Founder Legal Boot Camp #2

Dr. André Zimmermann, LL.M. Partner

Düsseldorf; Monaco

André advises companies of all stages, pre-IPO startups, scaleups, unicorns and international corporations on a wide range of matters, having handled everything from day-to-day practical advice tailored to his clients’ needs, to complex multi-jurisdictional transactions from strategic planning through post-merger integration. Having long-standing experience in negotiating with works councils and unions in restructuring measures of all kind, a special focus of André's practice is on restructurings and headcount reductions.

He has advised on the employment law aspects in over 300 M&A transactions and financing rounds across various industries. Transactional advice includes employment law advice in complex, international technology transactions, M&A projects as well as private equity and venture capital investments, from due diligence to post-closing integration.

André has thorough knowledge of and a genuine passion for the tech industry. Over the last years, André has become the go-to-advisor of several Bay Area tech-companies, leaders in their market and high-growth tech companies. Most recently, he has advised leading global technology companies such as GoPro, Pinterest, GitHub, Nvidia, Sabre, Snap and Splunk on various employment matters.

André has received several awards for his work, inter alia:

• Germany's leading lawyer ranking JUVE recognizes André as "frequently recommended" employment law expert since 2017;
• Best Lawyers and Handelsblatt have listed André as one of Germany's best lawyers in employment law since 2020;
• Germany's leading business weekly WirtschaftsWoche ranked André as one of the top employment lawyers in Germany in 2019;
• IEL Elite, an in-house guide to the world’s leading employment and labour teams, recognized André as a "Key Lawyer" in 2022.

Clients recommend André to JUVE as “straight shooter" and "always refreshingly honest". Our clients praise his "creative and efficient style of working" and "a very practical and efficient style of providing advice", referring to him as "extremely responsive and always accessible" and as "an excellent advocate in court hearings". Clients appreciate André's "clear, sound and pragmatic real-world advice" and his "in-depth knowledge of the tech employment world".

Benedikt Migdal Partner

Düsseldorf

Benedikt advises on structuring and negotiating the IP aspects of corporate transactions, including M&A, divestments and venture investments as well as of commercial transactions where intellectual property rights and know-how are key assets. His work encompasses, for example, IP licensing and technology transfer agreements, engineering services agreements, transition services agreements, R&D collaborations, and IP aspects of contracts throughout the life sciences sector.

Benedikt is also an experienced patent and trade secret litigator and has represented German and international clients from a range of industries in complex disputes, especially concerning patents and know-how in the fields of mobile telecommunication/connectivity and the life sciences.

Based on his extensive experience in both IP transactions and litigation, he deeply understands the full range of legal and economical issues that technology-driven companies are challenged with in context with IP. This also includes IP-related competition law issues, such as FRAND-requirements for licensing and enforcing standard essential patents as well as issues arising in connection with EU regulations concerning technology transfers.

Dr. Christian Schröder Partner

Düsseldorf

Christian helps clients consider the privacy and artificial intelligence implications of new technology, supports their compliance programs, and helps them stay ahead of enforcement trends. One particular focus of his work deals with internal data transfer agreements, external data transfers with external providers, and product launches that comply with international data protection standards, as well as privacy requirements for connected cars. Furthermore, Christian provides guidance on privacy and data protection considerations for developing, acquiring, using, licensing and selling technology, data and intellectual property, including M&A transactions and IP focused joint ventures. He supports companies on the set-up of webshops, outsourcings, license agreements, in cases of trademark or unfair and deceptive trade practice issues, as well as on hard and software license and information technology (IT) project agreements.

 

Christian maintains strong working relationships with German data protection authorities and EU regulatory authorities with jurisdiction over privacy and data security matters. He effectively defends companies in cybersecurity and privacy-related investigations initiated by EU regulatory authorities. He also engages with authorities on behalf of clients and helps clients avoid proceedings and possible litigation. When litigation can't be avoided, Christian vigorously defends his clients.

 

For companies facing global cybersecurity incidents, Christian helps with crisis mitigation, including counseling on notification requirements, coordinating media strategies, and representing clients before data protection authorities in related regulatory investigations.

 

Christian regularly contributes practical thought leadership to global privacy industry publications and German privacy books and journals. Christian authors the Chapter V (international data transfers) of Germany’s leading GDPR commentary Kühling/Buchner (4th ed.) and is co-author to the Corporate Privacy Handbook (Betrieblicher Datenschutz). As an active member of the Sedona Conference, Christian drives the development and understanding of cross border privacy. He also participates in, hosts and moderates speaking programs with fellow private practitioners, EU data protection authorities, and academics focused on privacy and data security. Legal 500 Germany named Christian one of the top 15 practitioners in 2023 and noted that he is "a pioneer in the legal field, a data protection guru." They also recognized Christian and Orrick as "truly global" and how that it is "vital as they require the various leaders of each region to participate and bring issues to the table as a forum".

 

Prior to working in private practice, Christian interned with the German Federal Data Protection Commissioner and www.epic.org.

Dr. Stefan Schultes-Schnitzlein Partner

Düsseldorf

He advises industry clients, private equity funds and financial institutions on all sorts of German tax and accounting issues. Stefan's focus lies on corporate transactions, financings and re-financings and restructurings as well as on tax field audits and tax litigation in connection with any of the former. He also advises individual persons on succession and related issues.

In the last five years, tax work for growth companies at all stages has become an ever-increasing part of his work. U.S. flips, management incentivization, financing rounds, exits and SPAC transactions are only some of the areas in which Stefan has been involved in the growth space.

Prior to his move to Orrick in the beginning of 2014, Stefan has been with international law firms for eight years.