Information Technology
www.cms-hs.com Our expertise in the IT sector Experience and industry knowledge you can rely on The information and communications age is witnessing the rapid emergence of new content and national / international conditions. Accordingly, the complexity and commercial importance of IT projects have risen significantly in recent years and will continue to do so. Coping with this changing environment calls for in-depth legal advice that is always up-to-date. Regardless of the role played by IT in your business, expert advice when designing and implementing projects is essential. We have the required legal skills, extensive experience and in-depth knowledge of the IT sector to provide you with comprehensive, accurate and relevant advice. Based in the key business locations of Berlin, Cologne, Hamburg, Leipzig, Munich and Stuttgart, our national Technology team established over 10 years ago comprises more than 35 lawyers and advises clients across multiple locations in all areas of information technology. As part of the CMS organisation, we can also draw on the European TMT (Technology, Media & Telecoms) sector group, which has some 100 lawyers and allows us to provide highly qualified advice on cross-border matters spanning different jurisdictions.
Our service portfolio We advise our clients whether providers or consumers of IT services, medium-sized companies or major corporations on all issues related to technology, telecommunications and media law. In the field of IT, the focus is on IT outsourcing / Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) and IT roll-out projects. If you are outsourcing corporate processes or conducting tendering procedures, you can rely on our national and international experience. Legal advice on IT agreements, including: Research and development agreements (R&D) Project agreements Partnership agreements Outsourcing agreements Software development, licensing, maintenance and service agreements, leasing agreements Developing or reorganising the distribution structures of technology companies Providing legal advice and representation in IT-related disputes and lawsuits, in particular involving troubled large-scale IT projects Training project leaders and managers of IT companies to produce legally watertight technology-related agreements and avoid risks when implementing them Compliance advice, particularly regulation, data protection and data security Legal advice on all aspects of data protection Legal advice on all aspects of Internet law and e-commerce Advice on all software copyright issues
Why choose CMS Hasche Sigle? Deep local expertise Cross-border coordination Most extensive presence High quality advice Strong, trusted relationships Industry specialists Tier 1 IT and Outsourcing Legal 500 Growing your success Corporate success is all about leveraging market insights and translating ideas into reality, backed by maximum legal confidence. With its strong, trust-based client relationships, extensive presence and highly qualified advice, CMS Hasche Sigle can help you achieve your aims. Our lawyers, tax consultants and notaries advise clients from mid-sized companies to major groups on all aspects of national and international commercial law. Supported by more than 2,800 lawyers at 44 international CMS offices in 27 countries, plus nine offices in Germany, our synchronised full-service approach delivers top-quality service and seamless management of cross-border projects. For our clients, this means excellent advice and sustainable solutions tailored to their needs. Especially recommended law firm for outsourcing and IT Practical Law Company Limited
What we can offer you We provide comprehensive advice and call on colleagues from other practice areas as required, bringing together not only IT specialists but also lawyers who are experts in corporate law, employment law or competition law and have relevant industry experience. We have the required capacity to deal with large transactions quickly and efficiently. The original partner instructed always remains your point of contact, continues to coordinate the project and is personally responsible for the matter. We know from experience that this approach provides sustained positive outcomes for clients, at a legal, business and personal level. A key focus for our team is advising clients on preparing and implementing national and international IT projects, where we can build on a strong track record. We provide legal support on drafting and negotiating IT agreements (particularly software development and licence agreements), IT project agreements, maintenance agreements, hosting agreements and research and development agreements, and advise and represent our clients in disputes relating to project implementation. Other key areas include IT outsourcing and M& A transactions, plus advising organisations such as banks, financial services providers and companies in the property sector. Our advice is fully tailored to the needs of our clients, who include hardware and software manufacturers and distributors, IT consulting firms and IT system providers, access, service and content providers, venture capital companies and other investors. We also advise companies that purchase and use IT products and services, such as banks and financial services providers, industrial and trading companies and biotechnology firms. I have a very high opinion of them, said a competitor, while another put it quite simply: They are really good. JUVE
CMS Hasche Sigle is one of the leading commercial law firms. More than 600 lawyers serve their clients in nine major German commercial centres as well as in Brussels, Moscow and Shanghai. CMS Hasche Sigle is a member of CMS Legal Services EEIG, a European Economic Interest Grouping that coordinates an organisation of independent member firms. CMS Legal Services EEIG provides no client services. Such services are solely provided by the member firms in their respective jurisdictions. In certain circumstances, CMS is used as a brand or business name of some or all of the member firms. CMS Legal Services EEIG and its member firms are legally distinct and separate entities. They do not have, and nothing contained herein shall be construed to place these entities in, the relationship of parents, subsidiaries, agents, partners or joint ventures. No member firm has any authority (actual, apparent, implied or otherwise) to bind CMS Legal Services EEIG or any other member firm in any manner whatsoever. CMS Hasche Sigle (December 2012) CMS member firms are: CMS Adonnino Ascoli & Cavasola Scamoni (Italy); CMS Albiñana & Suárez de Lezo, S.L.P. (Spain); CMS Bureau Francis Lefebvre S.E.L.A.F.A. (France); CMS Cameron McKenna LLP (UK); CMS DeBacker SCRL/CVBA (Belgium); CMS Derks Star Busmann N.V. (The Netherlands); CMS von Erlach Henrici AG (Switzerland); CMS Hasche Sigle, Partnerschaft von Rechtsanwälten und Steuerberatern (Germany); CMS Reich-Rohrwig Hainz Rechtsanwälte GmbH (Austria) and CMS Rui Pena, Arnaut & Associados RL (Portugal). www.cmslegal.com CMS offices and associated offices: Amsterdam, Berlin, Brussels, Lisbon, London, Madrid, Paris, Rome, Vienna, Zurich, Aberdeen, Algiers, Antwerp, Barcelona, Beijing, Belgrade, Bratislava, Bristol, Bucharest, Budapest, Casablanca, Cologne, Dresden, Düsseldorf, Edinburgh, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Kyiv, Leipzig, Ljubljana, Luxembourg, Lyon, Milan, Moscow, Munich, Prague, Rio de Janeiro, Sarajevo, Seville, Shanghai, Sofia, Strasbourg, Stuttgart, Tirana, Utrecht, Warsaw and Zagreb. The sole purpose of this publication is to provide information about specific topics. It makes no claims to completeness and does not constitute legal advice. The information it contains is no substitute for specific legal advice. If you have any queries regarding the issues raised or other legal topics, please get in touch with your usual contact at CMS Hasche Sigle or the publisher of this document. CMS Hasche Sigle, Partnership of lawyers and tax consultants, registered office of the partnership: Berlin, court of registration: Charlottenburg, district court, PR 316 B, list of partners: s. website. www.cms-hs.com