Fieldfisher

Corporate and M&A

Dr Tobias Keller is a Counsel in Fieldfisher's Dusseldorf office and advises clients in the areas of Corporate Law and M&A.

His work focuses on advising clients on M&A transactions. With more than ten years of experience as a corporate lawyer, he has supported transactions of various sizes and structures – from smaller corporate acquisitions to complex, internationally oriented mergers. Dr Tobias Keller assists clients throughout the entire transaction process, from the initial contact and the preparation and structuring of the transaction to contract negotiations and the successful signing and closing.

In addition, he advises on the formation of companies as well as on all ongoing corporate law matters that arise during corporate development. This includes in particular advice on

• drafting complex articles of association
• establishing holding structures
• negotiating and drafting joint venture agreements and shareholders’ agreements
• implementing cash‑pool structures
• preparing and executing intra‑group restructurings
• strategic equity investments in other companies
• onboarding investors and financing rounds
• preparing and implementing business succession or exit processes

Dr Tobias Keller regularly publishes in leading professional journals and other media on current topics in M&A and Corporate Law.

Publications/Citations (Selection, in German):

• “The Principle of Economic Ownership in Accounting Law” – interpretation of § 246 Abs. 1 S. 2 HGB and its distinction from § 39 AO, Bonner Schriften zum Steuer-, Finanz- und Unternehmensrecht (Keller) (paywall)
• No Analogous Application of § 179a AktG to the GmbH, NJW-Spezial 2019, 271 (Giedinghagen/Keller) (paywall)
• “The Qualified Subordinated Loan”, NJW-Spezial 2020, 207 (Giedinghagen/Keller) (paywall)
• “Digital GmbH Formation”, NZG 2021, 573 (Keller/Schümmer) (paywall)
• “The End of the Odyssey of § 179a AktG - The Transaction Concerning the Entire Assets in Light of the New Case Law of the Federal Court of Justice for GmbH and KG", DB 2022, S. 1625 (Keller/Schümmer) (paywall)
• “The Government Draft for the DiREG: More Digitalisation for Corporate Law”, DB 2022, 1179 (Keller/Schümmer) (paywall)
• “M&A – Disclosure Obligations After a Due Diligence”, NJW-Spezial 2023, 719 (Keller/Schümmer) (paywall)
• Commentary on §§ 325 – 330 HGB – in particular regarding the disclosure of annual financial statements, Nomos Großkommentar zum Handelsgesetzbuch, 4th ed. 2024 (Keller) 
• Note on OLG Frankfurt regarding  § 179a AktG applied analogously to public limited partnerships (Publikums‑KGs), ZIP 2024, 617 (Keller/Schümmer) (paywall)
• “In‑Year Distributions and Withdrawals in Corporations”, DB 2024, 2277 (Keller/Schümmer) (paywall)
• Publications on „Pitfalls in SME Company Sales“ in the newsletter of the German Entrepreneurs – Platform for Digitalisation and Sustainability (2024)
• Article featuring insights from Dr Tobias Keller on Employee Participation Programs in SMEs, Markt und Mittelstand (2024)

Before joining Fieldfisher, he worked as a lawyer at other renowned corporate law firms in Dusseldorf.

He advises our clients in German and English.

Dr Tobias Keller is  a member of the Gesellschaftsrechtliche Vereinigung – Wissenschaftliche Vereinigung für Unternehmens- und Gesellschaftsrecht (VGR) e.V.

He studied at the University of Bonn (Rheinische Friedrich‑Wilhelms‑Universität) and at the Universidad Salamanca in Spain.