Partner

Dr. Henrik Drinkuth

Rechtsanwalt

Languages

German
English
French

Social media

Henrik Drinkuth is a Corporate/M&A partner with more than 20 years‘ experience advising German and international companies on mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, public takeovers, corporate restructurings as well as on stock corporation law matters. He has special expertise in the media sector.

Henrik started his legal career with Bruckhaus Westrick Stegemann and joined CMS towards the end of 1997. He has been a partner since 2001 and is co-head of the takeover law excellence cluster.

Awards & Recognitions

01 –

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Listed for Private Equity

Deutschlands beste Anwälte 2025 – Handelsblatt in Kooperation mit Best Lawyers
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Listed for Corporate

Deutschlands beste Anwälte 2025 – Handelsblatt in Kooperation mit Best Lawyers
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Listed for Mergers and Acquisitions

Deutschlands beste Anwälte 2025 – Handelsblatt in Kooperation mit Best Lawyers
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Nennung im Top-M&A-Anwälte-Ranking 2024

FINANCE Magazin
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„Oft empfohlen“ für Gesellschaftsrecht

JUVE Handbuch, 2024/2025
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Listed for Private Equity

Deutschlands beste Anwälte 2024 – Handelsblatt in Kooperation mit Best Lawyers
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Listed for Corporate

Deutschlands beste Anwälte 2024 – Handelsblatt in Kooperation mit Best Lawyers
Quote

Listed for Mergers and Acquisitions

Deutschlands beste Anwälte 2024 – Handelsblatt in Kooperation mit Best Lawyers
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„Oft empfohlen“ für Gesellschaftsrecht

JUVE Handbuch, 2023/2024
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„konstruktiver Kollege, fachlich exzellent“, Wettbewerber

JUVE Handbuch, 2023/2024
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Listed for Corporate

Deutschlands beste Anwälte 2023 – Handelsblatt in Kooperation mit Best Lawyers
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Listed for Mergers and Acquisitions

Deutschlands beste Anwälte 2023 – Handelsblatt in Kooperation mit Best Lawyers
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"highly experienced, pleasant, masterful", competitor

JUVE German Commercial Law Firms 2022 (GCLF)
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"Recommended" for Corporate and M&A

JUVE German Commercial Law Firms 2018-2022 (GCLF)
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Nennung als Top Anwalt für den Bereich M&A

WirtschaftsWoche Top-Kanzleien 2021; In Kooperation mit: Handelsblatt Research Institute
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Lawyer of the Year for Corporate

Deutschlands beste Anwälte 2021 – Handelsblatt in Kooperation mit Best Lawyers
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"knows how to close a deal, when it’s worth fighting and when it’s time to compromise" (client)

JUVE German Commercial Law Firms 2020 (GCLF)
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"technically precise, always solution-oriented and pragmatic" (competitor)

JUVE German Commercial Law Firms 2020 (GCLF)
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„sein Pragmatismus u. sein Verhandlungsgeschick sind herausragend“, Mandant

JUVE Handbuch, 2022/2023
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„Oft empfohlen“ für Gesellschaftsrecht

JUVE Handbuch, 2022/2023

Relevant experience

Wärtsilä Group (Finland) | On the sale of the group’s entertainment business to Videlio S.A (France)
BioCheck International N.V. (Netherlands) | On the acquisition of BioteCon Diagnostics GmbH
Supervisory board of TLG Immobilien AG | On the takeover offer of Aroundtown SA to the shareholders of TLG Immobilien AG
Acciona SA (Spain) | On the public takeover offer to the shareholders of Nordex SE
CTS Eventim AG & Co. KGaA | On the joint venture with FNAC Darty (France) regarding France Billet
Federal State of Lower Saxony | On the recapitalisation of NORD/LB
Wärtsilä Group (Finland) | On the sale of Wärtsilä ELAC Nautik GmbH

Publications

Handbuch börsennotierte AG, 4.Auflage, Die öffentliche Übernahme börsennotierter Gesellschaften, Übertragung von Aktien gegen Barabfindung (Squeeze out) Verlag Dr. Otto Schmidt Köln; herausgegeben von Marsch-Barner/Schäfer 2018, p. 1939, p. 2144
Chapter "Public Takeovers of Listed Corporations" und "Transfer of Shares against Cash Compensation (Squeeze out)" in Guide to Listed Companies, 3rd ed. 2014
Numerous articles on stock corporation law, takeover law and law on limited liability companies
Numerous articles on German stock corporation and takeover law, newspapers and law magazines 2008
Shareholders' Rights in view of Authorized Capital, The Stock Corporation (NJW) 2006, p. 142 ff
Provisions on the Exclusion of Shareholders under the "Sword of Damokles", New Law Journal (NJW) 2006, p. 410 ff
Formalised Information Rights in respect of so-called "Holzmueller-Resolutions"?, The Stock Corporation (AG) 2005, p. 256 ff
Information Requirements in respect of Resolutions according to Sect. 33 German Takeover Akt (§ 33 WpüG), The Stock Corporation (AG) 2005, p. 597 ff
Duties and Obligations of the Board Members of a Target Company in the Event of Public Offers in Reforms Needs for German Takeover Law, ed. by Veil/Drinkuth, Carl Heymanns-Verlag Cologne 2005, p. 0 59
Manual on the Listed Stock Corporation, Public Takeovers of Listed Companies, Verlag Dr. Otto Schmidt Cologne; ed. by Marsch-Barner/Schäfer 2005, p. 0 1915
Berichtspflicht des Vorstands beim genehmigten Kapital unter Ausschluss des Bezugsrechts, Der Syndikus, Legalease Ltd. 2004, p. 1 ff
Exclusion of Pre-Emptive Rights in view of European Company Law, International Tax Law Journal (IStR) 1997, p. 312 ff
The Capital Directive, At-Least or At-Most Provision, Verlag Dr. Otto Schmidt, Cologne 1997

Memberships & Roles

Gesellschaftsrechtliche Vereinigung (association of company law)
Board member of Gesellschaft Hamburger Juristen (lawyers association in Hamburg)

Lectures list

Legal Issues pertaining to Group-Financing, AmCham-Seminar, Frankfurt, April 2003
Duties and Obligations of the Board Members of a Target Company in the Event of Public Offers, Symposion on Takeover Law at Bucerius Law School, Hamburg, July 2004
Succession of Undertakings, Conference on Legal and Tax Aspects on the Succession of Undertakings, Hamburg, April 2005
Techniques of Contract Drafting A Lawyer's Perspective, Asian-European Business Transactions, ICGS, Hamburg, February / March 2006
Intellectual Property in Venture Capital- and Private Equity-Transactions, Euroforum, Dusseldorf, 23/24 August 2006

Education

1996 PhD; thesis on European stock corporation law
1994: Second state examination in law
1992: First state examination in law
1987 - 1991: Law studies at the Universities of Bayreuth, Lausanne and Mainz
1985 - 1987: Traineeship with Dresdner Bank AG

Practice Areas

Corporate / M&A Banking & Finance Stock corporation law

sectors

Private Equity & Venture Capital

Insights

Global Reach

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