Legal Writing, International Law, and AI: A Conversation with Peter Schüller, LL.M., Director Legal at BIOTRONIK

The legal world is built on tradition - but in an era of rapid technological change, innovation is reshaping the field like never before. At Libra, we love speaking with legal professionals who are driving this change.

In this interview, we sat down with Peter Schüller, LL.M., Director Legal at BIOTRONIK, a global leader in medical equipment manufacturing. Peter has had a distinguished career, working at various leading law firms. In addition, he has made significant contributions to academia as a lecturer, author, and editor, including his role as co-editor of ‘BeckOK Mietrecht’ for C.H.Beck. In 2020, he joined BIOTRONIK´s Corporate Legal Group as head of global legal business operations.

Peter, let’s talk about the start of your journey - what drew you into the field of law?

Like many, my journey into law wasn’t entirely self-directed. I was initially drawn to philosophy, captivated by the big questions about life and existence. But my father encouraged me to pursue a path with more practical career prospects. Law turned into the perfect balance for me - it allowed me to channel my curiosity into something tangible with real impact. More importantly, I came to recognize in myself an ability to advocate for the positions of others, especially when I believed in a cause. That became the driving force behind my legal career - not to judge, but to stand by and represent my client´s needs.

Besides your career as a lawyer, you’ve written numerous research articles, commentaries, and book chapters. What role does writing play for you personally?

I see writing as another form of advocacy - ensuring that important discussions don’t get lost in legal obscurity but instead continue to inform and guide. At its core, I believe writing is about clarity, about distilling complex ideas into something accessible and lasting. 

Yet in my day-to-day work, too, there are projects that stand out and demand research-based precision combined with a deep understanding of business needs. Skills that every lawyer should have for commercial tasks. Lawyers that I consider outstanding have mastered these skills with impressive precision. Among them is our Group General Counsel, who, incidentally, is also an enthusiastic user of chatbots. Let me give you an example. Contract writing is an art. This art requires clarity and foresight for the essentials, rather than a never-ending quest for perfection. Because there is no “perfect contract” in business–it simply cannot exist. If a dispute arises, another provision may have been better for this case. Therefore, every contract is a balancing act between protection and business interests, between rigidity and flexibility.

What do you like most about working in an international legal department?

Working at BIOTRONIK has given me a front-row seat to the complexities of international law. Each country approaches contracts differently. In the U.S. and Japan, agreements can easily stretch to 50 pages, meticulously outlining every detail. In Europe, contracts tend to be more concise, relying on broader legal frameworks to fill in the gaps. Each approach has its logic, but bridging these differences is where the challenge—and the excitement—lies.

Overseeing legal operations across multiple regions means constantly adapting. The Commonwealth legal system, with its deep reliance on case law and precedent, contrasts starkly with Germany’s statute-based civil law. In Japan and China, precision and cultural nuance play an outsized role in contract negotiation. We rely heavily on local experts within our Corporate Legal Group to navigate these intricacies, but ultimately, the core legal principles remain surprisingly aligned across jurisdictions.

The Role of AI in Law

Technology, particularly Large Language Models (LLM), is transforming legal work at an unprecedented pace. One of the most exciting aspects is how LLM help navigate different legal systems. An LLM allows us to speed up the research process, ensuring we don’t overlook key legal principles. More and more of my colleagues are using LLM to summarize complex topics, offering a fast, reliable starting point for deeper analysis. And since LLM can handle any language, we can simply upload a Chinese labor law case, for instance, and get a quick but still reliable summary to prepare before discussing the matter with the local colleagues.

At BIOTRONIK´s Corporate Legal Group, LLM play an increasingly vital role. We use it extensively for legal research and drafting, as well as for chatting with our documents and reviewing clauses during negotiations. The legal landscape is vast, and an LLM helps filter and analyze information that would take hours to process manually. Of course, human expertise remains irreplaceable—the LLM is not a decision-maker but an assistant, augmenting our ability to manage complex legal operations efficiently. It is essential that a human perform a final check, at the end of the day we remain liable for the content, regardless of whether AI has supported the process.

Final Thoughts

My older daughter started her law studies in 2024. At the university, everything still seems to be in the spirit of Savigny. Law students are trained in legal thinking according to the famous canones. That is promising. However, I am sure that a lot will change, especially when it comes to practicing law. Because AI, not only LLM, will massively transform the entire market. That’s why all legal advisors, attorneys, in-house counsel, and judges need to familiarize themselves with AI and its (future) possibilities. After all, AI offers amazing opportunities. At BIOTRONIK´s Corporate Legal Group, we are already working to shape the future of the legal profession!