Michael Albrecht vom Kolke

Dr. Albrecht vom Kolke has been ranked by WirtschaftsWoche as a Highly Recommended Lawyer in its Compliance and Corporate Law categories, as well as commended in The Legal 500 Deutschland for being “incredibly responsive and thorough.” In addition, he has been named a Rising Star in the Corporate Governance category by LMG Expert Guides and a Rising Star by International Tax Review at its Rising Stars Awards 2022 EMEA.

Dr. Albrecht vom Kolke is a frequent speaker and panelist at national and international conferences. He studied law at the universities of Freiburg (Germany) and Grenoble (France). Following the completion of his doctoral thesis at the Max Planck Institute for Foreign and International Criminal Law in Freiburg, he completed his legal preparatory service in Hamburg, Frankfurt, Munich and Pristina (Kosovo).

Dr. Albrecht vom Kolke’s experience includes advising, among others:

Investigations

• a multinational insurance company on an internal investigation concerning whistleblower allegations of accounting fraud, improper reserve formation and workplace harassment
• a global private equity firm on a criminal investigation of a high-level executive of a target company
• a global investment management firm on reviewing business decisions made by the management of one of its joint ventures that caused its financial distress
• ProSiebenSat.1 Media SE on an internal investigation by its supervisory board in connection with regulatory requirements of certain subsidiaries and related corporate governance aspects
• the supervisory board of Continental AG on an internal investigation in connection with car emissions and related corporate governance matters
• the supervisory board of a multinational manufacturer of industrial goods on an internal investigation into allegations of fraud, violations of food hygiene regulations and related corporate governance matters
• multiple international energy, automotive, banking, industrial goods, consumer goods and IT companies on their discontinuation of business operations in Russia
• a multinational defense, security and aerospace corporation on an investigation into corruption and bribery allegations involving one of its Middle East-based contractors
• the board of directors of a Middle East-based developer and operator of power generation plants on an internal investigation into fraud, bribery and corruption allegations relating to a southeast Asia energy project
• the management board of an international automobile manufacturer on the consequence management of multijurisdictional investigations and litigation in connection with diesel exhaust emissions
• supervisory boards and management boards of multiple financial institutions on the consequence management in connection with so-called “cum/ex” transactions, including internal investigations, ensuing litigation and settlement negotiations
• a management board of a European financial institution on an internal investigation relating to business practices in connection with the so-called “Panama Papers”

EU Sanctions

Numerous clients on compliance with EU sanctions against Russia, Iran, Syria and other sanctions regimes, including:

• a European commercial bank on compliance with EU sanctions in a broad range of business activities, including foreign exchange services, trade finance, loan syndication, cash management, underwriting and retail banking
• a sovereign wealth fund on compliance with EU sanctions in connection with several portfolio companies, including in the oil and gas, transportation and logistics industries
• a global payment services provider on compliance with restrictions on intragroup services under EU sanctions against Russia
• a global life sciences company on compliance with EU sanctions in relation to its health care and agriculture business in Russia
• a global tire manufacturer on compliance with EU sanctions in connection with its group-wide governance framework
• a multinational oil and gas company on compliance with EU sanctions in connection with the exportation and maintenance of high-end technologies and equipment
• several multinational automotive companies on compliance matters relating to EU sanctions on investments in Russia and Crimea
• numerous other clients, including international investment companies, financial institutions, insurers, consultants and corporates across many business sectors, including energy, mining, industrial goods, consumer and luxury goods, automotive, media, communications, IT and tourism
• SDCL Edge Acquisition Corporation, an NYSE-listed SPAC, on sanctions compliance aspects of its business combination with cunova GmbH, a leading global manufacturer of high-end specialty copper alloy products
• Hermann Rosen, founder of ROSEN Group, a global leader in inspection and integrity management services for energy transmission pipelines, on the sanctions aspects of the sale of ROSEN Group to Partners Group AG
• Criteo SA on EU sanctions compliance in connection with its acquisition of shares and assets of the Iponweb group

Russia Exits

Several major multinational companies in various industries on EU sanctions aspects in connection with exiting the Russian market and winding down their business and operations in Russia, including:

• Unilever PLC on the sanctions aspect of the sale of its Russia business to Arnest Group
• Citigroup, Inc. on AO Citibank’s sale of a portfolio of ruble-denominated personal installment loans and consumer credit card balances to Uralsib
• Visa Inc. on EU sanctions compliance in connection with its operations in Russia
• Renault Group on the sale of Renault Russia to the city of Moscow and the disposal of its 67.69% interest in AvtoVaz to NAMI
• L’Occitane on the divestiture of its Russian business to local management
• Halliburton on the sale of its Russia operations to a Russia-based management team made up of former Halliburton employees
• Ball Corporation on EU sanctions implications in connection with the $530 million sale of its beverage packaging business in Russia to Arnest Group
• International Paper Company, one of the world’s leading producers of fiber-based packaging and pulp, on sanctions compliance in connection with the sale of its 50% stake in Ilim SA, the holding company of Ilim Group JSC, and its outstanding shares in Ilim Group JSC to its joint venture partners for $508 million
• Sylvamo Corporation on the $420 million sale of its Russian operations to Pulp Invest Limited Liability Company

Corporate Governance and Compliance

• MorphoSys AG on the corporate governance aspects of its €2.7 billion sale to, and public takeover by, Novartis and the simultaneous disposition of the worldwide marketing rights of its antibody drug Monjuvi to Incyte Corporation
• the supervisory board of Stada Arzneimittel AG on its $5.6 billion purchase by Bain Capital Private Equity, LP and Cinven Partners LLP
• the management board of Hamburg Commercial Bank in connection with its privatization and related matters
• a management board of a financial institution in its efforts to restructure while under intense pressure to avoid insolvency
• a management board of a European financial institution with respect to board members’ duties in a post-M&A dispute
• the board of directors of a U.S. technology and services company on corporate governance issues after a merger with a German stock corporation
• several international companies on compliance matters in relation to political law, including German and EU lobbying regulation