Dr. Joerg Risse heads Baker & McKenzie’s Germany Dispute Resolution Group. Qualified to practice in Germany and New York, he represents clients in international arbitration proceedings before all major arbitral institutions. He is also frequently appointed as an arbitrator or mediator. Dr. Risse is ranked by Chambers, Legal 500, World’s Leading Commercial Arbitration Experts and JUVE Handbook as one of Germany’s leading arbitration lawyers. In 2010 and 2011, he was awarded the ILO Client Choice Award as Germany’s best arbitration counsel, based on a survey among German in-house counsels. According to Chambers Global, he is one of the “most in-demand” arbitrators in Germany.

Practice Focus

Dr. Risse advises on post merger and acquisition disputes, particularly in price adjustment disputes, reps and warranty claims, and claims raised against advisers of transactions. He also focuses on disputes related to large infrastructure projects such as power plants, electricity networks, public transport projects or airports. Most of his clients are from the “old economy”, such as turn-key contractors for large projects and companies from the chemical, automotive, medical and mass transport industry. Dr. Risse is experienced in ADR proceedings where he advises his clients on settlement negotiations, mediation and adjudication proceedings.

Representative Legal Matters

• Represented a German multinational against a French company in an ICC arbitration involving the dissolution of a joint venture in the energy industry with an amount in dispute of more than EUR1 billion.
• Acted for a North American company in an ICC arbitration involving a failed public-private partnership project in Korea with over USD500 million in dispute.
• Represented a German/Turkish joint venture in an ICC arbitration involving a mass transport project in Turkey with more than USD300 million in dispute.
• Represented a US seller of an automotive company against a private equity firm in a DIS arbitration involving a failed M&A transaction with an amount in dispute of EUR75 million.
• Represented an international manufacturer of high-tech medical equipment in a DIS arbitration against a German investor with more than EUR30 million in dispute.
• Acted as arbitrator in an ICC arbitration involving a compliance-related dispute between a multinational engineering company and its Asian agent, with more than USD30 million in dispute.
• Acted as an arbitrator in an ad hoc arbitration between a private equity company and an international consultancy on alleged defaults in advising a transaction with an amount greater than EUR30 million in dispute.
• Acted as an arbitrator in a DIS arbitration involving price adjustments in an M&A transaction between an international construction company and an Asian buyer, with more than EUR25 million in dispute.
• Acted as mediator in a EUR20 million conflict between the seller of a publishing company and the respective buyer with mainly accounting issues in dispute.
• Acted as a mediator in a multimillion dollar dispute about a water generation and purifying system in Africa.

Professional Associations and Memberships

• German Institution of Arbitration (DIS) - Member
• London Court of International Arbitration - Member
• Association Suisse de l'Arbitrage - Member
• German American Lawyers Association - Member

Admission

New York~United States (1999)
Germany (1997)

Education

University of Heidelberg  (Dr. iur.) (1997)
University of California at Berkeley (Boalt Hall)  (LL.M.) (1997)
University of Heidelberg (1993)