Maximilian von den Benken, LL.M.

As a lawyer in our Düsseldorf commercial team and part of our automotive sector group, I advise national and international companies in various areas of commercial law with a focus on national and international supply chain disputes.

A particular focus of my practice is advising companies in the automotive industry, both in and out of court, on general contract law issues as well as product liability and warranty.

I assist our clients at all stages of the business relationship in drafting, negotiating and reviewing complex commercial contracts, often in an international context. I also advise companies on legal issues at all levels of the supply chain, on all aspects of distribution law and on ESG compliance issues.

After studying law at the University of Münster and at the Universidad del Atlántico in Barranquilla, I completed my legal clerkship at the German Embassy in Lima, in a leading commercial law firm and in the legal department of an automotive group. I also graduated with an LL.M. from Trinity College Dublin.

Before joining our firm, I worked as a research assistant and as an associate in a US law firm.

• Advising various national and international automotive suppliers (Tier-1 and Tier-2) on claims for damages, price increases and termination rights.
• Advising a Tier-1 automotive supplier on a major project with a German OEM and a Tier-2 automotive supplier.
• Representing a supplier in court to defend against a delivery stop aimed at implementing price increases.
• Drafting various agreements for industrial companies (e.g. plant construction agreements, contract manufacturing agreements, agency agreements).
• Advising an automotive supplier in relation to the insolvency of one of its suppliers.
• Advising several domestic and international companies (automotive, telecommunications, consumer electronics) on various ESG requirements and product compliance matters (in particular Extended Producer Responsibility and EU Battery Regulation).