Felix Rettenmaier

Practice Areas

- White Collar Crime

- Criminal Tax Law

- Corporate Criminal Liability - Compliance and Criminal Due Diligence

- Corruption

- Banking and Capital Markets Criminal Law

- Sports Criminal Law

- Internal investigations (esp. sports)

Career

Felix Rettenmaier is one of the established names in commercial and criminal tax law in Germany. As name and founding partner of Rettenmaier Frankfurt, a boutique law firm specializing in criminal defense, he has been representing executives, companies and organizations in highly complex and media-effective proceedings since 2014. In addition to his strong presence in commercial and criminal tax law, he has made a name for himself in particular in organized elite sports. As the reporting office for the UEFA EURO 2024 and the German House at the 2024 Paris Olympics, he is involved in and regularly advises on sports criminal law and compliance-related issues. He is also the point of contact for legal matters for professional athletes, including sports associations and advisors.

He studied law at the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz and the University of Glasgow.

In addition, Felix Rettenmaier works as a trusted attorney and ombudsman for various institutions and organizations. In this role, he acts as an independent point of contact for whistleblowers and supports companies, associations and institutions in the confidential processing of sensitive matters. His work includes both preventive compliance advice and support for internal investigations.

Professional Memberships

Working Group on Combating Corruption in the Pharmaceutical Industry and Cooperation in Health Care (AKG) e.V.

Publications

Felix Rettenmaier regularly publishes scientific articles in professional journals, including Handbook for Defense Lawyers (Dahs), Handbook of Commercial and Tax Criminal Law (Wabnitz/Janovsky), Banking Criminal Law (Schork/Groß), Fiscal Criminal Law (Adick/Bülte), Healthcare Compliance (Geiger), StGB Commentary (Matt/Renzikowski), StPO Commentary (Radtke/Hohmann).

In addition, he is regularly cited by leading business media outlets as a sought-after expert on complex criminal and business law issues. His assessments can be found in specialist publications as well as in national business publications, where his expertise is particularly in demand in significant investigations and court proceedings.

Personal

Felix Rettenmaier is one of the leading criminal defense attorneys in Germany in the areas of business and tax criminal law. With around 20 years of experience and the founding of the law firm in 2014, he has established himself as an indispensable authority in this field. His strategic approach, in-depth expertise and ability to develop decisive solutions even in highly complex proceedings have made him a sought-after consultant – particularly for executives, board members and partners of major international law firms.

His main area of expertise extends beyond individual defense to include criminal law advice and support for companies. He is positioned at the top of the market, in particular in banking and capital market criminal law, and regularly represents leading managers from the financial sector. In addition to his work in commercial criminal proceedings, he has also made a name for himself as a consultant in organized elite sports. His work as a reporting office for the UEFA EURO 2024 and the German House at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games underscores his expertise in this area. In addition to these key mandates, he regularly works for renowned player agents and advises on issues related to sports criminal law and compliance. Clients appreciate his precise analysis, his pronounced strategic foresight and his ability to develop convincing solutions even under high pressure. Thanks to his many years of experience, he is not only familiar with the legal challenges of white-collar crime proceedings, but also with the considerable reputational risks for companies and individuals. His clients are often the subject of significant media attention, which further underscores his prominent position in the market. He is regularly recommended by colleagues and is one of the best-connected criminal defense lawyers in Germany.

Clients

Felix Rettenmaier is primarily consulted by decision-makers and high-profile individuals. These include board members, managing directors and executives from the financial and business world, as well as partners of major international law firms and professionals from regulated industries. Entrepreneurs, investors and consultants also rely on his expertise. In addition to individuals, companies, banks and international corporations also mandate him in matters of commercial and tax criminal law. In organized professional sports, he and his team advise sports federations, clubs and player agents on sensitive legal issues.

Industry Sector Expertise

- Criminal law risks in the finance and capital markets sector (insider trading, cum-ex, tax structuring)

- Corporate criminal law & internal investigations (criminal law risks for companies, whistleblower systems)

- Commercial and tax criminal law for executives (liability of board members and managing directors, criminal tax proceedings)

- Criminal law advice in organized top-class sport (reporting offices for sports associations, legal support for sports organizations)

- Criminal law issues in the health sector (occupational accidents, investigations against companies)

- IT and cybercrime (extortion by hacker groups, criminal law risks for companies)

Languages Spoken

German, English

Work Highlights

Felix Rettenmaier is involved in a large number of complex and high-profile cases. While his work includes numerous other cases, three mandates currently stand out:

- the defense of a high-ranking executive in one of the most significant insider trading proceedings in recent years, which raised crucial questions regarding the legal definition of insider trading,

- his ongoing advice to key players in organized elite sports, including as a reporting office for the UEFA EURO 2024 and the German House at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games,

- as well as the criminal defense of a CEO of an international online retailer in proceedings for VAT evasion.

These matters reflect the breadth of his practice – from white collar criminal and tax criminal proceedings to compliance issues in international sports.

Education

Awards