Daniel Achtelik

As an associate in our Commercial, Dispute Resolution and Compliance Practice Group in Düsseldorf, a member of our Automotive Sector Group and our German ESG Group, I advise domestic and international clients on a wide range of commercial law and dispute matters as well as compliance matters in the field of ESG.

I advise clients (mainly automotive suppliers, but also consumer goods companies) on all aspects of general contract and warranty law as well as product liability and product safety law.

A particular focus of my practice is advising clients on supply chain disputes, both in and out of court. In this context, I have specialist knowledge and experience in handling high-volume litigation (especially warranty cases), preparing and defending delivery stops, terminating supply contracts and negotiating price adjustments. I also advise clients on supply chain disruption, particularly with regard to force majeure and resource allocation.

In addition, I support clients in the drafting and review of complex commercial contracts and general terms and conditions (e.g. general terms and conditions of purchase or sale) as well as in supply chain management with a main focus on the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act ('Lieferkettensorgfaltspflichtengesetz').

After studying law at the Heinrich Heine University in Düsseldorf, I completed my legal clerkship in the district of the Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court, working for a well-known Düsseldorf commercial law firm and in the legal department of an international DAX-listed company.

I joined Bird & Bird in 2021 after being admitted to the bar. Alongside working as an associate, I am writing my dissertation on Force Majeure in the Supply Chain.

• Advising a German Tier-1 automotive supplier on the defence of claims in a warranty case against a German OEM (approx. 345m EUR litigation).
• Advising a German Tier-1 automotive supplier in a warranty case against a German OEM (> 50m EUR litigation)
• Advising a Mexican/German Tier-1 automotive supplier against a US/Japanese Tier-3 supplier in a warranty case (> 5m EUR litigation)
• Advising a US automotive supplier on the acquisition of a German automotive supplier's production site regarding the negotiation and entry into ongoing contracts
• Advising various automotive suppliers on supply chain disputes, including in particular the preparation of and defence against delivery stops as well as the filing of protective briefs
• Advising several automotive suppliers (Tier-1 and Tier-2) on supply chain disruption relating to the Corona crisis, the 2021 flood disaster in Germany and the Ukraine war (including force majeure, resource allocation and price adjustment claims)
• Drafting the General Purchase Terms and Conditions for Production Material of a major Chinese manufacturer of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles
• Advising a protective equipment manufacturer on product liability and product safety issues
• Advising national and international companies on various issues related to the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (LKSG)