HISTORY

The firm history dates back to the year 1924 when the grandfather of Hans Hilgers, one of the present partners, established his practice as a patent attorney. In 1956, August Grünecker joined him as a partner. The firm originally represented mainly domestic clients in the filing and prosecution of patents, trademarks and design models. It gradually expanded into other areas of intellectual property work and started to build a reputation as counsel in infringement matters.

When Dr. Hermann Kinkeldey entered the partnership in 1963 and Dr. Wilfried Stockmair became a partner in 1968, the firm was renamed to Grünecker, Kinkeldey & Stockmair. From then onwards, the firm grew rapidly, expanding from a mainly domestic law firm to one operating world-wide, with growing emphasis on clients from the US and Asia in addition to those from Germany and Europe.

To enhance the capabilities in the field of litigation, the firm merged in 1995 with Storch, Schwanhäusser & Partners, renowned specialists in intellectual property litigation. This firm, which was founded in the 1950s, experienced strong expansion in particular under Dr. Hermann Schwanhäusser and Dr. Helmut Eichmann.

Due to its steady growth, while still focusing on the core field of intellectual property matters, Grünecker, Kinkeldey, Stockmair & Schwanhäusser can expect a successful professional future.