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If you have business operations or relationships in Germany and need legal advice on local or cross-border matters, we are ideally placed to help. CMS has more than 600 lawyers based in major commercial centres throughout the country, all specialised in finding business-focused solutions to the legal challenges faced by companies like yours.

Our ability to cover all areas of commercial law makes us a one-stop provider, while sector-specific teams ensure that our lawyers understand the context in which you operate. Deep local roots and excellent contacts maximise the relevance of our advice.

From established fields such as M&A to emerging areas like e-mobility, our experts combine excellent technical skills with strong market knowledge. Highly regarded teams cover all aspects of commercial law, banking and finance, competition, corporate and M&A, dispute resolution, employment & pensions, environmental matters, intellectual property, maritime law, private equity, public procurement, real estate, tax and more.

Business is increasingly international, which means grappling with local legal particularities and cultural differences. Our membership of the CMS organisation enables us to provide expert support wherever business takes you, both within Europe and beyond.

Based on decades of experience, we deliver solutions tailored to your needs, so you can focus on running your business.

To discuss how we can help you, please contact us via the online form, email or by phone.

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22/03/2024
EU Competition Law Briefings 2024
The EU Competition Law Briefings have been created to provide a platform for our clients and other competition law experts to stay up to date on the developments of EU Competition Law. Every month CMS competition experts will present a recent case by the EU Commission or Community Courts during a webinar.
18/03/2024
E-learning | Contact with competitors – basic competition law rules
Our e-learning course on dealing with competitors provides our clients with a sound basis for training their employees. This e-learning course guides through the correct conduct under competition law when in contact with competitors.
18/03/2024
E-learning | Protection of reporting persons using a whistleblower system
The EU’s Whistleblower Directive (2019/1937) was transposed into national law in Germany by the Whistleblower Protection Act (Hin­weis­ge­ber­s­chutzge­setz, HinSchG). The Whistleblower Protection Act came into effect on 2 July 2023. We have developed an e-learning course for your employees that answers the essential legal and organisational questions relating to the whistleblower protection provided by having a reporting system in place. The course also explains how a whistleblowing system works and encourages staff to report potential issues internally rather than contacting the relevant external reporting office.
18/03/2024
E-learning | Competition law – basics
This e-learning course provides you with the basics of the main bans under competition law, highlights the various severe legal consequences of competition law violations and provides recommendations on what to do in the event of searches by competition authorities.
18/03/2024
E-learning | Open source compliance – basics
This e-learning course teaches the basics of open source compliance. The aim of the course is to raise awareness of the advantages as well as the risks and pitfalls of open source software in all these levels of the company. At the end of the course, solutions to identify risks and avoid them as best as possible through appropriate processes are shown. The e-learning course is aimed at everyone in companies who comes into contact with open source software. This includes not only management but also the IT and development department, purchasing, sales and product management.
18/03/2024
E-learning | Money laundering prevention in industry and trade
This e-learning course was developed specifically for employees and suppliers. It is intended to raise awareness of what must be observed legally to successfully prevent money laundering. As the addressees of the Anti-Money Laundering Act (Geld­wäschege­setz, GwG), companies are obliged to take precautions against their own abuse for money laundering purposes or financing terrorists. The e-learning course takes into account the special position of goods traders in money laundering prevention and can be individually supplemented and modified with regard to the specific risk exposure (especially business activities with high-risk countries, dealing with deviating payers or conspicuous drop shipments).
18/03/2024
E-learning | Open source compliance for software developers
This e-learning course has been specially designed for software developers. Its purpose is to raise awareness of what needs to be considered from a legal viewpoint when software developers use open source software.
18/03/2024
E-Learning | Preventing corruption – basics and practical tips
In a business context, benefits such as gifts and invitations are mainly intended to promote and maintain business relationships. However, using excessive benefits to influence business decisions is not allowed. There is often uncertainty about what is "allowed" and what is "banned" in the business world. Our basic training on corruption prevention educates your employees and provides practical guidance for everyday business that complies with legal requirements.
15/03/2024
CMS Expert Guide on Real Estate Data Centre Consenting
Welcome to CMS’ online guide tool for data centre legal consenting considerations. Please use the tool to compare legal consenting considerations for data centre development and investment across key...
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15/03/2024
CMS Expert Guide to real estate finance law
A clear understanding of the security available is fundamental for lenders and borrowers. To assist, CMS has launched an interactive International Guide to Real Estate Finance. This provides a clear and...
14/03/2024
CMS advises Encavis management board on EUR 2.8 billion takeover offer...
Ham­burg/Frank­furt – KKR has today announced a voluntary public takeover offer made to all the other shareholders of Encavis AG of EUR 17.50 per share in cash. This represents a transaction volume of around EUR 2.8 billion. Family-owned business Viessmann GmbH & Co. KG will participate as co-investor in the KKR-led consortium. The offeror has signed binding agreements with Abacon Capital GmbH and other major shareholders holding around 31% of the total share capital. These shareholders will continue to be long-term investors in the company indirectly through a stake in the offeror’s corporate structure. Encavis and the offeror have signed an investor agreement on the key points of the transaction. In line with the investor negotiations, the consortium will support the strategic ambitions of Encavis to accelerate growth. The offer document will be submitted by the offeror within the next two weeks for approval by the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin). Completion of the transaction is subject to a minimum acceptance threshold and regulatory approvals, among other conditions. CMS advised Encavis on the investor agreement via a team headed by Dr Henrik Drinkuth and Ayleen Görisch, together with Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, and will advise the Encavis management board on all legal aspects of the takeover offer. The company is a longstanding CMS client. CMS Germany Dr Henrik Drinkuth, Partner Ayleen Görisch, Counsel, both Lead Dr Hendrik Quast, Senior Associate, all Corporate/M&A Christoff Soltau, Partner Kai Neuhaus, Partner Dr Robert Bodewig, Senior Associate David Rappenglück, Associate, all Antitrust, Competition & Trade Philipp Melzer, Partner Hatice Akyel, Counsel Patrick Damanik, Senior Associate, all Banking, Finance & Insurance Encavis Natalie Grüber (Head of Legal)Press Con­tact presse@cms-hs. com
14/03/2024
CMS wins case for TenneT before Federal Administrative Court – work can...
Hamburg – On 13 March 2024, the Federal Administrative Court dismissed the lawsuit brought by a gravel mining company against the planning approval granted by Lower Saxony’s Regional Authority for Roads and Transport on 22 December 2022 for the construction and operation of the St­ade-Landes­ber­gen 380kV power line.A CMS team headed by Dr Neele Christiansen and Dr Christiane Kappes represented the proponent, TenneT TSO GmbH (TenneT), as summoned party in the proceedings before the Federal Administrative Court. The CMS team previously advised TenneT on all aspects of the planning approval procedure. The planning approval relates to the project to build the seventh section of the 155 kilometre-long line between Stade and Landesbergen. The court of first instance in this case, the Federal Administrative Court, ruled that the planning approval is lawful. The planning approval is compatible with regional planning law and the relevant interests were properly weighed up. All aspects of the gravel mining company’s concerns had been duly taken into account. Notably, custom design of the pylons, which would be costly to develop, construct, maintain and operate, is not required. The ruling is one of the first from the Federal Administrative Court’s new 11th Energy Senate. The Senate deals with energy law cases in which speed is of the essence. The Federal Administrative Court’s case reference is 11 A 6/23. CMS Germany Dr Neele Christiansen, Partner Dr Christiane Kappes, Part­ner Se­basti­an Belz, Counsel Jan Gröschel, Senior Associate Dr Nico Schröter, Associate, all PublicPress Con­tact presse@cms-hs. com