2024
24. Juli 2025 | München
Workshop Legal framework & risks
In the panel “Legal Framework and Risks”, German medium-sized companies that have successfully taken this first step talk about their entry into the US market and how they cleared these legal hurdles. In particular, it deals with issues of corporate, labour, product liability and residence law in the USA.
The individual case studies are followed by a practical discussion involving the participants. This gives you the opportunity to clarify initial questions.
For companies that dare to move to the USA, there are always many legal questions:
How do we start a company? What visas do we need? How do we protect ourselves from liability risks and lawsuits? Do we need to obtain special permits and observe legal standards?
The first step has to be right. Good preparation is essential for a successful market entry. The AHK USA advises and supports in clarifying these important questions.
Our speakers
Ralph Hartwig
Managing Director/CFO, Materna GmbH
Ralph Hartwig gained more than fifteen years of experience in managerial positions in finance before moving to Materna as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) in 2006: he was commercial director at Dolphin Telecom Deutschland GmbH, a Cologne-based company that operates an analogue radio network. Before that, he headed the Controlling department for a few years. Before that, he worked for o.tel.o and was ultimately responsible for the group's financial planning as Head of Planning. Hartwig completed his studies in economics at the Ruhr University in Bochum.
Sebastian Jagsch
Managing Director, eluminocity GmbH
Sebastian Jagsch is an enthusiastic startup entrepreneur and is currently building up the company eluminocity, founded in 2014. The portfolio includes intelligent urban infrastructure including LED lighting, charging stations for e-vehicles, sensors, etc. Mr. Jagsch previously founded the engineering office qpunkt together with six colleagues, which has grown to over 100 employees to date. He has also completed professional positions at two larger automotive development service providers (Magna Steyr and AVL). Mr. Jagsch studied vehicle technology in Graz and has a master's degree in light and lighting from the University of Innsbruck.
Rainer art
CEO, Art and Colleagues Communication Agency GmbH
In the last 28 years, Rainer Kunst has worked for various agencies in Germany, Switzerland, Austria and the USA. He started his own agency "Art and Colleagues" in 2009 without customers or employees. Today more than 30 colleagues work in the art and colleagues network with offices in Düsseldorf, Palma de Mallorca and New York. And Art and Colleagues continues to grow. In 2015 the architecture office "Art and Construction" and the contemporary art consultancy "Art & Thinker" were founded. Among others, Art and Colleagues works for ERGO Insurance Group, Schwarzkopf & Henkel, Weight Watchers, ESPRIT, German Red Cross, BASF, Borussia Dortmund and Düsseldorf Airport.
dr Haiko van Lengen
CFO & COO, Market Logic Software AG
Haiko van Lengen is Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer of Market Logic Software AG in Berlin. As a SaaS provider, Market Logic helps the world's leading brand companies build and organize their knowledge and use this knowledge in their marketing processes. A central task of Haiko van Lengen is the organization of the continued international growth of Market Logic. He is also President of the US office in Chicago. Before joining Market Logic in 2010, Haiko van Lengen was a management consultant at McKinsey&Company. He studied media management at the Hanover University of Music and Theater and the University of Texas in Austin. He also received his doctorate from the Bauhaus University in Weimar.
moderation
Susanne Gellert, Attorney | Attorney at Law
Head of Legal & Business Development Consulting departments, AHK USA-New York
Susanne Gellert, LL.M. has worked for the AHK USA-New York for nine years and heads the legal and business development consulting departments there. The legal department of the AHK USA-New York offers support in clarifying legal issues that affect the handling of transactions between Germany and the USA. The Business Development Consulting department supports and advises German companies entering the US market and initiating business relationships.
Ms. Gellert studied law at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich, at the Universidad de Sevilla (Spain) and at the Fordham Law School (New York) and is admitted to the bar both in Germany and in the USA. As part of her training, she worked for the German Consulate General in Barcelona and for law firms in Madrid and New York.