Attorney Dr. Caroline Jacob, Specialist Lawyer for Criminal Law in Frankfurt

Criminal defence lawyer in Frankfurt with a focus on white-collar crime, criminal tax law and compliance

Attorney Dr. Caroline Jacob is a partner at Buchert Jacob Peter in Frankfurt am Main and a Specialist Lawyer for Criminal Law. She advises and defends companies as well as private individuals in complex criminal proceedings, with a particular focus on white-collar crime, criminal tax law, corporate defence, compliance, internal investigations and ombudsperson work.

Dr. Caroline Jacob has been active in criminal defence for many years. After studying law in Frankfurt am Main and completing her second state examination in 2000, she obtained her doctorate in white-collar criminal law and worked in an international law firm. She has worked as a criminal defence lawyer since 2002, joined Buchert Jacob Peter in 2009 and has been a partner of the firm since 2013.

Her work combines criminal defence experience, strategic case management and a strong understanding of corporate structures, compliance systems, internal investigations and sensitive whistleblower matters. She advises and defends clients in German and English.

White-collar crime and criminal tax law

In white-collar crime and criminal tax law, Dr. Caroline Jacob represents companies and private individuals, including managing directors, board members, senior employees, entrepreneurs, freelancers and professionals. She defends clients in investigations and criminal proceedings involving tax evasion, negligent tax understatement, tax handling offences, fraud, subsidy fraud, investment fraud, breach of trust, corruption, money laundering and asset confiscation.

Her defence work starts at an early procedural stage. She advises clients before and after searches, during seizures of documents and data, in witness and suspect situations, in dealings with prosecution authorities and tax investigators, and in court proceedings. The objective is to understand the facts quickly, secure procedural rights and develop a clear defence strategy from the outset.

Related areas: white-collar crime defence, tax evasion defence in Germany and fraud and breach of trust defence.

Corporate defence and management liability

A major part of Dr. Caroline Jacob’s work concerns corporate defence. She advises companies when criminal allegations are directed against the company, its management, employees or external representatives. These cases often involve the risk of corporate fines, supervisory duties, internal reporting obligations, reputational damage and parallel civil or employment-law consequences.

In corporate criminal matters, she coordinates the defence at both company and individual level. This includes communication with investigating authorities, analysis of possible exposure under Sections 30 and 130 OWiG, clarification of internal responsibilities and development of a consistent procedural strategy.

Typical matters include fraud and breach of trust allegations, corruption issues, money laundering risks, accounting and bookkeeping offences, data protection issues with criminal relevance, confidentiality breaches and allegations arising from internal reporting or whistleblower systems.

Capital-market and insolvency-related criminal law

Dr. Caroline Jacob also represents clients in capital-market-related and insolvency-related criminal proceedings. These cases often have significant personal, financial and reputational consequences. Typical allegations include insider trading, market manipulation, investment fraud, accounting offences, delayed filing for insolvency, bankruptcy offences, breach of bookkeeping obligations, preferential treatment of creditors or debtors and withholding or misappropriating employee social security contributions.

In these proceedings, the defence must usually combine criminal procedure, economic analysis, company documentation and a precise understanding of the client’s individual role. Dr. Caroline Jacob focuses on early case analysis, structured communication and a defence strategy that addresses both the criminal allegation and the wider business consequences.

Employment-related criminal law

In employment-related criminal law, Dr. Caroline Jacob advises and defends clients in cases arising from the employment context. Typical issues include withholding and misappropriation of wages or social security contributions, fraud and breach of trust allegations involving expenses or internal billing, corruption in business transactions, document offences, false documentation, data-related allegations and confidentiality breaches.

These matters often affect both individuals and companies. They may involve internal investigations, employment-law measures, compliance reviews and communication with authorities. A coordinated criminal defence strategy is therefore essential.

Compliance, internal investigations and whistleblower matters

Dr. Caroline Jacob advises companies on criminal-law-related compliance issues and supports them in the development and improvement of compliance structures. Where suspected misconduct arises, she conducts and supervises internal investigations, assesses findings from a criminal-law perspective and assists with the legal evaluation of possible follow-up measures.

Internal investigations frequently concern allegations of fraud, breach of trust, corruption, tax or accounting irregularities, money laundering, asset recovery issues, data protection incidents, IT-related misconduct and employment-related criminal law risks. The central objective is to clarify the relevant facts in a legally robust and proportionate manner while protecting procedural rights and corporate interests.

Related topics: internal investigations, criminal compliance and ombudsperson services.

Ombudsperson and trusted reporting lawyer

As an ombudsperson and trusted reporting lawyer, Dr. Caroline Jacob acts as an independent contact for whistleblower reports. She receives confidential reports, provides an initial legal assessment and supports the legally secure transfer of information into internal decision-making and investigation processes.

Reports may concern corruption, conflicts of interest, fraud, breach of trust, accounting manipulation, money laundering, data protection breaches, confidentiality violations and employment-related criminal law matters. Her experience in advising companies of different sizes and from different sectors allows her to assess sensitive reports with the necessary discretion, independence and criminal-law focus.

Further information is available on our page Ombudspersons and on the dedicated website Ombudsperson Frankfurt.

Qualifications

• Specialist Lawyer for Criminal Law
• Doctorate in white-collar criminal law
• Certified Defence Lawyer for White-Collar Criminal Law (DSV)
• Certified Defence Lawyer for Tax Criminal Law (DSV)
• Certified Accounting Expert, Steuer-Fachschule Dr. Endriss
• Certified Data Protection Officer

Practice areas

• White-collar crime defence
• Criminal tax law and tax evasion defence
• Corporate criminal defence
• Capital-market-related criminal law
• Insolvency-related criminal law
• Employment-related criminal law
• Internal investigations
• Criminal compliance
• Ombudsperson and trusted reporting lawyer

Memberships

• Wirtschaftsstrafrechtliche Vereinigung (WisteV)
• Deutsche Strafverteidiger e. V.
• Deutscher Strafverteidiger Verband e. V. (DSV)
• Whistleblower Netzwerk e. V.
• German Ombudsman Association – Vereinigung deutscher Vertrauensanwälte e. V.

Publications

Dr. Caroline Jacob has published on internal investigations, whistleblower systems, corporate compliance and white-collar criminal law. Her publications include specialist legal work on internal investigations in companies and reviews of literature on whistleblower systems and corporate compliance.

• Internal Investigations: Ermittlungen im Unternehmen, 1st edition 2013, Verlag C. F. Müller
• Review of Hinweisgebersysteme – Implementierung im Unternehmen, Alexander Schemmel, Dr. Felix Ruhmannseder, Dr. Tobias Witzigmann, in Corporate Compliance Zeitschrift (CCZ) 2012, pp. VI–VII, jointly with C. Buchert
• Internal Investigations: Ermittlungen im Unternehmen, 2nd edition 2016, Verlag C. F. Müller

Contact Attorney Dr. Caroline Jacob

If you need advice or defence in white-collar crime, criminal tax law, corporate defence, internal investigations, compliance or whistleblower matters, you can contact Dr. Caroline Jacob in confidence.

She advises and defends companies and private individuals in Frankfurt am Main and throughout Germany. She is also available in urgent situations such as searches, seizures, questioning or criminal investigations involving companies and executives.

Email: kanzlei@dr-buchert.de · Phone: +49 69 710 33 330