Hans-Hermann has been acting for corporations that have been subject to a monitorship, typically following their involvement in bribery and corruption, fraud and related financial crimes, for several years. His appointments have included advice to a German DAX 30-listed company in relation to tainted activities in Central Asia as well as advice to a Chinese TMT company on disclosure obligations following its entering into a deferred prosecution agreement.
Currently, he is advising Larry Thompson, the DoJ appointed Monitor of Volkswagen Group on all matters of German and European labour and data protection matters.
After obtaining a banking diploma, Hans-Hermann read law and economics in Münster (PhD), Düsseldorf and Sydney (LL.M.). Besides this, he underwent executive training in law firm leadership at Harvard Law School. He went to school in Phoenix/Az. and worked for Deutsche Bank, Allianz and the German Chamber of Commerce in Bangkok, Johannesburg and Singapore before joining a leading international law firm in 1999.
Hans-Hermann joined Simmons & Simmons in Düsseldorf as a partner in 2002. He led the firm’s German offices for more than ten years and oversaw its expansion into now three locations in Düsseldorf, Frankfurt and Munich. In addition, he has been Head of the firm’s Global Dispute Resolution Practice Group and a member of the International Executive Committee since 2008. Chambers Global cites clients who describe Hans-Hermann as "a consummate professional who explains difficult legal issues in plain English, which is remarkable given that it is not his first language. He is engaging, straightforward and extremely pleasant to work with". The leading German weekly magazine WirtschaftsWoche ranks him as one of Germany’s top practitioners for compliance.
He publishes frequently in the areas of employment and criminal law. By invitation of the United Nations, Hans-Hermann advised the government of the Palestinian administrated regions on anti-corruption legislation and acted as a trainer for the legal authorities in 2013. In 2015, members of the German parliament consulted him as a legal expert on the draft legislation against corruption in the health sector.
1989, apprenticeship - Deutsche Bank AG, Aachen/Germany, best graduate at Chamber of Commerce
1996, law degree - University of Münster/Germany, with high distinction, top 8% nationwide
1998, Dr. jur. (German equivalent to JD) - University of Münster
1999, German bar exam - Düsseldorf/Germany, high distinction, top 3% nationwide
2000, LL.M. Master of Laws - University of Sydney/Australia, high distinction
2008, executive training in law firm leadership - Harvard Law School
Düsseldorf bar
Alumni of the University of Sydney
TMA - Turnaround Managers' Association
Certfied banker, Aachen/Germany, 1989