Europe - Germany
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Antitrust

Gleiss Lutz

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Gleiss Lutz‘s team comprehensively advises on all aspects of antitrust law. The core competencies include the support in antitrust proceedings before the European Commission and the Federal Cartel Office as well as advice on antitrust compliance, fine proceedings, abuse of market power issues, internal investigations and distribution antitrust law. Led by Petra Linsmeier, who is experienced in cartel bans and merger control, the team recently advised clients from the fragrances sector and also supported Meta in matters pertaining to the §19a GWB digitisation amendment; the latter area is a mainstay of counsel Ines Bodenstein. The client roster includes major German and international companies and corporations, which the team routinely advises in close cooperation with the locations in London and Brussels. The team is renowned for its longstanding expertise in antitrust proceedings, where Ulrich Denzel, who is experienced in cartel defense, and cartel damages expert Christian Steinle are among the key contacts. Litigator Ingo Brinker joined White & Case LLP in early 2024.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • 'They have a first-class team that handles both antitrust investigations and follow-on litigation. Excellent global antitrust advice and a truly first-class team.'

  • 'The most broadly positioned team for antitrust litigation in Germany. Key members include Matthias Karl and Martin Raible, both of whom have enormous expertise.'

  • 'Very strong team. Knowledgeable, well connected, impeccable judgement, a pleasure to work with and very responsive. A top choice in all European competition matters.'

  • 'Ulrich Denzel and Petra Linsmeier are outstanding. They both have tremendous experience, are very responsive and take a hands-on approach to investigations. I would highly recommend either of them.'

  • 'Martin Raible: A great lawyer, great judgement, great experience, a great team leader. Ulrich Denzel: Very experienced, very hardworking, good judgement. Alexander Fritzsche: A great up and coming talent, excellent judgement, hardworking and extremely practical.'

  • 'Gleiss Lutz has a reach beyond Germany. They have been an invaluable strategic partner for us, consistently delivering innovative solutions, high-quality expertise and proactive risk management. Gleiss Lutz is characterized by a broad spectrum of legal disciplines and practice areas, industry-specific and in-depth knowledge and a culture of collaboration.'

  • 'The people we worked with ensured consistent communication, proactive risk management and the search for collaborative solutions during each project. They are highly specialized and reliable, especially Ulrich Denzel and Martin Raible. These people and the qualities and strengths mentioned made the cross-border collaboration seamless.'

  • 'Gleiss Lutz has a strong, outstanding antitrust team with extensive expertise and experience in cross-border investigations. They take a hands-on approach and enjoy great trust from the relevant authorities. They are one of the best law firms in this field.'

Key clients

  • Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG
  • Cisco Systems GmbH
  • Daimler Truck AG
  • DAZN Limited
  • Deutsche Bahn AG
  • Deutsche Lufthansa AG
  • Deutsche Post AG
  • Deutsche Telekom AG
  • Givaudan SA
  • KPS Capital Partners
  • Lanxess AG
  • Mercedes-Benz Group AG
  • Meta
  • Metair Investments Ltd.
  • ProSiebenSat1
  • Robert Bosch GmbH
  • Siemens AG
  • TomTom
  • ZF Friedrichhafen AG

Work highlights

  • Advice to and international defense of the Swiss company Givaudan SA on suspicion of cartel involvement in the distribution of fragrances and fragrance ingredients, including proceedings before the European Commission, the CMA, the DOJ and the Swiss competition authority.
  • Advice to and international defense of the Romanian battery manufacturer Rombat SA and the South African investment company Metair Investment SA in antitrust proceedings before the European Commission pertaining to the automotive starter batteries sector; the European Commission accuses the members of the European battery association Eurobat of having improperly exchanged information about the so-called Eurobat Lead Premium, a benchmark value for lead.
  • Advising KPS Capital Partners on merger control, FDI and FSR as well as the central management of merger control filings in more than ten jurisdictions worldwide in connection with the acquisition of the global electric motor business of Innomotics GmbH from Siemens AG.

Lawyers

Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Ulrich Denzel
Gleiss Lutz
Petra Linsmeier
Gleiss Lutz
Christian Steinle
Gleiss Lutz
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Ines Bodenstein
Gleiss Lutz

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Petra Linsmeier

Other key lawyers

Martin Raible, Ulrich Denzel, Christian Steinle, Moritz Holm-Hadulla, Johannes Hertfelder, Matthias Karl, Wolfgang Bosch, Alexander Fritzsche, Ines Bodenstein