BRANDI lawyers.

Dr. Oliver Knodel

Lawyer and Notary in and for Bielefeld
Certified Specialized Attorney in Commercial and Corporate Law
Certified Foundation Advisor (DSA)

Location Bielefeld
T +49 521 96535 - 810
F +49 521 96535 - 115
E oliver.knodel@brandi.net
Foreign language: English

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About me

  • Born in 1970
  • Legal studies at Bielefeld University
  • First Exam ("1. Staatsexamen") in 1995
  • Doctoral studies as a Friedrich-Naumann-Stiftung fellow, dissertation on "Kapitalsicherung und Gläubigeranfechtung" (capital protection and creditor appeals) under Prof. Dr. Schön as doctoral advisor
  • Legal clerkship ("Refrendariat") at the Bielefeld District Court
  • Second (Bar) Exam ("2. Staatsexamen") in 1998
  • With the firm since 1999
  • Doctor of Laws (Dr. jur.) 2001
  • Certified Specialized Attorney in Commercial and Corporate Law since 2006
  • Appointment as notary in 2010
  • Certified Foundation Advisor (DSA) since 2022

Competence

Corporate law/M&A

Incorporation

  • Selection of the legal form (corporate law and tax law)
  • Drafting of the partnership agreement, further agreements between the partners
  • German stock corporation and private company law (e.g. OHG, KG, GmbH & Co. KG, GmbH, AG, KGaA, eG)
  • Societas Europaea (SE)
  • Foreign legal forms (e.g. Ltd, Plc, Inc., LLC)
  • Trust
  • Voting trust, pool and consortium agreements

Life and growth of the company

  • Conduction of general meetings and partners' meetings
  • Growth financing, corporate finance (borrowed and own capital, cash pool, bank loans, leasing, leasing, factoring, forfaiting, asset-backed securities, mezzanine financing, bonds, bonded loans)
  • Participation rights, silent partnerships (typical, atypical)
  • Employee participation schemes
  • Private equity companies
  • Subsidiaries (foundation and acquisition, foreign subsidiaries)
  • Partnership agreements, affiliation agreements (in particular control and profit and loss transfer agreements)
  • Co-determination
  • Corporate compliance, corporate governance
  • Cooperation agreements, joint ventures, join ventures in Germany and abroad
  • Takeover of other companies (M&A)

Restructuring

  • Transformation law, transformation tax law
  • Consolidation, split, restructuring, contribution, merger
  • International mergers and control agreements
  • National and international holding structures
  • Squeeze-out
  • Support during company reorganization

Disputes within the company

  • Disputes between the partners, with members of bodies and with the company
  • Representation of interests out of court (in particular in partners' meetings, general meetings, supervisory board, advisory board)
  • Representation of interests in court
  • Mediation (as party representative and mediator)
  • Arbitration (as party representative and arbitrator)

Company succession

  • Structuring of family assets
  • Entrepreneur's last wills
  • Gifts, usufruct
  • Inheritance tax law
  • Foundation (charitable foundation, family foundation)
  • International models
  • Supervisory board, advisory board
  • Execution of wills, administration of estates
  • Sale of companies
  • Estate settlements

Purchase and sale of companies (M&A)

  • Preparation of the purchase of a company (tax optimization, bundling of the assets to be sold, separation of assets, sales brochure)
  • Determination of the type of sales process (e.g. auction, sale to competitors)
  • Selection of the business broker or the investment bank
  • Transaction structure (in particular asset or share deal, tax aspects)
  • Transaction management
  • Agreements prior to due diligence (e.g. non-disclosure agreement, letter of intent)
  • Preparation and execution of and support during due diligence (including installation of a(n) (electronic) data room)
  • Negotiations
  • Drafting of the company purchase agreement
  • Distressed M&A, acquisition from the insolvency administrator
  • Consulting in the case of public take-over bids
  • Purchase of a foreign company
  • Purchase by a foreign purchaser

Corporate tax law

  • Company related corporate and income tax law
  • Inheritance and gift tax law
  • Conversion tax law
  • International taxation law

Insolvency law and reorganization

  • Preparation and supervision of company reorganization concepts including the creation of rescue companies
  • Support of companies and entrepreneurs in case of insolvency both on the side of the creditor and on the side of the debtor
  • Representation in disputes regarding insolvency law
  • Rights of parties furnishing security and of parties to which a security is furnished in case of insolvency
  • Insolvency rescission
  • Liability of the insolvency administrator

Foundation law

  • Establishing foundations
  • Amendments to the Articles of Association
  • Advising foundation bodies (including liability issues, board disputes)

Asset succession and company succession

  • Succession planning
  • Legal and tax succession model
  • Prevention of claims for compulsory portions
  • Anticipated succession
  • Transfer of company assets
  • Foundation of family-owned businesses/family pools
  • Establishment of foundations
  • Enduring power of attorney
  • Entrepreneur's last wills, testamentary and prenuptial of the entrepreneur
  • Execution of wills (e.g. in case of underage heirs)
  • Transfer agreements
  • Agreements on the renunciation of the compulsory portion
  • Lump sum provisions

Publications

Monographs

  • Kapitalsicherung und Gläubigeranfechtung, 2002, Verlag Dr. Kovac in der Reihe: Wirtschaftsrechtliche Forschungsergebnisse, Band 30

Contributions to books

  • Beiträge in Arens/Tepper, Praxishandbuch Gesellschaftsrecht, 2. Auflage 2013
    Kapitel 3 Das Mandat im Rahmen der werbenden Gesellschaft
    § 11 Die anwaltliche Betreuung und Beratung der Gesellschaft und Gesellschafter (zusammen mit Wolfgang Arens)
  • Das gesellschaftsrechtliche Mandat, Arens/Tepper, 1. Auflage, 2007
    Kapitel 3, S. 273 ff., § 11 Die anwaltliche Betreuung und Beratung der Gesellschaft und der Gesellschafter

Case discussions

  • EuGH, Urt. v. 15.10.2015, C-310/14: Beweislastverteilung im Internationalen Insolvenzanfechtungsrecht, GWR 2016, S. 38 (mit Dr. Paul Czaplinski)
  • OLG Hamm, Urt. v. 22.07.2015, 8 U 99/14: Rückforderungen von gewinnunabhängigen Ausschüttungen setzt gesellschaftsvertragliche Grundlage voraus, GWR 2015, S. 362 (mit Dr. Paul Czaplinski)
  • EuGH, Urt. v. 04.12.2014, C-295/13: Internationale Zuständigkeit bei Klagen eines Insolvenzverwalters gegen den Geschäftsführer gem. § 64 S. 1 und 2 GmbHG, GWR 2015, S. 16 (mit Dr. Paul Czaplinski)

Memberships

  • Deutscher Anwaltverein
  • Deutsche Anwalts- und Steuerberatervereinigung für die mittelständische Wirtschaft e.V.  
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