Dr Ralf Hafner
Rechtsanwalt, M.Sc.
Partner
- T +49 89 35065-1351
- F +49 89 35065-2150
- Munich
Languages
German English FrenchExpert
Dr Ralf Hafner
Career
Dr Ralf Hafner is Partner at ADVANT Beiten’s Munich office and head of the Litigation & Dispute Resolution practice group. His area of activity comprises litigation & arbitration. He particularly advises his national and international clients on complex, international disputes, mostly post-M&A-cases as well as other corporate, commercial, banking and contractual matters and claims for damages in particular against corporate bodies. He represents his clients in arbitration and state court proceedings, including proceedings for the enforcement of arbitral awards. He has extensive expertise as arbitrator (also as president and sole arbitrator), as counsel and as secretary to the arbitral tribunal from more than 60 arbitration proceedings following the rules of DIS, ICC, LCIA, Milan Chamber of Commerce, SCC, Swiss Rules as well as from ad hoc arbitration proceedings (including UNCITRAL Rules) in various industries.
Ralf Hafner studied law at the University of Freiburg and was admitted to the German Bar in 2004. While holding a scholarship of the Konrad-Adenauer-Foundation he earned a doctoral degree from the University of Freiburg (Dr. iur., 2004). In 2008 Ralf graduated with a master's degree (M.Sc. (Construction Law & Dispute Resolution)) from King's College London. Since 2011 he teaches Business Law at the Georg-Simon-Ohm-Institute for Management of the University of Applied Sciences in Nuremberg. In 2012 he was a Visiting Lecturer for European & International Law at King's College London. Since 12/2021 he is a member of the Advisory Board of the DIS. In 11/2022 he has been selected as arbitrator for the Arbitrator Pool of the Court of Arbitration for Art. After seven years with a major Anglo-American law firm in its Dusseldorf and London offices, Dr Ralf Hafner has been working with ADVANT Beiten as a partner since January 2011.
Dr Ralf Hafner is recommended.
(The Legal 500 Germany 2024)
"meticulous in the matter, confident in the conduct of negotiations", competitor
(JUVE Handbook Commercial Law Firms 2023/2024)
Dr Ralf Hafner is recommended.
(The Legal 500 Germany 2023 & The Legal 500 EMEA 2023)
"experienced and very assertive", Competitor
(JUVE Handbook Commercial Law Firms 2022/2023)
Dr Ralf Hafner is listed in Best Lawyers in the fields of Arbitration and Mediation, Energy Law and Litigation.
(Best Lawyers 2023)
Dr Ralf Hafner is recommend for Contract Law.
(Kanzleimonitor.de 2022/2023)
"meticulous, with an eye for the essentials", Competitor
(JUVE Handbook Commercial Law Firms 2021/2022)
Awards
Memberships
- British-German Jurists' Association
- German Institution of Arbitration (DIS)
- ICC
- ICDR
- KAS Alumni
- KCCLA
Publications / Lectures
Publications:
"Online or offline, That's the Question Here – In Focus: Virtual Arbitration Hearings", Deutscher Anwaltsspiegel, Vol. 16, 5 August 2020 (co-author Katharina Hoffmann);
"Consultation by email in proceedings for means of order as an unwritten prerequisite for the validity of service under Sec. 185 No. 3 German Code of Civil Procedure (ZPO)?", Discussion of Decision by Higher Regional Court of Munich; 13 March 2020; file: 29 W 275/20, lexis nexis database, (co-author Katharina Hoffmann);
"The (Potential) Effect of Third Party Funding on the Impartiality and Independence of Arbitrators and How to Deal with It", NYSBA, International Law Practicum, 2020, Vol. 33, No. 1, p. 29 et seq. (co-author Anna von Kenne);
"Rethinking the Judiciary?!", in: DisputeResolution, No. 4, 2019, p. 15 et seq.;
Arbitrability III" – Advancement or Wrong Track? (together with Katharina Hoffmann), in: DisputeResolution, No. 1, 2018, p. 12 et seq.;
Der ehrbare Kaufmann und Treu und Glauben - Standortvorteile deutschen Rechts gegenüber englischem Recht? (together with Volker Triebel), in: Graf/Stober (ed.), Der Ehrbare Kaufmann und Compliance - Zur Aktivierung eines klassischen Leitbilds für die Compliancediskussion, Hamburg 2010, p. 45 et seq.;
Präklusion und "Heilung" der Unzuständigkeit bei GmbH-Beschlussmängelstreitigkeiten im Schiedsverfahren (together with Volker Triebel), in: SchiedsVZ 2009, p. 313 et seq.;
Schiedsfähigkeit von Beschlussmängelstreitigkeiten im Recht der GmbH am Maßstab der neuen BGH-Rechtsprechung und ihre Auswirkungen (together with Jürgen Witte), in: DStR 2009, p. 2052 et seq.;
Is there a need for the 'group of companies' doctrine?, London, 2008 (master thesis);
30 Years UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules: Experiences and Case Law, Default of a Party (Article 28) (together with Dr Volker Triebel);
Der Wirtschaftsprüfer als Schiedsgutachter bei M&A Transaktionen (together with Volker Triebel), in: Nicklisch (ed.), Der Experte im Recht, Heidelberg 2006, p. 125 et seq.;
Stationäre Einrichtungen im Wettbewerb: Steuervergünstigungen für Wohlfahrtsverbände im Bereich des Gesundheits- und Sozialwesen im Lichte des EG-Beihilfenrechts, 2004 (doctoral thesis).
Lectures:
"The Changing World of Dispute Resolution – Current Issues", speech at the international meeting of the practice group Dispute Resolution, in Munich on 11 October 2019;
"Settlement of Disputes in Cross-Border M&A Transactions", speech and panel discussion at the 2019 M&A Conference of Betriebsberater in Dusseldorf on 29 January 2019;
"When Things Go Wrong: Conducting Litigation and Arbitration Successfully"; speech during the client seminar "Successfully Conducting IT Projects", in Frankfurt on 5 June 2018;
"Appointing Authority“, speech at the invitation of the Arbitration Initiative Georgia, in Tbilisi on 8 February 2018;
Seminar at the University of Bayreuth: "Dos and Don'ts in Litigation" (10 November 2014);
Client seminar on the new ICC-Rules 2012, January 2012;
In-house seminar at a major global automotive supplier on the new ICC-Rules 2012, December 2011;
In-house seminar at a global industries supplier on alternatives to arbitration an jurisdiction clauses, June 2011;
Sitting regularly as an arbitrator in various pre-moots and at the Willem C. Vis Moot Court in Vienna.