Attorney-at-Law

Dr. Ruediger Theiselmann

As a legal board advisor, I guide managing directors, board members, supervisory board members, and owners through legal, financial, and strategic decisions. My experience working with more than 80 companies and institutions enables me to assess complex business challenges from both legal and commercial perspectives—whether in projects, transactions, or day-to-day operations. I bring expertise and leadership experience gained in major corporations, SMEs, and start-ups, as well as experience navigating both growth and crisis—spanning everything from founding and organic or inorganic growth to restructuring, insolvency, and liquidation. My background includes serving as a managing director in Germany, the Netherlands, Hong Kong, and the USA, and handling M&A transactions across every continent. I combine a global network with local execution, blending analytical rigor with creativity. I operate in both digital and analog environments, providing highly personal, real-time, and independent counsel.

Professional Career
Since 2015: Self-employed lawyer and entrepreneur
2013 to 2015: Executive Partner at Wellensiek Rechtsanwälte PartGmbB

>> Legal Advisory:
Distressed M&A, Trusteeships, Advisory to Executives, Scheme of Arrangement

>> Law Firm Management

2007 to 2013: Senior Corporate Finance Executive and Head of Corporate Center at Commerzbank AG (Corporates & Markets / Corporate Finance)

>> Senior Corporate Finance Executive:
M&A, Syndicated Loans, Bonds, Private Placements, Financial Restructurings; Origination, Execution, Financial Modelling

>> Head of Corporate Center in Corporate Finance / Corporates & Markets:
International Business Development for all Corporate Finance Departments

2005 to 2007: Assistant to the Board of Management at Commerzbank AG

>> Operational Business: Private & Business Clients / Asset Management

>> Management Board Meetings

>> Investor Relations, Corporate Strategy

>> Supervisory Board Assistance: Corporate Secretary Services

1999 to 2002: PR and Strategy Manager at Deutsche Bank AG

Public Relations, Content Marketing, Corporate Publishing, Corporate Strategy, Strategic Partnerships

1995 to 1999: Freelance journalist for newspapers and TV stations

Approx. 2,500 articles and interviews for regional and supra-regional media, in particular about business topics

Education
1997 to 2001: Legal studies in Bielefeld and Cologne

Focus: Business Law

2002: First State Exam in Cologne
2002 to 2003: PhD in Law (Dr. iur.) in Cologne

Doctoral Thesis: “Intellectual Property In The Information Society – Legal Implications of Digital Works Usage” (C.H. Beck, 2004)

2004 to 2005: LL.M. studies in Cologne

Focus: Management, Corporate Law

2003 to 2005: Legal clerkship in Münster / Second State Exam, Bar Exam
2005 to 2006: B.A. in Banking at Frankfurt School of Finance & Management

Legal Core Areas

Duties of Directors and Officers of Distressed Companies

Corporate Finance (M&A, Equity, Debt)

Financial Restructurings

Business Judgment Rule / Fiduciary Duties of Executives