Litigation: Lawyers – Germany 2025

JUVE Comment

Bird & Bird has delivered an impressive performance this year, handling high-profile cases for clients including Edwards Lifesciences, Huawei, Broadcom, Maxeon, Nestlé and Teva. The mixed team represents its client base across a broad spectrum of technologies. Its distinguished team of partners, comprising lawyers Christian Harmsen, Oliver Jüngst and Boris Kreye, alongside patent attorneys such as Daniela Kinkeldey, commands an excellent reputation for patent litigation.

A highlight of the year was the CJEU ruling in the BSH vs Electr...

Other Rankings

• Litigation: Patent Attorneys

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 p...

JUVE Comment

This mixed patent litigation practice has maintained its position among the German market leaders for years. The well-established team conducts high-calibre litigation for numerous clients across a broad technical spectrum. Hogan Lovells was again highly active in various mobile communications proceedings. A team recently successfully defended HMD against several lawsuits filed by Huawei at Munich Regional Court.

Its positioning with Chinese implementers such as Oppo, Xiaomi and, more recently, Hisense is particularly impressive. Even...

Other Rankings

• Litigation: Patent Attorneys

JUVE Comment

Rospatt maintains its position as a market leader through a consistently high volume of economically and legally significant national infringement proceedings. The German IP litigation boutique operates at the highest level in pharmaceutical and biotech disputes. This is evidenced not only by its ongoing representation of Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Janssen Biotech in litigation concerning the Stelara biosimilar, but also by continued instructions from Biogen for blockbuster drugs including multiple sclerosis treatment Tecfidera and Humira ...

JUVE Comment

Like a well-oiled machine, Quinn Emanuel's German patent litigation team remains involved in numerous high-profile cases for international clients, maintaining its position among Germany's market-leading practices. Despite charging hourly rates well above market average, the team continues to attract clients “willing to spend a lot of money on key disputes”, as one client notes.

While large-scale proceedings for Dexcom regarding glucose-monitoring devices and for Tesla concerning mobile phone patents dominated the team's activities in...

JUVE Comment

This international law firm has built up a successful tech litigation team in its German line-up around Jan Ebersohl and Denise Benz. This year, the team once again demonstrated its ambitions by representing Samsung in its lawsuit against ZTE in the German part of a major global mobile communications dispute. The momentum is largely driven by regular clients such as Samsung Electronics and Samsung Displays. A&O Shearman also celebrated a success for Giesenke & Devigent in relation to banknotes. Meanwhile, the team has recently gained the tru...

JUVE Comment

This mixed IP firm combines a strong litigation team with one of Germany's largest patent prosecution practices. However, this year has been marked by an unusually high number of team changes. In the second half of the year, Hoffmann Eitle lost two lawyers, Mike Gruber and Niels Hölder, to competitor Carpmaels & Ransford. Previously, both firms had collaborated on matters such as representing Sanofi and Regeneron against Amgen regarding cholesterol-lowering drugs Praluent and Repatha at the UPC, but competition between the two firms is now i...

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• Patent Filing
• Litigation: Patent Attorneys

JUVE Comment

This Düsseldorf IP boutique is renowned for patent litigation across a broad technical spectrum. With its core clientele of technology-driven German SMEs continuing to focus on national lawsuits, Krieger Mes has recently been one of Germany's most active patent litigation firms. In many of these proceedings, such as those for Brose, Melita and Leifheit, it leverages close relationships with German patent attorney firms as client referrers.

The firm's high volume of cases has been bolstered by a new series of lawsuits for Via LA concer...

JUVE Comment

The Bonabry team has unleashed fresh energy following its spin-off from established firm Preu Bohlig at the start of the year. Together with two colleagues in Paris and a partner from Munich, the Hamburg team now presents a more cohesive presence than before, with a clear focus on UPC litigation. This new structure is attracting both new clients and colleagues.

The practice continues to be anchored by a strong team led by Daniel Hoppe, which regularly represents generic drug companies in their most commercially significant disputes. A...

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SMEs of all sizes continue to place their patents in CBH's capable hands. They trust the firm's highly active practice in employee invention law, as well as its increasingly visible litigation team based in Munich.

The Munich team has undergone a fundamental transformation over the past two years, as younger partners Hannes Jacobsen and Paul Szynka have emerged from the shadow of veteran Stephan Gruber to take the lead on the firm's most important cases. They earn praise for their deep technical knowledge and high-quality advice, main...

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In less than three years since their arrival, the German patent litigation team around Tobias Hessel and Stefan Richter has established itself as a formidable presence in SEP litigation. The team represented Huawei against Netgear and AVM in both UPC and parallel national litigation. Following that dispute's settlement, the core client immediately instructed the team in another matter against MediaTech. The team also represented Oppo in key disputes. For TP-Link, the lawyers are conducting not only UPC and national infringement proceedings, ...

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DLA Piper maintains an excellent position in infringement proceedings for clients in mobile communications, mechanical engineering and consumer goods. While established clients such as HP and Nike traditionally instruct the team for litigation, Amazon, Microsoft, Dyson and a prominent electric vehicle manufacturer have recently become key clients of the German practice.

The firm is also well positioned in SEP and network technology proceedings, representing Belkin, HP and car manufacturers Toyota and Ford in challenges to Neo Wireless...

JUVE Comment

The mixed team at this large IP firm has established itself as a challenger in the patent litigation market. A substantial number of SMEs and international companies trust the team comprehensively with prosecution work and, increasingly, litigation. The firm represents Zhuhai CosMX Battery, for example, in an extensive patent battle against competitors over battery technology.

Overall, Eisenführ Speiser has emerged stronger from a period of transition, partly due to its success in protecting and maintaining its core client base. The t...

Other Rankings

• Patent Filing
• Litigation: Patent Attorneys

JUVE Comment

The well-positioned patent practice at this German full-service law firm has built its reputation through extensive litigation for core SME clients such as Kärcher. This expertise has now yielded considerable success in UPC proceedings, including cases for Trumpf and CeraCon. The team led by Matthias Sonntag regularly handles strategic advice, pre-litigation licensing negotiations and patent litigation. The practice, like the firm as a whole, demonstrates an excellent specialisation in pharmaceuticals, frequently representing key clients suc...

JUVE Comment

The German patent litigation team operates within a globally integrated full-service law firm with a strong IP focus. The German practice attracts clients of varying sizes from Europe, the US and Asia, with clear specialisations in pharmaceuticals, biotech and automotive suppliers. The patent attorneys and lawyers maintain equally strong positions and typically collaborate on cases. They regularly represent core clients in significant EPO oppositions. The firm has recently secured new work from clients previously working with the large US pa...

Other Rankings

• Patent Filing
• Litigation: Patent Attorneys

JUVE Comment

The patent team at this full-service law firm is highly active in mobile communications patent disputes. The practice, led by Munich partner Ralph Nack, has for years regularly defended Asian implementers TCL and Xiaomi against lawsuits from patent pools and NPEs in Germany. TCL recently instructed Noerr for UPC matters as well. This ongoing work has earned the lawyers a strong reputation in FRAND issues.

Beyond mobile communications litigation, the practice has built a name for itself in disputes concerning various complex technologi...

JUVE Comment

Preu Bohlig maintains an excellent reputation for patent litigation across a broad technical spectrum. The firm benefits from a steady flow of new instructions from technology-driven medium-sized companies, largely due to its traditionally strong connections with numerous German patent attorney firms.

Having internationalised in preparation for the UPC launch and recently established a strong foundation among generic drug manufacturers through its Hamburg office, the firm found itself refocusing on its core work in Munich, Düsseldorf ...

JUVE Comment

The US law firm has successfully built a formidable team in Munich led by Jochen Herr. By representing MediaTek against Huawei in 4G and 5G patent disputes, the team has elevated itself to a higher league of economically significant telecommunications cases. In this global dispute, the Munich team handles the German and UPC proceedings, collaborating with colleagues from China, the UK and the US.

The team maintains its strength in semiconductor patent litigation and medical technology. These are areas where the team had already built ...

JUVE Comment

This Munich-based mixed IP law firm boasts a strong litigation practice for various clients, primarily in electronics. The team regularly represents clients from the telecommunications and medical technology sectors. A recent highlight was its work for Insulet.

The firm's success and high visibility stem from the excellent reputation of Thomas Adam's team in representing NPEs. Regular clients include Daedalus Prime, Headwater Research and Pictiva.

Additionally, Frank Peterreins and Jan-Malte Schley are frequently involved in EP...

Other Rankings

• Litigation: Patent Attorneys

JUVE Comment

The patent practice of this German full-service law firm primarily serves its industrial clients, lately focusing on pre-litigation advice. However, the team has been less visible in court compared to similarly positioned competitors. Alongside its traditional base of medical product manufacturers, the firm’s client roster includes Chinese companies, particularly several solar module manufacturers. CMS is increasingly active in M&A-related advice, R&D contracts, licensing negotiations and employee invention rights. This profile put the paten...

JUVE Comment

The patent litigation practice at this German full-service firm maintains a strong position advising SMEs before German courts. Litigation for automotive suppliers such as ZF Friedrichshafen continues to feature prominently, alongside work for medical device manufacturers including Ziehm Imaging and Invacare in infringement actions and nullity proceedings before the Federal Patent Court.

The firm maintains intensive work for regular clients such as Umarex. For Hörmann regarding garage and industrial door technologies, and Taco Italia ...

JUVE Comment

The small German patent practice of this international full-service law firm continues to grow, maintaining its strong reputation for life sciences patent litigation. Düsseldorf partner Ina vom Feld is particularly well-known for representing prominent pharmaceutical innovators such as Millennium Pharma. She recently acted for Chinese company Take2 Technologies in preliminary injunction proceedings regarding gene sequencing systems.

This work marks a shift in the firm's advice to Asian companies. Herbert Smith Freehills strengthened t...

JUVE Comment

The IP practice at this international full-service firm has traditionally been known for representing pharmaceutical and biotech companies. Recently, however, the focus has shifted more towards advisory work in this sector rather than active litigation.

The team, led by Julia Schönbohm and Bolko Ehlgen, currently focuses primarily on electronics disputes. It handles various proceedings concerning LED technology for long-standing client Seoul Semiconductors and its subsidiary Seoul Viosys. The team also represents a logistics company, ...

JUVE Comment

The German patent practice of this US law firm has established itself by advising and representing companies across various industries. The team maintains particularly strong connections with the automotive supply industry through Düsseldorf partner Henrik Holzapfel, who has recently handled various proceedings for regular client Harman.

Holzapfel also brings extensive experience in pharmaceutical and medical device patent enforcement. The team regularly advises prominent pharmaceutical companies including Stada and Merck, but the med...