Sebastian Plötz

Sebastian is a Managing Associate in the Antitrust & Foreign Investment Group in Düsseldorf. He is advising on all aspects of European and German competition and antitrust law, with particular experience in complex global merger control proceedings for cross-border transactions before the European Commission, the Federal Cartel Office as well as before national and European Courts. He also represents clients in foreign investment control proceedings in Germany and other jurisdictions globally and proceedings under the Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR).

Further, Sebastian comprehensively advises clients in cartel investigations before the Federal Cartel Office and the EU Commission as well as compliance matters, internal investigations in the context of potential competition law infringements and competition litigation cases. He is member of the Linklaters “Crisis Management” Group in Germany.

Sebastian works for clients in a wide range of industries and has profound experience in the energy, e-mobility, tech and telecommunication sector.

As key figure in Linklaters’ Global Innovation & Efficiency Initiative for the Antitrust & Foreign Investment Practice, Sebastian is committed to advancing service quality and efficiency. He focuses on creating and integrating cutting-edge legal technology and artificial intelligence solutions to enhance client services and matter delivery.

Work highlights

Sebastian has most recently advised inter alia on the following cases:

• Carrier: on several transactions, including the EUR 12bn acquisition of Viessmann Climate Solutions.
• E.ON on several strategic transactions in the energy sector involving remedies by the respective authorities including the EUR 43bn asset swap with RWE and the Rheinland Kooperation between Westenergie and Rheinenergie.
• Anglo American: on the £31bn bid by BHP.
• Several clients in cartel proceedings before the Federal Cartel Office in Germany and related settlement procedures as well as internal investigations concerning potential infringements of competition laws.
• Blackstone: on the sale of Lombard International Assurance to Utmost with regard to the merger control and FSR proceedings with the European Commission as well as national FDI proceedings.
• Avi Alliance on the sale of the Budapest Airport to a consortium consisting of Corvinus Zrt. and Vinci Airports. 
• I Squared Capital on the USD 2.15 billion purchase of GTT Communication’s telecommunication infrastructure division with regard to merger control and foreign investment control proceedings.
• NeuConnect with regard to the merger control proceeding with the European Commission and foreign investment control in Germany in relation to the first electricity interconnector between Germany and the UK.
• Several clients in cartel proceedings before the Federal Cartel Office in Germany and related settlement procedures as well as internal investigations concerning potential infringements of competition laws.

Sebastian joined Linklaters in 2016 and was promoted to Managing Associate in 2022. He has spent 2023 on secondment to Linklaters’ office in London.

As key figure in Linklaters’ Global Innovation & Efficiency Initiative for the Antitrust & Foreign Investment Practice, Sebastian is committed to advancing service quality and efficiency. He focuses on creating and integrating cutting-edge legal technology and artificial intelligence solutions to enhance client services and matter delivery.

He is a member of the German Antitrust Law Association (Studienvereinigung Kartellrecht e.V.) and the German Forum Foreign Investment Control (Forum Investitionskontrolle e.V.).

Sebastian studied law at the University of Oslo and holds a law degree from the University of Augsburg. He completed his legal traineeship at the Higher Regional Court in Munich.

He speaks German, English, French and Norwegian.