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Dr. Anika Schürmann LL.M.

Partner
Baker McKenzie Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbH von Rechtsanwälten und Steuerberatern

Biography

Dr. Anika Schürmann co-heads Baker McKenzie's German Investigations, Compliance & Ethics Practice. She is a bar-certified professional in criminal law (Fachanwältin für Strafrecht) and has extensive experience in advising clients in all kinds of business crime matters, with a particular focus on complex investigations and proceedings. Anika is also a regional chair of the prestigious German Association of Antitrust Lawyers and co-heads Baker McKenzie's German Consumer Goods & Retail Industry Group.

Anika frequently publishes on business crime topics and is a lecturer at the Westphalian University for Applied Science. Her capability has repeatedly been recognized by The Legal 500 ("Next Generation Partner"), Juve ("frequently recommended") and the renowned German business magazines Handelsblatt (Best-Lawyers-Ranking) and WirtschaftsWoche.

Prior to joining Baker McKenzie in 2013, Anika was a member of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer’s antitrust team in Brussels (2007-2011), and practiced at Wessing & Partner, a leading German law firm for high-profile white-collar crime matters (2012-2013).

Practice Focus

Anika advises on all aspects of business crime matters, including cartels and bid rigging, corruption, fraud, tax and customs duty evasion, cybercrime as well as export control and product compliance violations and other business crime offenses. She has long-standing experience in handling complex internal investigations as well as regulatory and judicial proceedings before German and European authorities and courts – in self-disclosure/leniency cases as well as on the defense side. Anika is also experienced in designing and implementing global compliance programs and in advising clients on the admissibility of business models and contractual relationships with business partners.

Representative Legal Matters

  • Successfully defended Carlsberg in court proceedings in the German beer cartel case against a company fine of EUR 62 million.

  • Advised various companies in high-profile national and international cartel investigations before European and German antitrust authorities and courts, including the defense against follow-up cartel damage claims. Companies include Deutsche Bahn in the freight forwarding cartel, Segafredo in the coffee cartel and the Brenntag Group in the chemical distribution cartel.

  • Defended various German based companies / subsidiaries and individuals in investigations by public authorities inter alia against allegations based on tax evasion, bid rigging, corruption, fraud and subsidy fraud as well as export control and product safety violations.

  • Defended a former personally liable shareholder of the financial institute Sal Oppenheim in court proceedings against breach of trust charges.

  • Advised numerous companies in relation to risk analysis and the conception and implementation of antitrust and white collar crime compliance programs, including setting up internal compliance processes and documentation, designing compliance guidelines and conducting compliance training.

  • Advised clients from the financial and insurance sector, the chemical and steel industry as well as other industries on their business models and contractual relationships, inter alia in relation to subcontractor, agent and distribution agreements as well as competitor cooperations and joint ventures.

 

Professional Honors

  • Frequently recommended Antitrust Lawyer, Juve (Germany) since 2023
  • Next Generation of leading Antitrust Partners, Legal 500 Germany since 2023
  • The Best Lawyers in Germany 2022 edition for Competition/Antitrust Law since 2020
  • The Best Lawyers in Germany 2022 edition for Corporate Governance & Compliance
  • Top lawyer for Compliance 2022, Wirtschaftswoche 2022

Professional Associations and Memberships

  • German Association of Antitrust Lawyers - (Studienvereinigung Kartellrecht) - Co-head of the North Rhine-Westphalia chapter
  • German White Collar Crime Association (WisteV) - Member
  • Association of Female Lawyers in White Collar Crime and Criminal Tax Law (JuWist) - Member
  • Criminal Law Commission of the German Women Lawyers Association (DJB) - Member
  • Criminal Law Section of the German Bar Association (DAV) - Member

Admissions

  • Germany (2007)

Education

  • Zertifizierte Beraterin für Steuerstrafrecht (DAA) (Certified Advisor for Criminal Tax Law) (2020)
  • Fachänwaltin für Strafrecht (Bar-Certified Specialist Lawyer in Criminal Law) (2016)
  • University of Bonn (Dr. iur.) (2009)
  • Higher Regional Court of Cologne (Second State Exam) (2006)
  • University of Edinburgh (LL.M. European Law) (2003)
  • University of Bonn (First State Exam) (2002)
  • University of Lausanne (1999)

Languages

  • English
  • French
  • German

Publications

  • Co-author (with Katharina Weiner und Pia König): „Germany: Illegal lobbying – New criminal offense to combat corruption,” Global Compliance News, June 2024
  • Author, „Anforderungen an kartellrechtliche Durchsuchungsbeschlüsse - Anmerkung zu LG Bonn – Kabel IV,“ Wirtschaft und Wettbewerb (WuW) 06/2024
  • Co-author (with Christian Horstkotte), EuGH: Urteil vom 16.7.2020 – C‑606/18 P - Nachprüfungsbefugnisse der Europäischen Kommission bei kartellrechtlichen Durchsuchungen von Geschäftsräumen (Nexans), Zeitschrift für Internationales Wirtschaftsrecht (IWRZ), 5/2020 
  • Co-author (with G: Schmittmann), "Kapitel 9 A - Korruptionsprävention," Grützner/Momsen, Wirtschafts- und Steuerstrafrecht - Handbuch für die Unternehmens- und Anwaltspraxis, 2. Auflage (2020)
  • Co-author (with E. Basar), "Mehr Einflussmöglichkeiten für die Verteidigung in Kartellbußgeldverfahren − eine Anmerkung zum „Flüssiggas III“-Beschluss des BGH," Wirtschaft und Wettbewerb (WuW) Online, November 2019
  • Co-author (with Christian Horstkotte), "Urteilsanmerkung EuGH: Verhängung von Geldbußen nach unionsrechtlichen und nationalen Wettbewerbsregeln in einer Entscheidung – kein Verstoß gegen den Grundsatz ne bis in idem," Betriebsberater (BB), Mai 2019
  • Author, "Corporate group companies tendering separately in public tenders may need to prove absence of collusion," Global Compliance News, November 2017

Geschäftsführer: Dr. Alexander Wolff, Dr. Oliver Socher, Dr. Christian Vocke
Baker McKenzie Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbH von Rechtsanwälten und Steuerberatern is registered with the Local Court of Frankfurt/Main (registered seat) HRB 123975. It is associated with Baker & McKenzie International, a Verein organized under the laws of Switzerland.