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Profile Picture

Benno Schwarz

Benno
Schwarz

Partner

CONTACT INFO

bschwarz@gibsondunn.com

TEL:+49 89 189 33-110

FAX:+49 89 189 33-310

Munich

Marstallstraße 11, 80539 Munich, Germany

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PRACTICE

White Collar Defense and Investigations Anti-Corruption & FCPA Artificial Intelligence Litigation Mergers and Acquisitions

BIOGRAPHY

Benno Schwarz is a partner in the Munich office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher and co-chair of the firm’s Anti-Corruption & FCPA Practice Group. He focuses on white collar defense and compliance investigations.

For more than 25 years, Mr. Schwarz has advised companies on sensitive cases and investigations in the context of all compliance issues with international aspects, such as the implementation of German or international laws to prevent and avoid corruption, money laundering or avoiding economic sanctions in the corporate context. He focuses his advisory work on the planning and implementation of internal corporate as well as independent investigations both nationally and internationally, advising on the structuring, implementation and assessment of compliance management systems, and the representation of companies and their executive bodies before domestic and foreign authorities during associated criminal and administrative proceedings.

Especially noteworthy is Mr. Schwarz’s experience advising companies in connection with FCPA and NYDFS monitorships or similar monitor functions under U.S. legal regimes, whether in a leadership function as part of an international team from Gibson Dunn advising the Siemens compliance monitor, the first non-U.S. compliance monitor in conjunction with the world’s largest FCPA settlement thus far, or as an advisor to executive and supervisory boards of other DAX® and Fortune 100 companies in relation to FCPA monitorships, or in leading roles within the team of the Independent Examiner for two Swiss banks under the Department of Justice Tax Division’s Program for Non-Prosecution Agreements or Non-Target Letters for Swiss Banks.

Furthermore, Mr. Schwarz has advised companies on national and international M&A and private equity transactions, joint ventures and other investments by foreign companies in Germany, Europe, Russia and the U.S. as well as in accompanying acquisition financing and corporate governance issues.

Mr. Schwarz is ranked as a leading lawyer for Germany in both of the categories Corporate/M&A and White Collar Investigations/Compliance, as the following selected accolades show. The Legal 500 Deutschland 2023 and The Legal 500 EMEA 2022 name him as one of four Leading Individuals in Internal Investigations and also recommend him for Compliance, citing a reference who describes him as a “very experienced and competent colleague, pragmatic and pleasant.”  He was also characterized as “an unique expert in the field of internal investigations” (The Legal 500 EMEA 2021) and “an outstanding specialist, who stands out for his analytical approach and strategic thinking” (The Legal 500 EMEA 2020). Chambers Europe 2022 ranked him in the category of Compliance. A client values him as “an experienced person in the compliance field. He has the necessary insights and tools to comprehend the situation and a great understanding of how clients should position themselves within the context of internal investigations.” He is also named as a Notable Practitioner for Dispute Resolution: White-Collar Crime – Corporate Advisory (Chambers Europe 2022). Interviewees described him as a “very smart and thoughtful investigator” and stated his “special expertise on compliance matters related to the USA and Russia” (Chambers Europe 2019). Clients commended his ability to “present the technical facts of a case in a very structured way” (Chambers Europe 2018). Chambers Global 2018 quoted a commentator summing up: “He is a renowned compliance adviser to international clients, with special language skills in the Russian market.” Clients have appreciated that “he is multilingual, incredibly smart, gives excellent client service and listens” (Chambers Europe 2017), and stated: “I would use him any time for big international compliance matters, no question.” (Chambers Europe 2016). Mr. Schwarz is again “frequently recommended” by JUVE Handbook 2022/2023 for Compliance Investigations and Corporate. Competitors recognized him as “strategically strong and well-versed”, as a “Russia expert“, “excellent” and “top advisor”. They also described him as “highly intelligent and at the same time client-friendly” (JUVE Handbook 2019/2020, 2020/2021, 2022/2023). The handbook named Gibson Dunn’s German team around Benno Schwarz as Compliance Investigations Law Firm of the Year 2014 and nominated the team for “Compliance Law Firm of the Year 2022”. Gibson Dunn was selected by the jury in acknowledgement of the outstanding achievements the firm has made in the area of compliance investigations. WirtschaftsWoche recognized him as a Top Lawyer 2019 for Compliance. Corporate INTL named Benno Schwarz winner of the 2015 Legal Award in the category Corporate Anti-Bribery Compliance Lawyer of the Year in Germany. Mr. Schwarz is also ranked by Handelsblatt / Best Lawyers™ 2022/2023 as a leading lawyer for Germany in the categories Corporate Governance and Compliance, Criminal Defense, Corporate Law and Mergers and Acquisitions, and recognized as a Lawyer of the Year 2022 for Corporate Governance and Compliance.

Mr. Schwarz regularly publishes on compliance topics, is a much sought-after speaker and panelist and also regularly appears in many webcasts covering the topics of Anti-Corruption Enforcement, Internal Investigations and Compliance.

He is chairing the steering committee of the DGAP Forum Munich of the German Council on Foreign Relations, a member of Deutsches Institut for Compliance e.V. and a member of Forum Compliance & Integrity, an initiative of Zentrum für Wirtschaftsethik.

Mr. Schwarz studied law at the Universities of Bonn, Munich and Regensburg, from where he also obtained his doctor’s degree in 1992. He is admitted as a German lawyer (Rechtsanwalt) since 1993.

Mr. Schwarz speaks German, English and is a state-certified translator (IHK) for Russian, which makes it possible for him to carry out internal investigations and regulatory proceedings in all three languages.

EDUCATION

University of Regensburg - 1992 Dr. jur.

Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich - 1990 Law Degree

ADMISSIONS

Germany - Rechtsanwalt

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

Firm News - March 16, 2023 | Gibson Dunn Ranked in Chambers Europe 2023
Firm News - February 16, 2023 | Gibson Dunn Ranked in The Legal 500 Deutschland 2023
Client Alert - February 7, 2023 | 2022 Year-End Sanctions and Export Controls Update
Webcasts - January 17, 2023 | Webcast: FCPA Trends in the Emerging Markets
Firm News - October 28, 2022 | Leading German Legal Publication JUVE Recommends Gibson Dunn Germany in its Annual Handbook 2022/2023
Firm News - June 24, 2022 | Best Lawyers in Germany 2023 Recognizes 26 Gibson Dunn Attorneys
Firm News - April 12, 2022 | Gibson Dunn Ranked in Legal 500 EMEA 2022
Firm News - March 17, 2022 | Gibson Dunn Ranked in Chambers Europe 2022
Firm News - January 27, 2022 | Gibson Dunn Ranked in The Legal 500 Deutschland 2022
Client Alert - January 13, 2022 | 2021 Year-End German Law Update
Webcasts - January 13, 2022 | Webcast: FCPA Trends in the Emerging Markets of Asia, Russia, Latin America and Africa
Client Alert - December 13, 2021 | U.S. Strategy on Countering Corruption Signals Focus on Enforcement
Firm News - July 1, 2021 | Best Lawyers in Germany 2022 Recognizes 25 Gibson Dunn Attorneys
Client Alert - June 17, 2021 | China Constricts Sharing of In-Country Corporate and Personal Data Through New Legislation
Firm News - April 15, 2021 | Gibson Dunn Ranked in Legal 500 EMEA 2021
Firm News - March 19, 2021 | Gibson Dunn Ranked in Chambers Europe 2021
Firm News - January 20, 2021 | Gibson Dunn Ranked in The Legal 500 Deutschland 2021
Client Alert - January 14, 2021 | 2020 Year-End German Law Update
Webcasts - January 12, 2021 | Webcast: FCPA Trends in the Emerging Markets of Asia, Russia, Latin America, India and Africa
Webcasts - July 9, 2020 | COVID-19 WebTalk: Compliance Investigations
Firm News - June 26, 2020 | Best Lawyers in Germany 2021 Recognizes 19 Gibson Dunn Attorneys
Firm News - April 30, 2020 | Gibson Dunn Ranked in Legal 500 EMEA 2020
Client Alert - April 21, 2020 | New Risks Resulting from COVID-19 Analyzed under Spectrum of German Criminal, Regulatory and Civil Exposure
Client Alert - April 8, 2020 | Fraud in the COVID-19 Age: Examining and Anticipating Changing Enforcement Activity
Client Alert - March 27, 2020 | “… whatever it takes” – German Parliament Passes Far-Reaching Legal Measures in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic
Client Alert - March 23, 2020 | Crisis Management & COVID-19 Response: Plan Now to Mitigate Against the Ripple Effects of COVID-19 Crisis
Client Alert - March 20, 2020 | COVID-19: The German Infectious Diseases Protection Act – What Makes You Stay at Home
Firm News - March 16, 2020 | Gibson Dunn Ranked in Chambers Europe 2020
Firm News - February 4, 2020 | Gibson Dunn Ranked in the Legal 500 Deutschland 2020
Client Alert - January 10, 2020 | 2019 Year-End German Law Update
Webcasts - January 8, 2020 | Webcast: FCPA Trends in the Emerging Markets of China, Russia, Latin America, India and Africa
Firm News - June 28, 2019 | Best Lawyers in Germany 2020 Recognizes 14 Gibson Dunn Attorneys
Firm News - April 8, 2019 | Gibson Dunn and Benno Schwarz Ranked as Top Law Firm and Top Lawyer in Compliance
Firm News - March 8, 2019 | Gibson Dunn Ranked in Chambers Europe 2019
Client Alert - January 11, 2019 | 2018 Year-End German Law Update
Webcasts - January 8, 2019 | Webcast: FCPA Trends in the Emerging Markets of Asia, Russia, Latin America, and Africa
Webcasts - September 17, 2018 | Webcast: Ten Years After Siemens: The Evolving Landscape of Global Anti-Corruption Enforcement
Firm News - June 22, 2018 | Best Lawyers 2019 Recognizes 12 German Partners
Webcasts - May 10, 2018 | Webcast: FCPA M&A: Identifying and Mitigating Anti-Corruption Risk In Cross-Border Transactions
Client Alert - February 5, 2018 | 2017 Year-End Sanctions Update
Publications - January 9, 2018 | Webcast: FCPA Trends in the Emerging Markets of China, Russia, Latin America, India and Africa
Client Alert - January 7, 2018 | 2017 Year-End German Law Update
Article - March 29, 2017 | Regional Risk Spotlight: Recent Developments in German Anti-Corruption Law
Client Alert - January 13, 2017 | 2016 Year-End German Law Update
Webcasts - January 10, 2017 | Webcast: FCPA Trends in the Emerging Markets of China, Russia, India, Africa and Latin America
Client Alert - February 4, 2016 | United States Restricts Visa Waiver Travel
Client Alert - January 8, 2016 | 2015 Year-End German Law Update
Article - March 5, 2015 | Doing something to counter the “angst”
Client Alert - March 2, 2015 | Länderreport Russland: Zwei Schritte vor, einer zurück – Russische Polka bei der Umsetzung internationaler Anti-Korruptionsstandards (German language)
Client Alert - January 9, 2015 | 2014 Year-End German Law Update
Client Alert - January 5, 2015 | 2014 Year-End FCPA Update
Client Alert - August 7, 2014 | USD 100 Million to Stay on the Racing Track — Munich Court Shows That German Anti-Corruption Laws Have Teeth
Client Alert - April 29, 2014 | European Parliament Adopts Broad New Compliance and Sustainability Reporting Requirements
Client Alert - January 15, 2014 | 2013 Year-End German Law Update
Webcasts - January 13, 2014 | Webcast – FCPA Trends in the Emerging Markets of China, India, Russia, the Middle East and Africa
Client Alert - July 9, 2013 | Tenfold Increase of Corporate Fines for Compliance Violations in Germany
Webcasts - January 31, 2013 | Webcast – Munich Compliance Academy Series
Client Alert - January 10, 2013 | 2012 Year-End German Law Update
Client Alert - January 16, 2012 | Im Fadenkreuz der Regulatoren – Worauf Strategische und Private-Equity-Investoren Bei M&A-Transaktionen Achten Müssen
Client Alert - January 10, 2012 | 2011 Year-End German Law Update
Article - February 7, 2011 | FCPA Compliance Monitorships – US Marotte oder Flavor of the New Times?
Client Alert - January 24, 2011 | Global Anti-Corruption Enforcement and Compliance: 2010 Year in Review
Client Alert - January 14, 2011 | 2010 Year-End German Law Update
Client Alert - January 20, 2010 | 2009 Year-End German Law Update
Client Alert - August 24, 2009 | Stricter Rules for Remuneration of Management Board Members in German Stock Corporations — Extended Liability for Members of the Supervisory Board
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