Nicole Willms
Europe Guide 2024
Band 3 : Compliance
Band 3
About
Provided by Nicole Willms
Practice Areas
Compliance Monitorship
Corporate Governance
Internal Investigations
Preventive Compliance Advisory
Career
Law studies in Jena
2005 Admitted to the bar in Germany
2005–2014 Attorney at law at various international corporate law firms in Düsseldorf, Frankfurt and London
Since 2014 Partner at Pohlmann & Company
Since 2019 German Chapter Leader of the Woman’s White Collar Defense Association (WWCDA); member of the global WWCDA Monitor/Receiver Initiative
Since 2020 Member and speaker of Wirtschaftsstrafrechtliche Vereinigung e.V. (WisteV)
Since winter term 2020/21 Lecturer for Corporate Governance and Compliance at Frankfurt School of Finance & Management
Since 2021 Member of the Cross-Atlantic Cooperation Committee (CACC) of the International Association of Independent Corporate Monitors (IAICM)
Since 2022 Member of the Expert Commission for the Development of Sustainable Governance Principles for SMEs
Professional Memberships
International Association of Independent Corporate Monitors (IAICM)
Wirtschaftsstrafrechtliche Vereinigung e.V. (WisteV)
Woman’s White Collar Defense Association (WWCDA)
Publications
DCGK-Novelle 2022 – Die Rolle des Aufsichtsrats im Transformationsprozess, in: Der Aufsichtsrat 07-08/2022, 104–106 (together with Carola Stark)
Effektive Aufsichtsratsarbeit im Zeitalter zunehmender Compliance-Regularien, in: Der Aufsichtsrat 10/2021, 142-144 (together with Carola Stark)
From apathy to advocacy: Germany’s growing support for compliance programs, in: CEP Magazine October 2021, 8–22
Proven Practice – Praxiserfahrung mit US Compliance Monitorships, in: CCZ 2 (2020), 57-65
“US Compliance Monitorship – Lessons Learned!”, in: Compliance Praxis 40 (2019), 40-43 (together with D. Strieder and T. Baumgartner)
How to Prepare for a Monitorship, in: Pohlmann & Company International Compliance Update 1/2018, 1–10 (together with Clemens Blettgen)
Governance and Compliance Issues Resulting from the Revised Proposal to Amend the Shareholder Rights Directive, in: Pohlmann & Company International Compliance Update 4/2016, 1–4 (together with Christopher Hsu)
New risks of criminal liability in the healthcare sector, in: Pohlmann & Company International Compliance Update 2/2016, 5–7 (together with Dr. Max Erhard)
Better safe than sorry – Obligations of the Supervisory Board of a factually insolvent corporation, in: Pohlmann & Company International Compliance Update 3/2015, 5–6 (together with Andrea Hienzsch)
No management liability for cartel fines imposed on a company (Decision of the Labor Court Dusseldorf on the “international rail cartel”), in: Pohlmann & Company International Compliance Update 2/2015, 3–5
Joint Venture and Russian Roulette, in: Corporate Finance 5/2014, 237–240 (together with Dr. Eike Bicker)
Shoot Out – der wirksame Ausstieg aus einem paritätischen Joint Venture, in: Betriebs-Berater 23/2014, 1347–1352 (together with Dr. Eike Bicker)
Chambers Review
Europe
Nicole Willms rises in the rankings following excellent client feedback and activity on significant compliance mandates. She is particularly known for her work on US DOJ/SEC monitorships and further possesses expertise in the set-up and restructuring of compliance structures as well as internal investigations and corporate governance.
Strengths
Provided by Chambers
"Nicole Willms is a very skilled lawyer with great attention to detail in the international compliance sphere. She is very client-focused and great to work with - I highly recommend her services."
"I think very highly of Nicole Willms, who is a great resource for us: She is very smart, responsive, knowledgeable of key issues in the EU and very up to date."
"Nicole Willms is a very strong compliance counsel and investigator. She is able to navigate, and understands the US environment and the DOJ's way of viewing the world in terms of compliance very well. She is an expert and resource for companies not just in Germany but also with US exposure."
"She is super smart and very personable and good at relating to all different types of people. She is also a great leader who mentors those who are under her, and is very talented analytically and in terms of navigating challenging relationships."
"Nicole Willms shines with broad experience and a pragmatic, solution-oriented approach to help corporates navigate challenging regulatory environments."
"Nicole Willms is a very skilled lawyer with great attention to detail in the international compliance sphere. She is very client-focused and great to work with - I highly recommend her services."
"I think very highly of Nicole Willms, who is a great resource for us: She is very smart, responsive, knowledgeable of key issues in the EU and very up to date."
"Nicole Willms is a very strong compliance counsel and investigator. She is able to navigate, and understands the US environment and the DOJ's way of viewing the world in terms of compliance very well. She is an expert and resource for companies not just in Germany but also with US exposure."
"She is super smart and very personable and good at relating to all different types of people. She is also a great leader who mentors those who are under her, and is very talented analytically and in terms of navigating challenging relationships."
"Nicole Willms shines with broad experience and a pragmatic, solution-oriented approach to help corporates navigate challenging regulatory environments."
