BRANDI lawyers.
Dr. Oliver Knodel
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.