Passion for Challenges.
What drives us
At Witt Legal, we deliver practical, business-oriented solutions to help you tackle commercially relevant legal challenges with confidence. Our goal is to relieve your workload by thoroughly analyzing your issues and developing sustainable, well-considered strategies. We present clear, actionable recommendations—highlighting both benefits and risks—so you can make informed decisions with ease. Expect efficient, customized service designed to fit your needs.
Witt Legal is led by Hendrik Witt and stands for bespoke legal advice, backed by a strong network of specialized lawyers across Germany and internationally.
8+
years of experience
75+
revised contracts
30+
compliance projects
50+
M&A transactions
(cumulated experience of Hendrik Witt including his work at previous law firms)
Selected client work
- Sector-Specific Regulation Compliance Project: Advising a leading international insurance company on categorising the relationship with various ICT-service providers under DORA and insurance regulation to establish compliance in this regulated sector.
- Drafting and Negotiating IT-Contracts: Representing a leading international insurance company in various contractual negotiations for SaaS and other IT-contracts in cross-functional collaboration to secure commercially viable contracts limiting regulatory exposure.
- Connected Cars: Advising an OEM in the context of ongoing legal questions for connected cars, including on telecommunications law and other regulations. The advice enables significant reduction of the regulatory and commercial liability profile.
- AI Act: Advising an international technology-driven MDAX company on strategic approach and roadmap to assess AI Act compliance, including drafting a complex logic for a questionnaire with a simple front-end to allow IT departments to contribute efficiently to the overall compliance assessment.
- Data Act: Advising an international technology driven MDAX company on their rights and obligations under the Data Act with respect to their core business activities.
- Digital Services Act: Advising on scope and requirements for host and platform providers under the DSA.
- Cyber Resilience Act: Negotiating contractual provisions to ensure compliance with the CRA in the context of procuring a white-label solution.
- GDPR: Advising companies on various GDPR compliance topics, such as data subject access request (Art. 15 GDPR), data processing agreement (Art. 28 GDPR), international data processing (Art. 44-50 GDPR), and more.
- SaaS-Contract: Advising a leading niche talent acquisition specialist on Saas contract negotiations and strategic aspects of supplier choice to ensure that business-critical data is sufficiently protected in line with the main business interests.
Publications
- AI systems and their operators under the AI Regulation: Obligations and demarcation from the end user, EuDIR 2025, 142 (with M. Schuh)
- Banking secrecy – Bank information – Data protection, Schwintowski (ed.) Bankrecht, Chapter 4, 7th ed. 2025 (with C. Werkmeister), in preparation
- Facts, Purpose and Misappropriation of the Right of Access under Art. 15 GDPR, Computer & Recht 2023, 228 (with M. Schuh)
- Commentary on §§ 19 – 24 of the Telecommunications Telemedia Data Protection Act in: Säcker/Körber, TKG/TTDSG, 4th ed. 2022
- New consumer contract law requirements for the IT security of digital products, Cybersecurity Law Review 2021, 147 (with K. Beucher)
Presentations
- High-Risk AI Providers: Navigating Rules and Realities, LIPIT Forum, Georg-August University of Göttingen, November 2025 (with S. Gerdemann)
- Guest lecture on „Innovation and Regulation in the AI space: AI Act, data protection and copyright law“, Management Analytics & AI in Practice Certificate, November 2025 (https://www.mannheim-business-school.com/de/mba-master-und-kurse/offene-zertifikatskurse/management-analytics-and-ai-in-practice-certificate/)
- Legal requirements for AI systems, online lecture, October 2025, CUR Executive MBA Münster
- Data protection in banking law and DORA, online seminar Wolters Kluwer, September 2024 and August 2025 (with C. Werkmeister)
- Introduction to data protection law and the AI Act, guest lecture Executive MBA ESSEC & Mannheim, April 2025.
- AI and Data Protection, LIPIT Forum, University of Göttingen, 2024
- GDPR perspective on the U.S. Data Privacy Framework, Webinar, 2023
- Implications of the European AI Act for business, Data Regulation Roundtable, Frankfurt, 2023
- Legal Implications of RPA, RPA&AI Germany Forum, Berlin; Advanced and Artificial Intelligence and Robotic Process Automation Forum, Berlin, 2018
- Social Media Law for Social Media Managers, Akademie für Marketing-Kommunikation e.V., 2017
Our value proposition
Your Benefits:
- Proactively management of compliance and legal risks across jurisdictions.
- Clarity and transparency on potential exposures, enabling informed decision-making.
Do not miss out:
- Legal blind spots increase exposure to regulatory breaches and fines.
- Risk of reputational damage and reactive legal firefighting.
Your Benefits:
- Solutions-oriented advice that aligns with the company’s digital and commercial strategy.
- Supporting fast, confident decision-making in commercial negotiations and structuring.
Do not miss out:
- Missed commercial opportunities or over-cautious decisions slow down growth.
- Lack of legal insight into business model innovation.
Your Benefits:
- Integration into existing legal workflows, saving time through efficient communication and decision support.
- Reducing administrative burden—no need for over-explaining or micromanaging.
Do not miss out:
- Depending on internal processes, internal legal team may become bottleneck.
- Wasted time & effort on low-value legal discussions or rework.
Your Benefits:
- Creative and critical sparring partner to explore legal pathways the team may not have considered.
- Accountability and a second layer of insight for complex issues.
Do not miss out:
- Risk of narrow legal thinking or missed opportunities for innovative approaches.
- A trusted sounding board that combines market insight with external authority to support confident internal decision-making.
Your Benefits:
- Build confidence and reduce “worry load” by taking ownership and offering transparent, actionable legal support.
- Natural extension of the in-house team, not an outsider.
Do not miss out:
- Ambiguity or misalignment in legal advice, resulting in frustration and uncertainty, concerns over wrong decisions.
- Non-actionable guidance, repeated rework, delayed closure of workstreams.
- Strategic Risk Management & Compliance
Your Benefits:
- Proactively management of compliance and legal risks across jurisdictions.
- Clarity and transparency on potential exposures, enabling informed decision-making.
Do not miss out:
- Legal blind spots increase exposure to regulatory breaches and fines.
- Risk of reputational damage and reactive legal firefighting.
- Business-Enablement & Commercial Benefit
Your Benefits:
- Solutions-oriented advice that aligns with the company’s digital and commercial strategy.
- Supporting fast, confident decision-making in commercial negotiations and structuring.
Do not miss out:
- Missed commercial opportunities or over-cautious decisions slow down growth.
- Lack of legal insight into business model innovation.
- Efficiency & Time Saving
Your Benefits:
-
Integration into existing legal workflows, saving time through efficient communication and decision support.
-
Reducing administrative burden—no need for over-explaining or micromanaging.
Do not miss out:
- Depending on internal processes, internal legal team may become bottleneck.
- Wasted time & effort on low-value legal discussions or rework.
-
- Solution-Oriented Sparring Partner
Your Benefits:
- Creative and critical sparring partner to explore legal pathways the team may not have considered.
- Accountability and a second layer of insight for complex issues.
Do not miss out:
- Risk of narrow legal thinking or missed opportunities for innovative approaches.
- A trusted sounding board that combines market insight with external authority to support confident internal decision-making.
- Trust & Peace of Mind
Your Benefits:
- Build confidence and reduce “worry load” by taking ownership and offering transparent, actionable legal support.
- Acts as a natural extension of the in-house team, not an outsider.
Do not miss out:
- Ambiguity or misalignment in legal advice, resulting in frustration and uncertainty, concerns over wrong decisions.
- Non-actionable guidance, repeated rework, delayed closure of workstreams.
Team
Hendrik Witt
Lawyer
Hendrik is a seasoned legal advisor, serving as a trusted sparring partner for decision-makers in both national and international companies. With deep expertise in digital and data-driven business models, he provides strategic actionable guidance to a diverse clientele, including renowned publicly traded companies and innovative startups. In addition to his experience in the technology sector, he brings deep industry expertise in banking and insurance as well as in the automotive industry. Clients describe Hendrik as a trustful, communicative and curious team player with a business-focused and service-oriented approach. Read more
- Since 2024 – EMBA candidate at Mannheim Business School and ESSEC Paris with scholarship as “Outstanding Candidate”.
- Since 2024 – Founding of the law firm Witt Legal.
- 2019 – 2024 – Data and Tech Principal Associate at Freshfields PartG mbB (also seconded in-house).
- Since 2021 – Lecturer (Lehrbeauftragter) for the annual course “International Data Processing” in the IP/IT Law Master’s program (LL.M.) at the Georg-August University of Göttingen.
- 2017 – 2019 – IT-law and legal tech Associate at Osborne Clarke PartG mbB (also seconded in-house).
- 2007 – 2016 – Studied law in Göttingen, Geneva (Unige, IHEID) and Bruges (College of Europe). Legal clerkship at the Berlin Court of Appeal with stages at the Federal Cartel Office in Bonn and at an international law firm in Washington, D.C. Internships and professional experience at the United Nations in Geneva, at an international law firm in Brussels and at a private legal training center (Repetitorium), among others.
David Krstic
Research Assistant
David Krstic is a research associate and doctoral candidate at the University of Mannheim. His research focuses on the regulation of AI. He is a certified AI Officer. During his studies in Heidelberg and Copenhagen, David gained practical experience in several law firms and in pro bono legal consulting.
Dr. Simon Gerdemann
External Scientific Advisor
Dr. Simon Gerdemann is a multi-award-winning legal scholar with a focus on digital regulation, AI governance, and civil law. As Interim Chair of Civil and Economic Law at the University of Göttingen, he researches the intersection of private law and digital technologies. Simon publishes widely on digital compliance, advises national and EU institutions on legal frameworks, and trains legal professionals and policymakers on the implications of digital legislation, liability, and platform regulation.
Mathias Schuh
External Research Assistant
Mathias is a doctoral candidate at the University of Cologne. His research focuses on regulation on AI as part of the interdisciplinary research project Zertifizierte KI (“Certified AI”). Prior to his doctoral studies, Mathias gained practical experience at several law firms and research institutions. He regularly publishes on issues related to data privacy and the regulation of artificial intelligence.