] Shows notable experience in multi-jurisdictional shareholder disputes. Further expertise lies in D&O liability, corporate litigation and follow-on damages claims, particularly in the automotive and life sciences sectors."

Chambers Europe, 2021

„Die Disputes-Praxis gehört zu den vielseitigsten im Markt.“

JUVE Handbuch, 2020/2021

"One of the largest practices in Germany, CMS combines deep-rooted local knowledge with considerable international expertise. […] Members of the team regularly coordinate multi-jurisdictional projects on behalf of an impressive roster of German-headquartered entities, as well as overseas players."

Chambers Global, 2021
Top 10 Trends in Litigation
Unsere Zusammenstellung der 10 Top Trends in Litigation bietet Ihnen einen...
Update Dispute Resolution (in German)
Litigation and Arbitration News
25/07/2019
CMS Dispute Resolution Global Brochure
There are two sides to every dispute – have proven experience on yours. Whatever business you are in, resolving disputes is a fact of life. Knowing you have experienced and pragmatic advisers on your...

Feed

12/03/2024
Podcast CMS To Go | Güteverfahren – eine effiziente Alternative zu Gerichts­ver­fahren?
Court proceedings clearly often cost a lot of time, money and internal resources, as well as damaging ongoing business relationships. So are there any alternatives? Mediation and arbitration proceedings offer a little-known but efficient option, which Claus Thiery and Sandra Renschke present in our new Litigation Matters podcast. Appearing as a guest is Dr Ulrich Hagel, CEO of EUCON, the European Institute for Conflict Management. As a recognised mediation body, EUCON provides a way of handling commercial disputes. Dr Ulrich Hagel reports at first hand on how me­di­ation/ar­bit­ra­tion proceedings work, what advantages they offer and what the differences are between them and other types of proceedings.
24/01/2024
Podcast CMS To Go | Die neue Abhilfeklage – ein echter Gamechanger?
The collective action for redress that became available in October last year extends the options for collective legal action in Germany. For the first time, consumers and small businesses can take collective action against companies for redress and obtain a direct remedy, such as payments. The existing model declaratory action can only be used to obtain declaratory decisions, in other words it does not lead to a title of execution. In this podcast, Claus Thiery and Sandra Renschke, partner and counsel in the Dispute Resolution practice respectively, explain aspects such as how the remedial procedure is structured, what role consumer associations play and to what extent settlements are a likely outcome. They finish by discussing whether the new type of lawsuit will actually be a game changer, as claimed by policymakers.
23/01/2024
Litigation Matters
Litigation Matters – the podcast that covers the world of civil litigation and alternative dispute resolution. Take part in our discussion about innovative approaches and proven methods of conflict resolution, while also gaining an insight into our lawyers’ daily work in the field of litigation and negotiation.
27/12/2022
Green light from European Commission: CMS advises German government on...
Stut­tgart/Brus­sels – State-owned gas trader SEFE Securing Energy for Europe GmbH (SEFE) can continue to operate as an integrated midstream gas company and pursue its chosen realignment strategy after...
18/01/2022
Eyeo wins new victory in ad blocker case with aid of CMS
Cologne – Hamburg Regional Court has dismissed a lawsuit brought by the Axel Springer publishing group against Cologne-based Eyeo, the developer of the popular ad blocker Adblock Plus. The judges held...
09/12/2021
Climate-friendly future strategy: International CMS team advises SWM and...
Stuttgart – Spirit Energy, the gas production company in which Stadtwerke München GmbH (SWM) and Bayerngas GmbH jointly hold 31 percent and the UK-based Centrica holds 69 percent, has signed an agreement...