Dr. Stephan Klebes
Senior Legal Counsel
About
Dr. Stephan Klebes joined Deminor in 2024 and is involved in the assessment and management of litigation funding opportunities across Europe. He focuses on complex cross border disputes, with a particular interest in international arbitration and investment recovery cases. Stephan holds law degrees from Universities of Mannheim, Cape Town, and Osnabrück. Before joining Deminor, he handled litigation and arbitration proceedings at a leading international law firm.
Main tasks
- Legal analysis of German litigation and arbitration funding, investment recovery and antitrust cases.
- Managing European arbitration cases.
- Client relations with German-speaking European countries.
Previous work experience
- Attorney at Law (“Rechtsanwalt”) with international litigation law firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhardt & Sullivan LLP, focusing on commercial arbitration and complex capital markets litigation, Hamburg (2021-2024).
- Experience working for an arbitration and litigation boutique law firm, Hamburg (2020).
- Experience working for an international marketing organization, inter alia as Sales Manager, Frankfurt, Paris and Vienna (2007-2010).
Education
- PhD. (Dr. jur.), summa cum laude, Osnabrück, 2020.
- Bar Exam (“2. Staatsexamen”), with distinction, Celle, 2020.
- Master of Laws (LL.M.) in alternative dispute resolution, with distinction, University of Cape Town, South Africa, 2016.
- State Exam (“1. Staatsexamen”), with distinction, Mannheim, 2016.
- Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.), with distinction, Mannheim, 2013.
Additional information
- Particular experience in international arbitration and handling investment recovery proceedings.
Publications
- D. Thesis: Das UNCITRAL Modellgesetz in der EU - Harmonisierung des Schiedsverfahrensrechts vor dem Hintergrund des Art. 1 (2)(d) EuGVVO? (The UNCITRAL Model Law in the EU. Harmonization of the Law of Arbitration against the Background of Art. 1(2)(d) Brussels Ia-Regulation?), 2021 (Das UNCITRAL Modellgesetz in der EU - Harmonisierung des Schiedsverfahrensrechts vor dem Hintergrund des Art. 1 (2)(d) EuGVVO? 978-3-428-18298-5 - Duncker & Humblot
- Klebes: Recognition of state court decisions arising from IPR disputes by arbitral tribunals under the Brussels Ia-Regulation, in: Klopschinski/McGuire (eds.), Research Handbook on Intellectual Property Rights and Arbitration, 2024
Professional Organizations
Recognitions
- "Ones to Watch 2024” in Arbitration and Mediation, BestLawyers and Handelsblatt
Languages
- German (native)
- English (business fluent)
- French (advanced)
- Spanish (basic)
Blogs & Podcasts
- July 2025: German Insolvency Litigation Financing: 2024 Bankruptcy Rise Drives Third-Party Funding Growth
- April 2025: Perspectives on Litigation Funding: Key Takeaways from the Legal 500 GC Summit in Vienna
- April 2025: Bavarian Court Excludes EY from Wirecard Model Proceedings, Citing Jurisdictional Limits
- December 2024: Litigation financing - how companies can enforce their legal claims without burdening the balance sheet
- October 2024: Securing the Path to Fortune for Investors?