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Portrait ofDirk Baukholt

Dr. Dirk Baukholt, LL.M. (Victoria University of Wellington)

Principal Counsel
Rechtsanwalt

CMS Hasche Sigle
Neue Mainzer Straße 2–4
60311 Frankfurt
Germany
Languages German, English, French, Italian

Dirk Baukholt has long-standing experience as a transaction lawyer, having advised in numerous national and international transactions. His advisory practice focuses on M&A and private equity transactions, corporate restructurings as well as general corporate law issues. Another focus of his expertise is litigation, in particular in connection with sales of companies (M&A litigation). His clients include medium-sized and listed companies, shareholders and corporate organs as well as insurance companies, the latter of which he particularly advises in connection with warranty and indemnity insurances.

Dirk joined the CMS Frankfurt office in 2008 and became principal counsel in 2022.

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Relevant experience

Germany

  • Advising QME Qingdao Machinery Industry Corp, a Chinese investor, on the takeover of Künkel-Wagner Prozesstechnologie GmbH
  • Advising the shareholders on the sale of a minority share in Avantgarde Gesellschaft für Kommunikation mbH to AFINUM
  • Advising Techem on the sale of Industrieheizkraftwerk Andernach (industrial cogeneration facility) to EEW Energy from Waste GmbH (EEW)
  • Advising Cascade Microtech on the takeover of ATT Advanced Temperature Test Systems GmbH
  • Advising Coherent, Inc. on the acquisition of Lumera Laser GmbH from ATON-Group
  • Advising 7(S) on the acquisition of a personnel service provider
  • Advising ECM on the sale of IN tIME-Group
  • Advising EMC on the acquisition of Kamps GmbH

Cross-border transaction (Germany/Switzerland/China)

  • Advising China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) on the acquisition of a group of companies that specialise in providing services in the engineering sector

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Memberships & Roles

  • DIS40 (under-40 group of German Arbitration Institution)
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Education

  • Second state examination in law
  • Trainee lawyer at Wiesbaden Regional Court
  • LL.M. at Victoria University of Wellington (New Zealand)
  • First state examination in law at the University of Konstanz
  • Law studies at the University of Koblenz
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Feed

15/04/2024
CMS advises Silver Investment Partners on setting up COHEMI Group
Frankfurt/Main – Consulting firms SIRIUS Consulting & Training, Acuroc Solutions and IQ Solutions have joined forces and will operate as members of the COHEMI Group going forward. The newly formed group will focus on IT, process and organisational consulting services. The aim is to jointly leverage the growth opportunities in the market and create economies of scale at group level. The planned growth will be supported by an investment from Silver Investment Partners (SIP), an independent equity finance investor specialising in medium-sized companies. The existing management of all three companies will remain both operationally and financially involved.A CMS team headed by lead partner Dr Peter Polke advised SIP on all legal aspects of acquisitions made in connection with structuring and expanding the majority stake in the COHEMI Group. Dr Peter Polke previously advised SIP during his time at King & Wood Mallesons. The private equity specialist moved from KWM to CMS with effect from 1 January 2024 and is now reinforcing the private equity practice at CMS. Based in Königstein im Taunus, SIP is an independent equity finance investor for medium-sized companies in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. As an entrepreneurial, experienced and trusted partner, Silver Investment Partners takes majority and minority stakes in companies with revenues of between EUR 5 and 100 million, with a focus on companies in the EUR 10 to 50 million range. The COHEMI Group comprises SIRIUS Consulting & Training GmbH, Acuroc Solutions GmbH and IQ Solutions GmbH. Their operational businesses currently employ almost 100 consultants across four locations in Germany, with the headquarters in Frankfurt am Main. The consulting group’s main focus at present is on IT governance, IT project management, (IT) service management, change management, asset strategy & performance management, data management and software asset and license management. The group intends to steadily expand its portfolio by pursuing a long-term buy-and-build strategy. CMS Germany Dr Peter Polke, Lead Partner Dr Dirk Baukholt, Principal Counsel Hanno Brandt, Senior Associate Julian Buhr, Legal Coordinator, all Corporate/M&A Carsten Domke, Partner Jonas Hötzel, Associate, both Labor, Employment & Pensions Philipp Lotze, Partner Theresa Lenger, Senior Associate, both IP/IT Stefan Lehr, Partner, RegulatoryPress Con­tact presse@cms-hs. com
26/03/2024
CMS advises SEFE on all aspects of acquiring WIGA Group
Hamburg – SEFE Securing Energy for Europe GmbH (SEFE) has acquired all the shares in WIGA Transport Beteili­gungs-GmbH & Co. KG (WIGA) from its co-shareholder Wintershall Dea AG. The transaction is currently awaiting approval from the competition authorities. SEFE is wholly owned by the Federal Republic of Germany. WIGA owns regulated gas pipeline operators GASCADE Gastransport GmbH and NEL Gastransport GmbH, who operate one of the largest high-pressure gas networks in Germany with a combined length of around 4,150 kilometres. These networks have a key role to play in European energy security and the green energy transformation. The transaction will strengthen SEFE in its role of ensuring secure and reliable energy supply in Germany and Europe, as well as boosting its hydrogen ex­pert­ise.“With the full acquisition of WIGA as sole shareholder, we are strategically strengthening SEFE as an independent and autonomous midstream company,” commented Reinhard Gorenflos, Chairman of the SEFE Supervisory Board.“SEFE being the sole shareholder of WIGA will ensure that GASCADE can convert the existing high-performance infrastructure to hydrogen in the future. In this way, we can help drive forward the green energy transformation. Transportation infrastructure is a pivotal part of the future hydrogen value chain,” said Dr Egbert Laege, CEO of SEFE. “The two WIGA subsidiaries, GASCADE and NEL, will continue to operate independently and market their capacity in a transparent and non-dis­crim­in­at­ory manner.”SEFE CFO Dr Christian Ohlms highlighted the importance of WIGA with regard to the privatisation of SEFE, which is due to take place by the end of 2028: “With this transaction, which is expected to complete by summer 2024, we are strengthening SEFE’s asset base. Our aim is to continue the long-term development of SEFE on a stable financial footing.”A multinational CMS team headed by Hamburg-based partner Dr Holger Kraft advised SEFE on all aspects of acquiring WIGA. In addition to extensive due diligence on the entire WIGA Group, including GASCADE and NEL, which are regulated under energy law, this work covered negotiation of the share purchase agreement and separate agreements with the shareholders of Wintershall Dea AG. Alongside negotiating the transaction agreements, the advice focused on safeguarding the transaction through several W&I insurance agreements, including negotiating the policies, and handling regulatory issues relating to gas network operation and other public-law matters. CMS Germany worked closely with the CMS law firms in the UK and Luxembourg, and with US law firm Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP. CMS previously advised the Federal Network Agency (BNetzA) and the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action in 2022 and 2023 around their trusteeship over SEFE and its subsequent nationalisation by way of corporate actions. The instructions for this transaction followed on from that successful cooperation. About SEFE:As an integrated midstream energy company headquartered in Berlin, SEFE Securing Energy for Europe ensures the security of energy supply in Germany and Europe and is driving the green energy transformation. SEFE is active in trading & portfolio management, sales, transportation and storage of energy and has its strongest presence in Germany and the UK. SEFE employs around 1,500 people and supplies over 50,000 customers, in particular industrial customers and municipal utilities in Germany and seven other European markets. With a sales volume of around 200 TWh of power and gas, SEFE plays a central role in stability of the energy supply in Germany and Europe. SEFE is owned by the Federal Government of Germany. CMS Germany Dr Holger Kraft, Lead Partner Dr Jan Schepke, Partner Matthias Sethmann, Principal Counsel Dr Dirk Baukholt, Principal Coun­sel Char­lotte von der Heydt-von Kalckreuth, Counsel Dr Stefan Kühl, Senior Associate Dr Paul Kintrup, Senior Associate, all Corporate/M&A Dr Rolf Hempel, Partner Dr Friedrich von Burchard, Partner Nicole Köppen, Senior Associate, all Regulatory Dr Hermann Müller, Partner Dr Arno Görlitz, Associate, both Public Commercial Law Dr Martin Mohr, Partner Dr Olaf Thießen, Principal Counsel, both Tax Dr Alexandra Schluck-Amend, Partner Manuel Nann, Senior As­so­ci­ate Pit-Jo­hannes Wagner, Associate, all Restructuring Dr Andreas Hofelich, Partner Dr Mario Brungs, Counsel Dr Lena Pingen, Associate, all Em­ploy­ment/Pen­sions Dr Fritz von Hammerstein, Partner Jan Gröschel, Senior Associate Heike Weyer, Senior Associate, all Public Law Dr Stefan Voß, Partner Tamara Bux, Associate, both Real Estate Dr Sebastian Cording, Partner Martin Krause, Partner Dr Shaya Stender, Associate Joel Coché, Associate, all Commercial Dr Julia Runge, Principal Counsel, Finance Dr Michael Bauer, Part­ner Chris­toff Henrik Soltau, Partner Dr Robert Bodewig, Senior Associate Luisa Thomasberger, Associate, all Antitrust, Competition & Trade CMS UK Russel Hoare, Partner Sam De Silva, Part­ner Jean-Fran­cois Willems, Of Counsel Jennifer Louch, Senior As­so­ci­ate Max­imili­an Weaver, Senior Associate Louisa Mottaz, Associate CMS Luxembourg Angelique Eguether, Senior As­so­ci­ate Guil­laume Flagollet, Managing Associate Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP (USA) Mollie D. Sitkowski Inhouse at SEFE Securing Energy for Europe GmbH Dr Jörg Kammerer Jörn RimkePress Con­tact presse@cms-hs. com
28/02/2024
CMS advises Bruker on the multi-jur­is­dic­tion­al acquisition of ELITech,...
Frankfurt/Main – Bruker has agreed to acquire ELITechGroup, a provider of specialty in vitro diagnostic (IVD) systems, from TecFin S.à r.l., a controlled affiliate of PAI Partners, a pre-eminent private equity firm, for EUR 870 million in cash, excluding the carved out ELITech clinical chemistry business. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2024, subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions.A team of CMS Germany headed by lead partner Dr Hendrik Hirsch acted as lead transaction counsel on this landmark transaction for Bruker's MDx business covering all M&A aspects of the transaction, IVDR and other regulatory aspects, antitrust and FDI filings, the carve out of the clinical chemistry business and support on the employee consultation processes in France and the Netherlands. ELITechGroup, with over 500 employees and over 40 active patents, develops and commercializes innovative, proprietary molecular diagnostic (MDx) systems and assays, as well as niche biomedical systems and microbiology products. Its molecular diagnostic business accounts for the majority of the to-be-acquired revenues and provides the unique sample-to-answer (S2A) instruments InGenius® and Be-Genius® in the mid-to-high throughput MDx category with PCR diagnostic assays for infections and diseases. ELITechGroup, excluding the clinical chemistry business, achieved approximately EUR 150 million in revenues in 2023. ELITechGroup generates the majority of its revenues from Europe, with significant business also in North and Latin America. Its major R&D and production sites are in Italy, the United States, France and Germany. CMS Germany Dr Hendrik Hirsch, Partner, Co-Lead Dr Jacob Siebert, Partner, Co-Lead Dr Dirk Baukholt, Principal Counsel Dr Berrit Roth-Mingram, Counsel Dr Maximilian Stark, Senior Associate, all Corporate/M&A Dr Roland Wiring, Partner Lukas Burgdorff, Associate Noah Rodenkirchen, Associate, all Regulatory & Lifesciences Dr Thomas Hirse, Part­ner Se­basti­an Vautz, Senior Associate Lisa Dietrich, Associate, all IP Dr Michael Bauer, Partner Stefan Lehr, Partner Kai Neuhaus, Partner Moritz Pottek, Counsel Dr. Denis Schlimpert, Counsel Kirsten Baubkus-Gerard, Senior Associate David Rappenglück, As­so­ci­ate Be­ne­dikt Christian Voss, Associate, all Antitrust, Competition & Trade Dr Thomas de la Motte, Partner Dr Markus Pfaff, Partner Dr André Frischemeier, Partner Hatice Aykel, Counsel Alisa Brehm, Senior Associate Thomas Schaak, Senior Associate Dr Sait Dogan, Associate, all Banking & Finance  Dr André Lippert, Part­ner Con­stan­ze Schweidtmann, Associate, both Real Estate & Public Dr Boris Alles, Partner Dr Theresa Kipp, Senior Associate, both Labor, Employment & Pensions CMS France Benoît Gomel, Partner Vincent Desbenoit, Associate Dylan Allali, all Corporate/M&A Caroline Froger-Michon, Partner Aurélie Parchet, As­so­ci­ate Ca­m­ille Baumgarten, Associate Sophie Yin, all Em­ploy­ment Claire Vannini, Partner Eleni Moraïtou, Coun­sel Lilia-Ori­ana Dif, Associate Ariane Rolin, all Competition & EU  Jean-Bap­tiste Thiénot, Partner Anaïs Arnal, Associate, both Intellectual Property Laurine Mayer, Associate, TMC Alexandre Chazot, Counsel, Banking & Fin­ance  Thi­erry Granier, Partner Renaud Grob, Partner, both Tax Arnaud Valverde, Senior Associate, Real Estate Olivier Kuhn, Partner Cécile Rebiffé, Counsel Mylène Garrouste, all Dispute Res­ol­u­tion Kawthar Ben Khelil, Coun­sel Jean-Pierre Malili, Associate, both Public law/In­fra­struc­ture CMS Italy Massimo Trentino, Partner, Corporate/M&A Maria Letizia Patania, Partner, Lifescience & Healthcare Gian Marco Lettieri, Senior Associate, Employment & Pensions Giulio Poggioli, Counsel Valerio Giuseppe Daniele, As­so­ci­ate Francesca Durante, Junior As­so­ci­ate  Arianna Toccaceli, Junior Associate, all Banking & Finance CMS Luxembourg Gérard Maitrejean, Partner Miruna Poenaru, Coun­sel Max­imili­an Helfgen, Associate, all Corporate/M&A CMS UK Jack Letson, Partner Lindsay McAllister, Associate, both Corporate/M&A David Dennis, Partner, Commercial CMS Netherlands Pieter van Duijvenvoorde, Partner Robert Jong, both Corporate/M&A Nigel Henssen Fleur van Assendelft de Coningh, both Employment Edmon Oude Elferink, Partner Marijke van der Vossen, both Antitrust, Competition & Trade CMS Serbia Radivoje Petrikić, Partner Mila Drljević, both Corporate/M&A CMS Austria Dieter Zandler, Partner Vanessa Horaceck, both Competition & EU CMS Ukraine Maria Orlyk, Partner Diana Valyeyeva CMS Turkiye Döne Yalçın, Partner Arcan Kemahlı,  Sa­ba­hat­tin Öztemiz Taner ElmasPress Con­tact presse@cms-hs. com
19/12/2023
CMS advises Vattenfall on all aspects of selling its district heating business...
Hamburg – Vattenfall has completed a strategic review of its Berlin district heating business and decided to sell it in full to the Federal State of Berlin. An agreement to this effect was signed by...
13/12/2023
CMS advises Friedrich Graepel AG on acquisition of SOLVARO GmbH
Frankfurt/Main – Friedrich Graepel AG, which is headquartered in the Lower Saxony town of Löningen, has acquired all the shares in SOLVARO GmbH and indirectly also those of its Hungarian subsidiary...
17/08/2023
CMS advises the shareholders of WSH Wurzinger Group on the sale to Kälte...
Frankfurt/Main – The WSH Wurzinger Group, founded in 1980 and a provider of technical building equipment with a focus on refrigeration, air conditioning and ventilation technology, was acquired by the...
13/06/2023
CMS advises fund managed by private equity firm ECM on acquisition of ONE...
Frankfurt/Main – German Equity Partners V (“GEP V” or the “Fund”) has taken an equity interest in the Düs­sel­dorf-based talent acquisition platform ONE HIRING Group (“1H”) through a partnership...
18/04/2023
CMS advises shareholders of IMAGE Group on sale of majority interest to...
Frankfurt/Main – The shareholders of IMAGE Information Systems Europe GmbH, a specialist in picture archiving and communication systems and radiology information systems, have sold a majority stake...
17/02/2023
CMS advises DPE Deutsche Private Equity on sale of VTU Group to Altor Funds
Frankfurt/Main – Funds advised by DPE Deutsche Private Equity have sold the VTU Group to Altor Funds, with the VTU management team likewise selling its interest in the company. DPE is an independent...
06/01/2023
CMS advises majority shareholders of Ogitix Software AG on sale to Imprivata...
Frankfurt/Main – Ogitix Software AG has been acquired by Imprivata Inc. as part of a succession plan. The combined platforms of Imprivata and Ogitix unimate provide dedicated integration with Dedalus...
11/11/2022
CMS advises managing partners, Arcus Capital and BE-Invest on sale of majority...
Cologne – The managing partners of the Lässig Group and private equity investors Arcus Capital and BE-Invest have sold a majority stake in the Baben­hausen-based Lässig Group to private equity firm...
10/10/2022
International transaction: CMS advises NORD Holding on sale of Bock Group...
Cologne – NORD Holding Un­ternehmens­beteili­gungs­gesell­schaft mbH has sold the Bock Group, a global heating and cooling company which is based in Frickenhausen (Baden-Württem­berg). The buyer is the Danfoss...