Competencies

Regardless of whether you need a criminal defence lawyer, witness assistance or individual consultancy, with our many years of forensic experience in criminal, tax and professional disciplinary proceedings we support you at every step of the legal procedure. In the case of any house search, arrest, interrogations, requests for information or government inquiries, seizing of assets and any other search and discovery situations, indictments or penalty order please contact us at any time.goes here

We provide comprehensive advice on enhanced due diligence requirements in commercial transactions, requirements on security of transactions, supervisory duties as a director, executive and supervisory boards as well as criminal risks, irrespective of any specific investigations also in advance or following the discovery of which. We engage within the framework of your desired interdisciplinary responsibilities together with your internal auditing, your compliance department, your auditors and tax consultants. We support you in the risk analysis of their business operations and the organisational implementation of compliance measures.

We also support in so-called internal investigations, i.e. internal fact findings, in the designing, the implementing or improving of a compliance system that is geared to your business, enabling employee training, and providing clear guidelines in respect to due diligence in criminal matters in M & A transactions.

Due to the considerable importance of this topic particularly also abroad, especially in the area of Anglo-American law, we can also engage in cross-border activities to the benefit of our clients.

The consequences of such investigations vary: not only individual analysts or employees can be affected of criminal and regulatory investigations, but also the company itself can be exposed to serious financial burden via criminal law measures such as the corporate fine (ss. 30, 130 of the German Regulatory Offences Act (OWiG)) or expiry (ss. 73 et seq., German Criminal Code, s. 111 b, German Code of Criminal Procedure,s. 29a, German Regulatory Offences Act),. Already the opening of criminal investigations can present significant disturbing effects on the day-to-day operations by companies having to deal with problems such as searches, seizures, and, last but not least, negative press coverage.

In this field we offer both businesses and individual persons our comprehensive support. Knierim & Kollegen Rechtsanwälte have years of experience in criminal consultation and representation of companies and have both personnel and specialist wide-ranging expertise in criminal and regulatory investigations so as to provide effective legal advice, coordination and defence in cooperation with the client and thereby find the best possible solution.

Our aim is to provide you with a trustworthy assessment of a (criminal) legal matter without losing sight of the economic interests of your company. By providing objective and comprehensive answers to legal questions, we support you both in setting the course and in other decision-making processes in connection with the management of your company.

Thanks to our comprehensive and specialised legal knowledge and the expertise of our lawyers based on many years of professional experience, we are happy to advise you in answering legal questions.

– from the drafting of the criminal complaint and the associated notification of the criminally relevant facts to the relevant investigating authority to the conclusion or discontinuation of the proceedings. We represent your procedural rights and support you in claiming them.

We receive the reports of suspected cases on behalf of the company. The position as an independent contact – the internal and external whistleblowers are assured of secrecy and confidentiality - reduces the inhibition threshold for employees to report suspicious moments.

In close consultation with the whistleblower and the company management, we agree on the further courses of action/ further options of action that are necessary within the framework/ in the context of a company's integrity self-image/ self-understanding. As an ombudsperson, we assist in the investigation/ exploration of serious reports of misconduct and advise on how to react responsibly once such allegations or suspicions have become known.