Automotive Legal Counsel. Built for the Supply Chain.
Contact UsPragmatic, business-focused legal support for automotive suppliers in the U.S., Europe and worldwide.
Supply Agreements · OEM Negotiations · Distressed Suppliers · Supply Chain Disputes · Tooling · Warranty · Developments · Compliance · Regulatory
Automotive supplier counsel with actual in-house industry experience
The automotive industry is currently experiencing significant transformations accompanied by substantial challenges. Programs can quickly become unprofitable if suppliers abruptly cease their supply during serial production. Robust contracts are essential for preventing premature termination, thereby mitigating the risks associated with additional developments, extensive testing, and validation, as well as the potential need for new tooling.
The rising number of supplier insolvencies and financially distressed suppliers elevates the risk of production interruptions, resulting in costly forced resourcing. Effectively managing distressed suppliers and navigating insolvencies is crucial for reducing costs and mitigating risks, making it a potential matter of financial survival for companies within the industry.
Pricing issues have emerged as a critical concern for both customers and suppliers. Factors such as the Covid-19 pandemic, the blockage of the Suez Canal, the conflict in Russia, and various other global events have turned price adjustment requests into a major driving force within the automotive sector.
Our legal advisors bring extensive, hands-on experience in the automotive industry, offering tailored guidance that blends in-depth knowledge of regulatory frameworks with practical solutions. This empowers automotive suppliers worldwide to navigate complex legal landscapes effectively, ensuring that their production, sourcing, and launches remain uninterrupted. By leveraging our expertise, clients gain strategic insights that not only mitigate risks but also enhance operational efficiency, ultimately fostering innovation and growth in a highly competitive market.
Supply Chain Counsel
Global Automotive Law delivers quick, pragmatic legal supply chain support with a main focus on the automotive industry to avoid production interruptions, ensure continuous supplies, defend against stop ship threats, wrongful and abrupt termination, deal with financially distressed and insolvent suppliers, fight for necessary price and other agreement adjustments, and any other dispute and risk throughout the supply chains with a strong focus in Europe.
Our attorneys have worked inside automotive suppliers, supporting or acting as your external legal department so you can focus on operations, customers, and growth.
Services
In the automotive industry, clients need various legal services to improve their operations and build strong relationships with customers and suppliers. These services involve drafting and negotiating contracts to make supply chain interactions smoother, enhancing collaboration with OEMs, Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers.
Legal support is also important for managing tooling and equipment ownership, leases, creating liability waivers, and ensuring effective communication among stakeholders. Additionally, clients can develop risk management strategies for better business operations. Navigating cross-border transactions and international trade is crucial for automotive companies aiming to grow their market presence and boost their competitiveness.
One of our main focus areas is dealing with OEMs and suppliers in Europe. We have extensive experience resolving and mitigating automotive supply-chain disruptions, including pricing and warranty issues, resourcing activities, especially as a managed risk mitigation option with financially distressed and insolvent suppliers.
NDAs
Drafting and negotiating NDAs tailored to automotive development cycles, production timelines, and multi-tier supplier relationships—protecting confidential design data, testing results, and process know-how across borders.
Development Agreements
Structuring vehicle and component development contracts between OEMs and Tier 1/2 suppliers, covering engineering milestones, intellectual property ownership, change management, and cost allocation to align incentives and reduce disputes.
Warranty and Liability Limitation
Establishing clear warranty disclaimers and liability limitations in supply agreements to protect both parties while maintaining reasonable coverage and customer confidence.
Purchase and Sales Agreements
We support you with your customers as well as with your suppliers. Negotiating framework and spot purchase agreements for automotive parts, tooling, and materials—balancing price, warranty, delivery schedules, and liability to support both long-term partnerships and flexibility.
Distressed Suppliers and Supplier Insolvencies
Advising on supply chain disruptions, distressed supplier situations, and insolvency proceedings in the automotive sector—helping you navigate continuity risk, avoid production interruptions and manage insolvency administrators, foster M&A and investor solutions and assist in continuation agreements to mitigate insolvency impacts.
Tooling Agreements
Drafting and managing tooling ownership, cost recovery, and protection agreements between OEMs and their supply base—clarifying title, depreciation schedules, and security interests to minimize disputes and preserve supply relationships.
Regulatory & Compliance Advice
Advising on automotive regulatory frameworks including type approval, emissions compliance, product liability, and emerging legal landscapes around connected and autonomous vehicles—keeping your operations aligned with global standards.
And so much more…
Posts
Our Attorneys
Benny Baur
Founder
Benny Baur brings over 20 years of in-house and private practice experience at the intersection of automotive manufacturing and international commercial law.
He has advised suppliers across Europe, the Americas, and Asia on all kinds of legal issues with a main focus on supply chain, sale- and purchase agreements, cross-border NDAs, product liability frameworks, warranty matters, development agreements, regulatory compliance, and many other legal areas.
Admitted to the bar in Germany and the U.S.A. (Florida), Mr. Baur combines deep technical understanding of automotive production processes with sharp commercial instincts — delivering fast, practical legal solutions that keep operations moving.
Pricing
We know that automotive industry players must be extremely cost sensitive. A senior partner with tremendous automotive experience can provide valuable advise very quickly which keeps the costs low but may help win a business, reduce or avoid a costly risk, or solve an expensive dispute. It is imperative nowadays to wisely use AI to drive results quickly but it is likewise important to direct and validate advise to fit your needs best. Whenever possible, we use AI or lower cost support to remain competitive in our pricing at all times.
We offer flexible engagement options for automotive suppliers, from one-time support, project management, to long-term assistance supporting your legal department or serving as your own external legal department.
Global Automotive Law Group 