2024
4. Juni 2025 | München
Workshop Legal framework & risks
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.
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.
Our speakers
Bernd Gross
Managing Director, Cumulocity GmbH
Bernd Groß is Managing Director of Cumulocity GmbH, the world's leading, independent Internet of Things (IoT) software platform provider based in Düsseldorf. With almost 25 years of international experience in the IT industry and in management positions, including in Great Britain, Finland and Silicon Valley, USA, Bernd Groß is one of the German pioneers and thought leaders in the field of digitization, cloud computing, the Internet of Things and Industry 4.0 .
Born in Düsseldorf, he co-founded Cumulocity in 2012 as part of a management buyout from Nokia Siemens Networks. Previously, Bernd Groß led innovation management and technology adoption projects at Nokia Siemens Networks in Silicon Valley. Bernd Groß completed his master's degree in information and communication technology with an MBA from the London Business School.
dr Stephen Hardt
Managing Director, MeteoViva GmbH
dr Stefan Hardt is the managing partner of MeteoViva GmbH. He is responsible for the implementation and operation of MeteoViva Climate as well as for software development. He is currently commuting between Germany and the USA to support the business development of MeteoViva Inc. Before MeteoViva, Stefan worked as Director Professional Services Central Europe at Sybase (today SAP), where he was responsible for the consulting and training area in DACH and BENELUX. Stefan has a Dr. in computer science from the University of Linz and a diploma in computer science from the RWTH Aachen.
dr Matthew Rauhut
Managing Director, DREWSEN SPEZIALPAPIERE GmbH & Co. KG
dr Rauhut has been active in the paper industry since 1991. After studying paper engineering in Darmstadt, he worked at what is now Stora Enso's Hagen Kabel plant as head of product development. After completing his doctorate at Graz University of Technology, he switched to Felix Schoeller in the mid-1990s, where he was ultimately responsible for production and technology at all locations worldwide as holding company director. Since April 2013 he has been part of the management of DREWSEN SPEZIALPAPIERE GmbH & Co. KG in Lachendorf and is concentrating on changing the portfolio to even higher quality papers in growth markets.
dr Michael Tal
Managing Director, BusyLamp GmbH
dr Michael Tal is the founder and managing director of BusyLamp GmbH. He studied law in Frankfurt, Milan and Oxford and started his career as a lawyer in US law firms. He has been an entrepreneur since 2012 and successfully sells a legal technology solution in Germany, the UK and the USA. He is an alumni of the STEP NYC and German Accelerator programs and still spends a lot of time in the USA.
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.