AI Issue 6 2017

28 Acquisition International - June 2017 NESSELHAUF Rechtsanwälte is an IP/IT and media boutique law firm, founded in 2008 in Hamburg, Germany. We enjoyed an interview with the founding partner of NESSELHAUF Rechtsanwälte, Dr. Volker Knies to celebrate his success in achieving the Leading Intellectual Property Practitioner of the Year – Germany award. ESSELHAUF Rechtsanwälte offers a wide range of high specialised IP services to their clients. The firm particularly advises and support their clients regarding the administration, defence and optimisation of their IP rights. In cases abroad, the firm works together with colleagues from around the world, with whom they have long standing relationships with. Founding partner of NESSELHAUF Rechtsanwälte, Dr. Volker Knies shares his reflections on being selected as Leading Intellectual Property Practitioner of the Year - Germany plus his own role in the company as a specialist in the field. “Being selected as the Leading Intellectual Property Practitioner of the Year – Germany means a lot to me and makes me very proud indeed. The selection is an appreciation of our work, not only for my part, but also for the whole IP Team from NESSELHAUF Rechtsanwälte. “The selection confirmed to me that it was the absolute right decision in 2007/2008 to leave a full-service law firm and to establish a boutique law firm, with a focus solely on IP/IT and media law matters, using highly specialised lawyers. As we are devoted to maximise the value of our clients IP assets, we recognise that our success is best evaluated by their success. Dr. Knies is one of the founding partners and the heads up NESSELHAUF Rechtsanwälte’s intellectual property department, more of which he goes on to detail. He is also keen to tell us about the firm’s specific areas of expertise and what the firm can offer to potential clients. “For more than 20 years, I have specialised in intellectual property, particularly trademark law, unfair competition law and any kind of agreements related to IP matters and trademark license agreements. “We only employ extremely qualified and experienced lawyers for IP/IT and media law matters. Regarding the latter one, particularly press law, our law firm named giving partner Michael Nesselhauf as one of the most knowledgeable lawyers in this area for many years in Germany. Company: NESSELHAUF Rechtsanwälte Name: Dr. Volker Knies Email: [email protected] Web: www.nesselhauf.com Address: Alsterchaussee 40 20149 Hamburg, Germany Phone: + 49 40 411 88 123 The Secrets of a Good Client-Lawyer Relationship N 1705AI67 “Our media law partners, Dr. Stephanie Vendt and Till Dunckel, both represent many very well-known individuals: football players from the German national team, politicians and well-known names in entertainment as well as enterprises.” Dr. Knies then underlines the important behind the scenes work that advisors carry out, the extent to which they contribute massively to a company’s success and the vital role of team work at NESSELHAUF Rechtsanwälte. “Our team conducts detailed research before starting on a new case. As we work in team units, we examine each case from all aspects, trying to find the best individual result. We continuously improve our knowledge and always stay up-to-date with the latest knowledge in the German and European jurisdictions. In our experience, good responsiveness and quick reactions, are the most important when it comes to any client-lawyer relationship. “All of our advisors are playing a significant role in the success of the legal operations of a client. A strong network of IT specialists, accountants, translators, trademark watch and search companies contribute massively to our company’s success. We also rely very much upon our multi-professional internal resources; indeed, we know that for some legal issues, local or international expertise might just be required. “As a worldwide network of highly specialised lawyers and boutique law firms, we work together, a factor which I believe can be attributed to our success. All external parties are carefully selected, so that both NESSELHAUF Rechtsanwälte and the client, can benefit from any inputs given. We know that we achieve more when working together as a team, which I believe is crucial to our success.” Dr. Knies brings the interview to a close by offering his insights into the nature of clients the firm serves, plus the vital role that staff play in the success of NESSELHAUF Rechtsanwälte. “Our clients are national and international companies in various sectors including publishing houses, clothing and lifestyle, as well as private clients including politicians, famous sports persons, actors, singers etc. We know and advise most of our clients for many years and our clients highly appreciate our personal services.