Owners
Owners can plan their future role and the transfer of control.
Business succession in Germany · Berlin · advising across Germany
Business succession in Germany
Business succession combines ownership, leadership and personal expectations. A durable solution needs both legal structure and commercial perspective.
Who it is for
For owners, families and successors.
Succession may remain in the family, pass to management or involve a sale; each route requires a different legal architecture.
Successors
Successors need clear authority and a realistic transition timetable.
Management teams
Management needs continuity while ownership and responsibilities change.
Advice
Connect the ownership transfer with future management.
Transfer terms, consideration, governance and transition arrangements are developed as one executable concept.
Objectives and stakeholders
Commercial, family and financial expectations should be understood before choosing a structure.
- Clarify objectives and timing
- Agree future roles and responsibilities
- Compare family, management and sale options
Transfer structure
A sale, gift or phased handover can produce different control and implementation consequences.
- Compare transfer routes
- Plan price and funding realistically
- Coordinate tax and inheritance advice
Governance during transition
Clear roles let experience be passed on without undermining the new leadership.
- Balance control and participation
- Set transition duties and timing
- Plan for contingencies and conflict
Contact
Preparing business succession?
Describe the business, stakeholders and intended horizon. I can help turn initial ideas into a workable structure.
How we work
Create clarity around a long-term decision.
Objectives and interests are organised, alternatives compared and the chosen route implemented in a realistic sequence.
Request counselClarify stakeholder goals
Successors, owners and possible funders set out roles, timing and desired control.
Structure the transfer
Options are compared commercially and legally, with tax advice coordinated.
Transfer responsibility
Documents and transition rules are prepared to keep management effective.
Your contact: Dr. Philipp Lerch, attorney · Content last updated: 24 September 2026
Dr. Philipp LerchAttorney · Berlin
Profile
Legal precision meets commercial understanding.
As an attorney with experience at an international business law firm and an additional background in computer science, I combine corporate law expertise with a clear understanding of business models, processes, and technology.
- Former attorney at Hogan Lovells International LLP
- Two German honours examinations with a focus on commercial and corporate law
- Dr. jur. and LL.M. Corporate and Commercial Law, University of Sheffield
- B.Sc. Computer Science, Free University of Berlin
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What should be decided before planning business succession?
Clarify the current owner’s future role, new management, possible family or third-party involvement and timing. These objectives guide the choice of structure.
Which documents help with an initial review?
Corporate documents, ownership records, material contracts and an outline of the intended successor are useful. Tax and family matters should be coordinated with the appropriate advisers.
How can the company keep operating during the transition?
Authority, information rights and required resolutions should work throughout the transition. The arrangements need to match the expected timeline.
Contact
Preparing business succession?
Describe the business, stakeholders and intended horizon. I can help turn initial ideas into a workable structure.