Your lawyer

Prof. Dr. Markus Köhler

+49 (0)711 60187-210
koehler@oppenlaender.de

JUVE Handbook 2021/2022 lists Prof. Dr. Markus Köhler among the frequently recommended lawyers in trademark and competition law, energy law and the transport sector and quotes a client: “the highest level of competence, the very best instinct for appropriate action, maximally effective”.

JUVE-Handbook 2021/2022

Markus Köhler was born in Mannheim in 1965. He also studied there and was for some years academic assistant to Prof. Dr. Hans Wolfgang Arndt. He received his doctorate in 1991 with a thesis on a media and competition law subject. Since 2010, he is an honorary professor at the legal faculty of the University of Mannheim.

Markus Köhler worked as a lawyer in a leading commercial law firm in Frankfurt am Main before he joined OPPENLÄNDER in 1997.

Languages: English, Italian, French

Expertise

Markus Köhler has achieved an excellent reputation and nation-wide acknowledgement in two completely different areas.

As specialist for intellectual property law, competition and media law, he advises and represents companies acting worldwide, in particular in the area of consumer goods and health in product importation and product advertising. He appears frequently before the relevant civil law special chambers and senates. As honorary professor, he lectures on trademarks law, competition law and internet law including in English. As a board member of the Interdisciplinary Center for Intellectual Property at the University of Mannheim (IZG) he organises several times a year conferences with lectures from leading German experts. In the German Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (GRUR) he is also a member of the Committee for Competition and Trademark Law. He is also a member of the German Association of Law and Informatics (DGRI). The JUVE Handbook includes Markus Köhler among the most frequently recommended lawyers in trademark and competition law (“very quick, pragmatic, consistent and affordable”).

Since the liberalisation of the energy industry law in 1998, Markus Köhler also advises major electricity and gas supply companies nationally and internationally as well as city utilities on all aspects of energy law. A particular emphasis of his work is on energy distribution law issues (including renewable energies) the enforcement of reasonable prices of infrastructure use and dealing with demands for price changes. In that area he is known nationwide in the course of civil law reviews of network fees, representing networking operators at the Federal Network Agency and by his work as chairman, associate arbitrator and representative in arbitration. The JUVE Handbook quotes clients with the assessment “highest capacity, best sensitivity for reasonable procedures, maximum effectivity”. The Handelsblatt therefore honoured Markus Köhler in the area of conflict resolution as “lawyer of the year” and has included him for that area as one of the “best lawyers in Germany” already for many years. He is a member of the German Institution for Arbitration (DIS) and of the Institute for Energy and Regulatory Law Berlin (enreg).

Markus Köhler places importance on the academic quality of his work. An expression thereof is his comprehensive literary activity. Apart from many articles in periodicals on his specialist areas, he is author of the standard work Köhler/Fetzer “Recht des Internet”, now in its 8th edition. He is also co-publisher and author of the commentary “Müller-Terpitz/Köhler, Gesetz über digitale Dienste” (publication pending 2023). In addition, he is co-publisher of the periodical Zeitschrift für Digitalwirtschaft (ZdiW).

Others about Prof. Dr. Markus Köhler

Client about Prof. Dr Markus Köhler in the field of transport: “provides reliable answers quickly.”

JUVE Handbuch 2024/2025

Client about Prof. Dr Markus Köhler: „reliable, practical and quick answers with an acceptable fee structure.“

JUVE Handbuch 2024/2025

Client about Dr Markus Köhler: “Markus Köhler is a quick thinker who anticipates events at lightning speed and always has pragmatic solutions at the ready.”

Legal 500 Germany 2024

Prof. Dr. Markus Köhler was named one of “Germany’s Best Lawyers 2023” for his work in conflict resolution.

Handelsblatt 2023

Best Lawyers awarded Prof. Dr. Markus Köhler “Lawyer of the Year 2023” for his work in the field of “Litigation in Baden-Württemberg”.

Best Lawyers

Handelsblatt awarded Prof. Dr. Markus Köhler as one of “Germany’s Lawyers of the Year 2022” for his dispute resolution

Handelsblatt

The German newspaper Handelsblatt ranks Prof. Dr. Markus Köhler as one of “Germany’s best lawyers in 2021” for his conflict resolution.

Handelsblatt 2021

JUVE-Handbuch 2020/2021 ranks Prof. Dr. Markus Köhler as one of the most frequently recommended lawyers in trademark and unfair competition law, energy law and transport sector.

JUVE-Handbuch 2020/2021

BEST LAWYERS awards Prof. Dr. Markus Köhler in the field of Arbitration 2020 and 2021.

BEST LAWYERS

LAWYERS MONTHLY has awarded OPPENLÄNDER and Partner Prof. Dr. Markus Köhler as „Arbitration Law Firm of the Year 2020“.

LAWYERS MONTHLY

Prof. Dr. Markus Köhler is selected by the Handelsblatt  as “one of the best lawyer of the Year 2020”.

Handelsblatt

OPPENLÄNDER Rechtsanwälte was awarded by Global 100 – 2020 as „Arbitration Law Firm of the Year“ in the field of dispute resolution. Prof. Dr. Markus Köhler played a major role in this.

Global 100 - 2020

The German newspaper Handelsblatt ranks Prof. Dr. Markus Köhler as one of “Germany’s best lawyers in 2020” for his conflict resolution.

Handelsblatt

LAWYERS MONTHLY has awarded OPPENLÄNDER Partner Prof. Dr. Markus Köhler as Arbitration Lawyer of the Year 2019 and hereby recognizes “exceptional results for his clients over the past 12 months”, as the internationally published magazine judged.

LAWYERS MONTHLY

JUVE-Handbuch 2019/2020 ranks Prof. Dr. Markus Köhler as one of the most frequently recommended lawyers in energy law, trademark and design law / competition law as well as in the transport sector.

JUVE-Handbook 2019/2020

Prof. Dr. Markus Köhler is selected by the Handelsblatt as “one of the best lawyer of the Year 2019”.

Handelsblatt

Prof. Dr. Markus Köhler is selected by the Handelsblatt for his conflict resolution work as “one of the best lawyer of the Year 2018”.

Handelsblatt

JUVE-Handbuch 2017/2018 ranks Prof. Dr. Markus Köhler as one of the most frequently recommended lawyers in trademark and competition law and quotes competitors: “qualified and always loyal”.

JUVE-Handbook 2017/2018

JUVE-Handbuch 2014/2015 ranks Prof. Dr. Markus Köhler as one of the most frequently recommended lawyers in trademark and competition law. Competitors describe his work as: “technically qualified”.

JUVE-Handbook 2014/2015

The Legal 500 Germany 2015 describes Prof. Dr. Markus Köhler as “fast, efficient, experienced and pragmatic”.

Legal 500 Germany 2015

JUVE-Handbuch 2013/2014 on Prof. Dr. Markus Köhler: “very quick, pragmatic, consistent and affordable”, “confident and very experienced”.

JUVE-Handbuch 2013/2014

News

14. February 2025

OPPENLÄNDER was again honoured by Legal 500

In the recently published ranking of Legal 500 Germany 2025, we are again TOP LAW FIRM in City Focus Stuttgart and ranked as TOP TIER LAW FIRM in two practice areas.

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28. October 2024

OPPENLÄNDER again honoured as JUVE TOP 50 commercial law firm

JUVE Verlag has recognised OPPENLÄNDER as a Top 50 Commercial Law Firm 2024.

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14. June 2024

OPPENLÄNDER honoured by Best Lawyers

Handelsblatt has published the latest ranking of Best Lawyers and OPPENLÄNDER has been honoured several times.

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14. February 2024

Legal 500 Germany 2024: OPPENLÄNDER is listed as TOP TIER LAW FIRM

We are delighted that OPPENLÄNDER has once again been recognised by The Legal 500 Germany 2024 and ranked as a TOP TIER LAW FIRM in two practice areas.

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26. June 2023

OPPENLÄNDER lawyers are awarded

The specialist publisher Best Lawyers has identified Germany's best lawyers for the year 2023 for the Handelsblatt. OPPENLÄNDER was awarded 20 times!

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28. October 2022

ECJ rules on the relationship between antitrust and regulatory law

On 27 October 2022, the ECJ ruled on the relationship and interplay between antitrust and regulatory law in a complex of cases regarding railroad infrastructure pricing and led by Prof. Dr. Markus Köhler and Dr. Malte Weitner.

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14. December 2021

OPPENLÄNDER advises EnBW mobility+

EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG acquires 25.1 % of the shares in SMATRICS through its subsidiary EnBW mobility+ AG & Co. KG. A joint venture has already existed between the two since 2020, into which SMATRICS incorporated its charging station network at that time. Dr. Felix Born and other OPPENLÄNDER partners advised EnBW mobility+ on the acquisition of the stake.

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08. December 2021

Handelsblatt Award 2021

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26. October 2021

Success for the Ministry of the Environment

Dr. Torsten Gerhard (Administrative Law) and Prof. Dr. Markus Köhler (Energy Law) successfully represented the Ministry of the Environment of Baden-Württemberg in a jump appeal procedure before the Federal Administrative Court regarding the determination of the basic supplier pursuant to Section 36 (2) EnWG.

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01. October 2021

Theory meets practice

Our attorneys pass on their practical knowledge to students as lecturers at numerous universities. In the winter semester 2021/22, Dr. Carl Höfer, Simon Schmauder and Dr. Raphael Höll will give a lecture on "Civil Procedure and Litigation Tactics in Commercial Law Firms" at the University of Heidelberg.

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25. June 2021

OPPENLÄNDER lawyers awarded

Handelsblatt has published the Best Lawyers Ranking 2021. Also this year, many of our partners were recognized as "best lawyers".

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24. March 2021

Wave of climate protection lawsuits expected

The Federal Constitutional Court has ruled: The state is obligated to protect the climate and achieve climate neutrality. Environmental associations have announced that they will file lawsuits against energy producers and car manufacturers in Germany. We would like to prepare you for the worst case scenario.

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Vita

  • Honorary professor since

    2010
  • Admitted as lawyer since

    1994
  • Doctorate

    1991
  • Studies

    1985 - 1990