Volker is a distinguished lawyer in the sectors insurance, yachting and transport. With more than two decades of experience, Volker is representing domestic and international clients in complex, high-value disputes, contract negotiations and cross-border projects.

Volker’s practice focuses on complex international litigation and arbitration, large-scale claims and superyacht projects. He acts as counsel in state court proceedings as well as in institutional and ad hoc arbitration and is an arbitrator with the German Maritime Arbitration Association (GMAA) and the German Institution of Arbitration (DIS), where he regularly serves as sole arbitrator, chairman and party-appointed arbitrator.

His leading German insurance practice handles a wide range of sizeable insurance and reinsurance matters, predominantly acting for German and international underwriters and the Lloyd’s market as monitoring, coverage or defence counsel. In shipping and transport, Volker is recognised as one of Germany’s leading dry shipping lawyers, advising on charterparties, contracts of affreightment, bills of lading and international cargo claims (recovery and defence) for shipowners, operators and P&I Clubs. In the yachting sector, Volker advises yacht owners, shipyards, suppliers and insurers on both contentious and non-contentious matters, including newbuilding and refit projects, warranty disputes, casualty response and insurance recoveries. He holds particular experience in advising clients across all sectors on EU sanctions, compliance and breach response.

Volker is consistently recognised as a top-tier expert for insurance and shipping by JUVE, Chambers Europe, The Legal 500, Handelsblatt/Best Lawyers, WirtschaftsWoche and Lexology Index (formerly Who’s Who Legal). In the 2025 JUVE rankings he was ranked Band 1 for insurance and described as “renowned and competent, top connected […] innovative, reliable, collegial”. Clients in The Legal 500 EMEA 2024 highlight his “extensive legal, but above all practical experience in maritime and insurance law, which makes [his] recommendations much more effective”. In April 2026, Volker was named Yacht Litigation Lawyer of the Year in Germany.

Beyond his client practice, Volker lectures on Shipping Law at Bucerius Law School in Hamburg and on Maritime Litigation and Arbitration at the University of Applied Sciences in Bremen. Having completed parts of his legal training in Cape Town and London, he advises fluently in German and English.

• Insurance & Reinsurance Disputes
  Advising German and international insurers and related market participants on high-value insurance and reinsurance disputes, with a particular focus on property and liability related insurance risks.

• International Arbitrations
  Representing shipowners, insurers, charterers and corporate stakeholders in institutional and ad hoc international arbitrations arising from contractual and liability disputes across the insurance, transport and yachting sectors; acting as counsel, sole arbitrator, chairman and party-appointed arbitrator.

• Superyacht Projects & Claims
  Advising yacht owners, shipyards, suppliers and insurers on contentious and non-contentious superyacht matters, including newbuilding and refit projects, warranty issues and yacht-related casualty and insurance claims.

• Dry Shipping & Charterparty Disputes
  Advising on disputes relating to charterparties, contracts of affreightment and bills of lading, including cargo claim recovery and defence on behalf of shipowners, operators, P&I Clubs and insurers.

• Commercial Advice & Contracts
  Assisting companies in the maritime, transport and yachting clusters with contractual structuring, negotiation and ongoing contractual housekeeping, as well as dispute resolution through litigation and arbitration.

• Sanctions & Regulatory Matters
  Advising clients across the insurance, shipping and yachting sectors on EU sanctions regimes, compliance issues and breach response in complex cross-border matters.

• German Maritime Arbitration (GMAA), German
• Institution of Arbitration /DIS)

CONTACT

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