People

Ilona Schütz Managing Associate

Düsseldorf

When working with clients, she pays special attention to providing them with efficient and pragmatic advice that offers them appropriate support at all stages of growth.

Ilona has special experience in university spin-offs, restructurings and employee ownership programs (ESOPs, VSOPs).

She advises companies on venture capital transactions and international venture capital investors on their investments in German technology start-ups and scale-ups.

Prior to joining Orrick, Ilona worked as a research assistant and trained in mergers and acquisitions and corporate litigation at two other international law firms.

Damien Simonot Partner

Munich

He has many years of experience advising private equity investors, established companies and family offices as well as startups and scale-ups. He counsels clients on complex and often cross-border transactions, restructurings, joint ventures and buy-outs and other partnerships and investments in the tech sector and beyond.

Before joining Orrick, Damien worked for an international law firm in Munich and Frankfurt for more than eight years.

Tobias Stephan Managing Associate

Düsseldorf

Being born a „digital native“, Tobias is fascinated by what technology has to offer. That’s why he chose to advise on how best to implement digitization while staying within the framework of the regulations we need in our society, something that has long become a sales argument customers value.

Tobias helps clients to navigate complex data protection issues and advises on the impact of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), data processing and transfer agreements as well as a wide range of further data and privacy implications.

Prior to joining Orrick, Tobias worked as a research associate in the data protection practice of a multinational pharmaceutical company, in the IT and data protection team of a large German accountancy and business advisory firm, as well as the corporate practice of a "big 4" firm.

Kim Olivia Supe-Dienes Associate

Düsseldorf

She advises start-ups from their incorporation through their first financing rounds into the growth phase, as well as on internationalization projects. Kim also advises VCs and corporate venture capital investors on their investments.

Before starting her legal practice, Kim worked as a trainee lawyer for, amongst others, the EU’s Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW), for one of the most renown German law firms as well as for Orrick.

Kjell Tönjes Associate

Düsseldorf

He advises start-ups and scale-ups from inception through early-stage financing rounds and in their growth phases, as well as on internationalization projects. In addition, he advises institutional and corporate investors on venture capital investments.

Kjell also advises on national and international M&A and private equity transactions with a focus on technology.

Prior to joining Orrick, he had been a lawyer with one of the big 4 firms in Düsseldorf, where he focused on venture capital. During his studies, Kjell had been a research associate with a Berlin-based venture capital boutique for several years.

Martha Verhaelen Career Associate

Düsseldorf

She advises start-ups from their incorporation through their first financing rounds into the growth phase, as well as on internationalization projects. Martha works with venture capital, as well as corporate venture capital investors on start-up financing projects.

Prior to joining Orrick, Martha worked as a trainee lawyer for another international law firm and United Nations Women in Bonn.

Robert Weinhold Counsel

Düsseldorf

Robert has always been fascinated by new technologies and digitization. Pursuing his fascination, he focused his legal studies on media law, intellectual property law and data protection law. Prior to working at Orrick, he also gained experience by founding a company that provided a software as a platform solution and working for a German venture capital investor. His legal advice on technology transactions—in particular, SaaS and IP agreements, e-commerce-related topics, related assistance in mergers and acquisitions or core data privacy—thus reflects not only his legal experience but also his experience and fascination with new technology. Being an IT and IP lawyer with a very commercial mindset, Robert drafts and negotiates all sorts of IT and IP agreements, for small to medium companies and large multinationals. He advises on privacy compliance—in particular drafts, privacy policies, and national as well as international data processing agreements—or provides his knowledge with the assessment of the IP/IT and privacy matters in M&A transactions.

He joined Orrick in 2017 after working as a scientific researcher in the field of Data Privacy.

Henry Wu Managing Associate

Düsseldorf

Henry represents clients on business transactions involving IP and data protection aspects, including licensing and technology transfers, mergers and acquisitions, venture and other strategic transactions that involve the commercialization of IP.

He also advises his clients on strategic IP protection and enforcement, in particular in the field of patent, trademark and copyright law.

Prior to joining Orrick, Henry was an attorney with a law firm focusing on trademark, competition and media law.

Dr. André Zimmermann, LL.M. Partner

Düsseldorf; Munich

André advises companies of all stages, pre-IPO startups, scaleups, unicorns and international corporations on a wide range of matters, having handled everything from day-to-day practical advice tailored to his clients’ needs, to complex multi-jurisdictional transactions from strategic planning through post-merger integration. Having long-standing experience in negotiating with works councils and unions in restructuring measures of all kind, a special focus of André's practice is on restructurings and headcount reductions.

He has advised on the employment law aspects in over 300 M&A transactions and financing rounds across various industries. Transactional advice includes employment law advice in complex, international technology transactions, M&A projects as well as private equity and venture capital investments, from due diligence to post-closing integration.

André has thorough knowledge of and a genuine passion for the tech industry. Over the last years, André has become the go-to-advisor of several Bay Area tech-companies, leaders in their market and high-growth tech companies. Most recently, he has advised leading global technology companies such as GoPro, Pinterest, GitHub, Nvidia, Sabre, Snap and Splunk on various employment matters.

André has received several awards for his work, inter alia:

• Germany's leading lawyer ranking JUVE recognizes André as "frequently recommended" employment law expert since 2017;
• Best Lawyers and Handelsblatt have listed André as one of Germany's best lawyers in employment law since 2020;
• Germany's leading business weekly WirtschaftsWoche ranked André as one of the top employment lawyers in Germany in 2019;
• IEL Elite, an in-house guide to the world’s leading employment and labour teams, recognized André as a "Key Lawyer" in 2022.

Clients recommend André to JUVE as “straight shooter" and "always refreshingly honest". Our clients praise his "creative and efficient style of working" and "a very practical and efficient style of providing advice", referring to him as "extremely responsive and always accessible" and as "an excellent advocate in court hearings". Clients appreciate André's "clear, sound and pragmatic real-world advice" and his "in-depth knowledge of the tech employment world".