On Tuesday, November 19, 2024, bepartners invited guests to the German-Luxembourg Fund Talks at the Golf Club Grand-Ducal in Luxembourg. Following a welcome address by Jean-Marc Goy (Chairperson ALFI, Conducting Officer Legal & Regulatory – Capital Group), our partner Alexander ... (more)
With attendance achieving almost pre-coronavirus levels, Expo Real opened its doors again this year from the 4th to the 6th of October in Munich. Our partners, Dr. Carsten Bödecker and Carsten Ernst, took the chance to meet clients and to ... (more)
On Tuesday, February 4th, 2020, bepartners invited to the round table discussion: "befit: Pooling Vehicle Real Estate" which was held at our firm's premises on Nordstraße 116-118 in Düsseldorf. Our partners, Alexander Skowronek and Harald Kuhn, discussed the advantages and ... (more)
Our colleagues are authors and lecturers. Publications, presentations and lectures by our colleagues:
The German 2022 Annual Tax Act will again result in changes for companies that are neither domiciled in Germany nor in the EU if they wish to repay capital to their shareholders in a tax-neutral manner. While the German Federal ... (more)
After almost four years of waiting, the US Treasury Department and the IRS have finally issued Final Regulations with regard to “qualified foreign pension funds” (“QFPF”) and their tax treatment under US tax laws. The Final Regulations provide welcomed guidance ... (more)
The 2022 Annual Tax Act, which was passed by the German Federal Council (Bundesrat) on 16 December 2022 (Federal Law Gazette I 2022, 2294), will also result in amendments to the German Investment Tax Act. The aim of the amendments is ... (more)
We are rated in law firm rankings of internationally recognized directories.
Chambers and Partners ranks Bödecker Ernst & Partner among the leading firms for "Investment Funds: Germany" and continiously recognises our Partner, Carsten Bödecker, as "Leader in his Field".
Since 1999, Chambers and Partners have been researching the legal profession in Europe, identifying the leading lawyers and law firms through interviews with thousands of lawyers and their clients.
"The team has excellent experience in complex structures."
"Bödecker Ernst & Partner takes a pragmatic approach that is business-oriented and builds on a good understanding of clients' structures and specific needs. "
"Carsten Bödecker is very experienced and has an excellent mix of legal and tax know-how and business knowledge."
"The team at Bödecker Ernst & Partner all have excellent in-depth expertise in all areas of investment law and investment tax law. "
"Bödecker Ernst & Partner's approach is pragmatic and strongly solution-oriented. Enquiries are answered promptly and comprehensively."
"The law firm is commercially aware, and proactively points out issues that catch its eye."
"This law firm is a benchmark in terms of its ability to deliver to budget and overall value for money."
"The law firm has never exceeded the agreed budget. Compared to its competitors, its price-performance ratio is always excellent!"
"Carsten Bödecker is one of the best and most reliable legal experts I have met. I recommend him highly."
"Carsten Bödecker can explain even very complex issues to the client in a simple way."
"Carsten Bödecker is a very good professional and consultant, due to his extensive experience, high level of expertise, and very pleasant human qualities."
"We really appreciate the service we get from Carsten Bödecker. In addition to his expertise as such this is also about the way he communicates: sometimes lawyers can be nervous and hectic, but he is very level-headed and calm."
"The team can deliver high quality in good time."
"The practice regularly assists with real estate investments, portfolio transfers and the setting up of funds and pooling vehicles, while leading tax due diligence on AIFs with a green energy asset focus. The team also has experience in cross-border acquisition of funds."
"Carsten Bödecker specialises in fund structuring, pension scheme investments and asset acquisitions, with particular strength in regulatory and tax issues. He often acts for national and international investment funds as well as real estate clients. Carsten Bödecker has good knowledge of Luxembourg funds."
"Carsten has an excellent manner about him. When it gets to a difficult topic, he is always balanced and very calm."
"Carsten Bödecker is focused and specialised on funds work, very experienced, effective and hands-on, and very responsive."
"I really value being able to count on them regarding the delivery conditions, the deadlines they agree on and what they promise," adding that "the quality is very good and I appreciate the way they value their clients."
"The firm is really hands-on. There's never a question of waiting for days, you can call them and you will get a quick answer," adding that "the fit of the partners is perfect: they are practice-oriented and there are never any issues with onboarding."
"Reputable boutique enters the rankings on the basis of market recognition and a notable client base. Highly experienced in legal, regulatory and tax due diligence, often advising insurance groups and occupational pension schemes. Regularly assists with real estate investments and portfolio transfers and the setting-up of funds and pooling vehicles. Offers further expertise in liability risk assessments and operational topics."
"We believe Bödecker Ernst & Partner to be exceptionally well positioned regarding a fully fledged ongoing service provider during the whole life cycle of a given investment fund, may it be specialized or mutual funds."
“Clients praise Carsten Bödecker as an ‘absolute expert within the fields of German and Luxembourg investment tax law.‘“
“Carsten Bödecker is highly experienced in alternative investments and 'very calm, collected, technically very strong and very commercial in his approach' as well as 'pragmatic and practical'.“
For the sixth time in a row, Chambers Europe 2017 continues to recommend our partner Carsten Bödecker as “Leader in his Field“ for “Investment Funds: Germany“.
“Clients appreciate that he is 'always very much on top of things: reachable, responsive and responsible'.“
Chambers Europe has again recommended our partners Carsten Bödecker and Carsten Ernst as “Leaders in their Fields“ for “Investment Funds: Germany“ in its 2016 Edition.
“Interviewees note that Carsten Bödecker ‘gives understandable advice and is technically very able‘ in addition to having ‘commercial acumen‘.“
“Clients highlight that Carsten Ernst ‘understands what we need and is very proactive, always informing us of new legislation‘.“
Chambers Europe continues to recommend our partners, Dr. Carsten Bödecker and Carsten Ernst, as “Leaders in their Fields“ for “Investment Funds: Germany“.
“Carsten Ernst of Bödecker Ernst & Partner wurde von Mandanten herausgestellt als Berater mit ‚strong focus on tax law, especially concerning foreign investment funds‘.“
Once again, Chambers Europe recognizes both of our partners, Carsten Bödecker and Carsten Ernst, as “Leaders in their Fields“ for “Investment Funds: Germany“ in its 2014 edition.
We are delighted to announce that Chambers Europe 2013 recognizes both of our partners, Carsten Bödecker and Carsten Ernst, as “Leaders in their Fields“ for “Investment Funds: Germany“.
“Carsten Bödecker of Bödecker Ernst & Partner impresses clients with his expertise in investment funds, asset management, real estate and tax. As one source declared, ‘he is innovative and creative but without jeopardising what the client can do‘.“
“Carsten Ernst of Bödecker Ernst & Partner focuses on investment funds, international tax, private equity and venture capital. Clients value how ‘he is always up to date and very helpful in structuring investments in an efficient way‘.“
The legal directory Chambers and Partners rates Dr. Carsten Bödecker in the practice area “Investment Funds: Germany“ as a Leading Individual:
“Clients praise Carsten Bödecker of Bödecker Ernst & Partner as ‘an innovative lateral thinker who can provide cross-disciplinary investment advice‘.“
The World Tax Guide of the International Tax Review lists Bödecker Ernst & Partner as Top Tier Firm for Transactional Tax.
“I have always been impressed with Bödecker & Ernst's extensive knowledge of both German and US tax laws. They are able to present the issues we encounter in Germany succinctly and in a way that allows us to comprehend the issues and support us in making both good business and tax decisions on behalf of our partners.“
“We are very happy with the convenient and competent way they handle all kind of questions in a timely manner and they are always very reliable.“
“Carsten Ernst impressed us because of his comprehensive knowledge and expertise.“
„Positive, hands-on, pragmatic and client-focused.“
Legal 500 Germany recognizes Bödecker Ernst & Partner as a ‘Leading Firm’ for ‘Tax’:
“... excellent and professional firm“
“Carsten Bödecker's and Carsten Ernst's have very high expertise and understanding of the needs of the clients“
“The fund practice is ‘extremely powerful...’“
“The Tax Team is ‘exceptionally strong‘ in the field of investment products and the tax optimization thereof, and distinguishes itself by ‘delivering results within an extremely short time period‘.“
“Carsten Ernst always has ‘up-to-date expert knowledge and is able to convey this knowledge in a comprehensible manner‘.“
Sustainability means not consuming more than can be regenerated and made available again in the future. As a service provider, we have a lower environmental impact than manufacturing companies. Nevertheless, we consciously implement measures:
Since our foundation in July 2011, we have established digital file management and thus created the basis for a paperless office. This enables mobile working and has significantly reduced our paper consumption. We provide our partners and employees with mineral water in glass bottles from regional manufacturers in the Eifel and Ruhr areas. This way, we minimize transport distances and improve our environmental balance. As tenants, we have no direct influence on the environmental balance of our building, but where we can make decisions, we consistently focus on sustainability: Our electricity comes from directly marketed German wind, biogas and solar plants. For digital services, we choose providers that say they rely on renewable energies. Business trips within Germany are done exclusively by land – we have ruled out flights.
We live social cohesion.
Our management level consists of a balanced mix of women and men, with one third women and two thirds men currently represented.
We pursue our goals in the long term and consistently: the majority of our team has been working together for over ten years – as they have with many of our clients.
Equal opportunities at bepartners means equal pay. We remunerate our employees based on their performance, qualifications, seniority and objective criteria – regardless of gender.
We promote a healthy work-life balance, which is reflected in an average weekly working time of no more than 40 hours.
We not only want to be profitable, but above all, we want to provide high-quality advice. Our guiding principles are professional expertise, transparency and continuous training
Since the firm was founded, our team has used an internal wiki for collaboration and knowledge sharing. This is supplemented by regular blog updates on current case law and the use of over a dozen professional journals.
Our professional rules of conduct are clearly documented. Our compliance organization for the prevention of money laundering and terrorist financing has been audited and approved by the bar association and the chamber of tax advisors.
IT security is essential: We support common email encryption technologies (S/MIME, PGP) and use digital email signatures to ensure the authenticity and integrity of our communications.
At bepartners, our aim is not only to be economically successful, but also to take social responsibility. That is why we have anchored democracy and human rights as a separate focus in our corporate strategy.
Empirical studies show a clear correlation: democratic states tend to pay more attention to the protection of human rights than autocratic systems. In functioning democracies, the rule of law, freedom of the press and civic participation are more firmly anchored, which is also reflected in better observance of social and economic human rights.
Autocratic regimes, on the other hand, tend to undermine the rule of law, control independent media and restrict fundamental freedoms. These systemic differences influence not only political stability but also the ethical framework for economic cooperation.
To underscore our commitment to sustainable and responsible corporate governance, we take into account not only the Economist Democracy Index but also the Corporate Human Rights Benchmark (CHRB), which rates global companies on the basis of their human rights due diligence in accordance with the UN Guiding Principles.
This differentiated assessment enables us to consistently implement ethical standards without relying solely on political classifications. We prefer business partners who are demonstrably committed to the rule of law, transparency and ethical business practices.
Beyond these internal measures, we want to use our professional expertise to create added value for society.
A key issue is housing developments, as this is essential for social cohesion. bepartners has therefore initiated a research project together with Prof. Steffen Lampert (University of Osnabrück) to analyze investment-inhibiting regulations in residential construction. The aim is to identify legal uncertainties and develop reform proposals. The project, entitled "Socially Oriented Preservation Ordinances/Statutes in the Tension between Property Guarantee, Housing Provision and Environmental Protection”, is expected to run from February 2024 to early 2025.
bepartners – because values matter
