Ehlermann Rindfleisch Gadow

What Ehlermann Rindfleisch Gadow does

Ehlermann Rindfleisch Gadow (ERG) is a specialized boutique law firm headquartered in Hamburg with a second office in London, founded in 1982 (originally as Dr. Ehlermann & Jeschonnek, rebranded to its current name in 2006). The firm focuses exclusively on maritime commercial law and ship finance, advising shipping companies, banks and financial institutions, shipyards, ship managers, and government entities on ship finance transactions, sale and purchase of vessels, corporate M&A within the maritime industry, restructuring and insolvency, ship registration, charter and ship management contracts, shipbuilding, arrest and forced sales, dispute resolution including LMAA arbitration, and adjacent areas such as offshore, cruise, superyachts, container transactions, and marine insurance. The firm is qualified to advise on German, English, Marshall Islands, Liberian, Greek, Spanish, and Indonesian law, supported by a multilingual team (German, English, Mandarin, Greek, Spanish, Italian, Indonesian).

ERG operates as a German Partnerschaft mbB (a partnership with limited professional liability) under the legal name Ehlermann Rindfleisch Gadow Rechtsanwälte Partnerschaft mbB, with no parent company or external shareholders identified. Its London practice is authorized and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (registration 566714). The firm is independently owned and managed by its partners and has no public listing, no venture or private equity backing, and no disclosed subsidiaries. The team comprises approximately 29–30 lawyers, partners, counsel, associates, and paralegals across both offices.

Revenue is generated through professional legal advisory services billed at hourly rates or fixed fees on customized engagements, with no public pricing or subscription model. Go-to-market is enterprise-field-sales in nature: partner-led advisory relationships with shipping corporates and lending institutions, supported by thought-leadership channels including breakfast briefings (on FuelEU Maritime, EU ETS, NIS-2 cyber, JOLCO, US Port Entry Fees), webinars (e.g., Green Ship Finance with DNV and Hapag-Lloyd), a regular newsletter, news publications, and a LinkedIn presence. The firm has no technology platform, software product, or AI offering.

Name

Ehlermann Rindfleisch Gadow

Legal name

Ehlermann Rindfleisch Gadow Rechtsanwälte Partnerschaft mbB

Website

https://erg-legal.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ehlermann Rindfleisch Gadow is a Hamburg-founded (1982) boutique maritime law firm with a London office, advising shipping companies, banks, shipyards, and government entities on ship finance, M&A, restructuring, and dispute resolution under German, English, Marshall Islands, Liberian, Greek, Spanish, and Indonesian law.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Maritime Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110), Legal Services (5411)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Classification Society & Flag-State Liaison / Plan Approval Support (IMAJAGAN)

Keywords

• Maritime legal services
• Ship finance
• Shipping commercial law
• Ship sale purchase
• Maritime dispute resolution

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Legal Advisory Services: Professional legal services billed at hourly rates or fixed fees for maritime transactions, corporate matters, dispute resolution, and regulatory advice. Revenue generated through client engagements for ship finance, M&A, restructuring, and maritime commercial matters.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Ehlermann Rindfleisch Gadow is a specialized maritime and corporate law firm providing transactional and contentious legal advice focused on ship finance, ship sale and purchase, shipbuilding, corporate/M&A, restructuring and insolvency, vessel arrest, registration, charter and ship management contracts, and dispute resolution (including LMAA arbitration). The firm advises under German, English, Marshall Islands, Liberian, Greek, Spanish, and Indonesian law from offices in Hamburg and London, serving shipping companies, banks, shipyards, and public-sector clients worldwide.

Product overview

Ehlermann Rindfleisch Gadow (ERG) is a maritime and corporate law firm, not a technology company. ERG provides a comprehensive portfolio of legal services specializing in maritime commercial law and ship finance. The firm's service offering encompasses ship finance, ship sale and purchase, corporate law and M&A, restructuring and insolvency, arrest and forced sales, ship registration, charter contracts, ship management contracts, shipbuilding, dispute resolution (including LMAA arbitration), container transactions, offshore, cruise, superyachts, Marshall Islands law, inland waterway shipping, general commercial law, marine insurance, and shipping law. ERG operates from offices in Hamburg and London, advising on German, English, Marshall Islands, Liberian, Greek, Spanish, and Indonesian law.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ship Finance

Quantifiable outcome

• Recognized as Band 1 in Chambers Germany 2026 for Shipping: Finance
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• DNVminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 April 2025Co-hosted breakfast briefing on FuelEU Maritime Regulation updates, with DNV providing overview of latest developments regarding the regulation
• OceanScoreminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 February 2025Co-hosted breakfast briefing on EU ETS implementation and FuelEU Maritime with OceanScore providing industry expertise on compliance matters
• KPMGminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 February 2024Co-hosted breakfast briefing on Japanese Operating Lease with Call Option (JOLCO) with Monique Giese from KPMG providing financial structuring expertise
• Vedder PriceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosted breakfast briefing on US Port Entry Fees with John Imhof Jr from Vedder Price, New York providing US regulatory expertise
• ROXIN RechtsanwälteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosted breakfast briefings on topics including Ship Recycling - Beaching, providing joint industry expertise on maritime law matters

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Campbell Johnston Clark: London-based specialist shipping and commercial law boutique; a comparable maritime boutique competing for similar ship finance and dry shipping mandates.
• Hill Dickinson: UK law firm with a specialist shipping practice including ship finance, sale & purchase and dispute resolution; a comparable maritime-focused boutique/medium player.
• Ince (formerly Ince & Co): Historic London maritime law firm that has rebuilt its shipping practice post-restructuring; competes with ERG on LMAA arbitration, ship finance and shipping litigation.
• Seward & Kissel: US-based law firm with a market-leading ship finance and maritime practice; a closely comparable specialist for cross-border vessel finance and shipping M&A.
• Clyde & Co: Global law firm with one of the largest dedicated shipping practices, including a strong Hamburg presence; a direct competitor for marine insurance, ship finance and casualty work.
• Stephenson Harwood: London-based international firm with a leading shipping finance practice; competes head-to-head with ERG on English-law ship loans, sale & purchase and restructuring.
• Holman Fenwick Willan (HFW): London-headquartered shipping and commodities law firm with a substantial ship finance practice; overlaps directly with ERG on cross-border ship finance, sale & purchase and dispute resolution.
• Watson Farley & Williams: One of the leading international maritime and ship finance law firms with a global network and a Hamburg office; competes with ERG for the same German and English-law ship finance mandates.

Broad incumbents

• Reed Smith: International full-service firm with a long-established shipping and maritime finance practice; a broader incumbent overlapping with ERG on ship finance and restructuring.
• Norton Rose Fulbright: Global full-service law firm with a sizable shipping finance and offshore practice; a broader incumbent that competes with ERG on larger ship finance transactions while offering wider non-maritime services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ehlermann-rindfleisch-gadow

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 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 Ehlermann Rindfleisch Gadow