Our specialisation in criminal law – commercial criminal law and penal tax law in particular – ensures a high level of competence and experience within our law firm, both for individual defence briefs as well as in the representation of corporate clients. Another focus area is compliance, where we provide our clients with preventive advice to avoid criminal proceedings (compliance) as well as support and assistance in cases of internal investigations.
Our office in Frankfurt was established in 2001, and our office in Cologne was established in 2003. By involving junior colleagues at an early stage, we ensure that our client process is characterised by a consistent level of high quality at all times.
We possess vast experience in the provision of individual advisory services and the defence of executives, as well as the coordination of large-scale proceedings involving numerous defendants. Our lawyers were active in almost all major white-collar crime proceedings over recent years.
Our aim is to achieve the optimum outcome for our clients – legally, financially and in terms of the time involved – by providing advisory services that are tailor-made to suit the requirements of the individual client, without any unnecessary costs.
Since the firm’s inception, we have been referenced as a leading law firm in numerous compendia and specialist magazines.
See moreAdvisory services to individuals:
“Founded two decades ago, the boutique law firm of Feigen Graf, specialising in criminal law, has achieved an impressive track record in the defence of CEOs and executives, primarily owing to its two name partners Hanns Feigen and Walther Graf, two renowned all-rounders in the fields of white collar and tax criminal law. Based in both Frankfurt and Cologne, the founding partners have increasingly focused on the development of in-house talent over recent years. As a result, the current team of six partners provides services across the entire spectrum of individual defence briefs related to white collar crime and tax criminal law: Bernd Groß has accumulated a particularly high level of expertise in proceedings involving allegations of breach of trust and/or corruption, as well as pharmaceutical and environmental criminal law, Matthias Sartorius (partner since 2019) is highly experienced in criminal law in the areas of labour, capital markets as well as the pharmaceutical industry, and Tilman Reichling is increasingly advising clients on criminal law issues relating to the areas of tax, medical issues and the environment.
Corporate advisory services:
“The Feigen Graf Rechtsanwälte team of ‘highly qualified, dedicated and approachable’ lawyers are characterised by their ‘impressive expertise in the field of commercial criminal law’ as well as their vast experience in advising financial institutions and industrial corporations with regard to coordinating complex investigation proceedings, often with cross-border implications. Being very well established, the firm also offers comprehensive capacities in the segment of preventive advice to avoid white-collar crime proceedings. Most recently, the firm has increasingly been assisting clients with a view to cum/ex issues. Walther Graf is regarded as a ‘cool-headed and far-sighted consummate professional’, Hanns Feigen possesses ‘many years of professional experience and outstanding legal skills’, the ‘smart strategist’ Bernd Groß is often mandated in cum/ex proceedings, and the ‘brilliant mind’ Tilman Reichling also increasingly advises on tax criminal law issues.”
Testimonials
‘Matthias Sartorius – young but already a highly renowned and outstanding professional.’
‘A homogeneous team that provides criminal law advice at the highest level. Good age structure. Very well positioned for both individual defence briefs as well as corporate representation.’
‘Tilman Reichling is a brilliant legal mind, very assertive and yet highly approachable.’
Moreover, Legal 500 awarded the distinction of “Leading Name” to Hanns Feigen and “Name of the Next Generation” to Dr. Tilman Reichling.
In 2020, Feigen · Graf was named as one of the 50 best commercial law firms in Germany. Moreover, it was nominated as one of the “Top Law Firms” in the area of Compliance & Commercial Criminal Law. Dr. Bernd Groß and Dr. Tilman Reichling were pointed out as “top lawyers” in the field of criminal law.
Feigen Graf is listed as one of the most renowned law firms in the field of commercial criminal law, rated with four out of four stars.
“Review: Acknowledged by its competitors for its “outstanding presence” in the field, the firm undoubtedly ranks among the market leaders in the area of white-collar crime. The firm is present in virtually all relevant fields, both in the defense of individuals and companies alike. Like its competitor firm Krause, FG recognised the potential of tax criminal law early on – and in Dr. Bernd Groß, the firm has a virtually omnipresent partner who, most recently, represented Hansainvest, a key player in the first cum/ex trial before the Bonn Regional Court. Further trials will follow, as FG represents a number of banks. Even tax law practitioners pay tribute to the entire team, which makes it all the more noteworthy, as tax law practitioners usually tend to doubt that lawyers with a commercial criminal law background have the requisite criminal tax law expertise. Moreover, FG has a healthy age distribution that allows young talent to progress and acquire their own distinct profile in the market.
Strengths: Defense of executive boards and companies
Highly recommended: Hanns Feigen (“highly respected within the profession”, “excellent”, “very experienced and highly connected”, competitors), Dr. Walther Graf (“extremely competent, a great person”, “calm and collected, pragmatic”, “highly responsive, savvy, strategically strong”, “very competent and cooperative”, competitors), Dr. Bernd Groß (“outstanding expertise, good team player”, “confident and efficient”, “smart strategist”, “strong negotiator”, “confident management of demanding and complex mandates”, competitors), Dr. Tilman Reichling (“brilliant lawyer”, “highly connected”, “at the top of his profession, smart strategist, good to work with”, “strong criminal tax law expert”, competitors)
Chambers and Partners has awarded Hanns Feigen the distinction of “Star Individual” in the area of “White-Collar Crime: Defence Counsel”. Dispute Resolution: White-Collar Crime in Germany “What the team is known for Leading criminal law boutique firm with a formidable reputation for defending individuals such as board members or senior management in high-profile white-collar crime cases. Also advis-es large corporations on internal investigations relating to fiscal misconduct and employee prosecution and assists with the recovery from consequences of dawn raids. Clientele includes international companies seeking advice on criminal matters engaging several jurisdictions. Provides further expertise on matters related to embargoes. Strengths Sources describe the firm's team as "absolutely excellent" and "outstanding." Notable practitioners Bernd Gross offers assistance with white-collar and tax crime matters as well as corruption cases. His clientele includes individuals as well as corporates. Hanns Feigen maintains his market-leading position as a defence counsel representing a range of clients from the automotive and banking sectors. He is also active in corporate advisory in-cluding investigations by tax authorities. Sources commend Walther Graf for the breadth of his practice. He advises clients on industrial accidents, cum/ex transactions and compliance programmes.”
“At Feigen-Graf, three lawyers are recognised for their excellence. Hanns Feigen is well regarded by peers for the strength of his business crime practice. He holds deep expertise in white-collar and tax crime matters. Bernd Groß is an “excellent lawyer” with a “good reputation” in the German market accord-ing to peers who say he excels in international white-collar and tax crime disputes. Walther Graf is renowned for his remarkable facility for defending companies involved in white-collar crime disputes, with notable experience in large industrial accidents and compli-ance matters. In addition, Walther Graf is a “prominent figure” in the investigations space who is “very well known” for his sweeping knowledge of corporate investigations and business crime defence proceedings.”