German Private Enforcement Pioneer Christopher Rother to Head Hausfeld Berlin Office

BERLIN and BRUSSELS, Belgium and LONDON and NEW YORK and WASHINGTON, Nov. 30, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hausfeld, a global claimant law firm dedicated to handling complex litigation, with particular expertise in competition litigation, is pleased to announce the appointment of Christopher Rother as Managing Partner of Hausfeld Rechtsanwälte LLP in a move that will further bolster Hausfeld’s leading role as the pre-eminent competition litigation firm for claimants in Europe.

Christopher has practiced for over 25 years and is among the most experienced and renowned competition lawyers in Germany. He has impressive and unparalleled experience in competition law and in the area of regulated industries. Christopher joins Hausfeld as Managing Partner of the Berlin office after almost 20 years as part of Deutsche Bahn AG’s (“DB”) legal team, a decade of which he acted as head of the internationally renowned Regulatory, Competition & Antitrust Department. He has led several highly complex regulatory, merger and competition proceedings in Germany, Europe and globally, many of which resulted in ground-breaking decisions of German federal courts, the highest courts of other member states and the European Court of Justice. As a pioneer of private enforcement in Germany, he set up a very profitable unit within DB dealing exclusively with DB’s global business needs in competition litigation, handling cases worth over €1bn across multiple jurisdictions. He successfully settled many of DB’s claims.

Commenting on Christopher’s appointment, Hausfeld Chairman Michael Hausfeld said, “Hausfeld’s global competition litigation team is unparalleled in Europe, and Christopher, who we have known and worked with for many years, has been the unrivalled private enforcement leader in Germany during his long and successful in-house tenure at Deutsche Bahn. He was thus the natural and only choice to lead our new German firm.”

Christopher said, “Hausfeld is the leading law firm for private enforcement in Europe.  Hausfeld’s highly professional London and Brussels litigation teams have been involved in more private enforcement proceedings than any other law firm. I am looking forward to being able to contribute my extensive experience of the German market as managing partner of Hausfeld’s new Berlin office and to establish a German competition law team that will develop and realize innovative strategies in complex competition and cartel damages actions tailored to German clients.”

Christopher’s appointment follows Hausfeld’s recent announcement of the opening of a Berlin office and a €30 million agreement with Burford Capital (“Burford”) to provide litigation financing to fund German claims. To date, companies bringing claims in Germany have had limited access to the alternative fee and funding arrangements that are often essential for clients pursuing costly and high- stakes competition matters. The Burford facility is the largest known facility created to fund litigation in Germany, where there is significant and growing client demand for funding — especially in the area of competition litigation for which Hausfeld is known. Burford’s €30 million commitment will ensure that these claims have the necessary resources and will be buttressed by Hausfeld’s expertise and Burford’s stringent case assessment and underwriting.

Hausfeld Rechtsanwälte LLP’s launch comes in the wake of substantial regulatory activity from the European Commission and Bundeskartellamt, the adoption of the European Directive on Competition Damages Actions, and Hausfeld’s leading reputation for such claims both in London and across Europe.

Hausfeld’s Berlin office will open on January 1, 2016 at Kurfürstendamm 218, 10719 Berlin, Germany. 

About Hausfeld

Hausfeld is a leading global law firm with offices in Berlin, Brussels, London, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Washington, DC. The firm has a broad range of complex litigation expertise, particularly in antitrust/competition, financial services, sports and entertainment, environmental, mass torts, consumer protection, and human rights matters, often with an international dimension. Hausfeld aims to achieve the best possible results for clients through its practical and commercial approach, avoiding litigation where feasible, yet litigating robustly when necessary. Hausfeld’s extensive experience with alternative and innovative fee models offers clients a diverse menu of engagement options and maximum flexibility in terms of managing their cost exposure. Hausfeld is the only claimant firm to be ranked by the Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners as a top tier firm in private enforcement of antitrust/competition law in both the United States and the United Kingdom.

This latest expansion is part of Hausfeld’s strategic growth worldwide, which has included, in the last year, the opening of an office in Brussels and the hiring of former Michelin-Europe general counsel Laurent Geelhand (Managing Partner, Brussels); the opening of a New York City office and the hiring of leading defense litigators Scott Martin (Partner, New York) and Irving Scher (Senior Counsel, New York); and the hiring of former federal district court judge Walter D. Kelley (Partner, Washington, DC), leading West Coast litigator Bonny Sweeney (Partner, San Francisco), and experienced antitrust litigators Ed Coulson and Anna Morfey (Partners, London).

For more information about the firm, including recent trial victories and landmark settlements, please visit: www.hausfeld.com

Hausfeld contacts: 
North America:
Deborah Schwartz
Media Relations
240-355-8838 
[email protected]

Europe:
Andreas Engel Presse Engel
+ 491724507579 
[email protected]