The Firm

GvW Graf von Westphalen is a partnership of attorneys at law and tax advisors with more than 230 legal professionals.

GvW Graf von Westphalen is a German law firm with a focus on providing legal advice to medium-sized businesses. With our offices in Berlin, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt am Main, Hamburg, Munich and Stuttgart and our more than 230 lawyers, we are one of the largest independent law firms in Germany. We also provide advice to clients around the world from our offices in Shanghai, Ho Chi Minh City, Istanbul and Brussels and as a member of several highly respected global networks.

Our independence is the key feature that sets us apart from competing law firms. We are not a “legal assembly line” – at our firm, you will work with and continue to work with the partner you know and respect.

What we offer

We offer advice on every aspect of business. We place particular importance on providing service from a single source.

We are one of Germany’s top law firms in many legal areas: the professional journal JUVE has listed us as a „leader” in such areas as „customs and foreign trade law” for many years. JUVE also recommends us in the areas of state aid, corporate/M&A, capital investment processes, conflict resolution, energy, food, private construction law, real estate, private equity & venture capital, PPP and project finance, project development, environment and planning, constitutional and administrative law, public procurement, insurance law and distribution.

International and professional journal The Lawyer from Great Britain nominates GvW for the European Awards as „Germany's top law firm of the year".

Thanks to our law firm’s size, we are in a strong position to carry out the transaction business as well as provide on-going advice and long-range project work.

Cube Bikes: how to save money on customs duties

Cube Bikes produces bicycles “made in Germany”. However, many of their components have to be imported from outside the EU and are therefore subject to customs duties. Our customs law specialists Dr Lothar Harings and Franziska Zegula advise this client with a particular focus on exemptions from customs rules that may apply.

H4 Hotel Mönchengladbach at BORUSSIA-PARK: the place for that Bundesliga feeling

Football is king at H-Hotel Group’s new H4 Hotel in Mönchengladbach. Its location right next to the stadium and the theme rooms depicting the history of the Borussia Dortmund football club make this new hotel unique and a must for any football enthusiast. Our lawyers had the pleasure of advising H-Hotels Group on the creation of its first football-themed hotel and took the chance to visit this amazing place shortly after its opening.

How we work

Finding a tailored solution for your concern in an individual, pragmatic and long-range manner. This is our approach:

The highest level of legal advice, flexibility and service orientation are the standards by which we measure our performance. Our long-term client relationships demonstrate this commitment.

Exceptional legal expertise and sector knowledge go hand in hand. Our thinking and actions are developed from the perspective of your own company in an interdisciplinary approach in our practice and focus groups.

The thriving culture of partnership nurtured by our law firm, combined with strong team spirit, is a central tenet of all partners and employees. Our clients benefit from our emphasis on teamwork rather than being just a collection of sole practitioners.

Even in complex cases that require the expertise of multiple specialists, you will always have a single contact partner assigned to you. Our teams are assembled on from all offices and with a focus on the client's field of business. Our principle is: „As lean as possible."

There is no substitute for experience. At our law firm, partners are much more than team coordinators. They also work directly on cases themselves. As a result, you will receive the best-possible legal advice, provided at reasonable, transparent rates.

Who we advise

Our clients include small and mid-sized enterprises, major corporations and government agencies.
North, east, south, west and central - thanks to our offices in Berlin, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich and Stuttgart we have the deepest possible understanding of every economic region in Germany.

Clients interested in investing around the world receive comprehensive support from our special country desks. In addition, the law firm’s international offices and its close working relationship with selected local commercial law firms create a global network.