Lars Harzmeier | Lawyers

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Germany

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Litigation, Arbitration & Investigations

Overview

Lars represents businesses, investors, and financial institutions in complex arbitrations, commercial litigation, and negotiations across multiple jurisdictions. His work centres on contentious issues arising from commercial contracts, M&A, shareholder conflicts, and insurance coverage.

He has acted in multibillion‑euro matters, spanning international arbitrations under major institutional rules and high-stakes litigation before German courts, including appellate and set-aside proceedings. He routinely directs parallel proceedings, jurisdictional challenges, and enforcement strategies.

Lars brings deep transactional experience to his contentious practice. Having advised on more than 100 live M&A deals, he understands the underlying mechanics of a transaction. With this dual perspective, he is able to identify pressure points early and present issues in commercial terms.

Private capital is a significant part of his practice. Lars advises sponsors and portfolio companies across the hold period on matters including W&I insurance claims, investment and shareholder agreement disputes, and D&O liability.

Experience

His recent experience includes:

Advising financial sponsors and strategic investors on negotiating and enforcing W&I and contingent risk insurance policies; including representing LIXIL in arbitration and litigation against 20 W&I insurers in connection with the Grohe acquisition.
Acting for Erste Abwicklungsanstalt (EAA) in billion-euro litigation concerning tax liabilities from WestLB cum-ex transactions; securing a successful defence before the Frankfurt Higher Regional Court, confirmed by denial of appeal.
Representing a global financial institution in a post M&A dispute brought by the acquirer of a business unit, involving a contested data migration, complex reconciliation evidence, and quantum issues; coordinating forensic workstreams and experts, with related arbitration and set-aside proceedings running in parallel.
Advising corporates and private equity firms on numerous complex post-M&A disputes, including litigation and arbitration over purchase price adjustments, warranty and indemnity claims, disclosure obligations, and expert determinations.
Representing a leading Asian investment fund in complex shareholder disputes following its acquisition of a German technology company, including litigation up to the German Federal Court of Justice.
Advising key shareholders in a complex governance dispute over an attempted external investor entry; securing binding court rulings and interim relief, including the exclusion of adverse shareholders and safeguarding client control.
Representing the insolvency administrator of a German bank in complex litigation covering D&O liability claims against former management and professional liability actions against advisers; achieving settlements across multiple high-value claims.

Education, Qualifications and Languages

Lars studied law at Bucerius Law School in Hamburg with a semester abroad at Fudan University in Shanghai.

He speaks German, English and Chinese (Mandarin).

Thought Leadership

First experiences with W&I disputes, with Julia Grothaus, in Drygala/Grobe (eds.), Dritthaftung, Public Policy und Material Adverse Change-Klauseln bei M&A (in German), 2025.

Insurance cover for balance sheet warranties in W&I policies, with Peter Ratz, Nils Klamar, Daniel Mösinger, and Christian Wegener, in Betriebs-Berater (in German), 2024, p. 1027.

Arbitration of W&I insurance disputes, four chapters (in German), with Rupert Bellinghausen, in Lüttringhaus / Korch (eds.), Transaktionsversicherungen: W&I and Contingent Risk Insurance in der M&A-Praxis, 2022.

United Kingdom, chapter (in German), in Fleischer (ed.), Personengesellschaften im Rechtsvergleich, 2021.

Overview

Experience

His recent experience includes:

Advising financial sponsors and strategic investors on negotiating and enforcing W&I and contingent risk insurance policies; including representing LIXIL in arbitration and litigation against 20 W&I insurers in connection with the Grohe acquisition.

Acting for Erste Abwicklungsanstalt (EAA) in billion-euro litigation concerning tax liabilities from WestLB cum-ex transactions; securing a successful defence before the Frankfurt Higher Regional Court, confirmed by denial of appeal.

Representing a global financial institution in a post M&A dispute brought by the acquirer of a business unit, involving a contested data migration, complex reconciliation evidence, and quantum issues; coordinating forensic workstreams and experts, with related arbitration and set-aside proceedings running in parallel.

Advising corporates and private equity firms on numerous complex post-M&A disputes, including litigation and arbitration over purchase price adjustments, warranty and indemnity claims, disclosure obligations, and expert determinations.

Representing a leading Asian investment fund in complex shareholder disputes following its acquisition of a German technology company, including litigation up to the German Federal Court of Justice.

Advising key shareholders in a complex governance dispute over an attempted external investor entry; securing binding court rulings and interim relief, including the exclusion of adverse shareholders and safeguarding client control.

Representing the insolvency administrator of a German bank in complex litigation covering D&O liability claims against former management and professional liability actions against advisers; achieving settlements across multiple high-value claims.

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Education, Qualifications and Languages

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Overview

Experience

Thought Leadership