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TRW & Co · German & EU Business Law

German law.
Global business.
One team.

We advise companies, investors, founders and families on German and EU business law — transactions, employment, tax, antitrust, compliance, disputes and regulation — in German and in English.

Request a consultation Doing business in Germany

01Expertise

Every question of German law.
One coordinated team.

Our practice groups work across transactions, disputes and regulation, so a deal, a dispute or an investigation is handled by one team that sees the whole picture.

01 Corporate, M&A and Private Equity Corporate M&A in Germany combines a codified company law with international deal practice. This guide explains the main legal forms,… 02 Banking, Finance and Capital Markets Banking and finance in Germany spans corporate lending and German security packages, capital markets and listed-company duties, and the licensing… 03 Restructuring and Insolvency Restructuring and insolvency law in Germany offers a staged toolkit: out-of-court workouts, preventive StaRUG plans with majority voting, and insolvency… 04 Employment and Pensions Employment law in Germany is codified, employee-friendly and shaped by works councils, collective agreements and board-level co-determination. This guide gives… 05 Tax and Private Clients German tax shapes almost every business and family decision, from the legal form and transaction structure to financing, employee participation… 06 Antitrust, Merger Control and Foreign Trade Antitrust and trade law in Germany decides whether companies may merge, how they may compete and what they may export… 07 Compliance, Investigations and ESG Compliance and ESG obligations shape how German companies are organised, how they respond to misconduct and how they manage supply… 08 Disputes, Litigation and Arbitration Disputes in Germany can be resolved before the state courts, the new English-language Commercial Courts, arbitral tribunals or through mediation.… 09 IP and Patents Germany is a central venue for IP and patents in Europe. National courts, four UPC local divisions and the DPMA… 10 Data Protection, IT and Digital Data and digital law now touches almost every company in Germany. The GDPR, the Data Act, the AI Act, NIS2,… 11 Real Estate, Construction and Public Law Real estate and public law decide whether a German property deal, development or infrastructure project succeeds. This overview explains notarial… 12 Energy and Infrastructure Energy infrastructure in Germany is being rebuilt at speed: renewables, grids, storage, hydrogen and new power plants. This overview explains… 13 Commercial, Distribution and Product Liability Commercial law in Germany decides whether contract templates hold, what ending a distribution relationship costs and how far manufacturers are…

02Rules that shape decisions

Six provisions
every investor should know.

German law has thresholds and deadlines that decide whether a deal needs clearance, a restructuring needs the works council or a crisis becomes a filing duty. These six come up again and again.

01§ 15a InsO Filing deadlines in a crisis Management must file for insolvency without culpable delay, at the latest three weeks after illiquidity and six weeks after over-indebtedness. 02§ 35(1a) GWB The transaction-value threshold Deals can need German merger clearance even where the target has little turnover, if the consideration exceeds EUR 400 million and the target is substantially active in Germany. 03§§ 55–56 AWV Foreign investment screening Non-EU investors acquiring 10%, 20% or 25% of the voting rights, depending on the target’s sector, may need clearance from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs. 04§ 1 BetrVG Works councils Employees in establishments with at least five permanent employees can elect a works council, whose co-determination rights shape restructurings and IT roll-outs. 05§ 119b GVG Commercial Courts Since 1 April 2025, states can set up Commercial Courts at the Higher Regional Courts for B2B disputes from EUR 500,000, with proceedings possible in English. 06§ 12 HinSchG Whistleblower channels Employers with usually at least 50 employees must run an internal reporting channel; failing to do so can be fined.

03Germany in numbers

The figures behind
the decisions.

A few of the statutory amounts and deadlines that come up in almost every mandate. Each one is explained in our guides.

01 €25,000 minimum share capital of a GmbH (§ 5(1) GmbHG)
02 €13.90 statutory minimum wage per hour from 1 January 2026 (MiLoV5)
03 €400m consideration that can trigger German merger control under the transaction-value threshold (§ 35(1a) GWB)
04 3 / 6 weeks to file for insolvency after illiquidity or over-indebtedness (§ 15a(1) InsO)

Sources: GmbHG, MiLoV5, GWB and InsO as published on gesetze-im-internet.de. General information, not legal advice.

04International clients

Doing business in Germany
from anywhere.

Our country desks explain German law in the terms our clients know from home — corporate set-up, employment, tax, investment screening and disputes — for businesses from the US, UK, France, China, India, Japan, Türkiye, Spain and Latin America, the Middle East and the CIS.

Map of the markets covered by our country desks Germany United Kingdom France Spain · Latin America Türkiye CIS Middle East India China Japan United States
Markets covered by our country desks. The markers are not TRW offices. Select a point to open the desk.

International Clients and Doing Business in Germany

German Law Thresholds at a GlanceGerman Legal Glossary

05Sectors

Every industry argues
in its own language.

From the automotive supply chain to defence and space, our sector guides start from the contracts, regulators and disputes each industry actually deals with.

01 Automotive and Mobility Automotive and mobility companies in Germany face transformation, tariffs and new technology at the same time. This guide covers supply… 02 Manufacturing and the Mittelstand The Mittelstand, Germany's family-owned and owner-managed manufacturers, faces a broad legal agenda in 2026. This guide covers supply and sales… 03 Energy and Utilities Energy and utilities companies in Germany face grid expansion, the heat transition and a new support regime at the same… 04 Technology, Media and Telecoms Technology and media companies in Germany face a dense mix of EU and German rules. This guide covers IT, SaaS…
→ International Clients and Doing Business in Germany German Law Thresholds at a GlanceGerman Legal Glossary

06Insights

Analysis written
to be used.

Analysis of new legislation and court decisions from the BGH, BAG, BFH, BVerfG, the CJEU and the UPC — in German and English.

All insights
Corporate & M&A Intragroup Reorganisations: Legal and Tax Steps Intragroup reorganisations in Germany combine corporate steps under the Transformation Act with tax rules in the UmwStG, the GrEStG and the KStG. This briefing explains hive-downs,… 8 min read Corporate & M&A Cross-Border Mergers, Divisions and Conversions Cross border conversions, mergers and divisions within the EU now follow a uniform procedure in the German Transformation Act, implementing the Mobility Directive. This briefing explains… 8 min read Corporate & M&A Virtual General Meetings Under the AktG Virtual general meetings have been a permanent option for German stock corporations since 2022. This briefing explains the authorisation required in the articles, the shareholder rights… 7 min read Corporate & M&A Mergers and Spin-Offs Under the UmwG UmwG mergers and spin offs let German companies reorganise by universal succession: assets, liabilities and contracts pass as a whole on registration. This briefing explains the… 8 min read Corporate & M&A Locked Box vs Completion Accounts in German Deals The choice of locked box vs completion accounts decides how the purchase price is fixed in a German acquisition. This briefing explains both mechanisms under a… 8 min read

07Where we work

Across time zones,
one team.

Teams in our network offices work together on each matter, so it is run from wherever our clients, their counterparts and their business are.

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  • 01New York
  • 02London
  • 03Dubai
  • 04Dhaka
  • 05Singapore
  • 06Delhi