Prof. Dr. Tobias Lenz

Dr. Tobias Lenz, professor, attorney at law, is 50 years old and has two children. For more than twenty years he has been intensely involved in product liability and product safety law, including the aspects of insurance law related to these disciplines. Since 1993, Dr. Lenz has been an attorney with the law firm of Friedrich Graf von Westphalen in Cologne. He represents medium-sized businesses in all issues regarding product safety law, provides legal counsel on recalls, draws up supplier contracts with a preventive focus, and institutes supplier’s recourse proceedings as well as recourses against suppliers. Since 2000, Dr. Lenz, who earned his doctorate with a thesis on goodwill services provided by insurers, has also been a professor of national and international business law at the Rheinische Fachhochschule, University of Applied Sciences, in Cologne, where he has been the Director of the Institute for Liability and Insurance Law for three years. Competitors describe him as having “a high profile on the market” and being “very eloquent, skilled and knowledgeable,” “a man with an eye for reasonable solutions.” Back in 2005, a handbook for commercial law firms already called Dr. Lenz “now the best-known name at the law firm.” He has also established an outstanding team: He works closely with other highly specialised attorneys, some of whom also hold formal specialisations in insurance law. He now has a full staff of colleagues that enable him to handle even international major claim cases in an excellent manner. It is a highly competent, capable team. His product liability team offers preventive advice during product development, when making R&D contracts and when drafting contracts with suppliers and on quality assurance. Legal activities often primarily feature liability claims as well as administering and monitoring recall campaigns. Same are often within the supply chain in the automobile, mechanical engineering and plant construction industries. There's been a noticeable rise in disputes following the termination of supply contracts. Those affected are often industries considered economic powerhouses that have suffered particularly severely from the economic crisis as well as those aforementioned. Preliminary advice and the conduct of legal proceedings have become much more important to them all. Dr. Lenz acts on behalf of many well known companies. These include Chartis Europe in national and international product liability, environmental damage and D&O damage cases; makers of kitchen equipment in Europe-wide recall campaigns; automobile industry suppliers in contesting damages claims after a recall campaign by an Italian carmaker; suppliers in contesting damages after the recall of sealing strips for freezers; German mechanical engineering companies in avoiding involvement in a major US court case, etc. Some of his major cases over the past years have involved: - Safety switches - Isolated ground receptacles - racing cycle tires - Medical devices: lunge machine, surgical lighting - Gas turbines - Wires/aeroplanes - Electric cars - Hot water generators, boilers - Cases of death due to faulty safety processes (e.g. engine manufacturing) security processes (e.g. engine construction) and other areas.