Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2026 
Born in Dortmund in 1975, Dr. Anu Elina Birkefeld studied law from 1994-1999 at the University of Bielefeld and the Ruhr-University Bochum. She completed her legal clerkship at the District Court of Dortmund between 1999 and 2001 and has been working as a lawyer ever since.
Dr. Birkefeld has been with ZENK since 2003. Furthermore she obtained her doctorate in employment and sports law at the University of Bielefeld in 2004, with a thesis on “The Employment Relationship of the Football Coach”. She has been a specialist in labor law since 2006.
In addition to her work in employment law, her focus is on real estate law. Here, she advises in particular on issues in commercial leases and accompanies negotiations in the letting or leasing of commercial property.
She is co-author of the “Rechtshandbuch Führungskräfte”, a legal handbook for senior executives, which is published in German by C.H.Beck Verlag.
Dr. Birkefeld is Salary Partner with ZENK.
