Hogan Lovells boosts German partnership with four promotions

Hogan Lovells has made four partner appointments and nine counsel promotions in Germany as part of its 2026 global promotions round, underlining the country’s continued importance to the firm’s international strategy.

The German appointments take effect from 1 January 2026 and form part of a wider global round that saw 28 lawyers promoted to partner and 53 to counsel across 24 offices on three continents. Europe accounted for the largest share of promotions, with Germany once again ranking among the firm’s most active jurisdictions alongside the US and the UK.

The latest round strengthens all three of Hogan Lovells’ core practice groups: Corporate & Finance; Global Regulatory & IP; and Litigation, Arbitration & Employment. The firm said the promotions reflect sustained investment in talent development and its focus on advising clients on complex matters at the intersection of business and government.

Germany managing partner Dr Detlef Haß (PICTURED) said the appointments demonstrate the firm’s long-term commitment to building a modern and high-performing partnership. He highlighted the combination of internal promotions and targeted external hires as a means of expanding cross-sector expertise and delivering tailored advice to clients operating in an increasingly dynamic global market.

Gender diversity again featured prominently in the round, with women accounting for half of the new partner appointments in Germany. Hogan Lovells said diversity remains a strategic priority, supported by mentoring and coaching programmes, noting that several German female partners also hold senior global leadership roles within the firm.

Partner promotions

The lawyers promoted to partner in Germany are:

• Oliver Bäcker (IP, Düsseldorf), who focuses on patent infringement and validity proceedings, including matters before the Unified Patent Court, with a particular emphasis on standard-essential patents in the telecoms, automotive and technology sectors.
• Dr Jessica Goetsch (Litigation, Munich), a disputes specialist advising on complex commercial litigation, including supply-chain disruptions, ESG-related disputes and contractual conflicts.
• Phillipp Schmidt (Litigation, Hamburg), whose practice centres on e-commerce disputes, platform liability and mass proceedings, with expertise in interim relief and digital regulation including the Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act.
• Melanie Schub (SOAR, Munich), a regulatory specialist in automotive and mobility, advising global manufacturers and suppliers on product compliance, emissions, circular economy requirements and cross-border regulatory proceedings.

Counsel appointments

Hogan Lovells also promoted nine lawyers to counsel across its German offices, spanning corporate/M&A, employment, real estate, IP, regulatory, energy and white-collar crime. The new counsel are based in Hamburg, Munich, Frankfurt, Düsseldorf and Berlin, reflecting the firm’s broad geographic footprint in Germany. They are:

• Joy Baur
• Dr Benjamin Goehl
• Jessika Heinsch
• Dr Tim Hinrichsen
• Kristina Laewen
• Dr Teresa Sedelmaier
• Damian Sternberg
• Dr Felix Werner

Their practices include cross-border M&A in regulated industries, life sciences regulation, employment law knowledge management and legal tech, complex real estate transactions, energy transition projects, digital platform regulation, patent litigation and ESG-focused compliance and investigations.