Annekathrin Schmoll

Annekathrin Schmoll is an associate in the Frankfurt office of Gibson Dunn. She is a member of the firm’s Litigation, International Arbitration, Judgment and Arbitral Award Enforcement, and ESG Practice Groups.

Annekathrin's practice focuses on domestic and cross-border arbitration and litigation. Annekathrin represents German and international clients in commercial, corporate and civil disputes before institutional and ad hoc arbitral tribunals, as well as before German courts. A particular focus of her practice is advising private equity investors in complex disputes, including post-M&A, shareholder and valuation-related matters. Her expertise includes appraisal proceedings (Spruchverfahren) and release proceedings, as well as model declaratory actions.

In arbitration, she has extensive experience as counsel, arbitrator and arbitral secretary under various rules (ICC, DIS, CEAC, FAI, UNCITRAL). She also has experience in neutral auditor proceedings (Schiedsgutachterverfahren), particularly in the context of closing adjustment mechanisms. In addition, she provides comprehensive advice on the recognition and enforcement of arbitral awards and judgments and advises on transactions involving international private and procedural law. Annekathrin is also actively involved in matters related to the energy transition and the renewable energy sector. She also advises her clients on litigation funding and assists them in securing financial resources for their legal disputes.

Her experience includes representing:

• German companies in complex appraisal proceedings (including Douglas, ISRA Vision, Aareal Bank, Lotto24).
• A private equity investor in a high-value cross-border post-M&A arbitration under ICC rules.
• A U.S. company in a cross-border post-M&A arbitration under ICC rules.
• A gas company in a cross-border post-M&A arbitration under DIS rules.
• An international pharmaceutical company in a cross-border arbitration under ICC rules.
• An international company in complex proceedings before the Regional Court and Higher Regional Court of Frankfurt in an M&A advisor dispute.
• One of the world's largest solar module manufacturers in defending against alleged damages claims in a cross-border arbitration under CEAC rules according to German law and the CISG.
• An international company in the enforcement of an arbitral award based on the Energy Charter Treaty.
• A German company in recognition and enforcement proceedings of an arbitral award before the Higher Regional Court of Frankfurt.
• Mercedes-Benz in a model declaratory action.

WirtschaftsWoche recognized Annekathrin in 2024 as one of the top lawyers in arbitration. Moreover, from 2022 to 2025, Handelsblatt / The Best Lawyers™ in Germany included her in the “Ones to Watch” list for Litigation, International Arbitration, and Arbitration & Mediation. Since 2026, she has been recognized in the “The Best Lawyers in Germany™” list.

Before joining Gibson Dunn, Annekathrin was a Senior Associate and a member of the Litigation, Arbitration & ADR practice group in the Frankfurt office of a renowned international law firm.

She studied law at the Universities of Giessen and Kiel and earned her doctorate in 2014 from the University of Göttingen. Before completing her second state examination at the Higher Regional Court of Braunschweig in 2016, she was a research assistant at a chair for German and foreign civil procedural law as well as a research assistant and trainee lawyer at international law firms in Frankfurt. She has been admitted as a German lawyer (Rechtsanwältin) since 2016.

Annekathrin is a member of the German Institution of Arbitration (DIS), where she is Co-Chair of the Frankfurt region since May 2024.

Annekathrin regularly publishes on topics related to international arbitration/litigation and legal tech, and frequently delivers lectures in these areas. She also lectures at the University of Göttingen on “Legal Tech and the Use of AI from the Perspective of Lawyers,” with a particular focus on mass proceedings and arbitration.

In addition to her native German, she is fluent in English.

Capabilities

• Litigation
• ESG: Risk, Litigation, and Reporting
• Environmental Litigation and Mass Tort
• International Arbitration
• Judgment and Arbitral Award Enforcement
• Transnational Litigation

Credentials

Education:

• Georg-August-Universität Göttingen - 2014 Juris Doctor
• Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel - 2011 First State Exam

Admissions:

• Germany - Rechtsanwältin