Feigen · Graf Rechtsanwälte is among the top players in the white-collar crime segment and has an excellent reputation both in individual defence and in corporate representation. The founding partners Hanns Feigen and Walther Graf act from their respective locations in Frankfurt and Cologne in antitrust, commercial and tax criminal law proceedings and are supported by the renowned pharmaceutical and environmental criminal lawyer Bernd Groß and Matthias Sartorius, who is well versed in employer-related issues, environmental crimes and medical criminal law as well as the expert in money laundering and occupational safety issues Moritz Lange. The law firm has expanded into southern Germany with the takeover of the former Munich-based ROXIN Rechtsanwälte LLP team in September 2023; the new location is led by Andreas Minkoff, who focuses on administrative offences and internal investigations. Cum-ex continues to ensure strong demand for advice at all three locations, with diesel emissions, Wirecard proceedings and ongoing investigations in the financial sector also contributing to the consistently high workload.
Advice to individuals in Germany
Feigen · Graf Rechtsanwälte
Practice head(s):
Hanns Feigen; Walther Graf; Bernd Groß; Matthias Sartorius; Moritz Lange
Other key lawyers:
Andreas Minkoff
Testimonials
‘Bernd Groß, Walther Graf and Matthias Sartorius: Strong individual defenders.’
‘Diverse, represented in every generation, excellent personal and professional collaboration.’
‘Bernd Groß: top dog and an indispensable part of the market.’
LEITNER & KOLLEGEN
Munich-based LEITNER & KOLLEGEN is known for its extensive expertise in commercial and criminal tax law and is active in individual defence in both the financial and industrial sectors, with cum-ex and diesel issues continuing to dominate the workload. In addition, renowned law firms, tax consulting and auditing firms regularly call upon the team's expertise. Practice head Werner Leitner has longstanding expertise in criminal defence and represents individuals and companies in Germany and across Europe. Criminal law specialist Julia Exner-Kuhn and the commercial, criminal tax and medical criminal lawyer Martin Würfel are other key figures.
Practice head(s):
Werner Leitner
Other key lawyers:
Julia Exner-Kuhn; Martin Würfel
Testimonials
‘Leitner & Colleagues is a truly outstanding law firm in the area. They are realistic, experienced and understand theory and practice down to the smallest detail. One can see real experience and real commitment to their clients and practice.’
‘Werner Leitner: A truly outstanding practitioner in white collar criminal law. One can immediately see his great experience.’
‘Martin Würfel: A proactive, efficient and empathetic team member.’
Wessing & Partner
Wessing & Partner comprehensively covers all aspects of individual commercial and criminal tax law defence and thus accompanies board members, managing directors and entrepreneurs in allegations of fraud and embezzlement, including cross-border matters. While cum-ex proceedings continue to make up the majority of the caseload, the individual strengths of the team are also utilised in other criminal matters: Heiko Ahlbrecht leads extensive international customs investigations with the involvement of European and domestic public prosecutors; Jürgen Wessing is active in criminal and antitrust proceedings, while Matthias Dann focuses on medical and medical criminal law and Eren Basar assists clients in matters pertaining to cybercrime, IT and data protection.
Other key lawyers:
Heiko Ahlbrecht; Jürgen Wessing; Matthias Dann; Eren Basar
Testimonials
‘Heiko Ahlbrecht is very experienced and strategic. Easy to work with and good dealings with clients.’
‘Matthias Dann: Absolutely professionally confident, good overview at all times, fair mandate design. Can be contacted at any time and offers client-oriented solutions.’
‘Exceptionally good client support at all levels. Very personable demeanor. Very focused, solution-oriented, responsive and proactive.’
Kayßer
Commercial and criminal tax law boutique Kayßer, founded in January 2023, is already market-proven as a Klinkert Rechtsanwälte PartGmbB spin-off and offers longstanding experience in individual representation across all stages, including preliminary and appeal proceedings as well as constitutional complaints. Financial, capital markets and environmental crimes as well as embezzlement and data protection proceedings are among the core capacities. The team is led by Marijon Kayßer, who is well versed in embezzlement, fraud, corruption and insolvency crimes, and Stefan Kirsch, who has an excellent reputation in appeal proceedings and international criminal law. Ricarda Schelzke (commercial and criminal tax law, constitutional law and occupational proceedings) and Simon Becker (criminal tax law and internal investigations) made partners in January 2023.
Practice head(s):
Marijon Kayßer; Stefan Kirsch
Other key lawyers:
Ricarda Schelzke; Simon Becker
Kipper Durth Schott
Kipper Durth Schott has extensive cross-border expertise in commercial and criminal tax law and is instructed by German as well as international clients. In addition to the continued demand for advice on cum-ex matters, the team is also frequently active in defending board members, CEOs and employees against allegations of fraud, sanctions violations, money laundering, embezzlement and tax evasion. Oliver Kipper specialises in national and international criminal law, while Hanno Durth focuses on cybercrime and the protection of trade secrets and Stefanie Schott primarily assists with criminal tax law as well as European and national white-collar criminal law.
Practice head(s):
Oliver Kipper; Hanno Durth; Stefanie Schott
Testimonials
‘Hanno Durth has very good detailed knowledge, even in exceptionally complex situations.’
‘kipper+durth stands out among German law firms for the breadth of its work in the area of white collar criminal law, including the defense of tax/tax proceedings, extradition and other cross-border activities, as well as in relation to sanctions advice.’
‘They have not lost sight of their clients and are fighting for those who teach them persistently and with impressive knowledge of the German legal system and tactics.’
‘Equally impressive is their ability to explain the complexities of the German legal system to an English audience with ease.’
‘The team provides excellent advice to individuals, particularly in cross-border matters, where it performs best in Germany in economic and tax matters. They enjoy an outstanding reputation for excellence among international lawyers.’
‘Stefanie Schott is a wonderful lawyer and is one of the brightest white-collar criminal law talents in the international arena.’
‘The company’s reputation and reach extend far beyond its size. They have an impressive network of lawyers with whom they have consulted in numerous jurisdictions and are able to advise clients on their German risk as part of multi-jurisdictional teams.’
Langrock Voß & Soyka
Langrock Voß & Soyka focuses on commercial and criminal tax law as well as criminal compliance and is particularly well versed in advising and defending managing directors, board members, employees, tax consultants and wealthy private individuals, which face allegations of fraud, tax evasion and corruption or seek the team's advice on compliance and sanctions violations. Matters pertaining to appeal procedures continue to be an important core strength, where Marc Langrock in particular is the key figure. Marko Voß and Till Soyka regularly act in high-profile large-scale proceedings.
Other key lawyers:
Marc Langrock; Marko Voß; Till Soyka
Testimonials
‘Outstanding technical expertise, great experience, very strategically versed.’
‘Till Soyka is certainly one of the best in his field (creative, responsive, team-oriented and extremely clever).’
‘Till Soyka and Marko Voß: Outstanding white-collar criminal lawyers who are also very experienced in civil law and with whom I can therefore work optimally in mandates with both civil and criminal law aspects (e.g. corporate liability cases).’
Beukelmann | Müller | Partner
Beukelmann | Müller | Partner is experienced in defending individuals in complex commercial and criminal tax law proceedings, including in connection with the emissions, Wirecard and cum-ex scandals. The team regularly represents individuals facing allegations of bribery, embezzlement, money laundering and tax evasion and is led by the renowned white-collar criminal lawyers Stephan Beukelmann and Maximilian Müller, who are experience in conducting large-scale proceedings.
Practice head(s):
Stephan Beukelmann; Maximilian Müller
Testimonials
‘The law firm has excellent professional expertise and is also very well positioned in terms of personnel.’
‘Stephan Beukelmann: Extremely technically experienced and an excellent strategist. The collaboration is very pleasant.’
‘One of the leading law firms in Munich. Very good contact with the Munich judiciary.’
Work highlights
- Representation of an Audi manager in the Stadler trial.
- Representation of the accused in the Bavarian mask affair.
- Witness assistance for General Counsel of Wirecard.
FS-PP Berlin Part mbB
FS-PP Berlin Part mbB has experience in cum-ex and diesel emissions proceedings as well as in defending individuals against allegations of illegal employment and criminal tax offences. The competencies of the four-strong team are clearly defined: Rainer Frank is experienced in compliance and whistleblower systems, Niklas Auffermann advises on money laundering offences and white-collar criminal law, Sebastian Vogel specialises in medical and medical criminal law and David Albrecht focuses on occupational proceedings and internal investigations.
Practice head(s):
Rainer Frank; Niklas Auffermann; Sebastian Vogel; David Albrecht
Testimonials
‘Excellent team, covers all areas perfectly. Very good size, also for spontaneously required resources, etc for internal investigatives. Very agile and quick to deploy.’
‘Niklas Auffermann: One of the best in the industry. Always to the point. Received extremely well by the client. We can recommend him blindly.’
‘The FS-PP team is broadly based and an established player in the Berlin market.’
Heuking
Heuking has longstanding expertise in commercial and criminal tax matters which is utilised in investigations and criminal proceedings, where practice head André-M. Szesny represents managing directors, board members, senior managers and local politicians; most recently, he defended clients across industry groups against allegations of embezzlement, corruption, tax evasion and fraud and was also active in matters pertaining to insolvency crimes, criminal antitrust law, criminal foreign trade law and cum-ex.
Practice head(s):
André-M. Szesny
Rosinus Partner
Rosinus Partner 's commercial and criminal tax law expertise is called upon by a diverse range of private and public individuals in the context of individual defence, including managing directors, PE managers or influencers, which face allegations of commercial and criminal tax law allegations, whereas traditional diesel emissions, cum-ex and cum-cum proceedings continue to contribute to the team's workload. The renowned commercial criminal lawyer Christian Rosinus jointly heads the practice with Mathias Grzesiek, who focuses on criminal IT and cyber crime as well as data protection, while Janina Brandau, who made partner in January 2023, frequently assists with criminal tax law matters.
Practice head(s):
Christian Rosinus; Mathias Grzesiek
Other key lawyers:
Janina Brandau
Testimonials
‘Quick perception.‘
‘Strong communication skills, dynamic, top professional skills.’
‘Mathias Grzesiek: Technically outstanding, special expertise in IT and cyber criminal law.’
‘Christian Rosinus: Experienced, strong communicator, analyst.’
‘It is impressive how Christian Rosinus and his team have established themselves in the criminal defense market and all well-known criminal proceedings in just a few years. The law firm is characterized by the fact that all leading partners are experienced business lawyers who not only know criminal law, but also excel in all related legal areas, such as corporate law, tax law and business law. They have a thorough understanding of complex issues relevant to criminal law.’
‘Christian Rosinus is one of the leading charismatic criminal defense lawyers in Germany, who, with his razor-sharp intellect and fluency, is able to understand and analyze complex issues in a very short time.’
‘Young, dynamic and extremely qualified team. Client service is very important here.’
‘Christian Rosinus: Extraordinarily smart and experienced; a good and trustworthy partner at our side.’
Work highlights
- Defending the managing director of an international crypto exchange against allegations of money laundering.
- Advising a managing director of a financial services provider on criminal allegations in connection with the provision of accounts.
- Defence of a suspect in cum-ex and cum-cum investigations.
ADICK LINKE Rechtsanwälte
ADICK LINKE Rechtsanwälte regularly acts on behalf of clients from the financial sector and utilises the expertise in defending managing directors and board members against allegations of money laundering, tax crimes, corruption, insider trading and cum-ex. The criminal lawyer Markus Adick and lawyer and certified criminal tax law advisor Leonie Linke are the key figures.
Practice head(s):
Markus Adick; Leonie Linke
Testimonials
‘Outstanding technical expertise, excellent team players.’
‘Small but perfectly coordinated team. A very trusting and effective collaboration is possible with both partners.’
‘Markus Adick: An excellent defender, highly skilled. Can lead clients through difficult situations excellently.’
‘Leonie Linke: Always well positioned professionally. Clients trust her immediately. Fits in very well in defensive teams.’
‘Markus Adick: One of the best in criminal tax proceedings.’
‘Adick Linke’s team is characterized by a high level of commitment. They always work in a highly professional manner. The two locations also give them a high level of presence and availability.’
‘Leonie Linke always advises with personal commitment and, thanks to her approachable nature, manages to reach clients even in difficult situations and explain the often difficult legal issues to them.’
‘Markus Adick is characterized by his calm and level-headed manner. Even in heated discussions, his professional demeanor, experience and above-average know-how help to move them forward in a targeted manner.’
CCI-LEGAL
With the addition of the renowned Karl-Jörg Xylander fromWhite & Case LLP in March to the team of Jofer, Lajtkep & Colleagues, now CCI-LEGAL, the team strengthened its capacities in defending board members, managing directors, employees and high-profile individuals against allegations of tax crimes, cum-ex, bribery, fraud and environmental crimes. Robert Jofer (white-collar criminal law, investigations in connection with disasters/accidents) and Stefanie Lajtkep (criminal defence and investigations) jointly lead the team. In January 2023, white-collar criminal lawyer Teresa Karrer also joined the practice.
Practice head(s):
Robert Jofer; Stefanie Lajtkep
Other key lawyers:
Karl-Jörg Xylander; Teresa Karrer
Testimonials
‘The team is characterized by very high availability/flexibility, strong analytical skills and comprehensive competence and experience in legal issues and litigation.’
‘Robert Jofer: An excellent expert and outstanding advisor and lawyer. His extensive network is an important asset. He knows how strategically balanced, considered and courageous action leads to success and he never loses sight of the other side and resists unnecessary escalations.’
‘Robert Jofer and Stefanie Lajtkep: Highly qualified and at the same time very likeable lawyers who stand out in both professional and human terms. This makes collaboration very productive and pleasant, even when problems arise.’
Work highlights
- Representing both managing directors of an international company producing vehicle parts and technical equipment as defendants on suspicion of evading corporate tax and profit distributions amounting to millions.
- Criminal proceedings for breach of trust in numerous cases amounting to millions and bribery against the former CEO of a savings bank.
- Representing the CEO of an investment company in an investigation into suspected investment fraud involving more than €100 million.
Lilie Ihwas
White-collar criminal law boutique Lilie Ihwas is experienced in the banking and finance industry and advises individuals on tax and white-collar criminal matters. The practice has a strong presence in cum-ex proceedings and other traditional corporate criminal law matters pertaining to fraud, bribery and embezzlement; Saleh Ihwas has expertise in criminal IT and data protection law and Astrid Lilie focuses on criminal tax, banking and capital market law.
Practice head(s):
Saleh Ihwas; Astrid Lilie
MELCHERS Rechtsanwälte Partnerschaftsgesellschaft mbB
MELCHERS Rechtsanwälte Partnerschaftsgesellschaft mbB acts from Mannheim and demonstrates strength in the support and defence of individuals in all phases of criminal and administrative proceedings, particularly allegations of fraud, tax evasion and corruption. The commercial and criminal tax law specialists Konrad Schmidt, Hanja Rebell-Houben and Norbert Stegemann are regularly instructed by managing directors, board members and employees.
Other key lawyers:
Konrad Schmidt; Hanja Rebell-Houben; Norbert Stegemann
Work highlights
- Defence of a managing director in the Wirecard proceedings.