Annekathrin Schmoll

Annekathrin Schmoll is an associate in the Frankfurt office of Gibson Dunn. Her practice focuses on complex domestic and cross-border litigation and arbitration, with a particular emphasis on private equity and transaction-related disputes.

She represents German and international clients in commercial and corporate disputes before German courts and institutional and ad hoc arbitral tribunals. Her experience includes post-M&A, shareholder and valuation-related disputes, as well as appraisal proceedings (Spruchverfahren), release proceedings (Freigabeverfahren) and model declaratory actions. She also represents financial institutions in litigation involving anti-money laundering obligations, sanctions and insolvency.

Annekathrin has experience as counsel, arbitrator and tribunal secretary in proceedings under ICC, DIS, CEAC, FAI and UNCITRAL rules. She also advises on purchase price adjustment disputes, including neutral auditor proceedings (Schiedsgutachterverfahren), and on the recognition and enforcement of arbitral awards and judgments.

Working closely with the firm’s corporate and private equity teams, she also advises on dispute-related issues in transactions, including due diligence and arbitration clauses. Her practice further covers private international law, cross-border procedural issues and litigation funding.

Her experience includes advising and representing:

• A private equity-backed purchaser in expert determination proceedings concerning closing accounts and purchase price adjustments, and in connection with related warranty and indemnity insurance claims.
• A private equity investor and its portfolio companies in an ICC shareholder arbitration concerning capital measures and leaver provisions, and related German litigation.
• A private equity-backed purchaser in the energy sector in post-acquisition disputes concerning purchase price adjustments and seller indemnities.
• A private equity-backed pharmaceutical group on shareholder and acquisition option disputes, including DIS arbitration and related litigation.
• Companies and investors in complex appraisal proceedings relating to Douglas, ISRA Vision, Aareal Bank and Lotto24.
• An international pharmaceutical company in an ICC arbitration arising from pharmaceutical manufacturing and supply arrangements.
• An international bank in defending damages claims concerning suspicious activity reports under anti-money laundering legislation and the termination of customer accounts.
• An international bank in litigation with an insolvency administrator concerning the release of account balances frozen under EU sanctions.
• An international investment company in litigation before the Frankfurt Regional Court and Higher Regional Court concerning M&A advisory fees.
• 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 solar module manufacturer in a cross-border arbitration under CEAC rules concerning damages claims governed by 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 concerning an arbitral award before the Frankfurt Higher Regional Court.
• Mercedes-Benz in a model declaratory action.

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

Before joining Gibson Dunn, Annekathrin was a senior associate in the Litigation, Arbitration & ADR practice group of an international law firm in Frankfurt.

She studied law at the Universities of Giessen and Kiel and earned her doctorate from the University of Göttingen in 2014. Before qualifying, she worked as a research assistant at a chair for German and foreign civil procedural law and 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 Arbitration Institute (DIS) and has served as Co-Chair of its Frankfurt Regional Group since May 2024.

Annekathrin regularly publishes and speaks on international arbitration, litigation and legal technology. She 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. She also conducts workshops for legal teams on the practical use of AI in legal work.

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

Capabilities

• Litigation
• Environmental
• International Arbitration
• Judgment and Arbitral Award Enforcement
• Securities Litigation
• Transnational Litigation

Credentials

Education:

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

Admissions:

• Germany - Rechtsanwältin