Criminal law firm Feigen · Graf Rechtsanwälte clearly fields one of the most established practices for the defence of CEOs and senior employees against white-collar crime and criminal tax law allegations and continuously attracts prestigious instructions in the context of well-known litigation complexes. While its caseload continues to be characterised by tax and cum-ex cases, the team - now consisting of seven partners around renowned name partners Hanns Feigen and Walther Graf - also offers expertise beyond these topics: alongside his criminal tax expertise, Tilman Reichling is also well versed in criminal medical and environmental issues; the highly regarded Bernd Groß has extensive experience in criminal pharmaceutical and environmental law, embezzlement and corruption proceedings as well as criminal tax matters; and Matthias Sartorius further covers criminal employment, pharmaceutical and capital markets law. Moritz Lange (criminal employment, banking, capital markets, corruption and tax law among others) made partner in January 2022.

In 2021, Christian Schubert and Christian Graßie joined the equity partner rank of Frankfurt criminal law boutique Dr. Dörr & Kollegen (GbR) alongside the renowned and still very active Felix Dörr. Consisting of five lawyers, the practice is not only a well-known name in high-profile individual criminal proceedings related to the diesel scandal, cum-ex and Wirecard, but also frequently advises board members, managing directors and employees of medium-sized companies as well as regional banks on the entire spectrum of white-collar crime and criminal tax matters, with the name partner and Graßie being particularly active in the latter segment. Schubert is also regularly involved in matters relating to criminal customs law, environmental criminal proceedings and industrial accidents. Furthermore, the whole team is adept at criminal medical law.

As one of the leading criminal law practices, HammPartner Rechtsanwälte is a popular address for complex procedural issues and acts across the entire range of white-collar crime and criminal tax matters. With a focus on individual defence, the team's expertise not only extends beyond national borders in the context of international legal assistance and extradition proceedings, but also covers a wide range of topics: Thomas Richter, for example, is particularly well versed in criminal capital markets law, while Regina Michalke has in-depth expertise in criminal environmental proceedings. Most recently, the team was also frequently instructed with criminal antitrust proceedings as well as in criminal medical law matters. Particularly Rainer Hamm and Jürgen Pauly also enjoy an excellent reputation for their strength in appeal proceedings.

kempf schilling + partner PartG is considered one of the market-leading white-collar crime and criminal tax practices by both competitors and clients, which not only note the three partner's far-reaching professional expertise, but also explicitly the development of its younger generation. While the team continues to receive significant recognition for its representation in cum-ex proceedings, the group also handles matters pertaining to corruption allegations, property crimes and various other criminal tax proceedings; most recently, the team also saw an increase in instructions pertaining to insider trade. The boutique's international competence is reflected in numerous cross-border matters as well as in its expertise in embargo and other criminal foreign trade cases and extradition proceedings. The highly respected Hellen Schilling acts in court and appeal proceedings before national and international courts and Eberhard Kempf has extensive experience in political cases.

LEITNER & KOLLEGEN advises on a wide range of white-collar crime and criminal tax issues: the three-strong Munich practice's expertise is predominantly sought after  by executives and CEOs of companies and financial institutions as well as individuals of public interest. Most recently, the group defended clients against money laundering, tax evasion, breach of trust, corruption and subsidy fraud allegations, as well as in cum-ex proceedings. Martin Wuerfel is also experienced in criminal occupational and medical proceedings, Julia Exner-Kuhn complements the practice with her expertise in European criminal law and Werner Leitner is well versed in occupational law for lawyers. The team is primarily known for its advice to individuals, but also represents companies.

With proven expertise in white-collar crime and criminal tax law as well as extensive trial experience, Düsseldorf criminal law boutique Thomas, Deckers, Wehnert & Elsner has an impressive litigation history, which primarily includes the defence of individuals from medium-sized companies, banks and industrial companies as well as of politicians; the team members also act as witnesses before parliamentary investigative committees. Thomas Elsner is well versed in criminal matters relating to foreign trade and war weapons control law, Anne Wehnert excels in capital markets, corruption and property criminal law matters, while Christoph Lepper and Marcus Mosieck have expertise in criminal medical law; the latter also regularly assists with criminal patent and banking cases. The highly renowned Sven Thomas retired in June 2021.

VBB Rechtsanwälte extensively advises individuals from the industrial and financial sectors on white-collar crime and criminal tax issues across all procedural stages from three German locations. The Essen team recently focused on criminal tax law, and here in particular on cum-ex proceedings, as well as on criminal employment issues, while the Düsseldorf practice received instructions related to criminal foreign trade and environmental law in addition to defending clients in Wirecard proceedings. The group's expertise further includes extradition and appeal proceedings, with the latter representing the focus of of counsel Jürgen Graf in Karlsruhe. Renate Verjans is particularly well versed in criminal property and tax matters, Hjalmar Mahn impresses with expertise in criminal matters pertaining to securities, capital markets and IT and Marcus Böttger is the key contact for matters relating to customs, foreign trade, tax and corruption. Nikolaus Rixe left the firm in March 2021 to found rixe.law.

Wessing & Partner's individual defence expertise is traditionally sought after by CEOs and senior executives in the industrial and banking sectors who face allegations of corruption, embezzlement and fraud. In recent years, however, the renowned practice has also increasingly established itself as a powerhouse in criminal medical law matters, with Matthias Dann being the central contact, as well as in criminal cases pertaining to IT and data protection, which is primarily handled by Eren Basar. This focus was further underlined by the appointment of Katharina Schomm as salary partner in 2021; she specialises in criminal medical and data protection matters. Furthermore, the team is continuously involved in cum-ex proceedings. Heiko Ahlbrecht impresses with strong expertise in criminal tax and extradition proceedings.

Criminal law boutique DIERLAMM Rechtsanwälte has particular expertise in white-collar crime criminal tax matters and regularly defends individuals in corruption, tax and accounting fraud proceedings. The renowned Alfred Dierlamm regularly acts for auditors, tax consultants, lawyers and doctors, while CEOs also seek the name partner's in-depth litigation experience; recent highlights included Wirecard proceedings. The Wiesbaden team's expertise also includes criminal matters pertaining to medical, environmental and data protection law.

Based on a 'rarely found combination of excellent legal expertise, pragmatic implementation and excellent strategic advice' , Gercke Wollschläger particularly frequently represents high-ranking individuals from the sports, financial and industrial sectors in white-collar crime proceedings, while the firm's steadily increasing reputation and good contacts also generate instructions in the political sphere. The team, which operates at both national and international level, further demonstrated its criminal tax expertise in numerous cum-ex proceedings and most recently assisted with various proceedings relating to embezzlement, money laundering and criminal data protection issues. Key contacts include Björn Gercke (extensive experience in the coordination of large-scale proceedings and in cross-border criminal proceedings), Franziska Lieb (often representing auditors in disciplinary proceedings) and Sebastian Wollschläger (particularly experienced in appeal proceedings).

Ignor & Partner GbR's renowned team represents individuals across the entire spectrum of white-collar crime and criminal tax law issues and is particularly regarded for its experience in political proceedings. While the latter are predominantly handled by Alexander Ignor and Anke Müller-Jacobsen in Berlin, the Frankfurt team fields a corruption and criminal tax expert with Björn Krug ; tax issues represent a significant part of the group's caseload, while clients can here also rely on Müller-Jacobsen's criminal tax expertise. Kai Peters has experience in international criminal law and asset recovery. The wide range of advice also includes criminal medical and antitrust issues, procedural support for inquiry committees as well as criminal employment law; in the latter field, it is particularly tax consultants, lawyers, bank employees and brokers seeking advice.

With a reputation as an 'excellent white-collar crime boutique with an international reach that goes beyond its size', kipper+durth impresses with broad thematic coverage and extensive experience in cross-border matters; Oliver Kipper in particular is well connected in London. While criminal tax law instructions keep the three-partner practice busy, particularly with regards cum-ex proceedings, the team also frequently defends CEOs and executives against breach of trust and fraud allegations as well as in criminal employment proceedings. Hanno Durth is the key contact for company advice and also has expertise in occupational law, while Stefanie Schott focuses on criminal tax issues and European criminal law.

With an excellent reputation among competitors, Langrock Voß & Soyka stands out for its 'outstanding legal expertise and collegiality', which the three-strong team regularly demonstrates in preliminary proceedings and trials across the entire spectrum of white-collar crime matters. While the practice is often instructed to assist with criminal accounting, capital markets and foreign trade matters as well as with high-profile large-scale proceedings, its criminal tax expertise also contributes to the practice's consistently high workload; in addition to cum-ex proceedings, self-disclosure advice represents another focus. Marc Langrock, who has in-depth auditing experience, and Marko Voß and Till Soyka, who frequently represent CEOs and senior employees, are among the key contacts.

In recent years, stetter Rechtsanwälte strongly established its market presence through involvement in high-profile criminal law complexes such as the diesel affair and cum-ex and also stands out for the international nature of its caseload. In addition to criminal tax and accounting law, the expertise of Sabine Stetter's team also includes criminal employment, foreign trade, medical and environmental law issues.

With its two name partners, Beukelmann | Müller | Partner fields 'outstanding criminal law experts who are used to working internationally and to looking for pragmatic solutions'. The highly respected team frequently advises CEOs and directors of high-profile industrial and financial companies on embezzlement, corruption, money laundering and fraud matters, and also regularly assists with cum-ex proceedings and witness support. Stephan Beukelmann acts across the entire spectrum of white-collar crime and criminal tax law and impresses with expertise in both individual and company representation, while Maximilian Müller, who also covers a broad range of relevant topics, particularly stands out for his international competence; he further has expertise in extradition proceedings.

Board members, managers and managing directors in particular draw on Freyschmidt Frings Pananis Venn's white-collar crime expertise, which the five-partner, Berlin-based team applies in national and cross-border matters along the entire spectrum white-collar crime. In addition to multiple cum-ex proceedings – Nikolai Venn in particular is very active here – and diesel affair cases, the firm recently also defended individuals in criminal data protection and capital markets proceedings, among other matters. In the latter area, Panos Pananis is the key contact, Uwe Freyschmidt has extensive expertise in criminal medical law matters and Guido Frings is particularly well versed in defending clients against corruption and property crime allegations. The team members also frequently appear as witness counsel in investigative committees.

Due to its good reputation and thematically extensive coverage of white-collar and criminal tax law, Grub Brugger's lawyers are a familiar presence in high-profile criminal law cases, while the team not only offers individual criminal defence but also longstanding experience in preliminary investigations and preventive criminal law risk analysis. While the practice's broad expertise also includes criminal employment and foreign trade law as well as criminal product liability, it further stands out for its interdisciplinary expertise with regards to directors' liability and other liability issues. Most recently, the team around the renowned Norbert Scharf also represented various senior employees of international investment banks in cum-ex proceedings and was further increasingly active in international criminal tax matters.

Embedded within medium-sized firm MELCHERS Rechtsanwälte Partnerschaftsgesellschaft mbB, the highly regarded white-collar crime and criminal tax practice is headed by Konrad Schmidt and Hanja Rebell-Houben and continues to focus on the representation of individuals in preliminary and main proceedings in addition to advice to companies. Alongside representations pertaining to the diesel affair and cum-ex, the team was recently also active in defending clients against allegations of breach of trust, accounting fraud, tax evasion as well as capital market crimes.

Schiller & Kollegen's Wolf Schiller has more than 40 years of experience in white-collar crime issues, which he continues to regularly apply for individuals in extensive high-profile proceedings. While the wide range of advice includes expertise in matters pertaining to breach of trust, fraud, tax evasion and corruption allegations, the name partner has a particularly good reputation for his experience at the interface to liability law, in the context of which he frequently advises company managers on white-collar crime aspects of property liability insurance; this is also a focus for Astrid Lilie-Hutz. Saleh Ihwas specialises in criminal data protection and capital markets matters.

Alongside its advice to companies, FS-PP Berlin Part mbB's wealth of experience also benefits board members, managing directors and executives who are facing criminal prosecution. The team, which broadly covers white-collar crime and criminal tax law, is regularly involved in investigations into breaches of trust, corruption, tax evasion, environmental crimes and in cum-ex proceedings, with matters relating to money laundering allegations representing a particular mainstay for the practice; this is also the main focus of Niklas Auffermann. The firm has an excellent reputation for its criminal medical law practice, which particularly attracts instructions by doctors seeking defence and represents the main responsibility of newly appointed partner Sebastian Vogel. Other key contacts include David Albrecht, who also made partner in July 2021 and, in addition to white-collar crime, further covers compliance, as well as Rainer Frank (criminal law, administrative offences and criminal compliance).