Dr. Sonja Hoffmann
Biography
Overview
Sonja is a member of the Firm's Global Commercial Litigation Practice based in Frankfurt and a core member of the Firm's Consumer & Retail Industry Group as well as of the Sustainability & Responsible Business Group. She advises national and multinational clients on complex national and cross-border commercial disputes with a particular focus on financial services, real estate, private equity and consumer & retail litigation as well as data privacy & technology litigation. In addition, she advises her clients in ESG litigation with a focus on green claims, human rights due diligence, supply chain and climate change disputes. She regularly speaks at conferences and client seminars on ESG-topics in particular in the consumer & retail industry, where she leads the sub-section of luxury & fashion law.
Sonja has extensive experience in handling litigations in court in connection with securities, financial market instruments, corporate and data privacy law. She is a proven expert in the field of collective redress and handled a various numbers of mass proceedings for the financial industry and for internet and social media providers. Furthermore, Sonja supports clients in complex disputes relating to liability issues (including managing directors' liability), shareholder activism and post-M&A matters. In the context of M&A transactions she advises clients on liability and litigation risks. Sonja has also a strong expertise in negotiating complex agreements and assists her clients in the pre-trial stadium.
Sonja focuses on clients operating in a variety of sectors such as financial institutions, consumer & retail, data privacy & technology and private equity. Sonja also assists clients in the context of enforcement proceedings with international implications.
Experience
Several companies
Advice to companies regarding contractual claims in connection with COVID-19.
Technology company
Cross-border advise to a technology company with regard to contractual claims in the field of renewable energies.
Real estate companies
Advice to and representation of real estate companies in the defense of contractual claims.
A German bank
Exclusive advice and representation of a German bank in relation to swap transactions.
German Bank
Exclusive representation with regard to Wölbern-Funds.
German Bank
Exclusive representation with regard to Swaps.
German Banks and European Financial Service Provider
Representation regarding the clients' defence against claims for damages in connection with funds, certificates and derivatives.
"Collective Litigation in Germany, the EU and the U.S.: Model Declaratory Proceedings under Scrutiny: Class action light?", 24 Oct: Client Seminar – White & Case Office – Frankfurt, Germany
"Climate Change Disputes: The Status and the Future" Indian Journal of International and Comparative Law, Thomson Reuters, 2023 (with Sonja Hoffmann and Federico Parise Kuhnle)
Rent increase according to previous law with timely notification of modernization, Commentary on the decision of the Federal Court of Justice of March 18, 2021, VIII ZR 305/19 regarding a model declaratory action – (Mieterhöhung nach altem Recht bei rechtzeitiger Modernisierungsankündigung, EWiR 2021, p. 719 (issue 23) (co-author with Stefan Lars-Thoren Heun-Rhen)
Climate protection lawsuits against companies won‘t stay away in the future (Klimaschutzklagen gegen Unternehmen bleiben künftig nicht aus) guest commentary in: energate messenger, July 02, 2021 (with Markus Burianski and Federico Parise Kuhnle)
The German Federal Constitutional Court on the German Climate Change Act, Environmental Law & Management, Lawtext, 2021 (with Markus Burianski and Federico Parise Kuhnle)
The New Corporate Due Diligence Act: Potential Liability under Civil Law and Administrative Law (Das neue Lieferkettengesetz: Mögliche zivilrechtliche und bußgeldrechtliche Haftung), July 2021 (co-author with Thomas Helck, Christian Theissen and Christoph Zuschlag)
New clarity/ambiguity regarding internal commissions and reimbursement in investments (Neue (Un-)Klarheit bezüglich lnnenprovisionen und Rückvergütungen bei Kapitalanlagen), NJW, Issue 40, pp. 2909–2913, 2014, (co-author with Stefan Lars-Thoren Heun-Rehn and Isabelle Ruf)
Valid consent in data protection law taking into account the Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, ELR, Issue 6, pp. 206–215, 2013, (General Data Protection Regulation) of 25 January 2012 (co-author with Stefan Peintinger)
Liability for incorrect securities prospectus containing an incomplete description of intragroup investments. Commentary on the decision of the Federal Court of Justice of September 18, 2012 – XI ZR 344/11, ZWH, Issue 7, pp. 287–290, 2013, (co-author with Stefan Deller)
The requirements for ad hoc disclosure in protracted processes (Ad-hoc-Publikationspflicht bei zeitlich gestreckten Vorgängen), ELR, Issue 10, pp. 262–269, 2012, (co-author with Julia Sitter and Stefan Deller)
The investment advisor's duty to provide information about legal risks resulting from changes in the law; duties to identify and advise about risks. Commentary on the decision of the Federal Court of Justice of December 1, 2011 – III ZR 56/11, WuB, July, pp. 358–388, 2012, (co-author with Markus Hauptmann)
The road towards achieving insolvency-proof direct debits, NJW, Issue 48, p. 3484 et seqq., 2010, (co-author with Mareile Müller-Felsch)
Grossly negligent ignorance of an error in the advice provided by an investment adviser, BB, Issue 34, p. 2005 et seqq., 2010, (co-author with Mareile Müller-Felsch)
Duty of investment advisers to review the business press in timely fashion (Federal Court of Justice – Judgment of 5 November 2009 III ZR 302/08), BB, Issue 13, p. 725 et seqq., 2010, (co-author with Markus Langen)
Sonja is also ranked as "often recommended lawyer" for ESG advise/litigation (JUVE 2023/2024)
"Highly competent and professional advisor", JUVE 2023/2024
Often recommended lawyer: ESG advise/litigation, JUVE 2023/2024
Dispute Resolution, Commercial Litigation – Germany, The Legal 500 Germany, 2020
Recommended Lawyer: Dispute Resolution – Germany, The Legal 500 Germany,2017/2018
