Schlun & Elseven is an interdisciplinary full-service law firm recognized by Handelsblatt as Best Law Firm 2025 in employment law, with over ten years of experience advising national and international clients. For businesses engaging German legal counsel, the firm offers independently recognized expertise, certified specialists across core practice areas, and international desks staffed by lawyers with regional language fluency and cultural understanding.

Legal issues rarely respect borders. Schlun & Elseven’s international desks provide dedicated legal support for businesses operating in or across key regions, combining German legal expertise with established relationships with specialist partner firms worldwide.

The firm’s international desks span the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and further regions. Each desk is led by a dedicated contact partner within the firm who brings regional language fluency, cultural understanding, and deep knowledge of German legal practice. Whether a matter is governed by German law, requires coordination with local counsel abroad, or involves multiple legal systems simultaneously, Schlun & Elseven manages the full scope from a single point of contact.

Legal demand within any business is rarely uniform. Periods of intensive contract negotiation, corporate restructuring, or regulatory exposure alternate with phases in which the priority is prevention – identifying and neutralizing risk before it becomes a dispute.

Schlun & Elseven’s engagement model is built around this reality. The firm provides specialist legal depth across all core areas of commercial law, integrating with a client’s existing legal infrastructure or operating as the primary legal function depending on requirements. For international businesses, this means a legal partner with genuine cross-border capability that scales with operational complexity, without the inefficiency of managing multiple advisory relationships across jurisdictions.

Schlun & Elseven’s external legal department covers all core areas of commercial law. The following practice areas can be engaged in full or selectively, depending on the structure agreed with each client.

• Contract Law – Contracts underpin every significant commercial relationship. Schlun & Elseven handles the drafting, review, and negotiation of all contract types, from supply and service agreements to cooperation arrangements, as well as the development of standard terms and conditions and ongoing contract management across day-to-day operations.
• Corporate Law – Corporate law questions arise at every stage of a company’s development: at formation, on changes in shareholder structure, and in connection with strategic restructuring. The firm advises on articles of association, shareholder resolutions, and the legal preparation and conduct of shareholder meetings.
• Employment Law – Personnel decisions carry significant legal risk, particularly for businesses managing workforces across jurisdictions. Schlun & Elseven advises on termination proceedings, works council matters, and employment contract structuring, and can provide structured ongoing support to HR functions on a case-by-case or fixed engagement basis.
• Global Mobility – Deploying employees across borders involves overlapping obligations in immigration, employment, and tax law. Schlun & Elseven advises businesses on the legal requirements for seconding employees to Germany, relocating international staff, and managing the employment law implications of cross-border workforce arrangements.
• Debt Collection and Enforcement – Outstanding receivables place pressure on liquidity and absorb internal resources. Schlun & Elseven manages the full collection cycle, from out-of-court recovery through formal collection proceedings to enforcement.
• Commercial Law and Competition Law – In commercial and competition matters, speed is often decisive. The firm represents businesses in both sides of cease-and-desist proceedings, obtains interim injunctions, and advises on enforcement and compliance with competition law requirements.
• Claims Defense – Warranty disputes, damages claims, and third-party demands can materially disrupt operations. Schlun & Elseven assesses the merits of claims brought against clients, develops a well-founded defense strategy, and guides businesses through out-of-court and litigation proceedings.
• Insolvency Law – Financial pressure requires early legal intervention. The firm advises on liquidity analysis, insolvency prevention, and the defense of avoidance claims brought by insolvency administrators.
• Tax Law – Tax obligations in Germany extend well beyond annual filings, particularly for businesses with cross-border structures, foreign shareholders, or internationally mobile workforces. Schlun & Elseven advises on corporate tax matters, tax compliance, and the resolution of disputes with German tax authorities.
• IT Law – Digital business models and emerging technologies raise increasingly complex legal questions across jurisdictions. Schlun & Elseven advises on software and IT contracts, licensing structures, cloud computing arrangements, cybersecurity obligations, and the legal framework governing digital services and platforms.
• Compliance and Data Protection – Regulatory requirements are expanding across every sector and jurisdiction. Schlun & Elseven reviews internal processes for compliance and data protection, and supports the development of robust frameworks to systematically reduce legal risk.
• Administrative and Regulatory Law – Regulatory measures and supervisory proceedings require specialist guidance. Schlun & Elseven represents businesses before German authorities and advises on workplace inspections and related administrative matters.

What distinguishes an external legal department from ad hoc advisory work is the depth of integration. Schlun & Elseven supports businesses across all practice areas through a dedicated point of contact who understands the company’s internal processes, coordinates across the firm’s practice groups, and ensures that legal matters are handled without delay.

For international business clients, this means a single contact managing the full scope of legal requirements: German law matters handled directly, cross-border matters coordinated with the firm’s international desks and global network of trusted partner firms. Businesses looking to engage Schlun & Elseven as their external legal department are welcome to make contact at any time. An initial consultation will establish the structure of support required, with a proposal developed on that basis.