Dabelstein & Passehl - International Law Office

Work Areas

Aviation, Business Law, Commercial, Company Law, Construction, Construction, Engineering, Surety and Fidelity, Contract, Cross-Border Transactions, Employment, Finance - shipping, Insurance, International Commercial Law, International Law, International Trade, Licensing, Litigation, Marine Insurance, Maritime Law, Patents, Private International Law, Regulatory Law, Shipping, Shipping & Transport, Trade, Transport

Firm Description

Who we are

We are an experienced and committed team of lawyers who carry out their clients' instructions promptly and professionally.

Having been in business for more than 80 years, we have an absolute and sound understanding of the interests of our clients. Where necessary, we litigate on their behalf, whilst seeking to avoid contentious proceedings where appropriate.

We provide our clients with an individual and personal service and always with an eye on the most cost-effective methods. We are available to provide our clients with legal advice 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Our German and foreign clients operate worldwide. Our daily work is international-based.

Background

Dabelstein & Passehl was founded in 1930 by Dr Hans Dabelstein. Within a short time, the Hamburg lawyer gained a reputation as a respected expert in maritime law. With the arrival of Dr Gerhard Passehl, master mariner, Hans Dabelstein gained a partner who was not only an outstanding shipping lawyer but also a specialist in marine insurance law.

Originally Dabelstein & Passehl worked almost exclusively in the field of traditional coastal shipping (North and Baltic Seas). Since the 1970s, the firm has considerably expanded its field of activity. Today it is active worldwide.

In line with the expansion of the firm's areas of practice, the client base has increased significantly. As a result, the firm itself has continued to grow over the years, whilst maintaining the qualities and principles appreciated by its clients, namely its expertise and the individualised service it has always been in a position to provide. There are currently more than 25 lawyers working for Dabelstein and Passehl in the Hamburg and Leer offices.

What we do

International shipping law, land and air transport law, freightforwarding and insurance are the core areas of practice of Dabelstein & Passehl both in Hamburg and Leer as one of the strongest bases for German Shipowners. We are one of the largest and best known law firms in Germany practising these areas of law.

Shipping law
Collisions, salvage/assistance, general average, groundings and loss - at sea and on inland waterways - all form part of the work we do. This includes disputes under contracts of affreightment, cargo damage and personal injury, pilotage, maritime employment and public shipping law, port law, inland waterway law and Maritime Enquiry Board proceedings.

We act for our clients not only in relation to court proceedings but we also give them comprehensive advice on contracts in the maritime field (e.g. contracts of affreightment and crew employment contracts), including assistance in drawing up bill of lading terms and conditions.

Ship finance
Those wishing to operate in shipping must either build or buy boats. This inevitably involves the resolution of questions of ship finance, an independent and complicated area of the law. Our advice in this regard extends from draft sale and purchase contracts to their financing and to the registration of ships and mortgages. We act for both banks as well as shipowners in this area.

Shipyard law and plant construction
Shipping, shipbuilding and ship repairs are inseparably linked together. Extensive experience as in-house lawyers enables our shipbuilding specialists to give comprehensive advice not only regarding the legal aspects of a case. We support our clients in all respects relating to the conclusion and implementation of building, renovation and repair contracts. We also play an important role in advising on court procedure including foreign courts and arbitration.

We have for many years very successfully advised clients dealing in industrial plants and power station construction on the conclusion of international building, co-operation and consortium contracts. Our many years of experience is also put into good use here with regard to ship machinery construction.

Land and air transport law
We advise on the structuring of transport contracts in accordance with the applicable conventions (CMR, CIM, Montreal Convention).

Insurance law
Ship hull insurance, P&I, loss of hire, goods transport insurance, cargo insurance, haulage insurance, CMR, personal liability insurance and re-insurance.

Through our regular activity for insurance undertakings, we can offer extensive experience in this area whether we are dealing with detailed advice on the law for the supervision of insurance companies, the drafting of comprehensive insurance conditions or the formulation of entirely new insurance concepts.

Yacht insurance
The area of yacht insurance is an independent specialist area, in particular the area of large and mega yachts with which we primarily deal. We advise yacht owners both on the choice of the right legal form for their owning company, as well as on the drafting of building, insurance and financing contracts. We assist yacht insurers in dealing with large scale damage and loss.

Interlocutory proceedings
Even the most favourable judgment is of no assistance if it cannot be enforced. Therefore, appropriate measures against a debtor's assets must be guaranteed. We are specialists in this area and secure our clients' interests through arrests and other enforcement proceedings both through domestic and foreign courts, in order to enforce judgments, even in cases which others believe to be nearly hopeless.

German-English legal proceedings
It enables German clients to pursue English proceedings directly. It is our link to one of the most significant jurisdictions of international shipping, transport and business law. It also enables German clients to pursue and English clients to have access to German jurisdiction. In addition to shipping and transport law, we act for our clients in the recognition and enforcement of proceedings for both court judgments and arbitration awards.

International trial co-ordination
Many disputes are these days conducted in the courts of different countries. The co-ordination of separate proceedings play a decisive part in the successful outcome of a legal dispute. Due to our great international experience, we are happy to act for our clients in co-ordinating such proceedings even where there are no parallel German proceedings.

Business law
We offer our clients advice in all areas of business law from company law to corporate succession, including all inheritance questions and enforcement of wills.

Our Client Base

Dabelstein & Passehl act domestically and abroad for a wide range of organisations from the shipping, shipbuilding and industry fields. The international experience of our two offices in the shipping centres of Hamburg and Leer has helped insurers, P&I Clubs, recovery agents, shipowners, shipyards, brokers, "Assekuradeure", plant construction business, shipbuilding suppliers, ship banks and financial services providers as well as shippers, freightforwarders, port authorities, transport companies, ship's operators and the entire maritime service industry and its members.

Dabelstein & Passehl intends to grow in the future. As a firm of lawyers with sucess in the traditional areas of practice, we will continue to pursue the fundamental principles of our legal practice, in both giving advice and representation, the continuing development of our international court competencies, the commitment to individual "tailor-made" solutions, as well as the readiness to seek necessary innovations, which promote successful outcomes. We do not regard growth as an end itself. We are growing because we are convinced our clients, who give us new instructions, as well as our opponents, have learned to value our qualities in dealing with disputes in a firm but fair manner. We regard Germany as a shipping and insurance market with a promising future. In order to give foreigners a view of this important market, we regularly offer the "Dabelstein & Passehl Shipping and Marine Insurance Scholarship". This programme involves inviting young foreign lawyers to attend a two-week practical seminar in the expectation that such collaboration will contribute to the joint growth of markets.

Lawyer Biographies

Ahlendorf, Kati; Auf der Horst, Isabel; Backhaus, Jan; Botters, Guido; Brüggemann, Thomas; Büürma, Stefan; Dreyer, Jan; Eichhorn, Jan Tjarko; Guth, Maximilian; Hagenberg, Caroline; Hartenstein, Olaf; Jaeger, Jens; Kotthaus, Justin; Kremer-Tiedchen, Sieke; Kröger, Nicoletta; Lück, Steffen; Maelicke, Steffen; Mallach, Esther; May, Janine; Noltin, Jörg; Peltzer, Oliver; Remiorz, Marco G; Schrandt-Zimmer, Stefan; Schwampe, Dieter; Siedschlag, Alexandra; Trost, Annika; Warnke, Rüdiger; Wolf, Sarah