Dr. Thomas Helck

Partner, Frankfurt

Biography

“Frequently recommended lawyer for compliance investigations” (JUVE Handbook 2020/2021) and “Top Lawyer for Compliance” (WirtschaftsWoche 04/2022)

Overview

Thomas advises decision-makers and businesses in white collar and administrative proceedings both on national and international level. He has more than a decade of experience in white collar and administrative investigation matters including criminal defense of corporations and individuals.

He advises and represents clients with respect to a wide variety of offences including lack of supervision, tax evasion, bribery, corruption, money-laundering, market manipulation, insider trading and investment fraud. Furthermore, he supports clients in case of dawn raids by investigation authorities.

Thomas is specialized in internal investigations, white collar defence as well as in establishing and reviewing compliance management systems, frequently sharing his knowledge both as an instructor for compliance trainings and as a speaker at conferences.

Prior to joining White & Case LLP, Thomas led the German white-collar department of an UK Magic Circle law firm and worked as a public prosecutor in Munich investigating white-collar offences for five years. He started his career as lawyer in 2006 working for a Tier 1 US law firm.

Thomas speaks and writes articles on white-collar crime and investigations regularly.

Bars and Courts
Rechtsanwalt
Education
Dr jur
University of Heidelberg
Second State Exam
Higher Regional Court of Wiesbaden
First State Exam
University of Heidelberg
Student Exchange
University of Lausanne
Switzerland
Languages
English
German
French

Experience

Consumer retail products
Advice with regard to the implementation of a group wide compliance management system in eleven countries covering the key risk areas such as anti-bribery & corruption, anti-money laundering, anti-trust and the obligations from the new German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (LkSG).

Market-leading service provider
Assisting a market-leading service provider with conducting a global business partner AFC compliance due diligence including AML, anti-bribery and international sanctions and embargoes and corresponding internal regulations and processes.

Globally active telemedia service provider
Advising a globally active telemedia service provider and representing it in connection with enquiries from law enforcement agencies and criminal courts; providing advice and representation in administrative fine proceedings involving group companies.

Internationally operating cable manufacturer
Advice with regard to the seizure of data by a German law enforcement agency and representation in the complaint proceedings before the competent district court.

Internationally known artist
Advice with regard to criminal proceedings of the competent district court and representation as witness counsel.

International industrial service provider
Representing an international industrial service provider and providing advice, including in internal investigations in response to preliminary criminal proceedings related to suspected bribery in international business transactions.

International peer-to-peer lending platform
Advice with regard to obligations under the German Anti-money Laundering Act (GwG) relating to the re-structuring of the business relationship with a financial institution.

Private public partnership company
Assistance with an internal investigation and representation with regard to a criminal investigation of the public prosecutors’ office on the suspicion of subsidy fraud.

Managing director of a trading company
Advice and representation with regard to a criminal investigation of the public prosecutors’ office on the suspicion of unfair advertisement and fraud.

International car manufacturer*
Advice and representation of an international car manufacturer with regard to criminal investigations of the public prosecutors’ office in connection with the Diesel issue.

International industrial group*
Advice and representation with regard to criminal investigations of the public prosecutors’ office on suspicion of tax fraud through the formation of allegedly inadmissible provisions.

Trading company*
Comprehensive internal investigation with regard to criminal investigations of the public prosecutors’ office on the suspicion of bribery and tax fraud in connection with business activities in Africa and the Middle East.

German defense company*
Assisting the minority shareholder with regard to criminal investigations of the public prosecutors’ office on the suspicion of bribery and tax fraud in connection with business activities in several countries.

International airplane manufacturer*
Advice with regard to a criminal investigation of the public prosecutors’ office on the suspicion of corruption, tax fraud and embezzlement in connection with the sale of aircrafts.

*Matters prior to joining White & Case

Speaking Engagements

Presentation on "Handling criminal investigation from the perspective of a corporation", Symposium on Tax and Commercial Criminal Law, ESV Akademie, Berlin, October 2021

Presentation on "Current status of/Outlook regarding the implementation of the EU-Whistle Blower Directive in Germany", 12th Anti-Corruption & Compliance Summit, DKN Networks, Frankfurt/Main, September 2021

Speaker on the panel "Internal investigations, reform and legal privilege", 3rd Annual GIR Live Event, Frankfurt/Main, November 2019

Presentation "Criminal law", WM-Practice Seminar: Cybersecurity, Frankfurt am Main, June 2019

Lecture "Internal Investigations – Effective planning and execution" (with Nadine Mayer), Euroforum Compliance Academy, Heilbronn, December 2014

Presentation on criminal investigations concerning corporations, German Compliance Congress, Berlin, March 2014

Publications

Liability in tax and commercial law – A practical manual for companies and consultants (Chapter: Personal criminal responsibility of corporate management, p. 34-84), ESV – Erich Schmidt Verlag, December 2022

Supply Chain Due Diligence Act sets standards, Börsen-Zeitung, December 2021

GLI – Global Legal Insights – Bribery & Corruption, 2022, 9th edition, German Chapter (with Karl-Jörg Xylander & Dr. Tine Schauenburg), glg – global legal group, December 2021

Supply Chain Due Diligence Act: What companies need to prepare for in the future, Betriebs Berater (27/2021), July 2021

The new Supply Chain Due Diligence Act: Potential Liability under Civil Law and Administrative Law, July 2021 (Client Alert Commercial Litigation / White Collar/Investigations / International Arbitration with Sonja Hoffmann, Christian Theissen and Christoph Zuschlag)

GLI – Global Legal Insights – Bribery & Corruption, 2021, 8th edition, German Chapter (with Karl-Jörg Xylander & Dr. Tine Schauenburg), glg – global legal group, December 2020

New round in the fight against money laundering, Börsen-Zeitung, 171/2020, p. 9

GLI – Global Legal Insights – Bribery & Corruption, 2020, 7th edition, German Chapter (with Karl-Jörg Xylander & Dr. Tine Schauenburg), glg – global legal group, December 2019

German legislative initiative on new corporate sanctions law (Client Alert White Collar/Investigations with Dr. Alexander Kiefner, Dr. Tine Schauenburg and Karl-Jörg Xylander) September 2019

Seizure of documents from an internal investigation, juris PraxisReport Compliance & Investigations 5/2018, Annotation 1

Seizure protection for defense documents accidentally sent to the public prosecutor's office, juris PraxisReport Compliance & Investigations 3/2018, Annotation 3

Sufficient specification of the suspected offence and the period of the offence in the search warrant, juris PraxisReport Compliance & Investigations 3/2017, Annotation 2

Seizure protection independent of formal suspect status, juris PraxisReport Compliance & Investigations 6/2016, Annotation 1

No seizure protection for compliance ombudspersons, juris PraxisReport Compliance & Investigations 5/2016, Annotation 1

Seizure protection for documents from internal investigations, Journal der Wirtschaftsstrafrechtlichen Vereinigung e.V. WiJ 2016, pp. 83 et seq.

Seizure protection for legal documents prepared for the defense of companies, juris PraxisReport Compliance & Investigations 3/2015, Annotation 1

Self-reporting in foreign trade law (with Dr. Daphne Petry), Zeitschrift für Zölle und Verbrauchsteuern, ZfZ 2015, pp. 151 et seq.

Violation of operational supervisory duties in a group of companies, juris PraxisReport Compliance & Investigations 2/2015, Annotation 1

Embezzlement by board members of the Kassenärztliche Vereinigung, juris PraxisReport Compliance & Investigations 1/2015, Annotation 5

Public Prosecutor's investigations in the company, Compliance Berater, CB 2014, pp. 83 et seq.

Awards and Recognition

Frequently recommended lawyer for compliance investigations, JUVE 2020-2023

"Great entrepreneurial understanding" (competitor); "professional, experienced and pleasant to deal with", "pragmatic", "committed and experienced" (competitor, criminal law)

Best Lawyer Germany in Commercial Criminal Law, Handelsblatt 2022

Leading Individual, Future Leaders Investigations Germany, Who's Who Legal 2019-2022

At White & Case, Thomas Helck excels when it comes to advising clients on highly sophisticated internal investigations and business crime defence proceedings

Top Lawyer in Compliance, WirtschaftsWoche 2020-2022

Key lawyer in Internal Investigations, Compliance and Commercial Criminal Law, The LEGAL 500, 2021-2022

Very in the details of the case, balanced and accurate recommendations. Very good expertise in criminal law

Excellent lawyer for Internal Investigations and Compliance-Programs, LEADERS LEAGUE 2022