Gregor is an expert in international commercial dispute resolution with a focus on complex and high-value cross-border and multi-jurisdictional arbitration and litigation cases. He is a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and accredited as a civil and commercial mediator with ADR Group.
Gregor also focuses on contentious and non-contentious international intellectual property law. This includes advising on brand protection, the exploitation, protection and enforcement of trade marks, domain names, design rights and copyright. His practice also covers art and cultural heritage law where he is recommended and acknowledged by the leading legal directories.
Gregor’s clients have included sovereign governments, multi-national corporations, banks and other financial institutions, an Ivy League university, but also small innovative start-up companies, art galleries, dealers and collectors, artists and sports personalities, family offices and private clients.
Expertise
- International commercial dispute resolution
- Complex, high-value cross-border and multi-jurisdictional arbitration and litigation cases
- Jurisdiction challenges, parallel proceedings, freezing orders and other injunctive relief
- Recognition and enforcement of judgments and arbitral awards
- Contentious and non-contentious international IP
- Exploitation, protection, and enforcement of trade marks, design right and copyright
- Domain name dispute resolution
- Copyright and design rights
- Art and cultural heritage law
Experience
Litigation
- Acted for the shareholders in two Spanish and Swedish companies in a dispute with an Australian investment bank involving claims in excess of EUR68m. The case involved a jurisdiction challenge in the Commercial Court in favour of parallel proceedings pending between the same parties in the courts of Luxembourg.
- Acted for several defendants in Alliance Bank JSC v Aquanta Corporation & Ors [2011] EWHC 3281 (Comm) (14 December 2011) on a successful jurisdiction challenge in the Commercial Court and in the Court of Appeal (Alliance Bank JSC v Aquanta Corporation & Ors [2012] EWCA Civ 1588 (12 December 2012)). The case involved 15 defendants and multiple claims exceeding US$1.1bn.
- Acted for the English distributor of a German luxury footwear brand on the termination of their distribution agreement for the UK after a 35-year trading relationship.
- Advised a German supplier of railway infrastructure components on a supply dispute arising from a metro rail project in the Midlands.
- Acted for Aprilia in successful first instance and appeal proceedings (Spice Girls Ltd v Aprilia World Service BV [2000] EWHC Ch 140 (24th February, 2000) and Spice Girls Ltd v Aprilia World Service Bv [2002] EWCA Civ 15 (24th January, 2002)) in a high-profile dispute about a sponsorship and merchandising agreement in connection with the Spice Girls’ World Tour.
Arbitration
- Acted for a French merchant bank in London-based arbitration proceedings against a German company arising from fraudulent invoice factoring transactions.
- Acted as sole arbitrator in a London-based ICC arbitration concerning a joint venture dispute between parties from Spain and Monaco.
- Acted for a German engineering company in arbitration proceedings brought by English investors arising from defects and delays affecting a turnkey biomass powerplant project in Scotland.
- Acted for insurance policy holders in several Bermuda clause arbitration proceedings (policies governed by New York law with provision for arbitration proceedings under the English Arbitration Act 1996) regarding claims under product liability insurance policies valued at between US$240m and US$480m.
- Served as UK member on the 2007 ICC Commission on Arbitration Taskforce on Controlling Time and Costs in Arbitration (https://iccwbo.org/publication/icc-arbitration-commission-report-on-techniques-for-controlling-time-and-costs-in-arbitration).
IP & Trademarks
- Acted as panellist in numerous UDRP dispute resolution proceedings before the Arbitration Center for Internet Disputes.
- Acted for an American Ivy League university on all European trade mark matters, including licensing arrangements, trade mark portfolio advice and brand protection.
- Advised a well-known American IT and technology company on worldwide trade mark clearance projects and brand protection in the UK.
- Advised the owners of a landed estate hosting a country house opera on the trade mark and commercial issues arising from the departure of the opera company and the establishment of a new opera festival in its place.
- Acted for a German technology company in a patent dispute and expert determination proceedings with an Isle of Man company concerning net-fault technology used at Grand Slam tennis tournaments.
- Represented a leading company in the development of robotics on all technology, IP and the promotion of a ground breaking robot.
Media, Art & Cultural Heritage
- Revised terms and conditions of consignment and of sale of a London-based auction house and provided supplemental terms for the auction house’s first NFT sale and for payment by crypto-currency.
- Advised a Swiss modern and contemporary art gallery in connection with a dispute with a London art dealer arising from fraudulent art market transactions.
- Advised the curator of a renowned landed estate on numerous art loan agreements with leading national museums around the world.
- Advised the trustees of a family settlement and owners of a valuable painting loaned to The National Gallery on its transfer to an English Heritage property.
- Advised an Italian art collector on the terms of a private treaty purchase of a Banksy artwork from an English collector.
- Acted for an American art collector in an authenticity and attribution dispute concerning a Flemish Old Master painting purchased at the TEFAF fair in Maastricht.
- Acted for the heirs of a Hungarian art collector in Holocaust restitution proceedings against Tate Gallery before the Spoliation Advisory Panel.
- Advised numerous artists on contract issues regarding gallery representation and commissioning agreements.
Luxury Assets
- Advised two Middle Eastern governments on the recovery of illegally excavated and/or exported antiquities.
- Advised on a dispute regarding a piece of artwork sold at auction whereby the authenticity was challenged.
- Represented numerous families and HNWI on the loans of artwork to museums around the world.
- Represented the buyer of a high profile piece of artwork valued in excess $100m.
- Advised on the sale of a prominent and encyclopaedic collection of Islamic Silver Art.
Recognition
Recognised in Chambers UK (2022-2023) for Art and Cultural Property
“He’s an absolute delight. He’s such a friendly, approachable person, but beneath that he’s a keen first-class legal mind coming up with creative solutions.” Chambers UK 2023
“He has a good handle on the market and he’s pragmatic and practical.” Chambers UK 2023
“I really admire and respect Gregor’s practice. He is very knowledgeable, practical and strategic in his approach.” Chambers UK 2023
The Law Reviews Expert Panel 2022
The Art Law Review, chapter on the United Kingdom
Recognised in Spear’s 500 2022 as Top Recommended Art Lawyer
Recognised in The Legal 500 2022 for Art and Cultural Property
“Gregor is a patient and understanding European-UK lawyer with great knowledge of the art sector” The Legal 500 2022
“Gregor Kleinknecht is the partner at Hunters in this area that I know best. He has built a good reputation in the area (board member of PA/AM), is pragmatic and good to deal with as an opponent”. The Legal 500 2022
“Gregor Kleinknecht has established himself as one of the leading practitioners in the field of art and cultural property. He is an exceptionally able lawyer, with an in-depth knowledge of the art market and all aspects of art-related litigation”. The Legal 500 2022
“He has excellent knowledge about the art market and the issues involved He has deep industry expertise and is very professional and results-oriented He is flexible to client needs.” Chambers UK 2022
The Law Reviews Expert Panel 2021
The Art Law Review, chapter on the United Kingdom
Recognised in Spear’s 500 2021 as Art Advisor
Recognised in Chambers HNW 2021 and 2022 for Art and Cultural Property
“Very knowledgeable, practical and strategic in his approach.” Chambers High Net Worth 2022
“He’s very good. He is extremely diligent and clear. When he explains legal concepts or theory, he is very clear.” Chambers High Net Worth 2022
“One of the names you come across often. He is extremely bright and knows this area inside out and is good with clients.” Chambers UK 2021
“He is a really personable lawyer and has international experience in art and cultural property matters.” Chambers UK 2021
Recognised in Chambers UK 2021 for Art and Cultural Property
“He is an excellent communicator and very personable. He can break everything down into a really digestible fashion, which is a real skill.” Chambers 2021
Recognised in The Legal 500 2021 in Art and Cultural Property
“Gregor Kleinknecht knows the art market like the back of his hand”
“We value Gregor Kleinknecht’s tailored, client-based approach, whereby he takes pains to understand our concerns, what we are seeking to achieve and our budget, before presenting the options and following through as agreed.” The Legal 500 2021
“Gregor Kleinknecht is outstanding, with a profound understanding of issues relating to art law.” The Legal 500 2021
Recognised in Chambers HNW 2021 in Art and Cultural Property
“He is ‘brilliant’, ‘very knowledgeable and experienced’ and ‘a calm, sensible and knowledgeable lawyer’.” The Legal 500 2021
“A commentator notes ‘I like him very much – he is very, very focused, professional and down to earth. He is a calming influence and he has a very measured approach’.” The Legal 500 2021
Recognised in Chambers HNW 2020 for Art and Cultural Property Law
“He is ‘brilliant’, ‘very knowledgeable and experienced’ and ‘a calm, sensible and knowledgeable lawyer’. Chambers HNW 2020
“A commentator notes ‘I like him very much – he is very, very focused, professional and down to earth. He is a calming influence and he has a very measured approach’.“ Chambers HNW 2020
Recognised in Chambers UK 2020 for Art and Cultural Property Law
“He is extremely knowledgeable about the art market and particularly strong on contractual matters.” Chambers UK 2020
Recognised in The Legal 500 2020 for Art and Cultural Property Law
“Gregor Kleinknecht has huge knowledge of cross-border and multi jurisdictional transactions and is an excellent detail man”. The Legal 500 2020
“Gregor Kleinknecht is very experienced and pushes hard for his client.” The Legal 500 2020
Recognised in Chambers HNW 2019 for Art and Cultural Property Law
“Gregor is ‘incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about art.” Chambers HNW 2019
“He has a breadth of experience in art law to be considered an expert. He can handle litigation and the IP side of things as well. He is the total package.” Chambers HNW 2019
Recognised as ‘very clear and very efficient’. He ‘always responds very promptly’. Chambers HNW 2019
Recognised in Chambers UK 2019 for Art and Cultural Property Law
Recognised as ‘very knowledgeable, thoughtful and efficient, and is keen to give the client the best advice and get the right results’. Chambers 2019
Recognised in The Legal 500 2019 for Art and Cultural Property Law
Recognised in Chambers HNW 2018 for Art and Cultural Property Law
Clients praise his “excellent communication skills” and ”good knowledge of the art market”, explaining “he gets to the heart of the matter quickly”. Chambers HNW 2018
“He is very well connected and knows his stuff He is very knowledgeable, thoughtful and efficient, and is keen to give the client the best advice and get the right results. The main thing you need is just to know the business and he certainly does”. Chambers HNW 2018
“A genuine specialist in the area”. Chambers HNW 2018
Recognised in The Legal 500 2017 for Art and Cultural Property Law
”Prominent in this area and is known as a tough litigator.” The Legal 500 2017
Recognised in Chambers HNW 2017 for Art and Cultural Property Law
“Enormous skill with art law, and his ability to handle difficult art legal issues with immense presence and skill. He explains confusing or tricky situations very clearly and acts decisively and firmly on the client’s behalf.” Chambers HNW 2017
“Excellent art practice across the board.” Chambers HNW 2017
“Very good to work with.” Chambers HNW 2017
Recognised in Chambers UK 2017 for Art and Cultural Property Law
“Very well versed, with quite a strong international client base on the art side.” Chambers UK 2017
Recognised in The Legal 500 2016 for Art and Cultural Property Law
“Very well known in the area; practical, with a good range of knowledge and industry experience.” The Legal 500 2016
“A great eye for detail and is very hardworking.” The Legal 500 2016
“Very involved and is one of the few I would think of as being an art market specialist.” Chambers UK 2016
“I am very impressed. He knows what he is talking about.” Chambers HNW 2016
Recognised in the Corporate INTL Global Awards 2017 as Cross Border Dispute Resolution Lawyer of the Year in England
Recognised by Corporate Live Wire 2015 as Regional Dispute Resolution Lawyer of the Year – UK
Recognised by Corporate Live Wire 2014 as Lawyer of the Year in the category Intellectual Property – UK
Recognised by Corporate Live Wire 2013 as Lawyer of the Year in the category Litigation – UK
Career
Gregor qualified as a German Rechtsanwalt in 1995 and as a solicitor in 1996. Prior to joining Keystone Law in 2022, he worked at the following firms:
- Hunters Law
- Klein Solicitors
- Howrey
- CMS Cameron McKenna
- Berwin Leighton