BRANDI lawyers.

Dr. Nils Wigginghaus

Lawyer and Notary in and for Gütersloh
Certified Specialized Attorney in International Business Law

Location Gütersloh
T +49 5241 5358 - 0
F +49 5241 5358 - 40
E nils.wigginghaus@brandi.net
Foreign language: English

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About me

  • Born in 1974
  • Legal studies at the University of Konstanz
  • First Exam ("1. Staatsexamen") in 2002
  • Legal clerkship ("Refrendariat") in the district of the Düsseldorf Higher District Court
  • Second (Bar) Exam ("2. Staatsexamen") in 2004
  • Research associate under Prof. Dr. Astrid Stadler (Chair for Civil Law, Civil Procedure, Private International Law and Comparative Law) at the University of Konstanz
  • Bar admission in 2005, with the firm since 2005
  • Doctor of Laws (Dr. jur.) 2007
  • Appointment as notary in 2013
  • Visiting lecturer at the University of Constance since 2014
  • Visiting lecturer at the Humboldt University of Berlin since 2015
  • Certified Specialized Attorney in International Business Law since 2017
  • Vice-chairman of the international network of independent law firms "Pangea Net"

Competence

International law

International transfer of trade marks and technology

  • National and international application and management of trade marks
  • International defense against pirated copies
  • International know-how protection
  • International know-how agreements
  • International non-disclosure agreements

International direct investments

  • Foundation of subsidiaries abroad
  • Joint Ventures
  • International purchase and sale of companies
  • Management of participations abroad
  • Establishment of holding structures

International proceedings and arbitration

  • Litigation abroad
  • Enforcement of claims against foreign debtors
  • International arbitration proceedings (as party representative and arbitrator)
  • Strategies for the prevention of proceedings and reduction of risks

Notaries

  • Property law
  • Corporate law
  • Succession law
  • Precautionary legal advise
  • Drafting and certification of agreements and unilateral declarations of intent
  • Authentication of signatures
  • Electronic register applications

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)
  • Foreign legal forms (e.g. Ltd, Plc, Inc., LLC)
  • Trust

Life and growth of the company

  • Conduction of general meetings and partners' meetings
  • Participation rights, silent partnerships (typical, atypical)
  • Private equity companies
  • Subsidiaries (foundation and acquisition, foreign subsidiaries)
  • Corporate compliance, corporate governance
  • Cooperation agreements, joint ventures, join ventures in Germany and abroad
  • Takeover of other companies (M&A)

Restructuring

  • National and international holding structures

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
  • Arbitration (as party representative and arbitrator)

Company succession

  • Entrepreneur's last wills
  • Gifts, usufruct
  • International models
  • Supervisory board, advisory board
  • Sale of companies

Purchase and sale of companies (M&A)

  • Determination of the type of sales process (e.g. auction, sale to competitors)
  • 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
  • Purchase of a foreign company
  • Purchase by a foreign purchaser

Asset planning, succession, succession law

Succession law

  • Design of last wills
  • Revocation of a last will
  • Contracts of inheritance (notarial)
  • Withdrawal from a contract of inheritance
  • Directions pertaining to legacies and conditions
  • Prior and subsequent succession, also excepted prior succession
  • Order of the execution of a will
  • Will to the benefit of persons with disabilities, in need or overly indebted
  • Provisions for the offsetting and balancing of gifts
  • Renunciation of inheritance
  • Renunciation to the compulsory portion
  • Inheritance tax
  • Determination of the legal succession including spousal inheritance rights
  • Contesting of the acceptance of an inheritance
  • Community of heirs
  • Contesting a will
  • Interpretation of a will
  • Accepting or rejecting the office of the executor
  • Compulsory portion regulations
  • Request for the issuance of a certificate of inheritance

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
  • Sale of companies
  • Enduring power of attorney
  • Entrepreneur's last wills, testamentary and prenuptial of the entrepreneur
  • Transfer agreements
  • Agreements on the renunciation of the compulsory portion
  • Lump sum provisions

Asset planning

  • Legal structuring of (family-owned) companies

Publications

Monographs

  • Synergieeffekte zwischen Straf- und Zivilprozess
    Eine Untersuchung zur prozessökonomischen Verbindung von Straf- und Zivilprozess unter besonderer Berücksichtigung des Problems doppelter Beweiserhebungen. Konstanz, 2007

Contributions to books

  • Mitautor German Civil Code – Volume II: Books 4-5 (Dannemann / Schulze), 2022,
    Kommentierung der §§ 2274 – 2302 (Erbvertrag)
  • German Civil Code - Kommentar zum Bürgerlichen Gesetzbuch, §§ 759-779 BGB 2020
  • Das Mandat beim Unternehmenskauf und -verkauf (außer §§ 31, 36), zusammen mit Dr. Franz Tepper in: Arens/Tepper, Das gesellschaftsrechtliche Mandat, Bonn 2007
  • Beiträge in Arens/Tepper, Praxishandbuch Gesellschaftsrecht, 2. Auflage 2013
    Kapitel 6 Das Mandat beim Unternehmenskauf- und verkauf
    § 27 Vorvertragliche Vereinbarungen, Due Diligence
    § 28 Arten des Unternehmenskaufs
    § 29 Gewährleistung des Verkäufers
    § 30 Haftung des Erwerbers für Verbindlichkeiten des Verkäufers
    § 32 Kaufpreis und Zahlung
    § 33 Lieferung des Unternehmens
    § 34 Besondere Beratungslagen
    § 35 Formerfordernisse

Memberships

  • Deutscher Anwaltverein
  • Deutsch-Chinesische Juristenvereinigung