Ralf Hafner
Partner, ADVANT Beiten
Dr Ralf Hafner, MSc has practiced in the field of dispute resolution (including mediation) since 2004 and acts both as arbitrator and as counsel. He has significant experience as arbitrator, including as chairman or sole arbitrator, under the rules of the ICC, the DIS (German Arbitration Institute), and in ad hoc proceedings. As counsel he has been involved in more than 50 arbitration cases governed by the arbitration rules of CAM, DIS, ICC, HKIAC, LCIA, SCC, Swiss Rules and UNCITRAL.
He advises his national and international clients in relation to a variety of complex – often cross-border – contract, trade, and other commercial disputes. His clients include a well-known German auction house. For this client Ralf has served as counsel in a range of commercial disputes regarding art at both the domestic and international level. Ralf was appointed to the original Arbitration and Mediation pools of CAfA in November 2022.
For years Ralf has been consistently recognized for his work as arbitrator and counsel in leading rankings like Best Lawyers and others. In (international) arbitration The Legal 500 highlights his expertise as "exceptionally good". Competitors praise him as "experienced and very assertive", "meticulous, with an eye for the essentials", and "extraordinarily meticulous, collegial, assertive" (JUVE Handbook Commercial Law Firms). Kanzleimonitor regularly recommends him for Contract Law.
Ralf is a frequent speaker at conferences and in-house seminars. He has published extensively on issues related to dispute resolution. Since 2011 he teaches Business Law at the Ohm Professional School in Nuremberg. In 2012 he was Visiting Lecturer for European & International Law at King's College London.
He is, inter alia, a member of the DIS and ICC. In December 2021 he was elected to the Advisory Council of the German Arbitration Institute.
Ralf was admitted to the German Bar in 2004 and his educational background includes two German law degrees (Second State Examination, 2002, First State Examination, 2000, both in Baden-Wuerttemberg), a doctoral degree from the University of Freiburg while holding a scholarship of the Konrad-Adenauer-Foundation (Dr. iur., 2004, summa cum laude) and an English law post graduate degree (MSc, 2008) from King's College London. His working languages are English and German.
Jurisdiction: Germany