DR. THOMAS
VON PLEHWE

ADVOCATE AT THE
FEDERAL SUPREME COURT

Profile

SUPREME COURT LITIGATION AND ARBITRATION

National and cross-border litigation; out of court background and expert legal advice; management of cases and appeals throughout the litigation process; final appeals and exclusive representation in Federal Supreme Court proceedings and in preliminary ruling procedures before the European Court of Justice. Arbitration (German/English) as well as Supreme Court litigation following arbitral awards.

EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE

Independent, reliable and innovative advice as well as representation, based on more than thirty years’ appellate practice. Thinking outside the box and connecting the dots, based on extensive experience gained as a trial and appellate lawyer in all civil practice areas, and by exclusively practising at the Federal Supreme Court Bar as well as before the European Court of Justice. Individual, class and collective proceedings. Close cooperation with previous counsel if desired. Bespoke advice and solutions, based on personal responsibility and supported by selected, qualified junior counsel. Legal aid, depending on the merits. Certified tax counsel.

AREAS COVERED

All areas of German civil law, including conflicts of law, and European law litigated at the German Federal Supreme Court, other federal appellate courts and the European Court of Justice.

Extensive experience litigating appeals involving, inter alia, conflict of laws; international jurisdiction and arbitration; European and public international law, including civil war crimes litigation (Distomo, Kunduz); arbitral awards; commercial, companies and corporations; competition (including mass cartel cases) and state aid; insolvency and restructuring; insurance; energy and transport, railways, aviation; construction and architecture; real estate; product, medical product and vaccine liability; banking and investment (including investment funds); press and media; emerging digital technologies and legal rights; intellectual property, including music and film, design, pharmaceuticals, agro chemicals and food; press; professional liability; maritime law; agriculture; family law including cross-border pre- and postnup advice; inheritance law. Niche expertise in conflict of laws, public international law and matters of art law, restitution and recovery proceedings, foreign and domestic. Tax law and appeals. Recognition and litigation of arbitration awards.

VITA

Dr. Thomas von Plehwe

Educated in England (St. Paul’s School, London; King’s College London) and Germany (Bonn University, Dr. iur.). Research fellow at the Institute of Private International and Comparative Law, Bonn University. Partner of Heuking, Cologne, until 2000. Certified tax counsel. PGDip in EC Competition Law, King’s College London. CertHE Psychology, OU.
Called to the Bar, Bonn District Court; Appeal Bar, Cologne, until 2000. Member of the Bar of the Federal Supreme Court, Karlsruhe, since 2001.

 

Publications and speaker in the areas of appeals proceedings, conflict of laws, pharmaceutical, press, company, European law, restitution and recovery of works of art. Commentator on private international property and international environmental law.

Languages: English (fluent), Italian, French.

Memberships

Inter alia German Bar Association, American Bar Association, International Bar Association (IBA), British Institute of International and Comparative Law (BIICL), German Arbitration Institute (DIS), International Law Association (ILA), various German associations devoted to the practice and research of competition, company, intellectual property, building and architecture, insolvency, art, medical and other professional malpractice, family as well as tax law. Various international lawyers’ associations.

Pro bono

Member of the Board of the German Bar Association since 2021.

Past President of the Association of Members of the Supreme Court Bar, former Member of the Legislative Assembly of the Federal Bar Council, Berlin, of the Federal Bar Council ad hoc-Committee on the Federal Bar, of the Executive Committee of the Federal Supreme Court Bar Council, past Vice-President of the Union des Avocats Européens (European Lawyers Association, UAE), former long-term Member of the Board of Examiners of Cologne Regional Court of Appeal (First State Exams in Law).

Pro bono appeals, subject to agreement.

 

Committed to ESG-sustainability.

PRESS COMMENTS

“Highly competent, very pragmatic” (JUVE Handbook, 2014/2015)

“first choice, simply good”; “successful, very committed” (JUVE Handbook, 2015/2016)

“very thorough, outstanding legal knowledge” (JUVE Handbook, 2016/2017)

“subtle and perceptive” (JUVE Handbook, 2017/2018)

“precise, thorough and sound legal work” (JUVE Handbook, 2019/2020),

“very experienced, good pleadings on novel issues” (JUVE Handbook, 2021/2022),

“excellent strategist” (competition law); “good knowledge of company law” (conflict resolution) (JUVE 12/2021),

“clear thinking, plain language, superior briefs” (JUVE Handbook, 2022/2023),

“knowledgeable company lawyer; extremely “user friendly”” (JUVE Handbook 2023/2024),

“knowledgeable insolvency lawyer” (insolvency and restructuring); “experienced in investment law” (investment fund); “extremely meticulous and well-reasoned” (IP) (JUVE 04/2024)

“superb, very experienced Supreme Court attorney without airs” (JUVE Handbook 2024/2025)

“always thorough and well-founded, extremely experienced” (media); “excellent, succinctly arguing lawyer, very cordial” (banking, finance and insurance supervision); “constructive and very cooperative” (insolvency and restructuring) (JUVE 06/2025)

“excellent, succinctly arguing lawyer, very cordial” (JUVE Handbook 2025/2026)

 

Contact

Our Address


Dr. Thomas von Plehwe
Advocate at the Federal Supreme Court
Karlstraße 22-24
76133 Karlsruhe

Tel.: +49 721 886 211
Fax: +49 721 888 535

info@plehwe-bgh.com
www.plehwe-bgh.com