Thorsten Ammann

Dr Thorsten Ammann

Partner
Excellent IT lawyer, always reliable.
Legal 500 Germany
About

Dr Thorsten Ammann advises national and international operating business clients in all aspects of information technology law with a strong focus on disruptive technologies, in particular artificial intelligence.

Thorsten has exceptional experience in complex, large and multi-national IT and digital transformation projects with a strong footprint in the chemistry, automotive, finance, insurance, health and telecommunications industry sector. Thorsten’s portfolio covers the full lifecycle of such projects and related innovative solutions including, but not limited to preliminary legal project advise, contract drafting and contract negotiation as well as legal support during project implementation including contract, escalation and claim management. His legal experience also covers public tenders, mediation, arbitration and litigation matters.

Thorsten is co-author of several leading edge legal compendiums, such as the Computer Law Guide and the Legal Guide on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, and regularly publishes expert papers in first class legal expert magazines. In his role as a legal IT expert, Thorsten is a popular speaker in his legal field of expertise. Furthermore, he has been recognized by Legal 500 as an Intellectual Property & Technology key lawyer and recommended as an “excellent IT lawyer always reliable”. The German business magazine WirtschaftsWoche lists Thorsten in its category TOP Lawyer 2023.

Professional QualificationsRechtsanwalt admitted with Rechtsanwaltskammer Cologne

Highlights

EXPERIENCE

  • Legal advice of several financial institutions and insurance companies in public tender procedures including contract development, contract negotiation and in complex IT- as well as in business process outsourcing projects.
  • Ongoing legal advice of DAX and MDAX corporations in large-scale ITC and business digitalization projects and disruptive technologies, in particular AI and blockchain-based solutions.
  • Legal support of national and international operating business clients during implementation of digital solutions in compliance with contractual arrangements, including contract, claim and escalation support and support in mediative, arbitral, out-of-court and in-court discussions and legal proceedings.
  • Legal advice of international operating financial service providers and premium car manufacturers on the implementation of group-wide cloud-based IT solutions.
  • Legal advice and support of a global health care manufacturer as to group-wide IT consolidation efforts.
  • Legal advice and support of a worldwide leading IT outsourcing services provider in public tender procedures including review and negotiation of large-scaled IT outsourcing agreements, also focusing on robotics and artificial intelligence.
  • Legal advice of an internationally operating company on international arbitration proceedings.
Languages
  • German
  • English
  • French
  • Luxembourgish
Education
  • Higher Regional Court of Düsseldorf, Second State Examination, 2013
  • Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Ph.D., 2011
  • Saarland University and Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Law, First State Examination, 2007


    Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, special qualification in attorney professional law, 2005


    Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, special qualification in information, telecommunications and media law, 2005

Awards

  • Legal 500 Germany 2023: Recommended for information technology: information technology and digitalisation; “Jan Pohle and Thorsten Ammann are very communicative. Their English is exemplary, as is their ability to explain complex legal issues in English. Their style is particularly helpful, as they are always happy to take the time to discuss the key differences in law, clients and practice that need to be considered when doing business in Germany.”
  • Handelsblatt in cooperation with Best Lawyers 2024/2025: Recommended for information technology law
  • WirtschaftsWoche 2023: Recommended as “top lawyer” for IT law

Publications

Dr Thorsten Ammann is the author of several publications and regularly speeches on IT-related topics. Selected examples:

  • AI Act – What happened and now is key to do, CB 2024, 137-144 (in co-authorship with Jan Pohle).
  • EU AI Act Update – Political Agreement Reached, Technology’s Legal Edge Blog, 15 December 2023 (in co-authorship with Constantin Orth, Claire O’Brien, Gareth Stokes, Jeanne Dauzier & Giulio Coraggio).
  • EU AI Act Update – Latest developments and potential roadblocks ahead, Technology’s Legal Edge Blog, 29 November 2023 (in co-authorship with Constantin Orth).
  • The Final Countdown? EU begins trilogue discussions on the latest EU AI Act text and calls for interoperable codes of conduct, Technology’s Legal Edge Blog, 14 June 2023 (in co-authorship with Coran Darling).
  • AI Act – The European Way Forward, Technology’s Legal Edge Blog, 9 May 2023 (in co-authorship with Holger Kastler).
  • DORA – IT security measures to be implemented due to mandatory laws, CB 2023, 21-26 (in co-authorship with Yannick Zirnstein).
  • Exploring Operational Resilience in Financial Services - the Effects of DORA on Risk and Regulation in Top 3 Financial Markets - a comparison of the most essential operational resilience requirements applicable in Frankfurt, London and New York, CRi 2023, 43-48 (in co-authorship with Imran Syed and Vinny Sanchez).
  • Artificial Intelligence – responsibilities and liability, DB 2022, M4-M5.
  • Source code escrow in M&A transactions, in: Remmertz/Kast, Digital Escrow – Rechtsschutz durch Hinterlegung digitaler Wirtschaftsgüter, 2022
  • Standard software business, in: Taeger/Pohle Computerrechtshandbuch, 36. EL 2021, chap. 32.2
  • Use of artificial intelligence tools in the financial and insurance industry sector, CR 2020, 633 et seqq.
  • Digital transformation of business processes in AI as a Service solutions in regulatory environments, DSRITB 2020, 599 et seqq.
  • AI as a Service - Artificial Intelligence out of the cloud and its legal challenges, CR 2020, 295 et seqq.
  • Industry 4.0 – Opportunities and legal challenges, Handelsblatt Webinar Industry 4.0, 1 April 2020
  • COVID-19 and its effects on IT agreements, BITKOM Webinar, 1 March 2020
  • Outsourcing in AI, in: Kaulartz/Braegelmann, Handbook Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Munich 2020, 186 et seqq.
  • Smart Factory - Industrial Revolution 4.0, expert session at DLA AI and BigData Night on October 16, 2019 in Cologne in cooperation with the German-American Lawyers Association e.V.
  • Blockchain technologies and smart contracts in the telecommunications business, DSRITB 2020, 599 et seqq. – also keynote speech at the DSRI Herbstakademie 2019 in Bremen on 14.9.2019
  • Group-wide BigData analytics based on AI from a German, Austrian and Swiss law perspective – keynote speech at German Society for Law and Informatics’ international meeting on June 28, 2019 in Krems/Austria (in cooperation with Dr. Gregor Schroll LL.M., Annika Wanderer LL.M., Stefan Panic und Monique Sturny)
  • Key Legal Challenges of Blockchains and AI, Disrupt Meetup Digital Law & Legal Tech as of 23 May 2019, Düsseldorf
  • Bitcoin as payment instrument in online business activities, keynote speech at BITKOM Forum Recht, April 10, 2018, Berlin
  • Revised legislation of German works and construction law and its impact for drafting of IT agreements, DSRITB 2018, 667-681 – also keynote speech at the DSRI Herbstakademie 2018 in Bochum on Sep 14, 2018
  • Artificial intelligence and its particularities being key for designing high quality IT agreements, DSRITB 2017, 503 et seqq.

Prior Experience

Prior joining DLA Piper UK LLP in 2015, Dr Thorsten Ammann worked as an attorney for international law firms in Düsseldorf and Frankfurt.

Memberships And Affiliations

  • German Association for Lawyers and Informatics e.V.
  • German American Lawyer's Association e.V.

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