WHO WE ARE

Reef is an association of independent advisors in the field of business law and taxation. Like the real Reef, we also offer a diverse as well as sustainable living or working space for the most different types of advisors, but all of them have one thing in common: they strive for transparency, innovation and the highest quality in order to find the best individual solution for the client.

Our two ecosystems

Reef - Lawyers stands for legal advice to companies at home and abroad.

Reef - Taxes takes the helm in providing tax advice to our clients.

Your helmsman: an innovative advisor for your company

With Reef – Rechtsanwälte, Law Tax & Legal, we represent a new concept in legal practice and are committed to providing comprehensive legal advice at the highest level, so that our clients achieve their goals without worries and on a direct course. Values such as honesty, integrity and team spirit are particularly important to us.

The home port of our team of business lawyers is Düsseldorf. We are highly qualified, experienced and motivated - the perfect crew to help you succeed while maintaining high standards of professional and social responsibility. We combine our extensive experience from handling numerous demanding national and international mandates with a relaxed, client-oriented and value-driven atmosphere in a modern boutique practice.

For us, "boutique" means more than just a small firm. It stands for a professionally focused team with flat hierarchies. This means that the necessary expertise is available to you at all times, which - coupled with our in-house flexibility and creativity - sets the course when legal or commercial problems need to be solved.

As a client, you will always get to know our team personally. Our aim is to be an integral part of your business, an important ally and friend, not just an advisor - your business crew!

WHAT WE DO

We offer our clients individually designed, creative solutions to real business problems. Through our broad-based team, we help medium-sized companies and international investors to achieve their goals. "Thinking outside the box" is often a promising approach to legal issues.

Our team, led by Captain Urs Breitsprecher, is specialised in all areas of corporate, M&A and commercial law. In addition, we have expertise in restructuring and insolvency law as well as in advising on inbound and outbound investments. With the area of labour law, we round off our 360° advisory package and stand by companies and employees in all matters of personnel law.

In cooperation with Reef - Steuern under the command of our accountant Thorsten von der Heyde, we also take on all tax tasks and offer our clients comprehensive business management advice. If other areas of law such as IP law are needed, we hire local specialists with whom we frequently cooperate and whom we trust.

For example, we help clients to set up a company in Germany and then also directly take care of the bookkeeping including payroll and taxes, draft the employment contracts and take care of other contractual basics. Or we facilitate the financing of the acquisition of a new company, assist in the liquidation or sale of a company, represent our clients as creditors in insolvency proceedings or support them in the restructuring of their company. We advise foreign investors wishing to invest in Germany on contract negotiations, tax consequences and financing options.

No matter what your concern or goal is, we can support you: Our solutions are effective, creative and always tailored to your specific situation. We take the time to understand you and your business, your motivation and your vision. Then we set course together towards your defined goal.

HOW WE DO IT

Our transparent and efficient advice is primarily based on our close relationship with clients and partners. It is the fuel for our common journey. Our compass, interdisciplinary experience in a wide range of legal fields and tax advice serves as a compass. In this way, we ensure that we never veer off course with regard to your individual interests. As entrepreneurs, we understand exactly what is important to you. You benefit from our focused legal and commercial perspective, building each of our consultations on a legally sound foundation and business logic.

But it's teamwork that is at the heart of how we work together at Reef - our Reef ethos, in fact. And this extends beyond our firm to our clients and expert collaborative partners. We work with trusted partners around the world who complement our legal solutions with international expertise.

Our network: at home in all ports of the world

We maintain close relations with our direct neighbours, the Netherlands, in particular. The Netherlands and Germany are important trading partners. In 2016, Germany received almost 100 billion US dollars in exports from the Netherlands. This high level of trade activity has led Reef to focus strongly on the Netherlands. With numerous close local partners, we ensure the best support for our clients on both sides of the border.

Our Middle East (MENA) Desk has the insider knowledge needed when the wind carries us eastwards. As part of a large network specialising in the MENA region, we can provide our clients with competent and legally secure support for their business in the wider Middle East.

With the IR Global network, which connects us with professional expertise in more than 156 countries worldwide, we sail the seven seas and are thus unbeatable on a global level. This global network has over 700 members around the world, all working in the fields of law, accounting, finance and transaction services. This makes it the world's largest vetted network of leading firms. The vetting process ensures that all networked firms ensure the highest quality and are committed to ethical networking and client service. Our membership allows our clients access to an unrivalled network of accredited advisors in every jurisdiction, serving all international needs. We are also a partner in the Emerging Markets Advisory Group (IsFin).

With these strong local and global networks, we are ready for any challenge or issue you may bring to us. Coupled with our own expertise and our dynamic and creative way of working, you have in us a partner with whom you can sail around - or, if necessary, through - any storm.

Poppek Law - strong partner, strong expertise

In our home port of Düsseldorf, we have another strong, close cooperation partner at our side in the form of the Poppek Law Firm. Since 1984, the law firm for commercial law under the leadership of Reinhold Poppek has been serving German medium-sized businesses.

The team also serves numerous European companies in Germany as well as companies from Russia, India and especially the Asian region. Clients in other European countries in turn benefit from Poppek Law's cooperation law firms in the "Association of Independent European Lawyers" (AIEL).

Reinhold Poppek himself, with 40 years of professional experience, focuses on legal and commercial advice on investments, mergers and acquisitions, shareholdings and cooperation, national and international business law - in particular corporate law and contract law.

This makes him a valuable partner for our colourful team at Reef.

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Urs Breitsprecher is the captain of Reef's colourful crew. A specialist in commercial, corporate and tax law, he was set on the legal course by his interest in economic interactions between law and business and a strong sense of justice. A Diploma in European Law, a Bachelor of Law from University College London and certification as an M&A Advisor round off his wide-ranging international qualifications and make him the ideal advisor and guide for companies worldwide.

With some two decades of experience in handling complex M&A transactions and his dual qualification as a German lawyer and English solicitor, he specialises in cross-border business activities. He also has extensive expertise in corporate and group restructurings and the resulting tax consequences as well as insolvency matters and contract drafting. His numerous qualifications and years of experience make Urs a confident and assertive negotiator who is a pleasure to have on one's side.

His national and international clients include family businesses, private equity companies and family offices, but also foreign companies, which he profitably advises on inbound investments in Germany. The fact that he enjoys helping his clients to achieve their goals - whether in court, in negotiations or as an advisor - is immediately apparent to Urs during the exchange. For him, building a personal and trusting relationship with his clients is of utmost importance. The same applies to his team.

He has made his vision of a law firm with flat hierarchies, personal and cordial interaction and broad, concentrated expertise a reality with Reef. His passion for surfing, especially kitesurfing, also inspired the maritime flair of the law firm, which is reflected not only in the working methods and design, but also in the relaxed and personal interaction with staff, cooperation partners and clients.

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