Ute Krudewagen


DLA Piper • Palo Alto


Ute Krudewagen advises multinational corporations, emerging growth companies, and Fortune 500 clients on how to manage global workforces. She regularly works on cross-border transactions, global mobility programs and employment issues across various industry sectors. Her practice covers employment agreements, global background checks, discrimination claims and workplace artificial intelligence implementation. 


The magnitude of it all can be a bit heady. "It's like observing the world's pulse through a legal lens. Geopolitical shifts, international disputes and emerging trends directly shape our work, making each day both challenging and intellectually stimulating," Krudewagen explained. 


Her notable work includes advising Cohesity on its business combination with Veritas' data protection business, representing Qualcomm in multiple M&A transactions and assisting Databricks with global employment issues. She serves as lead counsel for Zendesk and ByteDance (TikTok) on various global employment matters. 


Her practice is divided into two main areas: "I spend about half of my day on any type of global employment matters, from helping a client with their first global hire to opening international offices," Krudewagen said. "The other half is global transactions, which always involve employee considerations." 


Fluent in Spanish, German and English, and with some French, Krudewagen's linguistic skills complement her international practice. Her path to law began in her native Germany. "At 18, you have to choose your career path. My advisor said, 'You're good at Latin and math, so be an attorney,' and that was that." 


In addition to her legal practice, Krudewagen demonstrates a strong commitment to pro bono work. "My pro bono efforts primarily center on immigration cases, including humanitarian parole and asylum applications," she said. "Currently, one of my most significant cases involves assisting an Afghan judge and 15 of her family members with their humanitarian parole applications."