Dr Thomas Gädtke

Partner

Head of Litigation & Regulatory, Germany

International Co-Head, Global Class Actions

Outstanding litigator, brilliant lawyer... excellent address with outstanding reputation in the industry.
— JUVE Handbook and Legal 500 Germany
MunichHamburg
About

Dr Thomas Gädtke represents companies in complex commercial disputes across various conflict resolution mechanisms (ordinary courts, arbitration, mediation). 

He is active in a wide range of areas (e.g., commercial/corporate, director/product liability, compliance/ESG, and restructuring disputes) and industries/sectors, such as the automotive and financial industries, as well as the life sciences and entertainment sectors. A major focus of his work is defending companies in mass litigation/class actions in Germany and Europe. In cases with US connections or US class actions, he is often involved in the areas of commercial, director liability/D&O, and product liability. Additionally, he has represented companies in (international) arbitration proceedings in various sectors under different arbitration rules. In all areas, especially in mass litigation/class actions and cross-border disputes, Dr. Gädtke and his team work closely with the DLA Electronic Data Management Team (regarding relevant reporting and legal tech tools) and the DLA Legal Delivery Center (regarding team composition in large-scale proceedings).

Thomas heads the German practice group Litigation & Regulatory (dispute resolution, compliance/white-collar crime, antitrust law, insurance law, and public economic law) and co-heads the Global Class Actions Group.

 

Areas of FocusLitigation, Arbitration and InvestigationsClass ActionsInternational ArbitrationInsuranceFinancial ServicesIndustrialsConstruction and Engineering
Professional QualificationsRechtsanwalt admitted with the Rechtsanwaltskammer Munich

EXPERIENCE

  • Representation of the Entain Group in an international mass litigation case, defending against (thousands of) claims for damages related to the provision of allegedly illegal online gambling (online casino and sports betting).
  • Representation of Volkswagen AG in a mass litigation case concerning warranty and damage claims related to the stated emission values of diesel vehicles.
  • Representation of the insolvency administrator of BEV-Bayerische Energieversorgungsgesellschaft against the model declaratory action of a consumer protection association (OLG/BGH instance).
  • Representation of a leading international automotive company in a mass litigation case concerning warranty and damage claims related to battery-powered vehicles.
  • Representation of a leading international pharmaceutical and biotechnology company a) in an international product liability dispute with numerous claimants and b) in various D&O and E&O disputes due to a high-volume transaction in North America.
  • Representation of a leading international chemical company in a product liability dispute concerning damages from allegedly defective lubricating oils.
  • Representation of Deutsche Bank AG in connection with the assertion of claims for damages against its former CEO Dr. Rolf Breuer due to the consequences of the Bloomberg interview in 2002 (published).
  • Representation of a leading international high-tech company in an ICC arbitration regarding various high-volume disputes arising from a corporate transaction.
  • Representation of a leading international IT company in a DIS arbitration concerning various disputes related to the proper execution of a comprehensive, high-volume IT outsourcing project.
  • Representation of various fund initiators and prospectus managers in a mass litigation case to defend against prospectus liability claims in various closed-end funds.
  • Representation of a leading international reinsurer in a complex dispute over the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on event cancellation insurance.
 
Languages
  • German
  • English

Awards

  • JUVE Handbooks: Leading name for D&O advice and representation, leading name for dispute resolution/corporate disputes (until the end of this category in 2020). Often recommended for dispute resolution/litigation and dispute resolution/product liability; quotes include: "brilliant lawyer and stands out as a personality", "very good litigator in director liability", "one of the most renowned D&O specialists", "extremely smart", "refreshing approaches, always thorough", "very competent" (all competitors).
  • Legal 500 Germany Awards 2025: Dispute Resolution - Litigation Lawyer of the Year.
  • Legal 500 Germany 2025 (and previously): Leading name for dispute resolution/commercial litigation and insurance law/dispute resolution. Frequently recommended for arbitration (including international arbitration), quotes include: "excellent address with an outstanding reputation in the industry", "very pleasant personal manner, pronounced economic approach, highly recommended", "Dr. Thomas Gädtke and his team are the benchmark in the German market when it comes to questions of director liability law and handling complex litigation", "The litigation/arbitration team of Thomas Gädtke is very competent, powerful, and well-coordinated, especially in managing complex and high-volume legal disputes", "Thomas Gädtke enables the organization and management of extremely complex and demanding multi-party situations with his enormous personal and professional sovereignty", "Thomas Gädtke is an absolute authority in insurance law disputes."
  • Chambers Europe Germany 2025 (and previously): Tier 2 for insurance law/litigation, quotes include: "He is reliable and his voice is heard in negotiations. He tries to find a solution and de-escalate a situation, which he can do as he is very smart and knows what he's talking about", "We appreciate the combination of his litigation abilities and knowledge of product liability and D&O law."
  • Handelsblatt / Best Lawyers 2024/2025 (and previously): Awarded "Lawyer of the Year" for product liability (2023 and 2021) and recommended for litigation, international arbitration, arbitration and mediation, product liability, and insurance law.
 
Education
  • Ludwig Maximilian University Munich, Dr. phil. (philosophy), 2006
  • Court of Appeals (Oberlandesgericht) Munich, second state examination (Zweites Staatsexamen),1997
  • Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, first state examination (Erstes Staatsexamen),1995


    Universities of Würzburg and Munich: Law, philosophy, modern history

Publications

  • Legal Roadmap 2025 (January 2025) - We navigate you through the significant changes in the field of dispute resolution
  • GRUR-Prax 2023, 50 – Commentary on BGH XI ZR 515/21 (with Dr Michael Stulz-Herrnstadt).
  • Bruck/Möller, Comprehensive Commentary on the VVG, 10th edition 2022, D&O Insurance (with Prof Dr Christian Armbrüster), AVB D&O.
  • 'Premium Payment Obligation and Duties of the Policyholder', in: Lüttringhaus/Korch (eds.): Transaction Insurance, 1st edition 2022.
  • 'D&O Disputes', in: Servatius (ed.), Corporate Litigation, 2nd edition 2021.
  • 'Intra-Group Enrichment in Securing Prospectus Liability Claims in E&O Insurance?', in: Festschrift for the 100th Anniversary of the Faculty of Insurance Science at the University of Hamburg.
  • 'Brussels Ia is Coming - New Rules for Jurisdiction, Recognition, and Enforcement in Civil and Commercial Matters from January 2015', in: Dispute Resolution Online Magazine, 12/2014.

(All publications are in German Language)

Lecturer

Dr Thomas Gädtke is a lecturer at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich in the area of corporate law.

Memberships And Affiliations

  • German Institution of Arbitration (DIS)
  • German Bar Association (DAV)
  • Association of German Jurists (djt)
  • German Insurance Science Association (DVfVW)

My latest insights

Publication
blue sky and white clouds reflected in glass building

Globalization of the class actions markets

4 October 2024 .1 minute read

News

Best Lawyers / Handelsblatt recommends a total of 98 lawyers from DLA Piper in Germany

16 June 2023 .1 minute read

Past event

Race Around European Class Actions: Update on Recent Developments

16 May 2023 .2 minute read

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Phone

+49 89 23 23 72 161
(Work, Munich)
+49 40 188 88 0
(Work, Hamburg)
+49 173 52 97 552
(Mobile)