Prof. Christian Solmecke

Prof. Christian Solmecke, LL.M., is a lawyer and shareholder of the Cologne-based law firm WBS.LEGAL and one of Germany’s best-known legal experts when it comes to the internet, media and Artificial Intelligence.

Career

Solmecke studied law in Bochum and Cologne and obtained an LL.M. in IT law in Hanover and Leuven; even during his studies he worked as a freelance journalist and radio presenter for WDR – an experience that still shapes his work today: explaining the law in a way that is understandable without prior knowledge. In 2006 he joined the Cologne law firm Wilde Beuger, and since 2010 he has been a Partner at what is now WBS.LEGAL. In 2016 he founded the cloud-based law firm software Legalvisio, and in 2024 he was appointed Honorary Professor at CBS International Business School Cologne.

Areas of focus

His advisory focus lies in IT and internet law, copyright and media law, data protection and competition law, as well as compliance. In recent years, the law of Artificial Intelligence – from the EU’s AI Act to copyright and data protection issues surrounding generative systems – has become a particular focus of his work. He advises companies, law firms, agencies, creators and media houses, helping them use digital technologies in a legally compliant way.

Landmark decisions

Solmecke has taken several cases all the way to the Federal Court of Justice (BGH), shaping case law on everyday digital life: in 2012 the BGH ruled in the “Morpheus” case that parents are not liable for their children’s filesharing if they have properly instructed them. In 2017, in the “Afterlife” case, the BGH clarified that family members are not required to spy on one another. In 2024 he successfully established that the mere loss of control over personal data can give rise to a claim for damages – in this context, he represented thousands of people affected by the Facebook data leak against Meta.

Publications and media

Solmecke has published more than ten books, including two SPIEGEL bestsellers: “Das einzige Buch über Recht, das du lesen musst” and “Der Taschenanwalt”. His column “Recht im Netz” appears in the Express; as an expert, he is a regular guest on news programmes and talk shows. In 2025 he appeared as a comedian in the WDR series “Stand-Up”.

Since 2010 he has run the WBS YouTube channel together with his law firm – with over one million subscribers, Europe’s largest legal channel. In addition, he produces content on Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn and Facebook, presenting legal topics for a broad audience.

On stage

Since 2003, Solmecke has given more than 200 talks – including at the OMR Festival, the German Bundestag, and companies such as Google and Deutsche Bahn. His keynote topics include the legally compliant use of AI and the AI Act, client acquisition via YouTube and social media, legal risks in the social web, and the law firm of the future amid digitalisation, Legal Tech and AI. He speaks in keynotes, workshops, panels and as a moderator to audiences ranging from 30 to over 3,000 attendees, in German and, on request, in English.

His guiding principle: “The law doesn’t become more credible by being incomprehensible.”