Dr. Christoph Rückel is a founding partner of BridgehouseLaw Rückel & Bolthausen with offices in Atlanta, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, London, Manila, Munich, Paris, Shanghai, and Singapore. He is managing partner of the firm’s Atlanta office practicing in the areas of Corporate Law, Real Estate, Banking Law, White Collar Crime, M&A, and Tax and Investments.
Additionally, Dr. Christoph Rückel is founding partner and president of OneBridgehouse, an international business advisory firm with offices in Atlanta and Munich. Having practiced law for over 30 years with a focus on international business transactions, he has in-depth experience using a global network to structure and advise international on international ventures as well as consult medium-sized companies. Dr. Rückel’s experience includes consultation on international projects in the fields of hotel, real estate, tax, and financing using his legal expertise as well as knowledge of international business. Christoph Rückel is admitted to the State Bar of Georgia (Foreign Law Consultant), where he serves on the International Law Executive Committee. He is also admitted to the Munich Bar, where he has taught German attorneys for more than 10 years as well as judges at the German Judges’ Academy. Dr. Rückel has published numerous legal articles, including several on business and real estate investments in the United States. He is an experienced forensic consultant as well as a frequent speaker on the topics of U.S. investments, European/American economic and legal issues, as well as intercultural communication. Dr. Rückel is a an executive member of the American Chamber of Commerce in Germany, he belongs to the Southern Center for International Studies (SCIS) in Atlanta, the German American Chamber of Commerce in Atlanta, the Swiss American Chamber of Commerce in Atlanta, and the German-American Lawyers’ Association. Prior to founding BridgehouseLaw Rückel & Bolthausen, he was a partner with the U.S. law firm of Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP. Before joining Nelson Mullins, he was founder and managing partner of Rückel & Collegen, a German law firm based in Munich. In 1994, Dr. Rückel opened Rückel & Collegen’s first foreign office in Atlanta, Georgia. He founded and served as the first president of LAWorld, which later became INVERNOMOS, an international lawyers’ association. He is a member of the Atlanta Bar Association and serves on the Emory College Advisory Council German Department in Atlanta. Additionally, Dr. Rückel belongs to Deutscher Anwaltsverein, and the Deutsch-Amerikanische-Juristenvereinigung.
He studied Political Science at the Geschwister Scholl Insitute of Munich before completing Law School at the Universities of Heidelberg, Geneva, and Munich and earned a PhD in Law from the University of Passau.

Oliver Bolthausen, LL.M. (USA), MCIArb (UK) is a founding partner of BridgehouseLaw Rückel & Bolthausen Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbH and managing partner of the Munich office, practicing in the areas of Corporate & Transactional Law, International Law, Compliance, M&A, Business Litigation and International Arbitration as well as Real Estate and Law of Contract. He attended law school at the University of Cologne, where he specialized in corporate and tax law.  He was also a judicial clerk at the High Regional Court (Oberlandesgericht) in Düsseldorf and received an LL.M. (Master of Laws) with distinction in Transnational Business Practice from McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento, California, USA as an academic scholarship recipient. Mr. Bolthausen was appointed as a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb) in London and is appointed as arbitrator/mediator to several international organisations. Prior to joining BridgehouseLaw Rückel & Bolthausen Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbH, he worked in the Munich and Atlanta office of the U.S. law firm Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP. Mr. Bolthausen's work experience also includes internships with the law firm of Rotthege, Wassermann & Partner in Düsseldorf. In the years 2001 – 2003, he was the official representative of Fulton County (GA, USA) in Germany. He authored several articles, besides such: Obtaining Discovery in International Arbitral Proceedings, ARBITRATION Issue 3 of 2008, 225-236, a brochure titled “The Executive Board in an Incorporated Association”, Offenlegungspflichten deutscher Unternehmen in US discovery-proceedings“, MDR, 19, 1081ff, Kettengewährleistung als Folge des Schuldrechtsmodernisierungsgesetzes, ZGS 1 2006, 12-14 as well as an article on German and US hostile takeover regulations. Mr. Bolthausen is also a partner of BridgehouseLaw Rueckel & Bolthausen, LLC in Atlanta.

Roman M. Plachy, LL.M.(USA) is a Senior Associate attorney in the Atlanta office focusing on areas of Corporate & Transactional Law, Capital Markets and International Law. Mr. Plachý's practice primarily involves advising mid-sized corporate clients seeking to expand their operations within and between the United States and Europe. Mr. Plachý's legal career began with a J.D. from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law where he was named to the Dean's honor list as well as the Roger J. Traynor Honor Society. This was followed immediately with an LL.M. in Transnational Business Practice, emphasizing foreign investment and development, from McGeorge as well.

Prior to joining the BridgehouseLaw team, Mr. Plachý practiced law in Sacramento, California with Mastagni, Holstedt & Amick LLP. Mr. Plachý's work experience also includes an extensive internship with Squire, Sanders & Dempsey LLP in Prague, Czech Republic supporting the corporate practice as well as contributing to various articles published in the Journal of International Arbitration. Mr. Plachý is a board member of the Czech North American Chamber of Commerce and admitted to practice law in California, the District of Columbia, Georgia and Texas. Mr. Plachý is a native speaker of English and Czech with basic understanding of German.

Sebastian Meis, LL.M. (NZ) is an Associate attorney with BridgehouseLaw Rueckel & Bolthausen, LLC supporting the Atlanta office in the areas of Real Estate, Corporate & Transactional Law and Immigration. He received his law degree from the Westphalian Wilhelms-University of Muenster specializing in the fields of insurance law, conflict of laws and intellectual property. He obtained his LL.M. degree from the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand. During his LL.M. studies, he focused on intellectual property in common law and civil law regimes, in particular trademarks and copyright. His work experience includes internships with the law firm of Pennie Edmonds, LLP in New York City, the German-Japanese law firm Dr. Sonderhoff Law Office in Tokyo, and the law firm Berliner, Corcoran & Rowe, L.L.P. in Washington, D.C. Sebastian Meis is fluent in German and English.

Ambassador (retired) Heinrich-Peter Rothmann is Of Counsel for BridgehouseLaw Rückel & Bolthausen Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbH supporting the Munich office. Mr. Rothmann studied law at the Universities of Berlin and Bonn, specializing in international and public law. He began his professional life as a partner in a private German law firm. After joining the German Public Service, he was delegated to the European Commission in Brussels where he served on the staff of the German Commissioner, Prof. Dahrendorf on questions of International Relations and the Common European Market. From 1973 until 1977 he served on the staff of two German Federal Chancellors in Bonn on questions of European unity and international relations.
He joined the German Foreign Service in 1977 serving as Deputy Ambassador to Zaire, (Congo). After Zaire, Mr. Rothmann was named Deputy Consul General to the Central-Western U.S. in San Francisco, Ambassador to Haiti, Consul General to francophone Switzerland in Geneva and Consul General to the South-Eastern United States with his offices in Atlanta, Georgia. In the beginning of 2003, he took office as Ambassador to Libya. He retired from this post on June 30, 2005 after reaching the obligatory retirement age of the German Public Service.
Apart from his legal background, his many years of public and diplomatic service have provided him with a wide range of international professional experience and personal as well as professional contacts all over the world. He is fluent in English and French and understands Spanish. Mr. Rothmann is consulting especially on Compliance, International Law, including Immigration (Dual Citizenship) as well as Arbitration.

Günter Lorenz is Of Counsel for BridgehouseLaw Rückel & Bolthausen Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbH supporting the Munich office. He studied Law and Economics at the Universities of Erlangen and Munich. During his professional career he worked for, among others, Grundig France, SA as an executive in Germany and France. Mr. Lorenz retired from BMW in 2002 after being a member member of the management board of the BMW AG for over 5 years. As attorney Mr. Lorenz concentrates his practice on Compliance, International Law, including Contractual Law as well as International Arbitration.

Cornelius Antor is an Associate attorney in the Munich office of BridgehouseLaw Rückel & Bolthausen Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbH focusing his practice on the areas of Corporate Law, Contractual Law, Compliance, International Law and Litigation. He attended the law school at the Universities of Munich and Salamanca, Spain specializing in the field of litigation and corporate law. During his studies he interned for Shearman & Sterling, LLP in Munich and the Atlanta office of BrigehouseLaw, LLC. Mr. Antor clerked at the District Court of Munich and the public prosecution service from 2006 through 2008. Cornelius Antor is fluent in German, English and Spanish with proficiency in French.

Sarah D. Forbes-Jones, J.D. is Of Counsel for BridgehouseLaw Rückel & Bolthausen Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbH supporting the Munich office practicing in the areas of Real Estate, Banking Law, Tax & Investments, and International Arbitration. She received her B.A. in Economics, which included studies at the London School of Economics, from Tulane University in 1997. She then joined the U.S. firm First Union Securities (now Wachovia Securities) as a Series 7 licensed securities agent. Mrs. Forbes-Jones worked initially in research and sales for high yield debt offerings and later as a bond trader on the high yield trading desk. She left the finance industry to pursue a legal career, receiving her degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law, which included studies in transnational dispute resolution at the Honourable Gray’s Inn of Court in London. While in law school, she was president of the Women in Law organization and an editor for the South Carolina Environmental Law Journal. Prior to joining the BridgehouseLaw team, Mrs. Forbes-Jones was the Deputy Chief Counsel to the Governor of South Carolina. She held internships with the international law firm Phelps Dunbar, L.L.P and Tupper, Grimsley & Dean, P.A. in South Carolina supporting the real estate litigation practice. Mrs. Forbes-Jones is admitted to practice law in South Carolina State and Federal courts, and is an active member of the S.C. and American Bar Associations. She is a native English speaker with basic understanding of German.

Stefan P. Rath, LL.M. (USA) is Of Counsel for BridgehouseLaw Rückel & Bolthausen Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbH supporting the Munich office practicing in the areas of Corporate Law, Law of Contract and International Law. He attended the law school at the Universities of Erlangen and Passau specializing in the field of corporate law and is currently working on his Ph.D.. Mr. Rath clerked at the District Court of Arnsberg from 2003 through 2005 and received an LL.M. (Master of Laws) degree specializing in International Business Practice from Boston University School of Law. His work experience includes internships with the law firm of Baier, Mendoza & Walroth-Sadurni in Miami, Florida, USA, and the German law firm of Runkel Schneider Weber in Düsseldorf. Stefan Rath is fluent in German and English with basic fluency in Spanish.

Thomas P. Fischer holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the State University of New York, which was received in 1965. In 1968, he received a Master of Education from the University of Hawaii, with a subject major of Educational Psychology. Mr. Fischer later served in the Republic of South Vietnam as an Advisor with the Department of Defense. In 1970, Mr. Fischer joined the Internal Revenue Service in Atlanta, Georgia. In 1976, Mr. Fischer became Assistant Regional Commissioner for the Southern Regional Office of United States Immigration & Naturalization Service in Dallas, Texas. In 1979, he was promoted to Director of the INS Training Division located in Glynco, Georgia.
In January 1988, Mr. Fischer assumed the position responsibility of District Director for the Atlanta District of INS with jurisdiction over Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina and South Carolina and 300 employees. Mr. Fischer was a member of the Olympic Security Support Group responsible for the security of the 1996 Olympic Games held in Atlanta, Georgia.
In 1999 he retired as INS District Director and opened his consulting firm (Immigration Directors & Associates, LLC) providing immigration services to BridgehouseLaw Rueckel & Bolthausen, LLC.

Dr. Jalal Abed Ehadi is a consultant with BridgehouseLaw for Middle Eastern Affairs. He joined the team in spring 2007 as an addition, focusing on a new geographic region. BridgehouseLaw has been looking to enter the Middle East more proactively for some time, and Dr. Abed Ehadi will aid this expansion. Prior, he attended law schools in Munich, Marburg and Leipzig earning his German law degree, specializing in the fields of Islamic banking and intellectual property rights. Dr. Abed Ehadi has experience in process management and decision making in the region, and is fluent in Arabic, Hebrew and German with proficiency in English.