Hauser, Sebastian Max

Sebastian Max Hauser

Partner

max.hauser@lw.com
    Hauser, Sebastian Max

    Sebastian Max Hauser

    Partner

    max.hauser@lw.com
    "Quite pragmatic and goes to the core point and summarises things in a business-friendly way."

    Chambers Europe 2024

    "Brilliant, very strategic in his advice, calm and approachable and smart."

    Chambers Europe 2024

    "A clear lead partner when it comes to merger control in Germany. There is probably no partner his age who has had so many cases before the European Commission."

    The Legal 500 EMEA 2023

    Future Leader – Competition

    Who's Who Legal 2019-2023

    "He's excellent to collaborate with."

    Who's Who Legal 2023

    Frequently recommended – Antitrust and Competition Law

    JUVE 2020-2023

    Top Antitrust Lawyers – EMEA

    MergerLinks 2022

    Among the leading lawyers for Antitrust in Germany

    WirtschaftsWoche 2021-2023

    One of the best lawyers in Germany for Antitrust Law

    Handelsblatt Best Lawyers 2019-2023

    "Keeps calm in stressful situations and finds solutions extremely fast."

    Who's Who Legal Competition Future Leaders 2019

    Profile

    Max Hauser is Deputy Managing Partner of Latham & Watkins in Germany. He advises German and international clients on a broad spectrum of antitrust matters under German and EU laws, in particular regarding:

    • Merger control clearances in Germany, the EU, and globally
    • Cartel and abuse of dominance investigations, as well as compliance programs and audits
    • Antitrust damages claims, representing both defendants and claimants

    Mr. Hauser is recognized by Who’s Who Legal, Legal 500, JUVE and WirtschaftsWoche as a leading antitrust and competition lawyer. Sources describe that he “keeps calm in stressful situations and finds solutions extremely fast” and is “always three steps ahead.” He excels at simplifying complex issues, especially in cross-border M&A situations, drawing on experience from more than a hundred merger control filings in various jurisdictions. Mr. Hauser advises clients from a wide range of industries, including financial services, private equity, automotive, food retailing, health care, information technology, and oil and gas.

    Mr. Hauser regularly publishes articles on antitrust law issues, and has co-authored a cartel damages handbook. He is a co-founder and board member of the Competition Litigation Forum in Germany.

    Mr. Hauser is a member of the firm’s Associates and Legal Professional & Paralegal Committees and a former member of the firm’s Recruiting Committee.

    Experience

    Mr. Hauser has handled a large number of German, EU, and multi-jurisdictional merger control proceedings. His experience includes obtaining merger control clearances for the following transactions:

    • Acco on the acquisition of Esselte
    • ArthroCare on the acquisition by Smith & Nephew
    • Actavis on the acquisition of Warner Chilcott
    • BC Partners on the sale of Synlab to Cinven
    • Callaway on the acquisition of Jack Wolfskin
    • Carlyle on a number of intended and completed transactions including the acquisition of KAP Beteiligungs-AG and on the sale of Custom Sensors & Technologies’ sensing business to Sensata Technologies
    • CDPQ on its joint acquisition with Suez of the water processing business of General Electric
    • Chequers Capital on a number of intended and completed transactions including the sale of Metabo to Hitachi Power Tools
    • Chiho-Tiande on the acquisition of Scholz Group
    • Extreme Networks in its acquisitions of Zebra’s WLAN business and Avaya’s networking business
    • Gerflor on the acquisition of DLW's insolvent linoleum flooring business
    • Hellman & Friedman on the acquisition of Scout24
    • Hg on the acquisitions of Transporeon Group, MeinAuto.de, and Mobility Concept, as well as on the sale of Teufel Group
    • Hyundai and KIA on the investment into IONITY, a joint venture established by BMW, Daimler, VW with Porsche and Ford to set-up and operate a pan-European High-Power-Charging network for electric vehicles
    • Keiper/Recaro on its acquisition by Johnson Controls*
    • LDiscovery on the acquisition of Kroll Ontrack
    • Omnicom on the sale of Sellbytel to KKR/Webhelp
    • Permira on its investment in the FlixMobility Group
    • Quadriga on the acquisition of the Vescon and Schiller Groups for the purpose of creating a new platform for industrial automation
    • Safran on the acquisition of the aerospace electrical power systems business of Goodrich
    • Siemens/Osram on the acquisition of Siteco*
    • Triton on a number of intended and completed transactions including on the acquisitions of the IFCO (together with Abu Dhabi Investment Authority), Royal Reesink, and the All4Labels Groups as well as on the sales of COBEX to Tokai Carbon and of Aventics to Emerson

    Mr. Hauser's cartel defense and litigation experience includes the following advice and representations for/regarding:

    • Nestlé in an investigation by the German Federal Cartel Office regarding food retail
    • Multi-jurisdictional investigations regarding automotive parts
    • German investigation regarding into the rail sector and subsequent follow-on cartel damages litigation
    • German investigations regarding steel products
    • Follow-on cartel damages litigation regarding German debit card scheme
    • Follow-on cartel damages claims regarding automotive parts
    • Private equity firm and public utility group in arbitration proceedings regarding contract, energy, and antitrust law issues and regarding a post M&A dispute, respectively

    *Matter handled prior to joining Latham

    Qualifications

    Bar Qualification

    • Rechtsanwalt (Germany)

    Education

    • Second German State Exam, Higher Regional Court Frankfurt, 2010
    • Dr. iur., Leibniz University Hannover, 2008
    • First German State Exam, Leibniz University Hannover, 2006

    Languages Spoken

    • German
    • English

    Practices

    Industries

    Recognition

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