Dr. Stephan Ebner　Counsel

Taipei / Frankfurt am Main
+886-2-2707-9976
[email protected] 

 

Dr. Stephan Ebner, Esq., Counsel of Brain Trust International Law Firm, specializes in international business law. He is also admitted to the Taipei Bar as a Foreign Legal Affairs Attorney. In particular, Dr. Ebner's abroad experience is of benefit in the corporate field with regard to legal issues such as liability avoidance for managing directors, board members, supervisory board members, company formations abroad, as well as international contract drafting.

 

Further focal points are cross-border corporate transactions, mid-cap transactions for corporate groups, negotiating/assisting with the purchase of businesses, assisting in the formation of (cross-border) joint ventures, management buy-ins/outs, private equity and real estate transactions globally. The focus of his activities is on the Asian markets and North America.

    

▎Positions

Counsel, Brain Trust International Law Firm, Taipei, Taiwan

Founder, LANA AP.MA International Legal Services, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

 

▎Education

DR. IURIS, Hamburg University School of Law

LLM, St. Louis University School of Law

MAG. LEG, Osnarbrück University School of Law

MAG. JUR, Hamburg University School of Law

BAC. JUR, Hamburg University School of Law

 

▎Experiences

Associate and Partner of interntional, big US and UK law firm and leading German law firm boutitques

Inhouse Counsel, big international company

Employed as legal expert at the German Parlaiment

Employed at the Federal Ministry of Finance, Germany

Associate Federal Prosecutor, special tax department, Berlin, Germany

Research Assistant St. Louis University School of Law

Research Assistant Warwick Law School, England

 

▎Qualifications

Admitted to Taipei Bar

Admitted to New York Bar

Admitted as Notary Public, New York State

Admitted to German Bar

 

▎Specialties

Transnational Dispute

White Collar Criminal Defense & Investigations

Corporation and Commerce

International Trade, Investment & Arbitration

International Inheritance & Succession of Family Enterprises

Tax Services

 

▎Representative Matters

        Transnational Dispute & Litigation

• Advised multinational corporation in a dispute with a Canadian corporate group
• Represented Thai corporate group with regard to a trademark agreements dispute relating to US trademark law
• Represented an Austrian corporate group in a legal dispute with a US business
• Represented an internationally renowned US military engineer in a labour law dispute before the German Court System
• Advised a listed Egyptian listed corporate group entering the German market facing litigation with German authorities

 

White Collar Criminal Defense & Investigations

• Advised and represented English corporate group for its corporate internal investigation discovering fraudulent activities of an internal group of several managers
• Represented a large franchise group´s managing director who was blackmailed to act in an illegal way by shareholders
• Represented US-South American corporate group that was accused of a large VAT fraud scheme in front of the German Court System
• Represented a Chinese entrepreneur active on a global scale in criminal and civil proceedings for alleged VAT evasion in a particularly large case in Germany
• Represented Chinese family man who has got attacked xenophobicly in Germany which resulted in him becoming a lifelong need for care (attempted murder case) (pro bono)

 

Corporation & Commerce

• Advised large state owned Chinese corporate group in a USD 1 Billion transaction with regard to the DACH region, mainly
• Acted for a German corporate group buying a US entity in the mega yacht industry
• Acted as Counsel for German and Austrian corporate groups sending teams of special professionals to construction sides in the England and the US
• Represented South Korean car dealership for ultra expensive sports cars setting up retailership systems between Asia and Germany
• Represented two German facade builders that are leading in their field with their activities in the US and Canada

 

International Trade

• Represented an international corporate group with regard to the Chinese Biosecurity Law
• Represented a German corporate group/hidden champion of high tech communication devices for modern warships
• Represented a German startup with sending modern tech devices to the moon
• Advised international institution in a large class action lawsuit in the German automotive sector
• Acted for a listed Taiwanese company supporting within insolvency proceedings of a German distributor

 

▎Publications

        Compliance & Competition

• What do “Finkel Plan” and “Clean Energy Target” Actually Mean for German Mid-Cap Companies? (published by German-Australian businessnews, 2019-2, p. 18)
• BREXIT – Open flanks of German medium-sized businesses, (published by ECONOMY TAX & LAW, 2019-1, pp. 126-127)
• Co-author, German SMEs in the USA and UK – Cross-Border CMS 2020 (published by ZRFC 2019, 199-206)
• Compliance state competition – „post-BREXIT” risk assessment for German medium-sized businesses in the UK (published by CB 2019, pp. 322-326)
• Post-Brexit: Distressed M&A in the UK (published by M & A REVIEW 2019, pp. 290-294) 
• Brexit abroad: Germany, 2019, Volume 169 (published by NLJ 17, Issue 7867, p. 17)
• Co-author, Family businesses and corporate compliance: Conflicts of interest when filling corporate positions (published by CCZ 2019, pp. 470-474)
• AMERICA FIRST and BREXIT – Impact on the transatlantic M&A business (published by German LawyerSpiegel 01/2020, pp. 12-14)
• Co-author, SOX Act – What are the compliance requirements for German companies? (published by IWRZ 2020, pp. 57-63)
• Co-author, Imposition of fines according to Art. 83 GDPR against German parent companies – A practical consideration (published by CZZ 2020, pp. 84-88)
• M&A [MAD/(K)E] IN INDIA (published by, M&A Review 2023, available at: M&A [MAD/(K)E] IN INDIA – M&A Review (ma-review.de)

 

International Inheritance & Succession of Family Enterprises

• Family businesses in Germany – total lack of trust(s)? How to steer through unsteady times (published by FFI Practitioner 2020, available at: https://ffipractitioner.org/ family-businesses-in-germany-total-lack-of-trusts/)

 

      Tax Services

• Constitutional design of horizontal financial equalization – state financial equalization a federal cornerstone (published by Saarbrücken 2009, 56 p.)
• Protection of legitimate expectations and guarantee of continuity in the case law of the highest courts using the example of tax law – an investigation with particular reference to the decision of the Grand Senate of the BFH of December 17, 2007, GrS 2/04 (No inheritability of loss carryforwards) (published by Frankfurt a.M., Berlin, Bern, etc. 2010, 132 p.)
• Co-author, Exam-relevant decisions from income tax law and the tax code – current BFH case law overview (by Steuer und Studium (steuerStud) 2007, pp. 485-493)
• Company-related protection of secrets in international tax proceedings: On the question of modifying German rule of law standards in the interstate exchange of tax information (published by tax law in research and practice, Hamburg 2016, 624 p.)
• Tax systematic, constitutional and European law investigation of Section 10 Paragraph 1 No. 9 EStG, including the judgments of the ECJ of September 11, 2007, Cases C-76/05 and Cases C-318/05 – At the same time a statement on Implementation of ECJ judgments in German tax law (published by Deutsche Steuer-Zeitung (DStZ) 2009, pp. 645-660, quoted in BFH, decision of June 8, 2011, X B 176/10, BFH/NV 2011, p. 1679, HFR 2011, p. 966, and in Schmehl, EuR 2010, pp. 386-401)

 

       Criminal Law

• Exam in criminal law: Jealousy and alcohol (published by Magazine for the Police 2/2006, pp. 14-17)
• Fraud within the meaning of Section 263 StGB when investing in commodity futures? (published by Criminalistics 2007, pp. 681-685)
• Effective precautions – The eco-audit can reduce the risks of criminal prosecution in corporate practice (published by Müllmagazin 2008, pp. 46-50).
• The treatment of foreign witnesses in the law on requesting evidence (published by Police Today (ph) 2/2008, pp. 70-74)
• Can environmental violations be justified according to Section 34 of the Criminal Code? (published by Journal for Environmental Policy & Environmental Law (ZfU) 2008, pp. 271-285)
• Co-author, Simplified delivery according to Section 180 ZPO in criminal and fine proceedings (published by Road Traffic Law (SVR) 2006, pp. 372-375)
• The legal complaint in the fine proceedings (published by Road Traffic Law (SVR) 2008, pp. 129-132)
• On the sanctioning of companies in Germany (published by Criminalistics 2008, pp. 432-437)
• Tax advisors in criminal defense – § 392 AO (published by Steuer und Studium (steuerStud) 2008, pp. 577-582)
• 45, 46 UK CRIMINAL FINANCES ACT (CFA) – RISKS FOR GERMAN SMES? (published by INITIATIVE – The Magazine for Members Of The German-British Chamber of Industry & Commerce, 2019-2, p. 8)
• Liability for compliance violations in corporate transactions related to the USA and UK (published by Corporate Finance 2019, pp. 304-308 (CF1312433))

 

        Various

• Co-author, Simplified delivery according to Section 180 ZPO in criminal and fine proceedings, in: Traffic law work aids: tables – data – information, updated reprint of the journal article of the same name (published by Nomos 2008)
• The research programs of the Saint Louis University School of Law and the University of Warwick School of Law (published by Legal Training (JuS) 12/2012, pp. XXXIV–XXXVIII)
• M. Program For Foreign Lawyers in American Law at Saint Louis University School of Law 2012/2013 and New York State Bar Exam in July 2013 (published by Legal Training (JuS) 12/2013, pp. XXXIV-XL)
• Administrative station in the tax department of the Federal Ministry of Finance in Berlin (published by Legal Training (JuS) 4/2015, p. XLVIII-L)
• Elective station in the department WD 4 – Budget and Finance – of the Scientific Services of the German Bundestag (published by Legal Training (JuS) 11/2015, pp. XXXI-XXXIII)
• M&A Strategien für den ukrainischen Markt: werden durch den Krieg in der Ukraine die Karten neu gemischt? (published by M&A REVIEW 2024, p. VII)