Christian Duve is an arbitrator and mediator with 25 years of experience, who acted as a partner and lawyer in the international law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP for more than 20 years. During this time, he gathered broad experience in resolving commercial disputes (in financial and corporate settings as well as in connection with post-M&A disputes). Since 2013, he has been an honorary professor at the University of Heidelberg and is now the Founder of his own law firm Duve Law. He is currently Managing Director of the Duve Innovation Ventures GmbH, in Frankfurt and is particularly involved in disputes with a heavy focus on technology. He is particularly interested in companies that contribute to the public good by finding solutions to ecological or social challenges. He serves as a strategic advisor in complex adjudication cases or re-governance issues, for example, related to implications of technologies (AI, blockchain) or sustainability requirements.
After his legal training program (Referendariat), including an internship with the American Arbitration Association in New York as well as an assignment as a scientific research assistant at the institute for civil law, civil procedure and international procedural law at the University of Munich (1992-1995), he completed his post-graduate studies at Harvard University (Master of Public Administration, MPA) as McCloy Scholar (1995-1997). During his stay, Christian Duve also served as Hewlett Research Fellow at the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School, conducted research in the area of international commercial arbitration and was active in the Harvard Mediation Program.
Active philanthropist, he serves in numerous non-profit organizations, for example, as a member of the board of trustees of the Crespo Foundation. In the Dialogue Through Conflict Foundation, he will advise as a Senior Mediation Expert.
