Luther is bringing in the head of Clyde & Co's German arbitration practice, Georg Scherpf, as of 1 April 2025

For four years, Georg Scherpf headed the German arbitration group at Clyde & Co Europe LLP and worked closely with teams in Singapore, Dubai, Cairo, London and Paris. His advisory work included representing clients in arbitration proceedings in complex construction and infrastructure projects, particularly in the area of offshore wind, energy supply contracts (coal and gas) and corporate disputes (post M&A and joint venture). Scherpf successfully represented clients under German and English law in arbitration and court proceedings. He also conducted setting-aside proceedings and jurisdiction challenges before German and English courts (Higher Regional Court, High Court) as well as proceedings for the enforcement of foreign arbitral awards.

In addition to his work as a party representative, Georg Scherpf has also served as an arbitrator and as a member of Dispute Adjudication Boards (DABs), where he gained particular experience in construction and energy disputes.

His experience in the area of investment protection is also noteworthy, including advising clients on bilateral investment treaties (BITs) and multilateral investment treaties, such as the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT). He has worked on investor-state proceedings against Germany, Albania, the Czech Republic, Spain, Mexico and Ukraine.

Georg Scherpf: “I am not only pleased to be returning to one of the best arbitration practices in Germany, but also to now be able to offer my clients the full range of legal advice on renewable energies thanks to Luther's market-leading energy law practice. In addition, Luther's strong presence in Asia matches my range of advisory services. Last but not least, I look forward to working with Richard Happ, Tim Rauschning, Katharina Klenk-Wernitzki, Sebastian Wuschka – all from the Complex Disputes team – and colleagues from the construction and energy law groups.”

Dr Richard Happ, Co-Head of the Complex Disputes practice area at Luther, has worked with Georg Scherpf for many years: “Georg not only complements our law firm perfectly with his excellent legal expertise in the field of international construction and energy arbitration proceedings, but is also a great asset on a personal level. We are extremely pleased that he is returning and strengthening our team as a partner in the area of complex disputes. We have all missed him.”

About Georg Scherpf:

Georg Scherpf studied law at Humboldt University in Berlin (1st state exam), at King's College London (LL.B, Hons.) and then completed his legal training and 2nd state exam in Berlin. He has been advising clients as both a German lawyer and an English solicitor for over ten years. From 2012 to 2021, he worked in the arbitration team at Luther's Hamburg office and during this time he built up a network in the arbitration scene: From 2013 to 2016, Scherpf was the regional coordinator of DIS-40 Nord. From 2016 to 2018, he was the European representative of the Young International Arbitration Group (YIAG) of the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA).

Georg Scherpf regularly publishes articles on arbitration law topics, comments on various institutional rules and regularly publishes and speaks on construction disputes. Among other things, he is co-author of a new commentary on the 2018 DIS Arbitration Rules (edited by Hennecke/Menz), published by C.H.Beck, which will appear in July 2025. Due to his dual qualification, he also has considerable experience with cross-examination and publishes on the psychological aspects of witness testimony. Clients describe him as ‘calm, controlled and very effective with cross-examination’ (WWL Future Leader 2022). His expertise in construction disputes is also regularly recognised: ‘Georg Scherpf garners praise for his first-rate arbitration practice advising domestic and international clients on large-scale construction and energy disputes’ (Who's Who Legal Arbitration 2024).

In 2024 and 2025, he was recommended by Best Lawyers (Handelsblatt) in the category ‘Arbitration and Mediation’ and by WirtschaftsWoche as a Top Lawyer. From 2017 - 2023 he was listed as a Future Leader by Who's Who Legal. Since 2024 he has been ranked in Who's Who Legal Arbitration Germany.