Daniel Achtelik

As a senior associate in our Commercial, Dispute Resolution and Compliance Practice Group in Düsseldorf, a member of our International Automotive & Mobility Group and our German ESG Group, I advise domestic and international clients on a wide range of commercial law and dispute matters as well as compliance matters in the field of ESG.

I advise clients (mainly automotive suppliers, but also consumer goods companies) on all aspects of general contract and warranty law as well as product liability and product safety law.

A particular focus of my practice is advising clients on supply chain disputes, both in and out of court. In this context, I have specialist knowledge and experience in handling high-volume litigation (especially warranty cases), preparing and defending delivery stops, terminating supply contracts and negotiating price adjustments. I also advise clients on supply chain disruption, particularly with regard to force majeure and resource allocation.

In addition, I support clients in the drafting and review of complex commercial contracts and general terms and conditions (e.g. general terms and conditions of purchase or sale) as well as in supply chain management with a main focus on the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act ('Lieferkettensorgfaltspflichtengesetz').

I joined Bird & Bird in 2021 after being admitted to the bar. Alongside working as a senior associate, I am writing my PhD on Force Majeure in the Supply Chain.

• Advising a German Tier-1 automotive supplier on the defence of claims in a warranty case against a major German OEM (approx. 345m EUR litigation).
• Advising a German Tier-1 automotive supplier in a warranty case against a major German OEM (> 50m EUR litigation)
• Advising a Mexican/German Tier-1 automotive supplier against a US/Japanese Tier-3 supplier in a warranty case (> 5m EUR litigation)
• Advising a Mexican/German Tier 1 automotive supplier against a major Mexican/German OEM in defending a warranty claim
• Advising a major US automotive supplier on the acquisition of a German/Italian automotive supplier's production site regarding the negotiation and entry into ongoing contracts (supply agreements, tooling agreements etc.)
• Advising various automotive suppliers on supply chain disputes, including in particular the preparation of and defence against delivery stops as well as the filing of protective briefs
• Advising several automotive suppliers (Tier-1 and Tier-2) on supply chain disruption relating to Covid-19, the 2021 flood disaster in Germany and the Ukraine war (including force majeure, resource allocation and price adjustment claims)
• Drafting various General Terms and Conditions for the Purchase and Sale of Production Material and Non-Production Material, e.g. for a leading Chinese manufacturer of EV batteries and a German Tier-1 automotive supplier
• Advising domestic and international companies on product compliance issues
• Advising domestic and international companies on various issues related to the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (LKSG) and the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD)