JUVE Comment

The German practice of this international full-service law firm has cemented its position among the market leaders through its strong presence in high-profile pharmaceutical and telecommunications disputes.

Beyond an impressive client roster including Novartis, Moderna, Apple and Xiaomi, the German patent practice is undergoing significant change. Senior partner Frank-Erich Hufnagel recently stepped down as partner in the international LLP. However, he continues to work for clients such as Apple, HP, Moderna and Novartis.

The practice’s strategic direction now lies with two younger partners, Nina Bayerl and Wolrad Prinz zu Waldeck und Pyrmont, working in conjunction with their Amsterdam and London colleagues. Freshfields’ smooth transition reflects its consistent ability to develop young talent, most recently including principal associate Corin Gittinger. These rising stars aspire to partnership positions, as evidenced by one counsel’s move to a competitor. A broader partner base would help secure Freshfields’ position as a market-leading practice. Other teams, such as Bird & Bird and Hogan Lovells, operate with significantly more partners. Additional partners would also provide greater flexibility in handling UPC cases, which now comprise approximately half of the practice’s work.

European set-up

For years, this international law firm has maintained an integrated European patent team with extensive experience in continent-wide infringement proceedings. Since 2023, the Freshfields team has established itself as a top UPC representative, with work for long-standing clients such as Novartis against Celltrion, HP against Nokia and Dolby, Lenovo against AsusTek and Headwater. The Munich/Düsseldorf team has been particularly prominent in these cases, especially where Freshfields handles parallel national court proceedings, such as for Netgear against Huawei in the now-settled wi-fi standards dispute.

UPC cases have significantly strengthened the already close pan-European cooperation along the Munich-Düsseldorf-Amsterdam-London axis. Moderna, for example, is represented by a team spanning all three jurisdictions, including a UPC case against Arbutus. The same applied to Xiaomi against Panasonic, while Novartis typically relies on an Amsterdam-German team. Freshfields’ established US presence could further boost its UPC litigation practice if US clients increasingly turn to the new court for global litigation strategies or, like Apple, face NPE actions there.

Strengths

Pharmaceuticals and mobile communications litigation, the latter including FRAND.

Recommended individuals

Nina Bayerl (“high-quality advice and always very good in oral hearings”, “excellent young lawyer who is already taking the helm “, competitors), Corin Gittinger (“simply a very good young patent litigator”, client; “really good”, competitor), Frank-Erich Hufnagel (“excellent, a first choice for pharma litigation”, competitor), Wolrad Prinz zu Waldeck und Pyrmont (“strong presence in the courtroom, detail-oriented”, competitor)

Team

19 lawyers

Clients

Litigation: Moderna against BioNTech over mRNA patents; Alexion against Amgen over orphan drug soliris for the treatment of rare blood disorders; Novartis against Stada and Accord (settled) over blood cancer drug Tasigna/nilotinib; Lenovo against InterDigital over video coding (ended 2024); Kodak against Fujifilm over printing plates; Netgear against Huawei over wi-fi technology (ended 2025); Xiaomi against Nera over wireless charging and NFC functions in handsets; Xiaomi against Panasonic over SEPs (ended 2025); frequent litigation for Apple, Grünenthal and HP.