Partner

Dr. Volker Zerr, FRICS

Rechtsanwalt

Languages

German
English
French

Social media

Volker Zerr is one of Germany’s leading real estate lawyers, advising German and international companies and investors on real estate transactions and financing as well as on commercial leases. As a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (FRICS), his advisory services cover both his clients’ legal as well as commercial and strategic issues. He has special expertise in managing cross-border transactions and – having worked for several years as in-house lawyer both in Germany and in the USA – is familiar with the corporate perspective of real estate projects.

Volker was made partner in 2005 and has been a member of the CMS Council since 2020. In addition to his legal practice, he teaches at IREBS Real Estate Academy and is a supervisory board member, trustee and the managing director of the non-profit “musica” foundation.

Awards & Recognitions

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Listed for Project Finance and Development

Deutschlands beste Anwälte 2025 – Handelsblatt in Kooperation mit Best Lawyers
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Listed as notable practitioner

Chambers Germany, 2025
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"Volker Zerr has great negotiation skills and a strong focus on finding viable solutions.", client

Chambers Germany, 2025
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„sehr kompetent, souveräne Verhandlungsführung“, Wettbewerber

JUVE Handbuch, 2024/2025
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„Oft empfohlen“ für Immobilien- und Baurecht

JUVE Handbuch, 2024/2025
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Listed for Project Finance and Development

Deutschlands beste Anwälte 2023 und 2024 – Handelsblatt in Kooperation mit Best Lawyers
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Recommended for Real Estate

Who's Who Legal 2024
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Listed as notable practitioner

Chambers Europe, 2024
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"He is an excellent lawyer for complex acquisitions.", client

Chambers Europe, 2023
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Listed as notable practitioner

Chambers Europe, 2023
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Listed as leading individual

Chambers Europe, 2023
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Nennung als Top Anwalt für den Bereich Immobilienrecht

WirtschaftsWoche Top-Kanzleien 2023; In Kooperation mit: Handelsblatt Research Institute
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"He is an excellent lawyer for complex acquisitions."

Chambers Europe, 2023
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Notable practitioners

Chambers Europe, 2022
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Listed as Leading Individual

Chambers Europe, 2022
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"excellent negotiation skills", client

Chambers Europe, 2022
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„Sehr gute und kompetente Beratung“, Mandant

JUVE Handbuch, 2022/2023
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"client praises his 'excellent negotiation skills'"

Chambers Europe, 2022
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"very competent, masterful negotiator, pleasant to work with", competitor

JUVE German Commercial Law Firms 2022 (GCLF)
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"Recommended" for Real Estate

JUVE German Commercial Law Firms 2014-2022 (GCLF)
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"Volker Zerr wins praise from a client for being an 'extremely strong negotiator with a pragmatic approach.'"

Chambers Europe, 2021
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"strong performer", "very competent, confident negotiator, pleasant working relationship" (competitor)

JUVE German Commercial Law Firms 2020 (GCLF)
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„Sehr angenehm und fachlich hervorragend“, Wettbewerber

JUVE Handbuch, 2018/2019
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"highly experienced, efficient and motivated"; "very good negotiation skills."

Chambers Europe, 2018
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„Weitere Schlüsselfiguren der Praxis sind Volker Zerr in Stuttgart und Heinrich Schirmer in Frankfurt, die beide ‚auf sehr gutem fachlichen Niveau und sehr zuverlässig arbeiten’.“

The Legal 500 Deutschland, 2018
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"his team delivers superb quality and always within the agreed, often short, time frame", client

JUVE German Commercial Law Firms 2018 (GCLF)
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"very friendly, strong expertise", competitor

JUVE German Commercial Law Firms 2018 (GCLF)
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"Volker Zerr has the talent to make complex legal issues easy to understand.", client

Chambers Europe, 2017
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„sehr bewährt in der Leitung größerer, internationaler Teams“

The Legal 500 Deutschland, 2017
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„Ergebnisorientierter u. pragmatischer Verhandlungspartner; sehr angenehm“

JUVE German Commercial Law Firms 2017 (GCLF)
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"excellent negotiation strength based on a profound knowledge and understanding of the German market"

Chambers Europe, 2016
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"a very good transactional lawyer with an excellent commercial understanding deals"

Chambers Europe, 2016
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"very good industry knowledge"

The Legal 500 EMEA, 2015
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"outstanding, pragmatic lawyer with a very good team, reliable and keeps to schedules", client

JUVE German Commercial Law Firms 2015 (GCLF)

Relevant experience

Deutscher Sparkassenverlag DSV | On acquisition of new corporate headquarters, one of the most innovative and sustainable project developments in Stuttgart
Advising Allianz on the acquisition of a climate-neutral logistics portfolio in three European countries by way of a forward sale and leaseback
Versicherungskammer | Advising on the acquisition of the B.munich new build project, which is close to Munich’s main railway station as part of a forward deal
Versicherungskammer | Advising on investment in an office and retail building on Berlin’s Kurfürstendamm
Allianz Real Estate | Advising on the sale of “Quartier 207” in Berlin to real estate firm Tishman Speyer in an off-market deal
Allianz Real Estate | Advising on the establishment of a joint venture for a EUR 3 billion residential portfolio
Allianz Real Estate | Advising on the sale of the "Skyper" high-rise building in Frankfurt, volume: EUR 550 million
Allianz Real Estate | Advising Allianz Real Estate GmbH on the acquisition of the Kap West project development in Munich, the sale of a real estate portfolio to Patrizia (volume: more than EUR 400 million), the acquisition of “Haus an der Wien” (volume: EUR 94 million) and the acquisition of “The Icon Vienna” landmark office building at Vienna’s new central railway station from SIGNA Development Selection AG (volume: more than EUR 500 million), the acquisition of the NM28 office building in Munich from Bertelsmann in a sale-and-lease-back transaction (volume: EUR 214 million).
Savills Investment Management | Advising Savills Investment Management on the acquisition of different properties (“Bertha-Berlin“, “Lister Dreieck“ in Hanover, “Dortmunder U“ in Dortmund, volume: EUR 300 million) and on the sale of a real estate portfolio to Patrizia (volume: EUR 320 million)
Ferdinand Piëch Holding | Advising Ferdinand Piëch Holding on the acquisition of the Hindenburgbau, a listed office and retail complex in Stuttgart; volume: EUR 101 million
LBBW | Advising LBBW on the sale of the Haerder-Center in Luebeck and the sale of the “N1” commercial property in Mannheim
Baden-Württemberg Stiftung | Advising state-owned foundation Baden-Württemberg Stiftung on the acquisition of the Mercedes-Benz Bank building in Stuttgart
Allianz Real Estate | Advising Allianz Real Estate Germany on the sale of the “Bremer Carrée” retail property to a joint venture
Allianz Real Estate | Advising Allianz Real Estate Germany on the sale of a portfolio comprising nine office and commercial properties to Patrizia (purchase price: approx. EUR 420 million)
Allianz Real Estate | Advising Allianz Real Estate Germany on the acquisition of an office development project from OFB in Munich (share deal)
Allianz Real Estate | Advising Allianz Real Estate Germany on the financing and refinancing of numerous projects in various European countries, e.g., CentrO Oberhausen, Deutsche Bank Türme, Gropius Passagen Berlin, Königsbaupassagen Stuttgart or Alsterarkaden Hamburg (volume: over EUR 1.5 billion)
Württembergische Lebensversicherung AG | Advising Württembergische Lebensversicherung AG on the acquisition of the Skyline Living high rise in Stuttgart from Hines
Argon (Piëch Group) | Advising Argon (Piëch Group) on the acquisition of a property portfolio in Mannheim from LBBW
Credit Suisse | Advising Credit Suisse on the acquisition of an office building in Stuttgart
Commerzbank | Advising Commerzbank on the sale of the entire property portfolio of the transferred Aberdeen and Credit Suisse real estate funds in Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Finland, UK, Romania and Croatia (volume: more than EUR 500 million)
Württembergische Lebensversicherung AG | Advising Württembergische Lebensversicherung AG on the acquisition of a portfolio of retail parks in Dortmund and Mannheim from RUDU Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH
BÜLOW AG | Advising Bülow AG on the sale of a completed office building, and a hotel building in Stuttgart Vaihingen which is still to be completed. Advice on real estate law provided to Bülow AG on the sale of both properties to Deka Immobilien Investment GmbH
Allianz Real Estate | Advising Allianz Real Estate on the sale of the "KÖ 35" office and commercial building in a prime central location to the Stuttgart-based project developer, W2 Development GmbH, and the Munich-based investment specialist, Competo Capital Partners
Savills Investment Management | Advising Savills Investment Management on the acquisition of parts of the Marienzeile in Nuremberg. Advising Savills Investment Management on the acquisition of the Wilhelm and Maximilian office buildings on Bahnhofstrasse from Aurelis Real Estate
Savills Investment Management | Advising Savills Investment Management on the acquisition of the "Wagnergebäude 88.0" office building in the north of Munich as an asset deal. The sole tenant of the six-storey office building comprising a leased area of 16,200 m² is BMW
Württembergische Lebensversicherung AG | Advising Württembergische Lebensversicherung AG on the sale of the local "Eppendorfer Center" for EUR 103 million to the Hahn Group. The property in the Hamburg district of Eppendorf will become part of one of Hahn's special real estate funds
Württembergische Lebensversicherung AG | Advising Württembergische Lebensversicherung AG on the sale of one of the largest specialist retail centres in Munich with an overall leased area of approx. 16,500 m² in Stockacher Strasse to MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH

Publications

Top Anwalt Immobilienrecht 2023, Wirtschaftswoche Ausgabe 4/2023
"Wie das Justizministerium die Aufregung um die Schriftform beenden will", Gastbeitrag Immobilienzeitung vom 27.01.2022, p. 13
"COVID-19-Pandemie hinterlässt Spuren auf dem europäischen Investmentmarkt für Immobilien", Zeitschrift für Immobilienrecht (ZfIR) Volume 26, 03.01.2022, p. 49 – 56
CMS Real Estate Deal Point Study 2021
Buyers ‘strengthened their position’ in 2020, but it is still a sellers' market, Interview in PropertyEU.info, 15.06.2021
"Wann Nachträge zum Mietvertrag zur Haftungsfalle werden", Immobilien Zeitung vom 06.06.2021
„Das Jahr der dicken Gewerbedeals“, Immobilien Zeitung vom 07.02.2019, Zitate aus einem Interview.
"Zunehmende Risikofreude bei Immobilieninvestoren – Ergebnisse der CMS Real Estate Deal Point Study 2014", Zeitschrift für Immobilienrecht (ZfIR) Volume 18, Issue 17 – 18/2014, p. 665 – 673
Co-author in the handbook "Immobilienökonomie II, Rechtliche Grundlagen, 3. aktualisierte und erweiterte Auflage", p. 294 – 349, 2013, Oldenbourg Verlag München, ISBN 978-486-71359-6, published by Schulte, Kühling, Servatius und Stellmann
"Was bei der Finanzierung machbar ist und wie man sie erhält - Experteninterview" (http://www.immobilien-zeitung.de/1000016268/was-bei-finanzierung-machbar-ist-und-wie-man-erhaelt)
Deutsche Immobilien-Platzhirsche dominieren die Top-Lagen, The Wall Street Journal (http://www.wallstreetjournal.de/article/SB10001424127887323993804578618124020626646.html?mod=googlenews_wsjde), 22.07.2013
CMS Real Estate Deal Point Study 2012, Zeitschrift für Immobilienrecht (ZfIR) 17. Jahrgang, Heft 7, p. 255 – 262
Grundstückskaufvertrag – Haftungsausschluss bei zwischen Angebot und Annahme auftretenden Mängeln, Zeitschrift für Immobilienrecht (ZfIR) 16. Jahrgang, Skript 22, 19. November 2012, p. 817–822
Markterholung bei Immobilientransaktionen – Aktuelle Ergebnisse der CMS Real Estate Deal Point Study 2011, ZfIR 3 2012, p. 106-112
Vertragsklauseln bei Immobilientransaktionen - Ergebnisse der CMS Real Estate Deal Point Study 2010, Zeitschrift für Immobilienrecht, RWS Verlag 2011, p. 214-221
Managementleistungen im Lebenszyklus von Immobilien, Vermarktungsmanagement, ISBN 978-3-519-00528-5, Teubner-Verlag 2007, Der Projektsteuerungsvertrag, Herausgeber: Viering, Liebchen, Kochendörfer
Der VOB/B-Vertrag, Höchstrichterliche und obergerichtliche Rechtsprechung und Folgerungen für die Praxis, Zeitschrift für Immobilienrecht, RWS-Verlag, Skript 345, 1. Auflage 2005
Gesamtschuldverhältnisse im Bauwesen, NZBau 2002
Auswirkungen des neuen Verbraucherkreditrechts auf Immobiliendarlehensverträge, Stuttgarter Zeitung 2002
Risikomanagement in der Bauindustrie, Börsen-Zeitung 2000
Der Streitgegenstand im Wettbewerbsprozess (Diss.), 1996

Memberships & Roles

Fellow of Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (FRICS)
Vorsitzender des Prüfungsausschusses "Fachanwalt für Bau- und Architektenrecht" der Rechtsanwaltskammer Stuttgart
American Bar Association

Lectures list

"ESG 2023 - Harmonising Values and Objectives" ZIA Turmforum, 03.03.2023
Lecture at the IREBS Immobilienakademie, „Legal Due Diligence“, 16.01.2023
Lecture at the IREBS Immobilienakademie, „Legal Due Diligence“, 11.12.2021
Lecture at the IREBS Immobilienakademie „Legal and Tax Due Diligence“, 22.01.2021
Lecture at the IREBS Immobilienakademie, „Legal Due Diligence“, 13.01.2021
Lecture at the IREBS Immobilienakademie, 15.01.2020
Lecture at the IREBS Immobilienakademie, 16.01.2019
Lecture at the IREBS Immobilienakademie, 17.01.2018
Lecture at the IREBS Immobilienakademie, 18.01.2017
Presentation held at 8th Real Estate Dialogue for the Stuttgart region entitled "Transactions: What are investors realistically able to negotiate?", 07.07.2015
Lecture at the IREBS Immobilienakademie, 21.01.2015
Lecture at the International Real Estate Business School on 25.07.2014
CMS Real Estate Deal Point Study 2014: The increasing willingness of real estate investors to take risks!, 08.04.2014
The pitfalls of renting office premises, Jones Lang LaSalle, 15.05.2014
Lecture at the IREBS Immobilienakademie, 23.10.2013
Lecture at the IREBS Immobilienakademie, 13.06.2013
Can German real estate help to safely manoeuvre through the Euro crisis? – Current developments on the real estate market, 29.11.2012
Lecture at the IREBS Immobilienakademie, 15.11.2012
Lecture at the IREBS Immobilienakademie, 24.10.2012
Lecture at the IREBS Immobilienakademie, 11.08.2012
Lecture at the IREBS Immobilienakademie, 20.07.2012
Lecture at the IREBS Immobilienakademie, 12.01.2012
New Developments in a strong real estate market - current developments, 30.11.2011
Lecture at the IREBS Immobilienakademie, 18.11.2011
Lecture at the IREBS Immobilienakademie, 06.08.2011
Lecture at the IREBS Immobilienakademie, 11.05.2011
The boom in the real estate market – current developments, 16.11.2010
Lecture at the IREBS Immobilienakademie, 12.11.2010
Lecture at the IREBS Immobilienakademie, 15./16.07.2010
Case studies on distress sales, Property Lunch, 19.11.2009
Pressure in the real estate market – safeguarding earnings by effective contract management, LHS Stuttgart, Stabsabteilung Wirtschaftsförderung, 24.06.2009
Pressure in the real estate market – how to safeguard earnings and minimise insolvency risks, CMS Stuttgart RICS , 31.03.2009
The German Debt Recovery Act (Forderungssicherungsgesetz), IHK Ulm, 25.11.2008
Particularities on German real estate law and commercial lease law, CMS Cameron McKenna, London, 28.09.2006
Particularities on German real estate law and commercial lease law, CMS Bureau Francis Lefebvre, Paris, 04.04.2006
Talk in connection with the commercial law forum of the IHK Ulm on "Advantage of Location Law", 18.11.2005
Liability of engineers and architects: How can liability risks be restricted for planning work? Information forum of UNITA Unternehmensberatung GmbH, Stuttgart, 13.07.2005
Course for lawyers specialising in construction and architect's law for the Forum-Institut für Management, Mannheim, 25.05. to 27.05.2005
Current case law on commercial lease law, seminar for the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, 04.05.2004

Education

1997: Second state examination in law
1996: PhD
1994: First state examination in law
1990 - 1997: Law studies and trainee lawyer in Munich

Practice Areas

Real Estate & Public Real estate transactions and financing Legal asset management

Insights

Global Reach

Karriere