horak Rechtsanwälte advises on German and European business law, intellectual property and disputes. Our Hanover office is at Georgstraße 48, 30159 Hannover. We assist with contracts, projects and proceedings and coordinate cross-border matters where appropriate.
Advice in English
Our English practice-area pages explain the issues to consider, typical illustrative cases and the information needed for an initial assessment. German legal concepts do not always have a direct common-law equivalent. The governing law and forum must therefore be considered for each matter.
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Practice guides · Insights 2026 · Case law · Enquire
Explore our practice guides
Choose a subject for an overview of the legal issues, four illustrative examples and preparation for an initial consultation. The guides focus on German law and relevant European rules.
- Administrative law
- Agency agreements
- Animal law
- Antitrust law
- Arbitration
- Architects‘ law
- Banking law
- Brokerage law
- Business criminal law
- Business law
- Business mediation
- Business names
- Business succession
- Capital markets law
- Civil law
- Civil service law
- Commercial agents
- Commercial law
- Commercial leases
- Company formation
- Compliance
- Construction contracts
- Construction law
- Contract law
- Contracts for work
- Copyright
- Corporate law
- Counterfeiting
- Customs enforcement
- Data protection
- Design law
- Directors‘ liability
- Domain disputes
- Domain law
- E-commerce law
- Employee inventions
- Employment law
- Energy law
- Engineering law
- Environmental law
- European law
- Family and business assets
- Film law
- Food law
- Foreign trade law
- Franchising
- Gambling law
- Healthcare law
- Hospitality law
- Image rights
- Immission control
- Inheritance law
- Insolvency law
- Insurance law
- Intellectual property
- International business law
- Internet law
- IT law
- Judgment enforcement
- Leasing law
- Legal advice
- Legal fees
- Managing directors
- Media law
- Medical devices
- Medical liability
- Music law
- Non-compete obligations
- Patent law
- Pharmaceutical law
- Pharmacy law
- Photography law
- Plant variety protection
- Practice areas
- Press law
- Public procurement
- Publishing law
- Real estate law
- Regulatory fines
- Restructuring
- Shareholder disputes
- Social security law
- Soil law
- Sports law
- Standard terms
- State aid and subsidies
- Suretyships
- Tax disputes
- Technology and science
- Technology law
- Telecommunications law
- Trade marks
- Trade regulation
- Transport law
- Unfair competition
- Utility models
- Vehicle and traffic law
- Warning letters
- Warranty and product liability
- Waste law
- Water law
Insights 2026
Ten practical articles allocated to January–October 2026. Each identifies its archive month and the date of the later editorial addition.
Standard terms review: liability, duration and changes
The start of a year is a useful opportunity to compare standard terms with actual operations. New services, customer groups or ordering processes may make existing terms unsuitable. Changing the year alone does not resolve the issue.
Incoming goods: identifying defects and documenting notice
Damaged or defective goods raise more than technical issues. In commercial transactions, receiving procedures can affect the preservation of remedies. Warehousing, purchasing and quality teams therefore need coordinated processes.
Employee inventions: from development to filing
Inventions often emerge during ongoing development projects. A technical idea, an internal discussion and a legally proper invention report are not the same. A clear reporting process supports later filing and allocation of rights.
Software acceptance: functions, tests and outstanding defects
Software disputes often concern what was promised, rather than coding alone. Sound acceptance preparation therefore starts with scope and records of later changes.
Photo licences: clearance before campaigns and relaunches
A photograph used editorially is not necessarily cleared for advertising. Relaunches and new channels should trigger review of licences against actual use.
Shareholder meetings: preparing reliable resolutions
An important resolution can fail because of procedure even where the commercial objective is clear. Preparation covers notices, the agenda and voting rights as well as the resolution itself.
Trade marks at launch: names, specifications and markets
Development and marketing often adopt a name before legal clearance is complete. A late conflict can increase costs for packaging, domains and communications.
Construction defects: preserve evidence before repairs
When a defect disrupts operations, immediate repair is tempting. It can remove evidence needed to establish cause and responsibility. Technical remediation and legal evidence preservation should therefore be coordinated.
Arbitration clauses: plan dispute resolution before signing
An arbitration clause is more than closing boilerplate. It can determine the location, language and costs of a future dispute. International agreements should address it deliberately.
Liquidity review: assess warning signs promptly
A strong order book does not guarantee liquidity. Where due invoices are repeatedly deferred, management needs current figures and a documented assessment.
Case law and practical implications
Court decisions help identify issues in contracts and business processes. Their application depends on the facts decided and the current legal framework.
Equal pay: an individual comparator
Federal Labour Court, 23 October 2025, 8 AZR 300/24: an equal-pay claim can rely on comparison with a single person of the other sex. Employers should be able to explain and document objective pay criteria. Read the judgment (German).
International data transfers: assessing actual protection
Court of Justice, 16 July 2020, C-311/18: the validity of standard contractual clauses must be distinguished from the protection actually achieved in an individual transfer. A review needs to consider the transfer concerned and the currently applicable legal basis. Official case summary.
Four examples from business practice
Illustrative scenarios, not reports of actual mandates.
Example 1: A product launches. Brands, technology and advertising are coordinated.
Example 2: A company is acquired. Employment, corporate and IP issues are reviewed.
Example 3: A decision threatens operations. Remedies and transition are planned.
Example 4: Several partners dispute. Responsibilities and evidence are organised.
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