HOYNG ROKH MONEGIER: Thomas H. Schmitz

Schmitz is called “a brilliant litigator”; “He has an impressive courtroom presence and is always extremely responsive.”

World Trademark Review 1000: The World´s Leading Trademark Professionals 2022

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Thomas H. Schmitz has been practising as an attorney since 1998 and advises German and international clients across a broad range of intellectual property matters. His practice focuses in particular on trademarks, designs, unfair competition, and copyright law.

A highly experienced litigator, Thomas regularly represents clients in complex disputes, with a particular focus on trademark infringement and plagiarism cases. He has coordinated numerous cross-border and multi-jurisdictional proceedings and has been involved in a number of groundbreaking cases that have contributed to shaping legal developments in the field of intellectual property.

In addition to contentious matters, Thomas advises clients on the development of advertising and marketing strategies, product development, and the protection and commercial exploitation of intellectual property rights. He also drafts and negotiates licence and cooperation agreements and advises on IP-intensive transactions.

Thomas specialised in intellectual property law during his studies at the Universities of Cologne and Lausanne and further developed this expertise in private practice and as in-house counsel at a major telecommunications company. He also shares his knowledge as a lecturer at Hagen Law School and Maastricht University.

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What others say

"Very competent and experienced, pragmatic, very friendly and always open to negotiations with the other side, excellent negotiating skills."
"Thomas Schmitz, Mathis Breuer and Ivan Dimitrov are an excellent team. They know their IP and are great to work with." Legal 500 EMEA 2026
"Thomas Schmitz: "Sehr kompetent und erfahren, pragmatisch, sehr freundlich und stets offen für Verhandlungen mit der Gegenseite, hervorragendes Verhandlungsgeschick.“ Legal 500 Deutschland 2026
Thomas Schmitz, […] “highly professional and customer centric practitioners who really know their intellectual property. They are top-notch lawyers in the field – responsive and to the point with the ability to lead on complex, cross-border contentious and non-contentious mandates”. World Trademark Review 2026
[…] “an outstanding lawyer with excellent skills. He is a strong strategist and highly commercial. His drafting is precise, and he is appropriately inquisitive”. World Trademark Review 2026
Often Recommended JUVE 2025/2026, since 2022/2023
“Thomas Schmitz has looked after us reliably, quickly and with great expertise over a long period of time. He creates added value through pragmatic approaches, without lengthy explanations. Fast and efficient legal advice and litigation support.”
“Thomas Schmitz is incredibly professional. He focuses on the things that really matter and he is sensible, knowledgeable, intelligent and personable. He is a real star in the firm’s outstanding IP group.”
“Thomas Schmitz is highly recommended for competition law. Analytical, strategic and experienced – he is second to none.” Legal 500 2025
“Thomas is a go-to counsel for all trademark matters in Europe thanks to his responsiveness to client needs and excellent advice. He is a well-versed professional and an exceptionally experienced litigator, known for his accurate judgement, especially in atypical and unconventional cases.” World Trademark Review 1000: The World´s Leading Trademark Professionals 2025
“I really appreciate working with Thomas Schmitz, he is always very reliable and does excellent work with his team” Legal 500 2024
“Thomas Schmitz has been a go-to trademark adviser for many years. He offers strong, expert support from the moment a product launches, from brand names to packaging, he is insightful on all issues, local and international.” World Trademark Review 1000: The World´s Leading Trademark Professionals 2024
“Thomas provides pragmatic counselling and has the ability to quickly evaluate a matter and recommend a clear course of action. He is a brilliant litigator and negotiator, creative and business minded. Thomas is a top-notch attorney and an invaluable asset to his clients.” World Trademark Review 1000: The World´s Leading Trademark Professionals 2023
Schmitz is called “a brilliant litigator”: “He has an impressive courtroom presence and is always extremely responsive.” World Trademark Review 1000: The World´s Leading Trademark Professionals 2022
“The perfect balance between professionalism and an extremely pleasant atmosphere makes working together so easy. Deadlines are always met, feedback is prompt and the results are outstanding. Particularly noteworthy is the feeling for the client and his needs.” Legal 500 EMEA, Germany 2022
Often recommended, “excellent IP lawyer”, “good in legal procedures” JUVE 2021/2022
“Thomas, Christina and Mathis all show dedication to clients, an ability to explain German trademark law simply and an excellent capacity to work as part of an international team on cross-border matters. I would recommend them to anyone looking for committed and responsive counsel – they are first class.” World Trademark Review 1000: The World´s Leading Trademark Professionals 2021
“an outstanding lawyer with good technical knowledge” World Trademark Review 1000: The World´s Leading Trademark Professionals 2020
Recommended for IP – Trademark Law Legal 500 Deutschland 2020
“Thomas Schmitz at Hoyng Rokh Monegier is a fabulous lawyer with remarkable technical knowledge. He thinks outside the box and comes up with ideas that reap great rewards.” World Trademark Review 1000 – The World’s Leading Trademark Professionals 2019
“streiterfahrener Markenrechtler” Legal 500 Deutschland 2018
„scharfsinnig, wortgewandt u. präsent im Gerichtssaal“ JUVE 2016/2017 Law Firm of the Year for IP
“Recommended lawyer, ‘experienced and creative litigator for unfair competition and trademarks’” Juve German Commercial Law Firms 2013
[…] “A partner focusing exclusively on trademarks and unfair competition was appointed at the beginning of 2008 in the form of Schmitz, who is driving practice growth”. Juve German Commercial Law Firms