CMS‘ practice comprehensively covers antitrust law, including merger control, distribution antitrust law, digital antitrust law, cooperations with competitors as well as cartel damages, fine proceedings and disputes. Recently, the team increasingly advised across the healthcare and energy sectors; the industry expertise in the latter was most recently demonstrated in advising the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection. Christoff Soltau and practice head Rolf Hempel advise on merger control and antitrust compliance. Markus Schöner and Tim Reher are well versed in fine proceedings, with Reher frequently assisting with the defense against fines, and Harald Kahlenberg impresses with experience in coordinating cross-border merger control filings in the EU and internationally.
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
'Very good team play between the people and locations involved, very good technical know-how, strategic instinct and assessments for the right timing; very good information/communication culture.'
'Rolf Hempel: Great expertise, pleasant collaboration, solution-oriented approach.'
Work highlights
- Advising the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK) on merger control law on the transfer of SEFE Securing Energy for Europe GmbH (formerly: Gazprom Germania GmbH) into federal ownership, including representing the BMKW in the relevant merger control proceedings before the European Commission. At the same time, CMS advised the BMWK on all state aid issues relating to the stabilization measures for SEFE Securing Energy for Europe GmbH and Uniper SE.
- Representation of Coca-Cola Euro-pacific Partners in EDEKA's legal proceedings against CCEP before the LG and OLG Hamburg regarding a delivery obligation as an allegedly dominant company. Due to CCEP's intervention, the Hamburg Regional Court revoked an order that had already been issued and did not recognize any antitrust law violation by CCEP and thus denied an obligation to supply.