Markus Weber has more than 15 years of experience advising German and international corporate and private equity clients in cross-border private and public transactions, joint ventures, restructurings, and general corporate and capital markets law matters. He also provides boardroom advice on corporate governance and compliance matters and liability prevention strategies for board members.
Recent transactions and projects include: SUEZ's € 1.1 billion divestiture of its recycling and recovery operations in several European countries to PreZero, Plastic Omnium in the acquisition of the automotive lighting systems (AMLS) business from ams OSRAM group, Amadeus FiRe AG in its €200 million acquisition of ComCave Holding GmbH, Panalpina Welttransport (Holding) AG on its $4.6 billion public takeover by DSV A/S, Fosun's acquisition of FFT from ATON, Lincoln Electric in the acquisition of Air Liquide Welding from Air Liquide, GfK SE in connection with the €2 billion takeover and subsequent taking private by KKR, VREP in connection with the sale of ZMDI to IDT for $307 million, and MAHLE's acquisition of the thermal division of automotive supplier Delphi PLC for $727 million.
Other clients in recent representations, in which Markus acted mostly as lead or co-lead lawyer, include AGIC, Eastman, Fosun, Milliken & Company, NGK, PAG, PolyOne, SAP, and Tenneco.
Markus also has worked in San Francisco, Frankfurt, and London. He has written extensively on the German Stock Corporation Act (AktG) and on M&A-related topics. He is a member of the German-American Lawyers' Association (DAJV), the German-Swiss Lawyers' Association (DSJV), and the Scientific Association for Company and Corporate Law (VGR).
Experience
Additional Publications
- 2022
Hölters/Weber, Aktiengesetz, Commentary on the German Stock Corporation Act ("AktG"), 4th edition; co-editor and author Sect. 76-89, 162 AktG, provisions regarding the Management Board. - 2021
Schalast/Keibel, Handbuch Deutsche Kreditmarkt-Standards, co-author of chapter: ESG - Sustainable Finance from a credit markets' perspective. - 2019
Hölters, Handbook Acquisition of Companies (Handbuch Unternehmenskauf), 9th edition, author of chapter 9 "The Company and Share Purchase Agreement" - 2017
Hölters, Kommentar AktG, Commentary on the German Stock Corporation Act ("AktG"), 3rd Edition, author Sect. 76 to 90 AktG, provisions regarding the Management Board - April 8, 2016
Subsequent reduction of the compensation of board members because of a deterioration of the situation of the company (Nachträgliche Herabsetzung der Vorstandsbezüge wegen Verschlechterung der Lage der Gesellschaft - zugleich Besprechung des BGH-Urteils vom 27.10.2015 - II ZR 296/14), Der Betrieb 2016, page 815 - 819. - 2014
Hölters, Kommentar AktG, Commentary on the German Stock Corporation Act ("AktG"), 2nd Edition, author Sect. 76 to 90 AktG, provisions regarding the Management Board - February 2012
Manager’s liability (Manager in der Pflicht) – Interview, IT-Director - 2011
Hölters, Kommentar AktG, Commentary on the German Stock Corporation Act („AktG“), author Sect. 76 to 90 AktG, provisions regarding the Management Board - 2010
Reform in permanence: The 2011 draft amendment to the German Stock Corporation Act (Nach der Reform ist vor der Reform: Die Aktienrechtsnovelle 2011), AnwaltSpiegel - July 30, 2008
Betrayal of secrets by supervisory board members (Geheimnisverrat im Aufsichtsrat), Interview, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) - February 4, 2006
Premature Reappointment of Board Members (Vorzeitige Wiederbestellung von Vorstandsmitgliedern), Börsen-Zeitung - September 2005
Still Pie-in-the-sky, Start for the Real Estate Investmemnt Trust (G-Reit) delayed (Noch Zukunftsmusik – Startschuss für die neuen Immobilienaktien G-REITs steht noch aus), Handelsblatt - 2005
Premature Reappointment of Board Members (vorzeitige Wiederbestellung von Vorstandsmitgliedern), AG 2005, 629-634 - 2002
The Taxation of Life Estates in Cases of German-Swiss Inheritances (Die Besteuerung von Nießbrauch und Nutznießung in deutsch-schweizerischen Erb- und Schenkungsfällen – Erbschaft- und Schenkungsteuer bei der Übertragung unternehmerisch gebundenen Vermögens)
Additional Speaking Engagements
- May 8, 2019
Ringvorlesung zum Gesellschaftsrecht: Shareholder Activism, Universität Freiburg, Deutschland - May 7, 2019
Nachhaltigkeit aus rechtlicher Sicht, Deutsche Kreditmarkt-Standards e.V., Frankfurt am Main, Deutschland - July 1, 2013
Unternehmens- und Anteilskaufverträge bei M&A-Transaktionen, Sommerlehrgang „Der Unternehmenskaufvertrag“, Verlag Dr. Otto Schmidt, Köln) - March/April 2011
„Aktuelle Anforderungen für Vorstände und Aufsichtsräte – Haftungsfallen vermeiden“
"Very competent, very personable, entrepreneurial, thorough understanding of economics and capital markets."Legal 500
- Second State Examination (Ministry of Justice, Mainz, 2002); University of Trier (Dr. jur. magna cum laude 2001); First State Examination (Ministry of Justice, Mainz, 1998)
- Germany
Handelsblatt/Best Lawyers in Germany (2019/2020/2021): among the best in Private Equity
Legal 500 Germany: "next generation" leading lawyer (large cap M&A) (2021/2022); "very competent, very personable, entrepreneurial, thorough understanding of economics and capital markets (2022)
- German, English