Legal counsel / outsourced legal department

Particularly for medium-sized companies that - just like every major company - are confronted almost every day with legal issues, which would actually necessitate legal counselling on a permanent basis, the establishment of an in-house legal department is, in most cases, not an economically viable decision. The legal questions come from the various fields of law and range from conventional national contract law and the negotiation of international contracts to matters concerning industrial law or claims rights. This wide range of legal questions is almost too much for a single legal expert to answer, but there’s either not enough work or not enough financial resources to employ more than one legal advisor. The in-house solicitor is moreover barred from representing its own company in legal proceedings; he/she is also unable to claim solicitors’ privileges, such as the general exemption from attachment and seizure, to the same extent as an external law firm. Nevertheless, entrepreneurs balk at enlisting legal aid, often in view of the costs that this might entail. The hourly rates, in particular, are a deterrent. Enlisting the aid of a legal advisor can, however, be of paramount importance with regard to supposedly minor issues as, in such cases, the devil is often in the detail. As an “outsourced legal department”, we close this gap for many clients on a fixed fee basis. This guarantees cost certainty for you as an entrepreneur and enables you and your employees to simply pick up the phone when a legal problem arises. It goes without saying that our solicitors receive ongoing professional training; as opposed to an in-house legal expert, this is not done at your expense. Where we are unable to help ourselves, we call in specialised network partners to represent your interests to the best of their ability.

• Labour law
• General business law - Licensing law, purchase and sales, commercial and contract law, unfair competition, antitrust law, copyright law, trademark law, industrial property rights, IT and Internet law, research and development
• Private law and contract law - Drafting and negotiating national and international contracts, preparing the contracts; arranging and updating necessary contracts; compiling, checking and amending General Terms and Conditions of Business; handling contracts
• Compliance - Legal optimisation of in-house business practices; employee training courses; regular bulletins on current legal developments and decisions
• Data privacy laws
• Claims management - Pursuit of own rights and defence against claims, liability for defects, contractual penalties
• Company law
• Commercial law
• IT law
• Competition law - Protection of confidentiality interests; protection of intellectual property, trademark law