He advises companies on German and European antitrust and competition law, in particular on merger control, compliance, internal investigations, cartels and abuse of dominance.
Furthermore, Benedikt advises on foreign trade law issues, in particular on investment review proceedings before the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action.
Prior to joining Orrick, he worked as a research assistant at a leading German law firm and as a trainee lawyer in the antitrust team of a leading international law firm, at a U.S. law firm in its Los Angeles office, and at the German Federal Parliament in the department for EU policy issues.
Nicholas has extensive experience with arbitral proceedings under the auspices of all of the major arbitral institutions and rules (e.g., ICC, DIS, SCC, LCIA, UNCITRAL, ICSID, ad hoc).
Nicholas graduated from law school in 2003 (University of Munster), earned a PhD in law and an Executive Master of Business Administration (M&A) in 2005 and was allowed to the German bar in 2007. In 2008 he received a Master of Laws diploma from the University of Cambridge (UK) and was entered on the roll as Solicitor of England & Wales in 2010.
Dr. Kessler is a visiting lecturer at the University of Münster and teaches the international arbitration and mediation in the university's post graduate program on mergers and acquisitions. He frequently publishes and holds speeches on arbitration and litigation-related topics.
His background in economics, Chinese language skills and extensive international experience add to his excellent legal knowledge and allow him to advise his clients on a comprehensive basis.
Lars has represented clients before the European Commission and the German Federal Cartel Office in all areas of competition law, inter alia including mergers, compliance, cartels, litigation and abuse of dominance.
In these areas, he provides companies with innovative solutions on high-profile complex matters including private damages actions and cartel investigations, often involving multiple jurisdictions.
Lars also pursues international trade and compliance matters, including matters involving foreign investment filings in Germany.
His professional focus is on providing legal advice in complex post-M&A and shareholders' disputes, in which he can particularly make use of his many years of experience as an M&A lawyer.
In addition, Sebastian advises his clients in disputes relating to major construction projects, manager liability cases and in other commercial disputes.
He also has extensive experience in advising clients on M&A transactions and corporate law matters.
Besides the above, Sebastian particularly deals with Legal Tech and Blockchain technology developments and frequently shares his knowledge by publishing articles in legal and social media.
Before joining Orrick, Sebastian worked in the Munich office of a renowned German law firm and in the Toronto office of a major Canadian law firm.
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.
His experience spans various industries, with a particular focus on advising companies in the growth and financial services sectors, often with an international scope.
Nico is listed by Legal 500 as a "Rising Star" and a "Recommended Lawyer" in tax law. His clients appreciate his forward-thinking solutions, which he develops proactively and in consensus with the tax authorities to ensure the best outcome for his clients.
Nico Neukam joined Orrick in April 2024 after working for another international law firm for many years.
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