At the turn of the year 2025/26, BLD is strengthening its management structure and set an example for sustainable growth: Christiane Osterspey (38) is a new partner working part-time and Dr Martin Lomb (40) is a new partner too and they will both strengthen the law firm's team of partners in the long term. Christiane Osterspey is a specialist in international liability cases and, together with her team, frequently handles large-scale travel accidents. Dr Martin Lomb focuses in particular on the areas of pharmaceutical liability, life science and food law, which have become significantly more important in recent years. Managing partner Dr Martin Alexander (50) explains: "We are seeing a significant internationalisation in the liability insurance sector, as well as continued sub-specialisation in high-growth areas, which we are responding to by appointing these two young partners."
BLD has also established teams in the area of construction insurance at numerous locations in order to support insurers in larger construction projects and construction liability cases. This is reflected in the appointment of Dr Alexander Scalidis (41) as a new salary partner from the Frankfurt office.
Sustainable growth will also be achieved by appointing a total of seven counsels from various departments within the law firm. These appointments will strengthen strategically important areas of expertise in a targeted manner. "These appointments underline the high priority BLD attaches to the continuous development of its lawyers and reflect the law firm's confidence in the long-standing expertise of the new counsels," says managing partner Dr Joachim Grote (55). At the same time, the targeted strengthening of the counsel level allows for structured further development within the law firm. Dr Martin Alexander adds: "New perspectives are emerging at the next levels, ensuring that qualified lawyers are promoted at an early stage and systematically prepared for future managerial responsibilities."
Furthermore, Joachim Krane and Prof. Thorsten Süß are leaving the BLD partnership at the turn of the year. After many years in the insurance industry and 12 years at BLD, Joachim Krane is leaving to enjoy his well-earned retirement, while Prof. Thorsten Süß is taking up his new post as professor of commercial and insurance law at TH Köln. He will remain with BLD in his role as of counsel. Prof. Mathias Ulbrich, LL.M., who previously worked with BLD on a cooperative basis, is now available to clients as of counsel at the office in Leipzig. "By appointing two additional of counsels, BLD is securing first-class expertise in the areas of medical malpractice and occupational pension schemes for its clients," explains Dr Joachim Grote.
The new partners at BLD:
Dr Martin Lomb, LL.M. (40) is a specialist lawyer for insurance law in the Industrial Liability department at the Cologne office and was appointed salary partner in 2024. He handles complex major losses from all industry sectors and has particular expertise and experience in pharmaceutical, food, and medical device liability law.
Christiane Osterspey (38) has been with BLD since 2015 and has been a salary partner since 2024. As a specialist lawyer for insurance law in the area of industrial liability, she focuses primarily on in-court and out-of-court handling of complex national as well as cross-border product liability and travel liability cases, with a particular focus on international private law aspects. Together with BLD partner Dr Florian Höld, she heads the BLD travel team, leads the BLD advisory team with two colleagues, and is a co-founder of the women's network BLD Women Connect.
The new salary partner at BLD:
Alexander Scalidis (41) has been working as a lawyer in the Construction Insurance department at the office in Frankfurt am Main since 2017. He is a specialist lawyer in the area of construction liability. His specialisation lies in architects' liability, general construction liability as well as product liability and safety. Before joining BLD he worked for a major law firm in the litigation department and for several years as a judge in the construction chamber of the Regional Court of Frankfurt.
The new counsels at BLD:
Valentin Erler, LL.M. (34) has been working as a lawyer in the Industrial Liability department at the Cologne office since 2020. He specialises in liability cases both in the area of public liability and insurance as well as product liability and safety and environmental liability in particular. He is also a member of the "State and Official Liability" advisory team, which offers out-of-court support to legal persons under public law, their own companies and employees, and advises on all matters relating to liability law.
Lisa Ferschl (33) has been working as a lawyer in the General Liability department at the office in Munich since 2021. She primarily represents our clients in the defence of claims based on liability law, especially against lawyers, notaries, tax advisors as well as insurance intermediaries and brokers. As a specialised litigator, she conducts court proceedings for our clients throughout Germany. In addition to this, she provides advisory and forensic expertise in numerous national and international commercial and private liability cases.
Stefan Worbs (36) has been working as lawyer in the Construction Insurance department at the Cologne office since 2017, having spent 2019/20 at a federal state authority in North Rhine-Westphalia. He is a specialist lawyer in the area of construction liability. He specialises in litigation in complex construction and architectural liability disputes. He primarily represents insurers in coverage disputes in the area of architectural professional liability insurance.
Florian Wegmann, LL.M. (32) has been working as lawyer in the Industrial Liability department at the Cologne office since 2021 and as a specialist lawyer for insurance law since 2025. He has particular expertise in the areas of product liability, product safety and recall cost insurance, and advises on national and international product recalls and major losses. He also regularly represents our clients in complex court proceedings.
Sabine Krapf (34) has been working as a lawyer in the Life and Regulatory department at the office in Cologne since 2018. She specialises in representing our clients in court in matters pertaining to life and health insurance, as well as advising on health insurance and supervision law.
Yvonne Waszick (35) has been working as a lawyer in the Health department at the Cologne office since 2019. She is a specialist lawyer for insurance law and represents health insurers nationwide, primarily in court proceedings in all areas of health and long-term care insurance law, in particular on issues pertaining to premium adjustments, medical costs, daily sickness allowance, hospital reimbursement as well as professional and remuneration law for the medical professions.
Eva Schönherr (40) has been working as a lawyer and specialist lawyer for insurance law in the Life & Regulatory department at the Cologne office since 2016. Her main areas of expertise include representing and advising our clients in court throughout Germany in the area of life insurance. In particular, she specialises in issues of insolvency and enforcement law relevant to personal insurance, where she regularly conducts training courses in addition to handling a large number of cases. Furthermore, she represents and advises clients on all issues relating to occupational pension schemes, including employer's pension liability insurances and reinsured support funds.
The new of counsels at BLD:
Prof. Thorsten Süß (41) is of counsel at the office in Cologne. He has been working as a lawyer at BLD since 2016 and as a partner from 2022 to 2025. As an expert in medical malpractice and hospital liability, he worked for our clients throughout Germany and also headed the "State and Official Liability" advisory team together with BLD partner Marcel Hohagen. At the turn of the year, he is taking up his post as professor of commercial and insurance law at TH Köln, but will remain with BLD in his role of counsel as an expert in the area of medical liability.
Prof. Mathias Ulbrich, LL.M. (55) is of counsel at the office in Leipzig. BLD has collaborated with this renowned labour and tax law expert since 2014 in the area of occupational pension schemes. His areas of expertise include labour and tax law relating to occupational pension schemes as well as other areas of occupational pension schemes (including social security law, insurance law, insolvency law and company law).
Notes for the editorial team:
BLD Bach Langheid Dallmayr Rechtsanwälte Partnerschaftsgesellschaft mbB is the largest German law firm specialising exclusively in liability and insurance law. This specialisation has existed ever since the law firm was founded in 1911. Today, approximately 220 lawyers and more than 520 non-lawyer staff are working successfully in particular for German, Dutch and international insurers and industry companies at the German offices in Cologne, Munich, Frankfurt, Berlin, Karlsruhe, Dortmund, Hamburg and Leipzig, as well as in the Netherlands at the office in The Hague as BLD Ekelmans. On an international level, BLD cooperates with DAC Beachcroft.
Contact for further questions:
Dr Christopher Holl
Theodor-Heuss-Ring 13-15 | 50668 Cologne
Email: marketing@bld.de | Phone +49 221 944027-839
