Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer enhances disputes expertise in Frankfurt through Hannah Eckhoff hire

Leading global law firm Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer has hired Hannah Eckhoff as a partner in its disputes practice in Frankfurt.

Hannah is experienced in handling a variety of complex high-stake international and domestic commercial litigations and arbitrations, with a particular focus on the financial services, pharma, manufacturing and automotive sectors. She has a strong background in product liability defences, highly technical disputes and has advised clients under domestic procedural laws as well as the major arbitration rules.

At the firm, Hannah will focus on banking disputes alongside broader commercial disputes for clients in Germany, a global hub for many of the world's largest banks. Her expertise broadens the range of practice areas and products offered to clients, enabling the team to service mandates covering banking/financial services regulatory, commercial litigation, international arbitration, IP, corporate crime & investigations, competition litigation, product liability and class actions.

Hannah re-joins the firm having previously been a trainee at legacy Herbert Smith Freehills. She subsequently worked in the Dispute Resolution team at another global law firm before joining global biotechnology company BioNTech, where she has been Director Legal Dispute Resolution for the past two years.

Kai Liebrich, Managing Partner, Germany, comments: "Having worked alongside Hannah earlier on in her career at the firm, I know she is an exceptional lawyer who will bring fantastic insights as a banking and commercial litigator as we continue to grow our platform in Germany."

Patricia Nacimiento, Head of the German Disputes Team comments: "Hannah's arrival deepens and expands our expertise, particularly in the area of litigation, and strengthens a core competency of our international practice in Germany."

Hannah comments: "HSF Kramer has a strong reputation in dispute resolution, both in Germany and across the globe – a crucial factor for clients challenged with disputes that are increasingly multi-jurisdictional. I'm excited to return to the firm."

Hannah is the latest arrival for the firm in Germany over the past year, following the hire of IP disputes partner Florian Schmidt-Bogatzky, corporate partners Dr Oliver Duys, Dr Wilhelm Nolting-Hauff and Dr Nikita Tkatchenko, and disputes legal advisor Prof Dr Jürgen Stock.