born in 1955; legal education at the Universities of Tübingen and Munich and at Harvard Law School (LL.M. ’84); admitted to the German Bar in 1984, to the New York Bar in 1986. Honorary professor of law at the University of Tübingen (international business law and arbitration). Managing partner of the law firm Thümmel, Schütze & Partner. Honorary consul of the Republic of Iceland.
Professor Dr. Thümmel is a member of several supervisory boards and advisory boards in family-owned businesses, partly acting as chairman of the respective supervisory bodies. He is a member of the International Bar Association, of the German-American Lawyers’ Association, of the Deutscher Juristentag (German Legal Colloquium), of the Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft (Association for the Promotion of German Science and Humanities), further of the German Institution for Arbitration and other arbitration institutions. He published numerous books and articles on corporate law, on corporate governance, on D&O liability, on international contract and procedural law as well as on arbitration law. On a regular basis he gives lectures and holds seminars on the aforementioned subjects focusing especially on the rights and the duties of board members. Professor Dr. Thümmel is the co-editor of the journal “Der Aufsichtsrat” (“The Supervisory Board”).
Professor Dr. Thümmel is specialized on advising companies – especially family-owned businesses – and the management of companies with regard to corporate law issues and the structuring and negotiation of transactions. Furthermore, Professor Dr. Thümmel represents companies in complex disputes before national courts and international arbitration panels. He is regularly sitting as an arbitrator in international arbitrations. A further focus area is the representation of directors and officers in D&O liability matters as well as the advising of D&O insurers as monitoring or coverage counsel.
Professor Dr. Thümmel has been elected by the journal “Wirtschaftswoche” (“Business Week”) (29/2010) as one of the 25 best German lawyers specializing in corporate law. Additionally, the journal “Handelsblatt” (“Journal for Commerce and Economy”) has ranked Professor Dr. Thümmel as one of the top lawyers in corporate law and arbitration.