Dr. Theresa Ehlen

About Dr. Theresa Ehlen

Theresa focuses on tech regulation, in particular the EU Digital Strategy, as well as transactional and commercial matters. She is part of our international TMT practice and co-leads our German data & tech team as well as our German media practice.

She has experience leading and managing large scale projects especially in digital contexts taking into account the relevant business model, commercial drivers and underlying technology.

Theresa gives clients strategic advice on the EU Digital Strategy, e.g. on the Digital Services Act, AI Act, Data Act and European Media Freedom Act. She advises clients on transactional carve-out, intellectual property, and information technology matters as well as the negotiation of commercial arrangements including outsourcings. Her expertise also includes regularly advising clients on complex software-related contractual arrangements, the setup and operation of digital platforms and app stores as well as copyright and open source disputes.

Clients she regularly advises include private equity companies, large industrial companies, telecommunications, automotive and healthcare businesses. In addition, Theresa is an experienced advisor of leading media and IT businesses on all operational, commercial and regulatory matters.

Theresa co-heads our Female Talent for Tech initiative.

Recent work

EU Digital Strategy, AI, Media and IP

• A leading industrial company: Comprehensive legal and strategic advice on the interpretation and application of the Digital Services Act (DSA) to various B2B-platforms
• An international industrial company: Comprehensive legal and strategic advice on the interpretation and application of the Acts under the EU Digital Strategy in relation to hardware and software products including on NIS2 Directive, Data Act, AI Act and Cyber Resilience Act
• A leading provider of data analytics software and AI platform solutions on the EU AI Act
• A global insurance company on monitoring and classification of relevant legislation, court decisions, regulatory investigations and guidelines regarding deployment and development of AI in the US and Europe
• A global technology company comprehensively on the implementation of and defence in relation to the Digital Service Act, the requirements under the EU AI Act as well as the implementation of the Data Act
• A leading IT software company on the Data Act, Digital Services Act, Cyber Resilience Act, EU AI Act as well as the NIS2 Directive
• An online travel portal on the EU AI Act
• Special Olympics World Games Berlin 2023 Organising Committee on a range of contractual and IP matters in relation to the World Games 2023
• An international media company on media law questions
• A company on IP risks relating to AI
• A leading US software development company in litigation regarding protection of software development with a focus on copyrights.

Commercial & Transactions

• Razor Group on the acquisition of The Stryze Group
• Springer Nature Group on the sale of Professional Transport Unit to Unigestion
• An urban air mobility company in the drafting and negotiation of a development contract for flight technology hardware
• A company from the sports sector on an IT contract in the context of data analysis
• Siemens on the commercial agreements and regulatory framework for the international roll-out of the MindSphere platform
• Thyssenkrupp AG on the carve-out and sale of the plant engineering business in the Mining Technologies division
• CVC Capital Partners and Messer Group on their $3.3bn acquisition of parts of Linde AG's and Praxair's US/Americas business
• CompuGroup Medical SE & Co. KGaA on a number of acquisitions, including of the Medico business sold by Cerner, Inc., of Insight Health and of 51 percent of the shares in the Cologne-based company m.Doc, which provides numerous digital solutions for clinics, rehabilitation and care facilities based on its Smart Health Platform
• Scalable Capital, one of Europe's leading fintechts, on its EUR 150m series E round
• SumUp, the global mobile payment servicecs provider, on its acquisition of Tiller Systems, a leading European digital service provider for gastronomy merchants
• EQT on the acquisition of Schülke & Mayr GmbH, one of the leading suppliers of hygiene and infection prevention solutions for skin and surfaces and wound antiseptics
• KKR on the voluntary take-over offer for and take private of Axel Springer SE
• Verisk on a number of deals, including the acquisition of SAP’s Content as a Service (CaaS) business and a strategic partnership with SAP to co-develop product compliance solutions, as well as on the acquisition of ACTINEO, a leading Germany-based international insurtech business
• gategroup on the acquisition of the European business of Lufthansa Catering subsidiary LSG Sky Chefs
• LANXESS Deutschland GmbH on the sale of its 50% stake in the joint venture with Saudi Aramco regarding its worlwide rubber business to Saudi Aramco
• Ströer on and following the acquisition of the T-Online portal business and shares in Interactive Media CCSP from Deutsche Telekom, as well as on a number of acquisitions related to online businesses
• Cinven, and Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board on an investment in the combination of group.ONE and the dogado group to create a leading pan-European one-stop-shop provider of online presence solutions for small- and medium-sized enterprises and small-office home-offices including domain, web hosting, cloud hosting, business software and digital marketing services.