GAPLA PRACTICE GROUPS

We aim to increase our members’ understanding of diverse areas of practice in our group’s legal jurisdictions. In order to cover a wide range of subjects, GAPLA is currently divided into the following practice groups:

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COMMERCIAL LAW, ARBITRATION AND LITIGATION

Our focus is on commercial and corporate law as well as industrial property, insurance and labour law. This includes the drafting of articles of association, distribution agreements and other qualified contracts as well as out-of-court settlement of disputes and representation in court. Litigation practice also includes special areas such as insolvency law and execution.

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INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAW (IP)

In international legal relations, the rights to intangible assets, in particular technical inventions, trademarks and company names, i.e. brands, as well as literary or artistic works, are of particular importance. This group not only deals  with aspects of  patent, trademark and design law, but also with licensing and copyright issues. Special areas of law such as data protection law are also considered as being at the interface with commercial law.

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INTERNATIONAL PRIVATE AND INHERITANCE LAW

This practice group concentrates on legal questions that arise when life circumstances with a relationship to several states (e.g. Australia and Germany, Austria and New Zealand) have to be assessed.  Special regulations (so-called conflict-of-law rules) determine how the respective national legal systems are to be coordinated with each other. This applies above all to inheritance law, the spectrum of which ranges from succession planning to will execution and estate administration.

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INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC LAW

In addition to the supranational principles and rules of international law, international public law for Germany, Austria and the Benelux states is shaped by European law. European law in the narrower sense includes the law of the European Union (Union law). It is to be expected that the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain (“BREXIT”) will not only lead to a special right between the EU and the United Kingdom, but in the course of this action also the legal relations between Australia and the EU or New Zealand and the EU will be newly regulated.

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INTERNATIONAL TAX LAW AND INVESTMENT LAW

Private individuals and companies that have legal relationships with more than one country are generally confronted with the problem of not being taxed in several countries on the same matter. The avoidance of such double taxation is primarily regulated in special agreements, such as the Double Taxation Agreement between Australia and Germany. These take precedence over the national provisions on tax exemption or tax credit. There are other special regulations for capital investments, especially at the national level, such as the German Investment Code (KAGB).

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INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION LAW

Distribution is the backbone of economy. Particularly in the German-Australian relationship, distribution law issues are becoming increasingly important, because the trading volume between the two countries has been rising continuously for years (source: GTAI, Economic Data Compact Australia, May 2018). More and more companies want to take advantage of this trend and intend to open up new cross-border sales markets.

The practice group distribution law deals with all forms of distribution on a national and international level. The members of the group possess profound knowledge in the field of commercial agents, authorised dealers, franchise and distribution antitrust law. The cross-border cooperation within this practice group guarantees an exchange between members at the highest level.

Learn more:
>>> International Distribution Law
>>> German commercial agency law at a glance
>>> International Distribution Law´s claim for goodwill indemnity under German law
>>> Overview of legal forms of distribution in Germany (EN)

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WE WELCOME YOU TO JOIN ANY PRACTICE GROUPS OF INTEREST TO YOU. PLEASE REGISTER YOUR INTEREST BY SENDING AN EMAIL TO THE RELEVANT GROUP LEADERS.

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