A calm, defensible internal investigation.
When a whistleblower report, an anomaly or a dawn raid raises a question, the worst answers are the hasty ones. As independent external counsel we clarify the facts in a controlled way, so the result protects the organisation, treats those involved fairly, and holds up before a court, a regulator or an auditor.
Defensible, discreet,
in English.
A clear head for a difficult question, our firm in Frankfurt.
You cannot credibly investigate your own house.
In-house teams are close to the facts, which is exactly why an internal investigation into sensitive matters is better placed with independent external counsel. Independence removes the conflict, protects legal privilege, and gives the findings credibility where it counts: with the board, with an auditor, and, if it comes to that, with a regulator or public prosecutor. We work hand in hand with your legal and compliance function, not around it.
For those who have to get it right.
Boards and management
When a matter reaches the top and a decision has to be made on facts, not guesswork, with a clean line of reporting to the governing body.
In-house legal and compliance
Independent capacity when your own team is conflicted, stretched or too close to those involved, a partner, not a black box.
International groups
German subsidiaries of English- and US-based companies: the investigation handled and reported in English, coordinated with headquarters.
After a whistleblower report
Turning a report into a controlled, documented investigation, fair to the person named, and usable if it goes further.
Dawn-raid readiness
Preparing for a search before it happens, or taking control after one, securing evidence and understanding exposure.
Alongside criminal proceedings
Where prosecutors may look at the same facts, we run the internal work so it does not damage the defence, and vice versa.
Controlled, defensible, with a clear line to the board.
Scope & safeguard
Define the mandate and the questions, agree the reporting line and protect privilege from day one.
Secure the evidence
Preserve documents and data properly, before anything is lost, altered or overwritten.
Interviews
Hear those involved fairly and on the record, with their rights respected and the account carefully documented.
Findings & recommendations
A clear, defensible report: what happened, what it means, and what to do, remediation, and next steps if authorities are involved.
A clean process protects everyone.
The same investigation can matter under employment law, under regulatory rules and in a criminal case at once. How well it is run decides whether its results can later be used, a technically weak investigation harms the organisation and the individuals alike. That is why we build it to hold up from the first day.
What we ensure
- Independence from management and hierarchy
- Legal privilege and strict confidentiality
- Sound preservation of documents and data
- Fair treatment of the individuals concerned
- Coordination with any parallel criminal or regulatory proceedings
- Reporting and advice in English; multilingual where needed
- Documentation that withstands later scrutiny
Two partners for English- and US-based mandates.
Niels Hoffmann leads our internal-investigations and compliance work; Florian Schmidt-Tüshaus brings the white-collar and tax-criminal perspective. Both advise international clients in English, from the first assessment to the final report.
Briefly explained.
When should an internal investigation be run externally?
Whenever independence, credibility or privilege matter, typically where management itself could be affected, where authorities may later look at the same facts, or where the outcome must withstand scrutiny by a court, a regulator or an auditor. External counsel removes the conflict of investigating one's own house.
Will the findings hold up in later proceedings?
Only if the investigation is conducted cleanly from the start: proper scoping, sound securing of evidence, fair interviews and defensible documentation. A technically weak investigation harms everyone. We conduct it so that the results remain usable, for the organisation and, where relevant, before authorities.
How do you treat the individuals concerned?
Fairly, and with their rights respected. Employees are heard properly and may take legal advice, precisely because the findings can later feed into criminal or regulatory proceedings. Protecting the organisation and treating individuals fairly are not opposites, they are two sides of the same clean process.
Do you conduct investigations in English?
Yes. We advise and report in English throughout, and coordinate with in-house legal and compliance teams and their international headquarters. Two of our partners act as points of contact for English- and US-based mandates.
Let's talk
it through.
Tell us briefly about the situation, we will set out how an independent internal investigation could be structured, in English and with a clear line to your board.
Request a confidential consultation · +49 69 24746870