Photo of Anika Schürmann

Dr. Anika Schürmann LL.M.

Partner
Baker McKenzie Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbH von Rechtsanwälten und Steuerberatern

Biography

Dr. Anika Schürmann is a Partner in Baker McKenzie’s Dusseldorf office. She is a bar-certified professional in criminal law (Fachanwältin für Strafrecht) and has extensive experience in advising in all antitrust and white collar crime related matters. She is admitted to the Dusseldorf bar and is a member of the German White Collar Crime Association, the Criminal Law Section of the German Bar Association, the Criminal Law Commission of the German Women Lawyers Association, the Association of Female Lawyers in White Collar Crime and Criminal Tax Law as well as the German Association of Antitrust Lawyers. Prior to joining Baker McKenzie in 2013, Anika was a member of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer’s antitrust team (2007-2011), and practiced at Wessing & Partner, a Dusseldorf law firm that specializes in white collar crime law (2012-2013).

Anika's antitrust and criminal law expertise has repeatedly been recognized by The Legal 500, the renowned German business magazine Handelsblatt has ranked her as one of Germany's Best Antitrust Lawyers since 2020 while the renowned German business magazine Wirtschaftswoche ranks her as one of Germany's Best Compliance Lawyers.

Practice Focus

Anika advises clients on all aspects of antitrust and white collar crime law, with a particular focus on handling complex antitrust and white collar crime proceedings before German and European authorities and courts. Anika also has in-depth experience in conducting internal investigations and in designing and implementing compliance programs in the areas of antitrust and white collar crime. In addition, she frequently advises clients on the admissibility of business models and contractual relationships with business partners. Recent clients include multinational companies from the IT, pharma, transport, finance and insurance sector as well as from the energy, consumer and construction industry.

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

  • The Best Lawyers in Germany 2022 edition for Competition / Antitrust Law since 2020
  • Next Generation of leading Antitrust Partners, Legal 500 Germany 2023 edition
  • 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 Rhineland 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
  • 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