Christine Kaniak-Hockel

Dr. Alexa von Uexküll was born in Hong Kong and brought up in Tokyo and Singapore. She studied inorganic, organic and analytical chemistry, physiology, genetics, microbiology and molecular biology with special emphasis on pharmacology at the University of London. The research for her PhD thesis (Kings College, London) was funded by a case award from Glaxo Pharmaceuticals, where she also gained industrial research experience in the field of central neuropharmacology, including Alzheimer's...

Prof Dr Frank Stellmann offers national and international companies advice on the topics of asset and share deals transactions, property and asset management, support for institutional investors, family offices and project developers. He has decades of experience providing advice for transactions under real estate law as well, as offering support to project developers, from securing building rights to end marketing. He also has extensive knowledge regarding a number of special-purpose propert...

Robert is a specialist lawyer for commercial and corporate law and has many years of experience in litigation. He advises German and international clients in complex commercial disputes, in particular in the areas of insolvency law and corporate law (shareholder disputes, manager liability and in connection with corporate transactions and restructuring processes), commercial law (in particular international commercial transactions) and banking law. Furthermore, he has extensive experience in ...

Christian Tönies is a partner at POELLATH in Munich and Berlin. He spezialises in M&A with a focus on private equity and venture capital transactions, including trade sale, IPOs and asset sale. Together with Michael Inhester, he heads the venture capital practice at POELLATH and advises in particular on the entire range of venture capital – from financing and acquisitions to exits. His clients include venture capital funds, corporate venture capitalists, start-ups, as well as i...

Dr Matthias Bruse is a founding partner of POELLATH (formerly P+P Pöllath + Partners). He has practiced corporate law since 1984 and has decades of expertise in transactions with a focus on private equity investments and family-owned businesses. In addition, he is also highly regarded for his corporate law advice, often with regard to succession issues. Matthias is also active as arbitrator, in particular with respect to post-M&A disputes. He is frequently ranked as one of the preemi...

Silke Freund focuses on the contentious – sometimes cross-border – enforcement of trade marks or the defense against asserted infringement claims of third parties. She also supports clients in their worldwide trade mark portfolio management in the filing, assignment, and licencing of trade marks as well as opposition, appeal, and cancellation proceedings before the German Patent and Trade Mark Office (GPTO) and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO). Silke Freund ...

Peter F. Peschke is a partner at POELLATH in Munich and a member of the management board. He is an recognized tax expert and advises national and international private equity funds, managers and management companies, as well as investors on private equity funds. In this context, he also advises on tax audits and fiscal court proceedings. He studied business administration in Munich, was admitted as tax advisor in 2004 and served as associate in a Munich tax law firm, specializing on private e...

Dr. Barbara Koch-Schulte is a partner at POELLATH in Munich. She specializes in legal and tax advisory on management participation (MBI/MBO), including ESOPs, phantom shares and other incentive programs. A main focus is the accompaniment of management participation in the taxation process, in tax audits and other disputes with the tax authorities. Her clients are managers and employees, as well as investors and employers. Her dual qualification as a lawyer and tax advisor also makes her a sou...

Bernhard A. Guthy is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Mergers and Acquisitions Law. Bernhard A., who practices law in Munich, Germany, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Bernhard A. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Dr Stephan Viskorf is a partner at POELLATH in Munich. Together with Christoph Philipp , Stephan is head of the Munich Private Clients team. The team specializes in providing holistic advice to high-net-worth individuals, especially family entrepreneurs and their mostly complex international asset structures. “Our clients can expect advice that comprehensively considers not only all legal aspects but - as our experience shows - also all personal aspects that family life itself, and the ...