A business crisis is not an isolated event. It is an existential challenge that typically affects multiple areas of law and public perception simultaneously. Whether the threat is insolvency, a compliance breach, a cyberattack, or a shareholder dispute, speed and an interdisciplinary strategy can determine whether the business survives. Specialist advisors working in isolation can offer only partial answers. What is needed is a partner who grasps the full picture and acts in a coordinated way.
Schlun & Elseven is an interdisciplinary full-service law firm covering all critical areas of law in business crisis management. Under one roof, the firm brings together expertise in commercial and white-collar criminal law, insolvency and restructuring law, IT law, corporate law, and media and press law. Legal measures, regulatory communications, and reputation protection work in concert from the outset, coordinated and efficient, with the goal of not just guiding the business through the crisis but placing it on lasting stable ground.
Why a Full-Service Law Firm Is Essential for Corporate Crisis Management
Business crises tend to create multiple problems simultaneously. A cyberattack, for example, can give rise not only to technical damage but also to data protection breaches, reputational harm, and potential damages claims. Addressing these challenges in isolation is rarely effective, since uncoordinated measures in one area can worsen the situation in another.
Schlun & Elseven addresses this directly. While individual lawyers often cover only a single field, Schlun & Elseven brings together expertise in commercial law, white-collar criminal law, IT law, insolvency and restructuring, and many other disciplines under one roof. Specialists from different practice areas work together as a coordinated team from the very first moment, with services across all affected legal fields working in concert. This creates three critical advantages:
Immediate capacity to act. In a crisis, every hour counts. The firm takes over communications with prosecutors, authorities, and creditors, coordinated and effective, freeing management to focus on operational stabilization measures.
Comprehensive protection. Our lawyers assess criminal law risks, secure civil law claims, and protect personal assets against liability exposure under D&O principles.
Integrated crisis communications. Crises are often decided in the public arena. Ill-considered statements to the press can later be used in proceedings, and too little communication fuels rumor and erodes trust. Schlun & Elseven coordinates a communications strategy that is legally sound and simultaneously builds confidence with clients, business partners, and the public.
How Our Lawyers Manage a Business Crisis: Step by Step
Every crisis is different and demands tailored solutions, yet the approach follows a clear framework. What matters is not only what is done, but when and in what sequence. Early decisions determine whether and to what extent a crisis can be contained. Our team rapidly assesses the threat landscape, identifies liability risks, and develops a clear plan:
Immediate assessment. At first contact, an urgent analysis is carried out: what threats are immediate? Criminal proceedings, a payment default, a shareholder dispute? Measures are prioritized and a clear action plan established, covering what must be decided today and what deadlines apply.
Regulatory and authority management. Schlun & Elseven becomes the company’s voice before prosecutors and regulatory authorities. Proactive communication with authorities and targeted negotiations relieve pressure on management.
Creditor engagement and liquidity stabilization. When liquidity becomes a problem, banks, suppliers, and clients are brought into the process. Transparent communication and legal safeguards, including deferral agreements and credit restructuring, provide a bridge until restructuring measures take effect.
Crisis communications and reputation protection. In parallel, external communications are orchestrated: employees receive clear information about the situation, clients receive confirmation of their business relationship, and the public receives a consistent message. This prevents rumors and uncontrolled loss of trust.
Stabilization and return to normal operations. After the acute crisis has been managed, Schlun & Elseven continues to provide support by building compliance systems, establishing new governance structures, and preventing future crises. Through early advisory work and a rigorous review of processes and structures, many risks can be identified and addressed before they escalate. The goal is not simply to survive the current crisis, but to make the business permanently more resilient.
Corporate Crisis Legal Services: Practice Areas in Detail
Whether the challenge is an investigation, a liquidity crisis, a cyberattack, or a shareholder dispute, Schlun & Elseven is at your side from the very first hour, with a clear strategy, coordinated communications, and the goal of not simply guiding the business through the crisis but making it stronger in the long run. Engaging a full-service law firm that covers all of these dimensions is not an added expense. It is an investment in the continuity and future of the business.
White-Collar Criminal Defense, Internal Investigations, and Compliance
When investigators become active or internal irregularities come to light, every hour counts. Schlun & Elseven defends managing directors, board members, and employees against allegations of breach of fiduciary duty, corruption, and tax evasion, and stands ready to act immediately when police searches or raids occur. In parallel, the firm conducts internal investigations that establish the facts in a legally defensible manner, contain liability risks, and lay the groundwork for further action. Over the longer term, Schlun & Elseven assists with building robust compliance structures that effectively guard against future liability.
Corporate Restructuring, Insolvency Avoidance, and StaRUG Proceedings
Impending insolvency does not necessarily have to lead to formal insolvency proceedings. Schlun & Elseven advises at an early stage on insolvency avoidance and guides businesses through out-of-court restructuring processes as well as proceedings under the StaRUG (German Corporate Stabilization and Restructuring Act). The firm leads negotiations with creditors and banks, develops viable restructuring concepts, and optimizes the tax aspects of the restructuring process, all with the goal of preserving the company’s operational capacity and liquidity.
Cyber Incident Response, GDPR Notification Obligations, and IT Law
Cyberattacks strike businesses without warning and trigger a cascade of legal obligations within a very short time. Schlun & Elseven coordinates incident management in the acute phase, advises on the timely fulfillment of GDPR notification obligations to the relevant supervisory authorities, and defends against damages claims from affected clients, partners, or employees. The firm also manages cooperation with investigating authorities, ensuring the company’s legal interests are consistently protected throughout that process.
Crises frequently reveal and intensify conflicts that already exist at shareholder level. Schlun & Elseven resolves shareholder disputes efficiently and on a legally sound basis, maintains the company’s capacity to act during turbulent periods, and protects the personal assets of managing directors and board members against personal liability claims under corporate law.
Employment Law Restructuring, Works Council Negotiations, and Unfair Dismissal
Workforce measures taken in the context of a business crisis touch not only commercial considerations but also highly sensitive legal and social dimensions. Schlun & Elseven manages workforce reduction measures in a legally compliant and socially responsible manner, negotiates reconciliation of interests agreements and social plans with works councils, and represents the company in unfair dismissal proceedings before the labor courts.
Press Law, Reputation Protection, and Crisis Communications
A business crisis plays out in the public eye. Schlun & Elseven intervenes under press law against inaccurate or reputationally damaging coverage, enforces injunctive relief, and protects the reputation of the company and its leadership. In addition, the firm supports the strategic management of corporate communications, ensuring that legal measures and public perception remain consistently aligned.
An Overview: Frequently Asked Questions about Crisis Management
Because crises rarely stay within a single area of law. A ransomware attack, for example, simultaneously triggers data protection obligations, damages liability risks, and reputational problems. Without a coordinated interdisciplinary strategy, measures taken in one area can worsen the situation in another.
A risk assessment is the systematic analysis of all existing threats — legal, financial, and reputational. It covers the identification and characterization of risks, an evaluation of the level of exposure in each area, and culminates in an overall assessment. Only on this basis can priorities be set, measures coordinated, and resources deployed effectively. Skipping this step means responding to symptoms rather than causes.
Crisis communications is more than press relations. It must be legally sound, since statements made to the media can later be used in legal proceedings. An interdisciplinary law firm aligns external communications — toward employees, clients, trading partners, and the press — with the legal measures being pursued in parallel, ensuring both levels remain consistent and free of contradiction.
The approach follows a clear framework: an immediate assessment to evaluate the situation and set priorities; authority and regulatory management with proactive communication toward prosecutors and supervisory bodies; creditor engagement to secure financing; reputation management and external crisis communications; and finally stabilization through new compliance and governance structures.
Yes — and this is the most effective approach. Through early advisory work and a rigorous review of processes, structures, and compliance systems, many risks can be identified and addressed before they escalate. A professionally conducted risk assessment identifies weaknesses and creates the foundation for lasting business resilience, regardless of whether an acute crisis has already occurred.
Practice Group: German Corporate Law
Practice Group:
German Corporate Law
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