Markus Langen

Partner, Frankfurt

Biography

Markus “is particularly experienced in liability issues and defense in class actions” (Legal500). A competitor stated that he is “an outstanding litigator” (JUVE), clients highlight that he delivers “high quality” (JUVE), he has been described as “cooperative, perfectly clear, always ready to talk” (JUVE), and “thinks in economic terms” (JUVE).

Overview

Markus serves as head of the Firm's EMEA Disputes Section for Commercial Litigation and White Collar, and Co-leads the Firm's Global Technology Disputes, Competition, and Investigations (DCI) Interest Group.He represents clients throughout the world in high-stakes disputes in a variety of industries and brings a strong international perspective to formal court or arbitral proceedings and various other forms of dispute resolution, including mediations.

Markus has a national and international practice focused on technology, internet, and social media law as well as the financial service industry. Recognized by leading industry guides as a "highly recommended lawyer" (JUVE and Legal500) and "noted practitioner" (Chambers), Markus has extensive trial experience defending technology clients in high-stake disputes, involving intermediary liability, data protection and personality rights disputes as well as cybersecurity issues. He also defends his clients in regulatory enforcement actions, in particular in the tech, internet and social media space.

Markus also has significant experience in the financial service industry with every kind of financial market crises related liability litigation and an emphasis on issues that arise from class action litigation defense. Furthermore, Markus handles broad array of post-M&A disputes and advises national and multinational corporations in follow-on cartel damage dispute matters. Over the last years Markus also assisted clients in complex internal investigations and enquiries on potential compliance issues by German or foreign authorities and acted on behalf of companies in structuring, implementing or revising group compliance programs.

Bars and Courts
Rechtsanwalt
Education
LLM
University of Sydney
Second State Exam
Higher Regional Court of Cologne
First State Exam
University of Würzburg
Languages
German
English
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Experience

Matters

Handles litigation, regulatory, legislative and platform content issues for leading tech companies around the globe.

Internal investigations into a series of subsidy fraud cases involving considerable reputational and financial risk; review of the prospects of success of various recourse actions against financial brokers and purchasers and sellers of vessels involved; conducting action before the Regional Court for repayment of loans which had been obtained by way of fraud.

Internal investigation into the GPS surveillance of a former employee involving considerable reputational and financial risk and advice on litigation defence.

Representation of Deutsche Pfandbriefbank, Helaba, Nord/LB, HSH Nordbank, Berlin Hyp, Landesbank Berlin and Sparkasse Cologne/Bonn in proceedings related to claims against HETA Asset Resolution AG.

Advised an European financial institution on its internal investigation into an international corruption scheme (Canada, UK, Italy, Germany) related to software licenses, specifically on the impact on the agreements with its end customers under German and English civil law (compliance clauses, disclosure obligations, liability).

Representation of a leading German bank in an €280 million victory relating to a major M&A contractual dispute involving considerable reputational and financial risk. We achieved a victory on behalf of our client before the Higher Regional Court (OLG) of Frankfurt am Main in an action for damages. 

Speaking Engagements

"Legal Risk for Global Tech Products: Navigating Global Regulations", 6/23/2022: TechGC, San Francisco Fireside Dinner, San Francisco, California

"Praxisseminar Cyber-Security » Cyber Attack & Data Breach – Preparedness & Response", 5/26/2020: Seminar in cooperation with Deutsche Fachverlag, White & Case Office Frankfurt, Germany

"Risiko Prospekthaftung – Typische Fehler erkennen und Haftung vermeiden",16/05/2019: Suspektrum – Fachkonferenz gegen Wirtschaftskriminalität, KölnSKY, Köln.

"Collective Litigation in Germany, the EU and the U.S.: Model Declaratory Proceedings under Scrutiny: Class action light?", 24/10: Client Seminar – White & Case Office – Frankfurt, Germany

"Organhaftung aktuell – Vorbeugen, Vermeiden, Verfolgen", 13/03/2018: WM Seminar, Sofitel Frankfurt Opera, Frankfurt

"Negative interest rates – Update 2016 (Negative Zinsen – Update 2016)", 13/07/2016: White & Case Seminar, Frankfurt

"Negative interest rates in the lending, deposit and capital markets business (Negative Zinsen im Einlagen-, Kredit-, Kapitalmarktgeschäft)", 07/07/2015: White & Case Seminar, Frankfurt (together with Prof. Peter Mülbert, Karsten Wöckener and Sebastian Glock)

"HETA ASSET RESOLUTION AG - practical Update: current situation - recent developments - future outlook (HETA ASSET RESOLUTION AG - Praktiker-Update: Bestandsaufnahme - Aktuelle Entwicklungen - Ausblick)", 27/05/2015: White & Case Spring Seminar Series (together with Roger Kiem, Dennis Heuer, Karsten Wöckener, Henning Berger)

Publications

The Legal 500: Enforcement of Judgments Comparative Guide – Germany, Enforcement of Judgments in Civil and Commercial Matters, August 2022 (co-author with Dominik Stier and Kristof Waldenberger)

International Comparative Legal Guide - Enforcement of Foreign Judgments 2022, Laws and Regulations Germany, Chapter 13, March 2022 (co-author with Dominik Stier and Kristof Waldenberger)Lexology GTDT Technology Disputes 2022 - GermanyTrends in German commercial litigation, The Legal 500, In-House Lawyer, Autumn 2021 (co-author with Detlev Gabel, Sonja Hoffmann, Alexandra Diehl, Alissa Arms, Swantje Behm)

Cyber-Security Legal Handbook (Rechtshandbuch Cyber-Security), Gabel/Heinrich/Kiefner (Eds.), Frankfurt am Main, 2019, Chapter 10, Litigation and Liability (Co-author with Dominik Stier)

Securities Litigation in Germany, Lexology

Federal Court: D&O Insurance Liability Cases – Broad Interpretation of the Term "Third Party" in § 108 of the Insurance Contract Act (VVG), Compliance-Berater, Issue 8, pp. 304-308, 2016, (BGH: Innenhaftungsfälle der D&O-Versicherung – weite Auslegung des Begriffs „Dritter“ in § 108 VVG) (co-author with Stefan Deller)

Negative interest rates affect capital markets law, p.9, Börsen-Zeitung, August 8th 2015, (Negative Zinsen beeinflussen Kapitalmarktrecht) (co-author with Karsten Wöckener)

US antitrust standards or the end of the assignment model? - Collective enforcement of compensation claims de lege lata, BB, Issue 149, Pages 1795-1801, 2014, (Amerikanische Verhältnisse im Kartellrecht oder Ende des Abtretungsmodells? - zur gebündelten Durchsetzung von Schadensersatzansprüchen de lege lata) (co-author with Lars Teigelack)

Higher Regional Court of Schleswig-Holstein: Prerequisites for Tort Liability of the Management Board of an Investment Advisory Company. Commentary on the decision of the Higher Regional Court of Schleswig-Holstein of May 23, 2013 – 5 U 140/12 , Compliance Berater, Issue 8, pp. 349–352, 2013, (OLG Schleswig-Holstein: Voraussetzungen einer Deliktshaftung des Vorstandes einer Anlagevermittlungsgesellschaft. Anmerkung zum Urteil des OLG Schleswig-Holstein vom 23.5.2013 – 5 U 140/12) (co-author with Stefan Deller)

Commentaries on §§ 23a, 25a of the German Banking Act (Kommentierung der §§ 23a, 25a KWG), Kreditwesengesetz. Ed. Andreas Schwennicke und Dirk Auerbach. 2nd ed., Munich, 2012

Investment advice and prospectus liability limitation periods dependent on knowledge, NZG, Issue 3, pp. 94–97, 2011, (Die kenntnisabhängige Verjährung bei Anlageberatung und Prospekthaftung)

Obligation to secure the insolvency estate and breach of duties by the supervisory board, NJW, p. 192 et seqq., 2011, (Massesicherungspflicht und Versagen des Überwachungsorgans) (co-author with Alexander Kiefner)

Court decisions in 2009/2010 on prospectus liability , RdF, Issue 2, p. 98 et seqq., 2011, (Rechtsprechungsreport zur Prospekthaftung in den Jahren 2009/2010) (co-author with Mareile Müller-Felsch)

Banking Supervision: Second Amendment of the MaRisk Minimum requirements for risk management , BKR, No. 8, pp. 309–316, 2009, (Die Zweite MaRisk-Novelle in der Bankenaufsicht)

 

Awards and Recognition

Best Lawyer Germany in Litigation, Handelsblatt 2020-2023

Best Lawyers Germany 2020: Litigation

Highly Recommended Lawyer: Dispute Resolution: Litigation, JUVE 2020/2021

Recommended Lawyer: Dispute Resolution – Germany, Legal 500 Germany, 2017

Notable Practitioner, Chambers Germany 2017

Highly Recommended Lawyer, JUVE 2016/2017
Banking and Regulatory

Securities and funds litigation, Legal 500 Germany, 2014