Corporate Law as a Core Area of Our Firm
Advising and representing clients in corporate matters has been one of the core areas of our firm for decades.
We draw on our outstanding legal expertise and broad experience in corporate structuring and transactional matters, as well as in corpo-rate and post-M&A disputes. We work closely with management board members, supervisory board members and managing directors on questions of directors’ duties and the legal protection of entrepre-neurial decision-making. We also support investors with our corpo-rate and litigation expertise in exercising their influence on corporate governance effectively and appropriately.
Advising family-owned businesses and entrepreneurial families is another key focus of our practice – for example in relation to portfolio restructurings, succession planning and shareholder-level disputes.
Tailored Solutions
Together with our clients, we develop bespoke solutions for their specific corporate law questions. In addition to our legal expertise, we have a strong understanding of our clients’ business models and in-depth knowledge of the relevant markets and industries.
Successful drafting and negotiation requires a precise assessment of the implications of each provision and how those provisions interact. In matters with international elements, we draw on our recognised expertise in international corporate law.
Corporate Disputes
In corporate matters, consensual solutions are often preferable, as contentious disputes can impose significant personal and economic burdens. Our conflict-related advice therefore first aims to identify options for amicable resolution.
Where necessary, we conduct extensive litigation and arbitration in corporate law matters. We represent both companies and sharehold-ers in shareholder disputes, actions for annulment, appraisal pro-ceedings and directors’ and officers’ liability cases.
Over the past decades, we have been involved in numerous high-profile matters, including landmark cases on the role of the special representative under German stock corporation law.
Our clients benefit from our exceptional litigation experience and we have been consistently recommended in all relevant rankings for corporate disputes for many years.
Transactional Advice
We advise clients on the sale and acquisition of companies and shareholdings, including public takeover offers under the German Takeover Act (WpÜG). A key focus lies on structuring corporate successions in the mid-cap and family-owned sector.
We also regularly advise on shareholder agreements, joint ventures and pooling arrangements. Our strength lies in highly personalised advice delivered by small teams of outstanding lawyers.
Compliance
The duties of management board members, supervisory board mem-bers, managing directors, special auditors and special representa-tives are difficult to navigate in practice given the complexity of to-day’s statutory and regulatory frameworks and their interpretation by the courts. We help clients understand and implement their legal obligations in order to avoid liability risks.
Where irregularities are suspected, we conduct compliance investiga-tions together with our clients and advise on the necessary conse-quences. In such matters, we frequently work alongside criminal law specialists and forensic experts.