It was a fruitful and inspiring meeting - that was the tenor of the participating law firms after the 1st Law Firm Boutiques Salon in Berlin. dtb rechtsanwälte hosted the kick-off event. More than 30 guests attended the event. The network meeting was opened by the initiator and strategy consultant Claudia Bonacker and Bertold Schmidt-Thomé from dtb rechtsanwälte as the host law firm.

Prof Dr Gisela Schmalz, Professor of Strategic Management and Business Ethics at the Rheinische Fachhochschule Cologne, gave the keynote speech. She outlined the structures of networks and worked out the differences between cliques and networks with the participants. An exciting discussion on the topics of building and maintaining networks!

After the keynote speech, there was plenty of room for the participating law firms to exchange ideas and find inspiration. The aim of the network meetings is to develop together and establish valid contacts - from which clients and law firms benefit in the long term.

The next Law Firm Boutique Salon will take place on 22 January 2015 in Berlin.

The curating certificate course at Berlin University of the Arts will start again next year. The extra-occupational course is aimed at anyone who would like to pursue curating as a part-time or full-time profession, as well as decision-makers at public institutions and companies. The registration deadline is 30 January 2015 and one of your lecturers is Anna Kathrin Distelkamp.

The Curating certificate course at Berlin University of the Arts is aimed at anyone who would like to professionalise their professional or personal range of activities through curatorial work and acquire expert knowledge at university level. Through experienced specialist lecturers, individual counselling and visits to exhibition venues, the further education course imparts sound knowledge for curatorial practice. Within three months, you will receive a compact overview of the current fields of curating while working.

Seminars, excursions and forums will enable you to learn all the steps from the initial idea to planning and realisation using specific case studies. One of your speakers is Anna Kathrin Distelkamp. Registration closes on 30 January 2015 and we look forward to seeing you there!

More fun than a burden - the 4th German Design Congress. In his workshop, design lawyer Bertold Schmidt-Thomé worked out with the participants how careful project preparation and contract drafting can have a positive effect on the enjoyment of the profession.

The more than 220 guests at the 4th German Design Congress in Essen were offered a top-class programme of lectures. Legal issues relating to the utilisation of designs and the drafting of contracts were discussed intensively in the workshop by lawyer Berthold Schmidt-Thomé titled: "More burden at the beginning, more pleasure at the end".

On Friday, 14 November 2014, the Berlin foundations will present themselves on the occasion of the 6th Berlin Foundation Day in the Rotes Rathaus. The participants often develop joint project ideas through mutual exchange. Anna Kathrin Distelkamp will be presenting the topic of "Cooperation between Foundations".

More and more foundations are realising successful projects together. This is because cooperation between foundations offers great potential for realising the foundation's purpose and using funds in a variety of ways. When several partners pool their expertise and resources, projects can be realised that a foundation alone can hardly manage. Funds can be utilised more efficiently. However, the opportunities also involve considerable risks in terms of civil, tax and charitable law. The information provided in the presentation on this topic should help you to assess risks and seize opportunities.

We look forward to welcoming you.

Under the motto "Foundations as Trailblazers - and How They Achieve Improvements", the Frankfurt Foundation Day 2014 will take place on the 14th of November at the Frankfurt Chamber of Industry and Commerce. One of your lecturers is Dr. Pascal Decker.

Frankfurt has a high density of foundations. More than 500 foundations are active there. In order to further promote exchange and networking, the Frankfurt Foundation Day 2014 will take place on 14 November. Together with the Frankfurt Chamber of Industry and Commerce, the Frankfurt Foundations Initiative is inviting interested parties to various workshops. Using practical examples, participants will find out how foundations can ideally utilise their creative scope and operate effectively and sustainably. Dr. Pascal Decker from dtb rechtsanwälte and Christian Schlimok of the novamondo agency will shed light on how foundations can develop and implement a successful brand strategy.

Secure your place in one of the seven workshops here.

Find out how to develop and implement a successful brand strategy for your association in a two-day workshop in Cologne at the beginning of December. dtb rechtsanwälte and the design agency novamondo look forward to seeing you there.

Using a current case study, you will learn in two days how to develop and successfully implement the right brand strategy for your organisation.

To begin with, the basics will be clarified - such as the question of why associations should endeavour to develop a professional brand strategy at all, what the difference is to commercial enterprises and what role the members of an association play in a successful brand strategy.

In a second step, you will work with your lecturers to develop your own brand campaign tailored to your association and learn how to implement it successfully. The two-day seminar is rounded off with expert tips on trade mark law to ensure that your brand remains unassailable in the future.

The seminar will take place from 8 to 9 December 2014 in Cologne. We look forward to welcoming you.

A customised trademark architecture is a prerequisite for successful companies. Keeping track of registered trade marks is not easy. dtb rechtsanwälte and the brand communication agency PLEX have designed ChequeB for this purpose. Companies often have a large number of registered trade marks - but they have lost track of them. As a result, they not only fail to recognise the potential of the individual trademarks, but are also vulnerable on the market. This is because registered trade marks are often no longer up to date.

Last year, the Jonathan Meese case raised the question of when art is still within the scope of constitutionally guaranteed artistic freedom and when the boundary to criminal law is crossed. At the 8th Heidelberger Kunstrechtstage, Dr. Pascal Decker will once again provide an overview of the most relevant legal issues.

As part of the 8th Heidelberger Kunstrechtstage, Dr. Pascal Decker will revisit the case of Jonathan Meese, which in 2013 not only aroused the emotions of the art world.

When Jonathan Meese had to stand trial for showing the controversial Hitler salute during a SPIEGEL interview in June 2012, not only art experts across Germany discussed one question: was this behavior still covered by artistic freedom as part of an artistic performance or was it already relevant under criminal law? After several days of hearings, the Kassel Local Court ruled that Meese's behavior as part of his interview performance was covered by the artistic freedom guaranteed in Article 5 (3) of the German Constitution.

The 8th Heidelberger Kunstrechtstage will be devoted to current fundamental questions on property, artistic freedom and cultural property protection law in various lectures. The event will take place on 31.10.14 and 1.11.14 at the Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Heidelberg.

A network meeting for foundations in Berlin - that is the Berliner Stiftungsfrühstück. The initiators are Berlin's Senator of Justice Thomas Heilmann and Dr. Pascal Decker, Managing Director of the Stiftung Brandenburger Tor.

The Berliner Stiftungsfrühstück is a network meeting designed to promote the exchange and cultivation of contacts between foundations and the supervisory authorities in Berlin. The first foundation breakfast in April 2013 was very well received, with more than 40 foundations exchanging ideas and engaging in lively discussions.

The next breakfast will take place on September 29, 2014, at Salzburger Straße 21 - 25, in Berlin-Schöneberg.

There is still no end in sight to the Cornelius Gurlitt case. In fact, the Gurlitt case is constantly raising new questions for art historians and lawyers. The Friends of the Kunsthalle Hamburg therefore invite you to the lecture "The Dilemma of the Causa Gurlitt" by Dr. Lucas Elmenhorst.

The Gurlitt case is an unparalleled story. Cornelius Gurlitt spent almost his entire life with more than 1,000 pictures in a Munich apartment. It is certain that various works were confiscated as a result of Nazi persecution. The task force "Schwabinger Kunstfund" is currently clarifying exactly which works are involved.

Dr. Lucas Elmenhorst will be giving a lecture on the legal issues raised by the Gurlitt case and the problems that need to be solved in the future on October 5, 2014 at the Kunsthalle Hamburg entitled: "Looted art or legitimate heritage - the dilemma of the Gurlitt case".

Together with the auction house Bonhams, dtb rechtsanwälte brought the art of the Russian Empire to life for the duration of an exciting event. The setting was a book presentation by Cynthia Coleman Sparke on the development of Russian art objects. The presentation was accompanied by a lecture on the world-famous Fabergé eggs.

In her book "Russian Decorative Arts", Cynthia Coleman Sparke describes how Russian art objects developed and were designed in their historical context. The spectrum ranges from Fabergé to jewelry, glass and wooden objects. An illustrated chapter is dedicated to each area, in which special techniques are explained, Russian characteristics are explained and the most important craftsmen are introduced.

The book presentation took place together with the Bonhams auction house on September 2, 2014 in the offices of dtb rechtsanwälte in the Pergamon Palais. The book presentation was accompanied by a lecture on the world-famous Farbergé eggs. Some original Fabergé objects were also on display.

Why is it important for a social organization to develop a brand and protect it in the long term? The participants of the event "Story, Marke, Markenrecht" explored this question. The presentation took place in the offices of dtb rechtsanwälte in the Pergamon Palais.

It is important for a social organization to "tell the story" of its own projects and organization. Your own name, the names of your own projects and many other elements make up your own story. Everything together results in brand management. What is important? What is perhaps even so important that it should be protected?

These questions were explored by dtb rechtsanwälte and the Forum Soziale Geschäftsmodelle at a joint event on September 18, 2014 at the Pergamon Palais. From the perspective of social marketing and fundraising, the participants discussed how a brand is built, how brand management and storytelling are organized and what effects this has on fundraising.

From a legal point of view, it was worked out which components are worth protecting, which requirements must be met for brand protection and how best to proceed with brand protection in terms of corporate strategy.

The speakers were Ehrenfried Conta Gromberg from the consulting firm Spendwerk and Dr. Pascal Decker from dtb rechtsanwälte.

For many designers, their passion for their profession often becomes a burden. This is why the 4th German Design Congress is focusing on the topic of "Pleasure & Burden". In a workshop, design lawyer Bertold Schmidt-Thomé will work with participants on how careful project preparation and contract drafting can have a positive effect on the desire to work.

More burden at the beginning, more pleasure at the end - this is the motto of the workshop by design lawyer Bertold Schmidt-Thomé at the 4th German Design Congress on October 20 in Essen.

The background to this is the BGH decision on the so-called "birthday train". At the end of last year, the BGH changed its decades-long case law in favor of designers. Bertold Schmidt-Thomé will discuss the content and implications of the decision with the participants of his workshop. Among other things, he will discuss what careful legal project support can look like. In addition, principles for drafting contracts, processing design orders and marketing designs will be developed.

ARTfi - The Fine Art & Finance Conference brings together leading figures from the world of art and finance in a unique way to provide current and relevant insights into the international art market. Dr. Pascal Decker and Dr. Lucas Elmenhorst will present a joint lecture at ARTfi.

Open to professionals and art enthusiasts alike, participants will be able to keep up to date with the latest developments in the global and local art markets as well as in the areas of private and corporate collections, art investment, art fairs and art & taxation. Dr. Pascal Decker and Dr. Lucas Elmenhorst will present a joint lecture on "Art Fund Models in International Comparison".

The conference will take place on September 17, 2014, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Tagesspiegel headquarters at Askanischer Platz 3. The conference language is English.

For more than two years, the Gurlitt case has not only stirred the emotions of the art world. Much is still unclear, but what is certain is that the Gurlitt case has reignited a discussion about Nazi-looted art that had been neglected for decades. In a recent lecture, Dr. Lucas Elmenhorst deals with the Gurlitt case and its consequences.

Cornelius Gurlitt - a man who spends almost his entire life with more than 1,000 paintings in a Munich apartment. It is certain that various works were confiscated as a result of Nazi persecution. The task force "Schwabinger Kunstfund" is currently clarifying exactly which works are involved. The Gurlitt case is an unparalleled story.

Dr. Lucas Elmenhorst will be giving a lecture on this subject as part of the Montagsrunde in Hamburg entitled: "The Gurlitt case and Its Consequences".

The foundation landscape is undergoing radical change. Dr. Pascal Decker answers the new challenges that foundations and their respective board members should face in the Fondszeitung.

Interest rates in Germany have been falling for years now. The permanent phase of low interest rates is forcing a change in the foundation landscape - according to estimates, one third of smaller foundations in particular are no longer able to fulfill their funding tasks. Foundations should therefore ask themselves which new forms of capital investment they need to open up to and what they should consider in future in order not to oversleep the generational change.

In a joint interview with Fondszeitung, Dr. Pascal Decker, director of Stiftung Brandenburger Tor , and Dr. Andreas Rickert, CEO of PHINEO gAG, provide answers.

The defense lawyers of art adviser Helge Achenbach have suffered another defeat - the attempt to overturn the arrest warrant against their client with an appeal was unsuccessful. Dr. Lucas Elmenhorst reports on the latest developments in Handelsblatt

The art consultant Helge Achenbach remains in custody for the time being. His defense lawyers were unable to rebut the accusation of risk of flight and concealment, even with the help of a prison appeal. Helge Achenbach has now been in custody for six months. He is suspected of fraud and forgery of documents because he is alleged to have made "hidden price mark-ups" when selling works of art and vintage cars.

This is one of the most extensive provenance research projects in Germany to date - the search for Nazi-looted art in the collections of Berlin museums. After three years, the project has now been successfully completed in part. Dr. Lucas Elmenhorst reports on the results in the Handelsblatt.

Together with the State of Berlin, the Stiftung Preussischer Kulturbesitz has completed a three-year project to investigate suspected Nazi-looted art - one of the most extensive provenance research projects in Germany to date. The aim is to successively examine all the holdings of the museums in Berlin that belong to the Stiftung Preussischer Kulturbesitz. The area of classical modernism in state ownership has now been fully examined. Three out of 450 works were taken from their Jewish owners. In 61 cases, the provenance could not be fully clarified.

Chaos and order - this is the title theme of the new art value. The authors of the current issue provide successful insights into the world of artists and answer how chaos can act as a source of inspiration for art and artists.

Chaos serves as a source of inspiration for many artists - including Sabine Kacunko. In her installations, the artist works with the representation of bacterial cell cultures in order to shed light on the productive interaction between art and science. She attracted international attention with her multimedia project BOOTSCHAFT, which she performs in Germany and abroad, mainly in public spaces.

In her article in the current issue of art value, Sabine Kacunko describes what she finds fascinating about working with micro-organisms, dust and patina as artistic tools. Some of Sabine Kacunko's works of art can be found in the corporate collection of dtb rechtsanwälte.