Dr Thomas Gädtke

Partner
Member of the Executive Committee
Head of Litigation & Regulatory, Germany
Outstanding litigator, brilliant lawyer... excellent address with outstanding reputation in the industry.
— JUVE Handbook and Legal 500 Germany
MunichFrankfurt
About

Dr Thomas Gädtke is recognised as one of Germany’s leading litigation lawyers. He advises national and international companies in complex commercial disputes, often involving a cross border dimension. His practice focuses on commercial and corporate litigation, financial services disputes, as well as directors’ and officers’ liability, product liability, compliance and technology related proceedings.

For more than 20 years, he has represented clients from a wide range of industries, in particular the automotive and financial services sectors as well as life sciences and entertainment. A particular focus of his practice is the defence of companies in class actions, collective redress and mass proceedings in Germany and Europe. In addition, he advises companies on US discovery proceedings in connection with US class actions and represents clients in complex international arbitration proceedings under ad hoc and institutional arbitration rules. Across all areas of his practice, he makes use of market leading legal tech and AI tools and, in large scale proceedings, also works with the DLA Legal Delivery Centre (project lawyer team).

Dr Thomas Gädtke is a member of DLA Piper’s Executive and Global Finance Committees. He also heads the firm’s German Litigation & Regulatory practice and serves as Co-Head of 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 international mass proceedings involving the judicial defence against several thousand damages claims in connection with the offering of allegedly unlawful online gambling (online casino and sports betting).
  • Representation of Volkswagen AG in mass proceedings concerning warranty and damages claims relating to stated emissions values of diesel vehicles.
  • Representation of a leading international automotive manufacturer in mass proceedings concerning warranty and damages claims in connection with battery powered vehicles concerning autonomous driving functions, over-the-air software updates, maximum speed, battery performance and lifespan, as well as various other alleged defects.
  • Representation of a globally leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology group in cross border product liability litigation involving several hundred international claimants.
  • Representation of an international banking group in the enforcement of claims in a high profile, high volume damages matter arising from the implementation of a reverse split transaction.
  • Representation of an asset management company in numerous lawsuits brought by institutional investors in connection with an investment fund, giving rise to potential damages claims in the high hundreds of millions of euros.
  • Representation of Deutsche Bank AG in connection with the assertion of damages claims against its former Chief Executive Officer, Dr Rolf Breuer, arising from the consequences of the Bloomberg interview in 2002.
  • Representation of various fund initiators and parties responsible for prospectuses in mass proceedings defending against prospectus liability claims relating to a number of closed end funds.
  • Representation of a leading international IT group in DIS arbitration proceedings concerning multiple disputes arising from the proper performance of a large scale, high value IT outsourcing project.
  • Representation of a leading international reinsurer in a complex dispute concerning the impact of the COVID 19 pandemic on event cancellation insurance coverage.
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; nominated 2024 – 2026.
  • Legal 500 Germany 2026 (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 Germany 2026 (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 in cooperation with Best Lawyers 2025/2026: Recommended for Insurance Law, Product Liability Litigation, Arbitration and Mediation, and International Arbitration. Lawyer of the Year for Product Liability, 2021 and 2023.
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

  • Are third‑party litigation funders in mass proceedings a help or a disruptive factor? (co‑authored with Prof Dr Stefan Engels, LTO, May 2025).
  • 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 (co‑authored with Dr Michael Stulz-Herrnstadt).
  • Nomos, Product Liability and Product Safety Law, 1st edition 2022, Sections 7–11 of the Product Liability Act (ProdHaftG) (co authored with Dr Isabel Kristin Fischer).
  • Bruck/Möller, Comprehensive Commentary on the VVG, 10th edition 2022, D&O Insurance (co‑authored 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)

Memberships And Affiliations

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

My latest insights

Events
Spiral structure in Brisbane

Global Class Actions Summit 2026

9 June 2026

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

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Phone

+49 89 23 23 72 161
(Work, Munich)
+49 69 271 33 0
(Work, Frankfurt)
+49 173 52 97 552
(Mobile)