Thomas Mestwerdt

Born in Duisburg in 1974, Dr. Kostja von Keitz studied law in Düsseldorf. He received his doctorate in European nature conservation and national administrative procedural law in 2005, with a thesis on the subject of “The Legal Protection of Private Individuals against Special Areas of Conservation”. He began his career as a lawyer in 2005, working initially for a major international law firm. He became a specialist in administrative law 2008 and joined ZENK in 2009. He has be...

Jesko Stark focuses his practice on restructuring and insolvency matters. He was admitted to the Berlin bar in 2008 and has been regularly appointed as an insolvency administrator and trustee from the courts of Berlin Charlottenburg and Potsdam since 2012. Jesko is admitted as a specialist lawyer for insolvency law (Fachanwalt für Insolvenzrecht) and has ten years of experience in the fields of insolvency and restructuring matters. He advises national and international companies prior to...

Lawyer and Mediator Partner

Dr. Philip Schwarz van Berk, LL.M . is a partner at POELLATH in Berlin. Philip has been advising German and international fund managers on the structuring of alternative investment funds for over 15 years. He and his team have advised numerous German fund managers on venture capital, buyout and real estate private equity funds. His expertise also includes secondary transactions and advising family offices on investments and investment structures for private equity and venture capital. Philip ...

Jörg Beckmann studied law at the Georg-August-University in Göttingen, where he received his doctorate from the chair of Prof. Dr. Andreas Sattler. He completed his legal clerkship in 2001 at the Kammergericht. In the years that followed, Jörg Beckmann worked for two Berlin law firms that were well-known in the market. There he specialized in public building law and public zoning law. A particular focus of Jörg Beckmanns work is the special urban planning law of the German...

Wolf Friedrich Spieth is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Energy Law, Environmental Law and Public Law. Wolf Friedrich, who practices law in Berlin, Germany, has been recognized since 2009. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Wolf Friedrich is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Werner Schnappauf is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Energy Law. Werner, who practices law in Berlin, Germany, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Werner is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Benedikt de Bruyn is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Restructuring and Insolvency Law. Benedikt, who practices law in Berlin, Germany, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Benedikt is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Dirk Besse is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Capital Markets Law, Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Private Equity Law and Venture Capital Law. Dirk, who practices law in Berlin, Germany, has been recognized since 2009. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Dirk is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Jörg Kornbrust has been a lawyer since 2004, specialising in IT law, data protection, intellectual property, and copyright law. As a TISAX® and TÜV®-certified information security officer, data protection officer, and auditor, he focuses on large-scale IT and data protection projects for international clients. He advises on the implementation of complex IT processes to meet certifiable security standards, oversees legal project management, and prepares all necessary legal do...