Karl Pörnbacher

Practice Areas

Karl Pörnbacher heads the firm's international arbitration team in Germany. Together with his multinational team of experienced international arbitration lawyers, he has represented clients in more than 90 international and domestic arbitrations as counsel. He has further been appointed as an arbitrator in more than 50 cases, both as chairman/sole arbitrator and co-arbitrator.

Karl assists clients in the efficient resolution of their disputes. He is an expert in alternative dispute resolution, with broad experience in the structuring and conduct of alternative dispute resolution proceedings. His experience includes disputes related to energy (gas, oil, renewables), construction and infrastructure projects, (post) M&A, and the automotive, aeronautic and life science industries in commercial and investment arbitrations. Karl and his team have experience in arbitration proceedings under a variety of rules, including the ICC, VIAC, Danish Chamber of Commerce, Polish Chamber of Commerce, DIS and Swiss Rules, as well as in ad-hoc proceedings. He also represents clients in mediations, dispute board proceedings and adjudications.

Karl is fluent in English, French and Polish. He worked in Warsaw for several years and frequently advises on cross-border disputes involving entities from Poland and other Central and Eastern European states. In recent years, his practice relating to the Eastern European and Caucasus regions has grown significantly.

Karl is a member of the Boards of VIAC and the Arbitration Court at the Polish Chamber of Commerce and he serves as Chair of the Arbitration Court of the German-Polish Chamber of Commerce in Warsaw. He is a member of the scientific advisory board of the MuCDR and the BayCDMA, and he teaches courses on arbitration at the University of Bayreuth.