Find Lawyers in Germany for Real Estate Law
Practice Area Overview
Real estate law often comes down to legal advice on the sale or purchase of real estate properties.
However, the scope of this law field, also referred to as real estate business law in Germany, actually extends much further. It also encompasses the development, purchase, management and utilization of real property. Think in terms of property appraisal, financing and tax matters, as well as supervisory and regulatory matters, including public issues related to the approval of real estate objects and the preparation thereof as well as changes in the use of existing properties, such as reclassification from commercial to residential property. Real estate business law is treated separately from "private construction law," which comprises, among others, architectural and brokerage law and even service contract law.
At its core, real estate business law deals with the legal aspects of
- Project development (building and zoning permits)
- Real estate transactions (due diligence, contract drafting, and negotiations, including financing contracts with banks, mezzanine capital partners, and the like)
- Real estate management (tenant and lease laws, refurbishment, FM contracts, or contracting)
- Public-private partnerships (advisory services for business and public sector clients regarding real estate law)
- Real estate funds (advisory services for real estate fund development, contract drafting involving all participating parties, prospectus drafting, due diligence, and supervisory matters)
Given the complexity of this law field, attorneys specializing in real estate law should be able to offer a wide range of qualifications as well as industry expertise and in-depth business knowledge. That’s because their work not only involves core real estate law matters but also matters from other law fields that may be closely related in terms of general real estate. In particular, comprehensive consulting services for, say, project developers, building contractors and real estate companies require the kind of legal competence that far extends basic real estate law. For example, in the project development business, it’s not uncommon for lawyers to fulfill, manage, and coordinate functions for various participating parties, which is when management qualifications come in handy, to say the least. Another asset any real estate lawyer should have at his or her disposal is a network of equally qualified lawyers to turn to in any matters that may be out of his or her league. Then there the really complex real estate law matters, in which it is recommended to have legal teams to perform all tasks necessary to successfully wrap up a case for any client facing a narrow time-frame.
Select a location from the list below to find the best legal talent for your needs.
Cities
Born in Hamburg in 1963, Alexander Baden studied from 1982-1988 in Passau and Hamburg. He has been with ZENK Rechtsanwälte since 1990. Today, he focuses on real estate law and project development and is responsible for providing support for complex transactions. From 2011-2018, Mr. Baden was Chairman of the Supervisory Board of BEOS AG, Berlin. For several years running, he has been listed as one of Germany’s top business lawyers in the ranking table “Germany’s Best Law...
Wencke Bäsler advises real estate companies on all aspects of real estate transactions, including asset deals, share deals and the management of real estate properties. She also advises on corporate investments and participations, in particular joint ventures. Wencke has broad experience in advising national and international real estate investors, and has wide-ranging experience in handling the sale and acquisition of real estate portfolios, including structuring and financing. Another ...
Markus Beaumart is a lawyer and partner at Friedrich Graf von Westphalen & Partner. Since July 2018, Markus Beaumart has been a partner in the area of real estate law and construction law at the Cologne office. He moved from DLA Piper to the Practice Areas Plant Construction, Real Estate and M&A of FGvW in Cologne with partners Arnt Göppert, Uwe Steingröver and Jörn Zons. Markus Beaumart began his legal career in 1996 in the Cologne office of the (then) law firm Oppenho...
Jörg Beckmann studied law at the Georg-August-University in Göttingen, where he received his doctorate from the chair of Prof. Dr. Andreas Sattler. He completed his legal clerkship in 2001 at the Kammergericht. In the years that followed, Jörg Beckmann worked for two Berlin law firms that were well-known in the market. There he specialized in public building law and public zoning law. A particular focus of Jörg Beckmanns work is the special urban planning law of the German...
Daniel Benighaus works as Shareholder in the German real estate practice. He advises national and international investors on project developments, real estate transactions and ongoing asset management. One focus of his work is advising on complex project developments such as developments of entire quarters, smart buildings, joint ventures and data centers. He has particular expertise in the sale of project developments in forward deals. Daniel also works as a notary with a focus on real estat...
Sara Berendsen advises on corporate transactions of all kinds, including acquisition and sale, joint ventures and restructuring. Sara has broad experience in the field of M&A transactions for national and international clients (asset and share deals) with a focus on the media, technology & telecommunications and real estate sectors. In addition, she advises on capital market issues and joint ventures.
Dr Dirk Brückner (Lawyer of the Year Real Estate Law, Bayern 2025, 2021) is one of the leading real estate lawyers in Germany. He had a leading role in supporting some of the largest transactions in Germany, including transactions for Art-Invest, Hines, Accumulata, Patrizia and Real I.S. AG. Specialization: real estate transactions, real estate joint ventures. Short Biography: Universities of Munich and Passau Academic member of staff at the “Institut für gewerblichen Rechtsch...
Martin Dobias advises clients on virtually all aspects of real estate transactions, in both asset and share deals, including complex portfolio transactions. He also has experience in the negotiation of commercial lease agreements. Prior to Greenberg Traurig, Martin worked at Olswang in Berlin.
Hannes Dürr Attorney Certified specialist in building and architects’ law Partner Specialists area: Real estate and property law, p rivate construction and architectural law, l itigation As a certified specialist in building and architects’ law, I have been advising national and international companies from the property industry as well as private and institutional investors for almost 20 years on all legal issues relating to the development, construction, acquisition, manage...
Dr Matthias Durst is a partner and co-head of real estate at POELLATH in Berlin. For many years, he has advised on real estate transactions, real estate private equity and real estate project developments of all kinds, as well as on the conclusion of rental and lease agreements. He also advises on contract law and has accompanied various major portfolio transactions and individual transactions as the leading partner. In addition, he has broad experience in the fields of real estate financing,...
Tom Erdt is a lawyer and partner at Friedrich Graf von Westphalen & Partner as well as a certified specialist in administrative law. He joined FGvW in 2013 from the long-established Frankfurt law firm Pilger and heads the consultancy in the Rhine-Main-Neckar economic region from Frankfurt. Tom Erdt specialises in national and cross-border real estate transactions. A further focus of his consulting practice is in the area of fraud and compliance. He is particularly well networked in the Fr...
Dr Daniel Fischer is Partner at BEITEN BURKHARDT's Frankfurt office and member of the Real Estate practice group. His area of expertise comprises building, sectoral planning and real estate law as well as administrative law concerning trade and industry and procurement law. He particularly advises his national and international clients on planning and zoning processes, construction permits and urban development contracts as well as on all issues of commercial leases and private construction law.
Ulf Gibhardt studied law at Christian-Albrecht University in Kiel (Germany). He additionally studied business administration at the distance teaching university FernUniversität in Hagen (Germany), completing his studies in 2005 with a thesis on tax-oriented structures for the acquisition of shares and interests. His legal training included working for a law firm in Shanghai (China). He was admitted to the German Bar in 2002, as a tax advisor in 2005, and as a civil-law notary in 2015. Ul...
Anna Gries is a lawyer who specialises in providing project-based legal advice and acting as litigator in all areas of private construction law, architecture and engineering law as well as project monitoring and property development law. She advises, represents and helps clients to manage common problems arising from the drafting of contracts, follow-up management, acceptance procedures, liability for defects and fees.
Dr Michael Grünwald is partner in the Munich office of RITTERSHAUS. He specialises in real estate transactions and financing. His clients include real estate funds, owners of portfolio properties and property developers whom he advises on all issues associated with the acquisition and sale as well as the financing of portfolio properties or projects.
Dr. Marcel Guenoub is a partner at POELLATH in Berlin. He advises his well-known clients on transaction-related advice (due diligence, purchase agreements, lease agreements, financing contracts), project developments (construction and project development contracts, architect and engineer contracts) and real estate-related joint venture projects. Marcel belongs to the “next generation” of POELLATH partners in the real estate sector and has already been listed in relevant rankings. ...
Dr Maximilian Gutsche specialises in commercial tenancy law, private building law as well as architects’ and engineering law. He represents real estate companies, project developers, property developers, industrial companies, project controllers, architects and engineers, public housing associations, institutional investors, and financial institutions. His main areas of activity are the provision of project-related legal advice as well as dealing with topics involving project developmen...
Claudia Hard is a partner and heads the Finance & Banking Group in Germany. She focuses her practice on real estate, project and corporate finance. Claudia has many years of experience in the field of acquisition and refinancing as well as restructuring in the real estate sector. In addition, she has deep experience in the area of Pfandbrief financing, both in Germany and in cross-border financing within Europe and the USA. Her clients include leading domestic and foreign banks, debt fund...
Joachim Heffinger Attorney Certified specialist in building and architects’ law Mediator (DAA/German Lawyers’ Academy) Specialist mediator for the real estate and construction industries (m-con) Partner Specialists areas : Private construction and property law, architectural and engineering law, commercial tenancy law, m ediation/arbitration proceedings Since being admitted to the bar in 1987, I have primarily advised clients in the areas of private construction, real estate, arch...
Josef Hofschroer focuses his practice on corporate law, with an emphasis on M&A transactions for national and international clients. He particularly advises on all aspects of capital markets and securities law. Furthermore, his practice includes distressed investments as well as joint ventures. Josef has particularly wide-ranging experience in the fields of energy, technology, telecommunications and real estate. Among his clients are start-ups, medium-sized and large companies as well as ...
Natalie Hsiao is Local Partner in the Corporate/M&A team and focuses her practice on complex corporate transactions of all kinds, including acquisition and sale processes, joint ventures and restructurings. Natalie has broad experience in the field of M&A transactions for national and international clients with a focus on the real estate, infrastructure and the media, technology and telecoms sectors. In addition, she advises on all aspects of venture capital investments. Natalie repre...
Dipl.-Kfm. Dr. iur. Maximilian Koch is the Managing Director and Founder of KOCH Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbH in Dusseldorf, Germany. He studied economics at the University of Hagen (Diplom-Kaufmann) and law at the University of Osnabruck (1st legal state exam with honors, ranking among the top 5% of graduates), in addition to earning his Dr. iur. "summa cum laude". After completing his legal clerkship in Lower Saxony, he excelled in the 2nd state law examination, achieving a high distinctio...
Prof Dr Kuchler specialises in advising national and international companies, and the public sector, on matters of public construction, planning and environmental law, as well as public commercial law. He has considerable experience managing major complex project developments. Prof Dr Kuchler represents his clients both in and out of court at all levels, including before federal Courts.
Dr Bernhard Laas (recommended Lawyer in Real Estate Law, since 2021) is one of the leading hospitality lawyers in Germany. He had a leading role in supporting some of the largest transactions in Germany, including the transaction of the hotel “Esplande” in Berlin or the “Vienna House” portfolio. Also, he was active in project developments like the “Hoxton” in Hamburg. Specialization: hospitality with a focus in real estate, hospitality transactions, hospita...
Nicolai Lagoni is a Shareholder in the German Corporate Group with extensive experience in the fields of M&A, private equity and joint ventures. His clients are multinational and domestic investors and corporations, which he regularly advises on complex cross-border transactions. Nicolai has wide-ranging experience in the areas of technology and telecommunications, real estate, and life-sciences. WirtschaftsWoche recognized him in 2019 as one of the most renowned M&A-Lawyers in German...
Gregor Lamla is a lawyer and partner at the Cologne office of Friedrich Graf von Westphalen & Partner. He advises on real estate financing and transactions with a focus on commercial real estate, especially in the retail sector (shopping centers, downtown department stores and retail parks). Before joining Friedrich Graf von Westphalen, Gregor was a partner at other major law firms as well as GC at a real estate asset management company. He speaks German and English.
Dr Stefan Lebek is a partner and co-head of real estate at POELLATH in Berlin. He specialises in private real estate law with a focus on advice during real estate transactions (due diligence, asset and share deals, lease agreements, financing agreements, real estate-related corporate law), as well as in providing legal advice in connection with project development, joint ventures and real estate private equity investments. He also renders legal advice on all aspects of real estate-related pub...
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