Ressos Rechtsanwälte Solicitors advises on business transactions, commercial disputes, and acts as ongoing external German legal counsel for international companies operating, expanding, investing, and doing business in Germany.

Our practice is focused on practical day-to-day legal advice for foreign businesses that require reliable German legal support without maintaining a dedicated in-house German legal department. We advise on business transactions, commercial contracts, employment and workplace matters, regulatory compliance, data protection, corporate governance, internal investigations, white collar crime matters, distribution arrangements, trade fair activities, litigation, arbitration, mediation, and strategic dispute management.

The firm also regularly supports foreign law firms, in-house legal teams, and international counsel as German law counsel in cross-border litigation, arbitration, investigations, and regulatory matters involving German legal issues.

While we are experienced in contentious matters, our objective is not simply to win disputes. Wherever commercially appropriate, we seek practical and cost-effective solutions through negotiation, mediation, and strategic settlement discussions. We believe that preserving business relationships and avoiding unnecessary conflict often creates greater value for clients than prolonged litigation.

Drawing on extensive international experience and longstanding professional relationships across Europe and Asia, we assist clients in navigating complex legal challenges while maintaining a strong focus on commercial objectives, risk management, and efficient execution.

In every matter, we act with precision, responsiveness, and commercial pragmatism. Our objective is to help clients conduct business in Germany with confidence.

Market Entry and Business Establishment in Germany

• Legal support for foreign companies entering the German market.
• Advising on business establishment, corporate structuring, local operations, and German legal requirements.
• Coordination with tax advisors, accountants, notaries, banks, and other professional service providers where required.

Commercial Contracts and Business Transactions

• Drafting, review, and negotiation of German and international commercial contracts.
• Advising on supply agreements, service agreements, framework agreements, NDAs, letters of intent, software agreements, licensing arrangements, distribution agreements, and general terms and conditions.
• Legal support for business transactions, commercial relationships, strategic partnerships, and cross-border dealings involving German counterparties.

Commercial Litigation, Arbitration and Mediation

• Representation in commercial litigation, arbitration, mediation, settlement negotiations, and other forms of alternative dispute resolution.
• Advising on contract disputes, shareholder disputes, distribution disputes, employment disputes, payment claims, damages claims, injunctions, and enforcement matters.
• Strategic dispute management designed to protect commercial interests while seeking practical and cost-effective outcomes.
• Advising clients on dispute avoidance strategies, early case assessment, and commercially sensible resolution pathways aimed at minimizing business disruption and legal costs.

International Arbitration and Cross-Border Disputes

• Representation and strategic advice in international arbitration and complex cross-border disputes.
• Acting both as lead German counsel and as German law counsel supporting foreign legal teams in proceedings conducted abroad.
• Particular experience supporting matters involving Singapore, Hong Kong, England, Switzerland, and other major international dispute resolution centres.
• Coordination with affiliated offices and trusted professional relationships in key jurisdictions where multi-jurisdictional support is required.

German Law Support for Foreign Counsel

• Frequently instructed by foreign law firms, arbitration counsel, and in-house legal departments to advise on German law issues arising in international disputes, arbitrations, investigations, and regulatory proceedings.
• Supporting proceedings conducted in Singapore, Hong Kong, England, Switzerland, the United States, and other jurisdictions where questions of German law form part of the dispute.
• Assisting lead counsel with German law analysis, legal strategy, document review, witness preparation, enforcement-related issues, and management of German legal aspects of international proceedings.
• Particular experience supporting legal teams involved in proceedings seated in Singapore, Hong Kong, London, Zurich, Geneva, New York, and other leading international dispute resolution centres.
• Acting as a local German law resource for international legal teams while maintaining close coordination with lead counsel throughout the matter.

Employment and Workplace Law

• Advising international companies on German employment and workplace law throughout the employment lifecycle.
• Drafting and negotiating employment contracts, managing directors' service agreements, consultancy arrangements, confidentiality agreements, and restrictive covenant provisions.
• Support with hiring, dismissals, redundancies, restructuring measures, disciplinary matters, workplace investigations, and employment disputes.
• Advising foreign employers on works council matters, employee transfers, remote work arrangements, executive employment issues, and ongoing workforce management in Germany.
• Practical employment law support for companies without dedicated German HR or in-house legal teams.

Regulatory Compliance and Corporate Governance

• Advising foreign companies on German regulatory, compliance, and governance requirements.
• Support with internal policies, management duties, risk management structures, reporting obligations, whistleblowing procedures, and compliance frameworks.
• Practical advice for directors, shareholders, management teams, and foreign parent companies operating in Germany.

Data Protection and GDPR

• Advising international companies on German and European data protection requirements.
• Reviewing privacy policies, data processing agreements, website compliance, employee data issues, customer data handling, and cross-border data transfers.
• Support with GDPR compliance, regulatory inquiries, and implementation of practical data protection processes.
• Acting as external data protection counsel and supporting internal compliance teams where required.

Internal Investigations

• Advising companies on internal investigations involving compliance concerns, fraud allegations, sanctions issues, workplace matters, and regulatory risks.
• Support with fact-finding, document review, management reporting, employee interviews, and remediation strategies.
• Coordination with foreign parent companies, auditors, forensic specialists, and external advisors where required.

White Collar Crime, Investigations and Regulatory Enforcement

• Advising companies, directors, officers, shareholders, and senior executives in matters involving allegations of fraud, breach of fiduciary duties, corruption, financial misconduct, sanctions violations, regulatory breaches, and other business crime issues.
• Representation and strategic support in internal investigations, regulatory inquiries, dawn raids, witness interviews, enforcement proceedings, and compliance-related investigations.
• Assisting international companies in managing legal, regulatory, reputational, and commercial risks arising from suspected misconduct or enforcement activity.
• Supporting foreign law firms, in-house legal teams, and international counsel in matters involving German criminal law, corporate investigations, regulatory enforcement, and cross-border white collar crime issues.
• Coordinating with forensic accountants, investigators, compliance professionals, and specialist counsel where complex multi-jurisdictional matters require a multidisciplinary approach.

Distribution, Agency and Reseller Arrangements

• Advising foreign companies on distribution, commercial agency, reseller, and sales representative arrangements in Germany.
• Drafting and reviewing contracts for distributors, agents, importers, dealers, and local commercial partners.
• Legal support with termination, compensation claims, exclusivity, non-compete clauses, territory rights, and post-contractual obligations.

Sanctions, Export Controls and Trade Compliance

• Advising companies on sanctions, export controls, restricted-party issues, and trade compliance risks.
• Support with compliance reviews, transaction screening, contractual protections, supply-chain risks, and sensitive cross-border business relationships.
• Legal advice for companies active in international trade, defence, dual-use technologies, manufacturing, logistics, and regulated industries.

Trade Fairs and Market Development

• Legal support for international companies participating in German trade fairs, exhibitions, conferences, and industry events.
• Advising on exhibition agreements, NDAs, letters of intent, distributor discussions, commercial contracts, and market-entry arrangements arising from trade fair activities.
• Support before, during, and after trade fairs as companies move from initial business development to long-term operations in Germany.

Corporate Support, Shareholder Matters and Strategic Partnerships

• Advising international companies on German corporate housekeeping, shareholder matters, management duties, local governance, and strategic business arrangements.
• Support with shareholder agreements, joint venture discussions, cooperation agreements, local partner arrangements, and governance documentation.
• Coordination with specialist transaction counsel, tax advisors, notaries, and foreign legal advisors where larger transactions require additional dedicated support.

Digital Assets and Emerging Technologies

• Advising on selected matters involving digital assets, blockchain technology, tokenization, fintech ventures, artificial intelligence, and emerging technology business models.
• Support with regulatory structuring, commercial contracts, compliance considerations, dispute-related issues, and cross-border legal risk analysis.
• Practical legal advice for companies seeking to integrate innovative technologies into their business activities in Germany or internationally.

Ongoing External German Counsel

• Acting as ongoing external German counsel for international companies without a dedicated in-house German legal department.
• Day-to-day legal support across contracts, business transactions, employment matters, compliance, data protection, governance, disputes, negotiations, and operational legal issues.
• Responsive, partner-led legal advice designed to provide foreign companies with a reliable German legal contact for recurring business needs.