Dr. Volker Hartmann
Attorney-at-law
Of Counsel
Expertise
- Advising on industrial technology projects in the fields of artificial intelligence, robotics, autonomous and connected driving; focus on the automotive sector and mechanical engineering
- At the interface of technology and law: setting up and advising on product compliance systems and quality management systems as well as development processes in a safety-critical environment
- Advising on and managing M&A projects and R&D cooperations in the above-mentioned technology fields
- Strategic legal lobbying and advice on legislative procedures on technology issues
- Legal advice to founding teams, investors and start-ups in regulated industries
Career
- Studied law and European law at the University of Wuerzburg
- Doctorate on a topic related to product liability law at the Catholic University of Eichstaett-Ingolstadt
- (Guest-) lecturer at the University of St. Gallen
- Currently: VP Product Compliance at Holon GmbH (previously in management positions at Audi, Mercedes-Benz and VW Group)
Current projects (extract)
- 360° legal advice on a strategy for the development of a software-defined vehicle platform (SDV)
- “Humanoid Robots” – Product law issues
- Advising on the development and commercialisation of autonomous machines in production and logistics
Publications (selection)
- EU-produktrechtskonformer Einsatz humanoider, KI-gestützter Roboter in der Produktion (trans. "Use of humanoid, AI-supported robots in production in compliance with EU product law") (with Yannik Seebach), Phi Haftpflicht international – Recht & Versicherung 4/2025, starting p. 130
- Software-defined vehicle innovation stalled by EU overregulation, lawyer says ($), Automotive News Europe, 10.07.2025
- Product Compliance, Produkthaftung und Systems Engineering - Rechtskonforme Entwicklung komplexer Produkte am Beispiel des vernetzten und automatisierten Fahrens (Teil 2) (trans. "Product compliance, product liability and systems engineering – legally compliant development of complex products using the example of connected and automated driving (Part 2)") (with Ole Hans and Yannik Seebach) ($), ZfPC - Zeitschrift für Product Compliance 1/2024, starting p. 9
- Product Compliance, Produkthaftung und Systems Engineering - Rechtskonforme Entwicklung komplexer Produkte am Beispiel des vernetzten und automatisierten Fahrens (Teil 1)
- (trans. "Product compliance, product liability and systems engineering – legally compliant development of complex products using the example of connected and automated driving (Part 1)") (with Ole Hans and Yannik Seebach) ($), ZfPC - Zeitschrift für Product Compliance 6/2023, starting p. 250
- Remanufacturing im Automobilsektor - Fragestellungen des Regulierungs- und Produkthaftungsrechts (trans. "Remanufacturing in the automotive sector – issues relating to regulatory and product liability law") ($), PHi Haftpflicht international - Recht & Versicherung 6/2023
- Produkthaftung und Produktsicherheit im Kontext des Prototypen-Testings von Fahrzeugen im öffentlichen Straßenverkehr (trans. "Product liability and product safety in the context of prototype testing of vehicles on public roads") (with Yannick Seebach) ($), PHi Haftpflicht international - Recht & Versicherung 3-4/2023
- Software als Steuerungsintelligenz in intelligenten Produkten - Herausforderungen aus Sicht des Produkthaftungsrechts (trans. "Software as control intelligence in smart products – challenges from the perspective of product liability law") ($), REthinking:Law 2/2021
- Das Zusammenspiel von Qualität, Product Compliance, Produktsicherheit und Produkthaftung bei software-gesteuerten Systemen (Teil 2) (trans. "The interplay of quality, product compliance, product safety and product liability in software-controlled systems (Part 2)") ($), PHi Haftpflicht international - Recht & Versicherung 3/2021
- Das Zusammenspiel von Qualität, Product Compliance, Produktsicherheit und Produkthaftung bei software-gesteuerten Systemen (Teil 1) (trans. "The interplay of quality, product compliance, product safety and product liability in software-controlled systems (Part 1)") ($), PHi Haftpflicht international - Recht & Versicherung 2/2021