Prof. Dr. Rüdiger Lahme

• Ranked by Chambers Global for Competition/European Law: Litigation, 2024:
  
  • "An excellent lawyer who really knows what he is doing"
  • "A pleasure to work with"
• Recognized in JUVE Handbuch, 2020-2025
  
  • “An "extremely clever strategist in antitrust litigation” (2020/2021)
  • "One of Germany's best antitrust litigators" (2021/2022)
  • "Exceptionally committed, hands-on and knowledgeable" (2022/2023)
  • "Highly committed and professionally competent" (2024/2025)
• Consistently recognized by GCR and Who's Who Legal 
  
  • Recommended as one of Germany's foremost competition lawyers in Who's Who Legal's (WWL) 2024 Competition guide
  • "Brilliant litigator" who "fights fierce and smart" (Commercial Litigation Report 2022)
  • Competition Litigation (2022, 2024) with National Leader in Competition Litigation (2023)
  • Leading Lawyer: Competition (2022-2024)
• Recognized by The Best Lawyers in Germany for Arbitration and Mediation, Competition / Antitrust Law, International Arbitration, and Litigation, 2019-2025
  
  • Awarded "Lawyer of the Year" for Competition/Antitrust Law and Litigation (2024)
  • Consistently recognized for Antitrust and Competition Law, International Arbitration, and Dispute Resolution since 2019
  • Additional rankings in Arbitration and Mediation, and Litigation (2025)
• Featured in Legal 500 Deutschland: Competition Litigation – Firms To Watch, 2022-2023
  
  • Recognized for "particular strengths in major cartel proceedings" (2022)
• Lawdragon Recognition 2025:
  
  • Selected among the "500 Leading Global Antitrust & Competition Lawyers"
  • Distinguished as Germany's sole antitrust specialist named in the "500 Global Plaintiff Lawyers" ranking
  • Noted for his experience in both defendant and claimant representation
• Ranked by Leaders League Germany for Dispute Resolution: Commercial Litigation, Competition Litigation, and Dispute Resolution: International Arbitration, 2024
• Recognized among “Thought Leaders Global Elite 2025, Commercial Litigation – Under 45,” Lexology Index
• Named “Lawyer of the Year” for Competition/Antitrust Law and Litigation, The Best Lawyers in Germany, 2024
• Consistently ranked as one of Germany's "most renowned" litigation lawyers in the Wirtschaftswoche Ranking, Wirtschaftswoche/Handelsblatt Research Institute, since 2022

• Founding Chairman, Competition Litigation Forum (www.c-l-f.eu)
• Member, Studienvereinigung Kartellrecht (Antitrust Law Study Association)
• Member, DAV (German Bar Association)
  
   

Books and Book Chapters

• Chapter Author, "Actions for Antitrust Injunctive Relief" and co-author of "Introduction to Antitrust Litigation" (with A. Ruster) in Handbuch Kartellverfahren und Kartellprozess (Beck, 2024)
• Co-author, "Private Enforcement of the Digital Markets Act (DMA)" and Commentary on Articles 27, 38, 39 DMA, in Podszun, Digital Markets Act (with Prof. Dr. Andreas Ruster), Nomos, Baden-Baden 2023 (English version: Hart Publishing, Oxford, 2024)
• Editor and Co-author, Kartellrechtliche Schadensersatzklagen (Antitrust Damages Actions), Deutscher Fachverlag, Fachmedien Recht und Wirtschaft, 2nd Edition, 2021)
• Co-Author Class Actions in EU Law: Focus on Antitrust Litigation" in Class Actions - A Global Guide from Practical Law, Thomson Reuters, 2016 (with Marguerite Sullivan)
• Author, "Suitability of German Civil Proceedings to enforce Antitrust Laws,“ (PhD-thesis 2009; Die Eignung des Zivilverfahrens zur Durchsetzung des Kartellrechts. Eine Untersuchung unter besonderer Berücksichtigung des zivilprozessualen Beweisrechts. Nomos Verlag, Reihe Wirtschaftsrecht und Wirtschaftspolitik, Band 235).

Articles and Academic Publications

• Interview, "Die neuen Königinnen und Könige," Azur 01/2024
• "Der kartellrechtliche Beseitigungsanspruch als verschuldensunabhängiger Schadensersatzanspruch," Zeitschrift für Wettbewerbsrecht (ZWeR), 2021, pp. 544-564 (with Prof. Dr. Andreas Ruster)
• "Prozessuale und materielle Bestimmtheitsanforderungen auf dem Prüfstand des Kartellschadensersatzrechts," Parts 1 & 2, Wirtschaft und Wettbewerb (WuW), 2021, pp. 276 ff. and pp. 330 ff. (with Prof. Dr. Andreas Ruster and Alicia Helle)
• "Der zeitliche Anwendungsbereich des § 33 g GWB – Ein fiktives Streitgespräch," Neue Zeitschrift für Kartellrecht (NZKart), 2019, pp. 645 ff. (with Prof. Dr. Andreas Ruster)
• "Zur Berechnung der Verjährungshemmung nach § 209 BGB," Neue Zeitschrift für Kartellrecht (NZKart), 2019, pp. 544 f. (with Prof. Dr. Andreas Ruster)
• "Das ungeschriebene Merkmal der Kartellbefangenheit," Neue Zeitschrift für Kartellrecht (NZKart), 2019, pp. 196 ff. (with Prof. Dr. Andreas Ruster)
• "OLG Hamm wendet Art. 8 Nr. 1 EuGVVO auf den Kartellregress an," NZKart 2017, p. 175 (with Stefan Bartz)

• Defending a confidential client in antitrust claims following the European Commission's ethylene decision (Case AT.40410 – Ethylene)
• Leading the round timber cartel litigation complex against five federal states (amount in dispute approx. €1 billion)
• Leading the sugar cartel proceedings for CDC
• Advising Daimler AG on antitrust damages claims
• Advising Volkswagen AG on antitrust damages claims
• Defending Finnish chemical manufacturer Kemira Oyj in multinational antitrust damages proceedings up to the European Court of Justice
• Defence of Singapore Airlines against claims totalling over €3 billion for its participation in the so-called air cargo cartel
• Defence of a confidential client against antitrust claims in the steel industry
• Representation of the British insurance company Clerical Medical

_{*Rüdiger advised on some of these matters prior to joining Willkie.}