Corporate Law

Corporate law is extensive and difficult. The purpose of corporate law is to regulate associations of persons under private law. Participants in commercial transactions, “companies”, are very often organised as companies. The most important forms are civil law partnerships (GbR), limited partnerships (KG), limited liability companies (GmbH) and public limited companies (AG). The European Company (SE – after its Latin name Societas Europaea) is a more recent addition.

Corporate law standardises the entire life cycle of companies, from formation to ongoing operation and dissolution.

Companies are categorised into partnerships (GbR, Partnerschaftsgesellschaft, PartG, Offene Handelsgesellschaft, OHG and KG) and corporations (Unternehmensgesellschaft, UG, GmbH, AG and SE).

The BGB and the HGB are the primary source of law for partnerships. For corporations, there is usually a separate law for each legal form (GmbHG, AktG and SEAG). However, other laws are also of great importance, e.g. the Insolvency Code and the Reorganisation Act.

In many cases, corporate law also affects other areas of law such as group law, corporate law or commercial law. The areas that most frequently lead to problems and questions in corporate law are

• Drafting of company contracts
• Liability of managing directors
• Liability of shareholders
• Disputes between shareholders
• (Disputed) dismissal of managing directors
• Dissolution and winding up (liquidation)
• Insolvency

I have over 20 years of professional experience in these matters and can advise and represent you in a targeted and effective manner.