dtb rechtsanwälte

What dtb rechtsanwälte does

dtb rechtsanwälte is a Berlin-based boutique law firm founded in 2004 by Dr. Pascal Decker and Bertold Schmidt-Thomé, operating as a Partnerschaftsgesellschaft mbB (registered partnership) under German law. The firm is structured around six interconnected practice areas: art law (Kunstrecht), luxury brand trademark (Luxusmarken), private clients, foundation and non-profit law, inheritance and corporate succession, and — as of 2026 — a Gulf Desk covering Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Bahrain, Oman, and Kuwait. It serves high net worth individuals, families, entrepreneurs, foundations, luxury brands, artists, galleries, and auction houses, with a strategic rather than volume-driven advisory model.

The firm has no proprietary technology product; its only technology-adjacent offering is the legeARTIS platform, a joint venture with Kerberos Compliance launched in 2020 that provides standardized anti-money laundering, cultural property protection, and data protection workflows for the international art market. It also participates in the PROMISSUM cooperation network with TIGGES Rechtsanwälte for inheritance and art law matters, and holds founding partner status with the Bundesverband Deutscher Stiftungen, which represents more than 22,000 German foundations.

Revenue is generated through fee-based legal advisory services, with a stated preference for transparent fixed-price arrangements rather than hourly billing. The firm employs approximately 10–15 people (including lawyers, administrative staff, and an office dog), operates from a single Berlin office in the Pergamon Palais, and is recognized as the only German art law firm ever ranked in Chambers High Net Worth, alongside consistent placements in JUVE, The Legal 500, and Best Lawyers. The firm is privately held by its two named partners with no external investors, subsidiaries, or parent company.

Name

dtb rechtsanwälte

Legal name

dtb rechtsanwälte Decker + Schmidt-Thomé Partnerschaftsgesellschaft mbB

Website

https://dtb.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

dtb rechtsanwälte is a Berlin-based boutique law firm founded in 2004 that provides strategic legal counsel in art law, luxury brand trademark, foundation and non-profit law, inheritance, and succession planning to high net worth individuals, foundations, and luxury companies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Legal Advisory Services: Fee-based legal counsel in specialized areas including art law, foundation law, trademark/luxury brands, inheritance and succession planning. The firm emphasizes transparent, fixed-price billing where possible, stating clients pay for intellectual expertise and services rather than administrative overhead.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

dtb rechtsanwälte is a Berlin-based boutique law firm providing specialized strategic legal counsel in four interconnected areas: art law (copyright, provenance, restitution), foundation and non-profit law (establishment, governance, charitable compliance), trademark and luxury brand law (registration, portfolio management, anti-counterfeiting), and inheritance and corporate succession planning. The firm serves high net worth individuals, foundations, artists, galleries, and luxury brand companies with transparent, fixed-price fee arrangements.

Product overview

dtb rechtsanwälte is a specialized law firm boutique offering strategic legal counsel for art and wealth management since 2004. The firm operates as a unified legal practice organized into six interconnected practice areas: Art Law (Kunstrecht) handles copyright, provenance, and restitution matters; Luxury Brands (Luxusmarken) provides trademark protection services; Private Clients delivers wealth management legal advisory; Foundation & Non-Profit Law manages foundation establishment and governance; Inheritance & Corporate Succession handles estate planning and succession models; and Gulf Desk provides specialized regional coverage for Gulf States markets. The firm also offers the legeARTIS compliance platform for art market compliance and participates in the PROMISSUM cooperation network for inheritance and art law.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Art Law (Kunstrecht)
• Luxury Brands (Luxusmarken)
• Private Clients
• Foundation & Non-Profit Law (Stiftungs- und Gemeinnützigkeitsrecht)
• Inheritance & Corporate Succession (Erbrecht und Unternehmensnachfolge)
• Gulf Desk
• legeARTIS

Quantifiable outcome

• Consistent recognition in Chambers High Net Worth ranking as the only German art law firm

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.

• TIGGES RechtsanwältecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 May 2022PROMISSUM is a strategic cooperation network established with TIGGES focused on inheritance law and art law advice, combining expertise from both boutique law firms to serve clients in these specialized practice areas.
• UNIVERSAL FAIR PAY CHECKminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 2 May 2022Pro bono trademark law advice provided to support equal opportunities through the UNIVERSAL FAIR PAY CHECK initiative.
• KERBEROS CompliancecoreTechnology or Integration · 21 July 2020Joint venture to create legeARTIS, an internet-based platform and app providing standardized compliance solutions for the international art market covering anti-money laundering (AML), cultural property protection, and data protection. The platform handles complete customer identification and authentication digitally with transparent costs.
• Bundesverband Deutscher Stiftungen (Federal Association of German Foundations)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 November 2019Official founding partner of the association which represents the interests of more than 22,000 foundations in Germany. Partnership aims to develop revenue-generating foundation models to make charitable activities profitable in the long term.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• SKW Schwarz: Berlin-based IP and media-law boutique; overlaps with dtb's trademark, luxury-brand and art-adjacent media matters.
• Taylor Wessing: International firm of German origin with strong practice groups in art and cultural property, private clients, and luxury brands. Largest direct competitor serving the same German and international HNW/foundation client base.
• Schindhelm Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft: German-led full-service firm with established art and cultural-property practice group; broader geographic footprint but overlapping specialty.
• Flick Gocke Schaumburg: Germany's leading tax-focused firm with prominent private clients, family office and foundation practices; competes for the same foundation-establishment and succession mandates at higher-complexity end.
• Mishcon de Reya LLP: International firm with a recognized art and luxury group serving collectors, galleries and luxury-brand owners; competes with dtb for cross-border HNW art and luxury mandates.
• Heuking Kühn Lüer Wojtek: Major German commercial law firm with a notable art law and private clients practice, serving as a broader-firm alternative for the same HNW and foundation clientele.
• Withersworldwide: International private-client and art-law firm with deep HNW and family-foundation practice; serves as the natural global comparator for dtb's HNW / art / succession offering outside Germany.
• Pryor Cashman LLP: New York firm housing one of the largest dedicated art-law groups; comparable for art, cultural property and luxury brand advisory at international scale.

Direct peers

• POELLATH + PARTNERS: Munich/Berlin boutique advising private clients, foundations, succession, and tax-optimized asset structures, overlapping directly with dtb's foundation, private client and inheritance practice areas.
• TIGGES Rechtsanwälte: Düsseldorf-based boutique law firm with whom dtb operates the joint PROMISSUM cooperation network on inheritance law and art law. Most comparable in size, specialization and 'Smart Law' positioning.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dtb-rechtsanw-lte

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about dtb rechtsanwälte