stetter Rechtsanwälte

White Colar and Criminal Tax Defense

Owner and Founder of the stetter Rechtsanwälte law firm

Sabine started her legal career as a white-collar defense counsel almost 25 years ago with one of the most famous professors in Germany at the time who specialized in criminal legal appeals before the highest criminal court (the “Bundesgerichstshof”), Prof. Dr. Gunter Widmaier, while simultaneously earning a doctorate in U.S. and German criminal tax law.   She built a reputation for excellence in this niche area of practice before the Federal Court of justice, including handling a commercial smuggling trial where the court’s ruling is regarded as a landmark ruling in Germany (BGH, judgement dating from October 24th, 2002 – 5 StR 600/01, BGHSt 48, 52) and – after having worked for other German lawfirms – founded her own one stetter Rechtsanwälte in 2010.

An important factor in the success of stetter Rechtsanwälte is the bundling of specialist expertise in order to offer clients the best advice possible. For this reason, Sabine worked and continues to work with a range of global lawfirms such as

Debevoise & Plimpton LLP, Baker & McKenzie International, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP, Hogan Lovells International LLP, Allen & Overy LLP, Williams & Connolly LLP, Hengeler Mueller Partnerschaft von Rechtsanwälten mbH, Osborne Clarke LLP, CMS Hasche Sigle Partnerschaft von Rechtsanwälte mbH and Noerr PartGmbH.

Experience

Sabine is representing and has represented clients in most significant and high-profile criminal matters in Germany. Her representations include the following matters:

1) Wirecard Proceedings: Defence of the Former Head of Accounting

Lead defence counsel of the former Head of Accounting since 2020

-      in the criminal investigation during which a release from custody was   achieved in 2021,

-      in the investigation by the Parliamentary Investigation Committee of the 19th German Bundestag and

-      in the criminal trial before the 4th Criminal Chamber of the Munich I Regional Court regarding the allegations of accounting fraud, market manipulation, fraud and breach of trust since December 2022.

2) Dieselgate: Defence of the Former Chief Technology Officer of Audi

Lead defence counsel of the former Chief Technology Officer at Audi since 2017

-      in the criminal investigation including strategic advice with regard to the investigation conducted by the United States Department of Justice and

-      in the criminal proceedings before the 5th Criminal Chamber of the Munich II Regional Court regarding the allegations of fraud, indirect false certification and criminal advertising.

3) Dieselgate: Representation Concerning a German Subsidiary of a global U.S. Car Manufacturer

Lead defence counsel of a German subsidiary of a global U.S. car manufacturer for an almost 3-year period in the German white-collar proceedings relating to the allegation of lack of supervision including the reduction of a fine including disgorgement from about 300 million Euro to about 70 million Euro for this German subsidiary including the coordination of a team of defense counsel for the targets (individuals).

4) Cum-Ex Scandal: Strategic Advice to a Global U.S.-Based Law firm

Sole criminal legal advisor of a major global U.S.-based law firm which was advising one of the implicated banks during the relevant time period in connection with the overall strategy as it related to a specific German criminal trial.

5) Cum-Ex Scandal: Defence of a Former Board Member of an International Bank

Lead defence counsel of a former board member of an international bank since 2019 with relation to the allegation of aiding and abetting tax evasion amounting to millions of euros.

6) Protective Mask Scandal: Defence of an Entrepreneur

Lead defense counsel of the daughter of a former high-ranking politician in the German state of Bavaria

-     in the investigation by the Bavarian Parliamentary Investigation Committee and

-     in the criminal tax trial before the 6th Criminal Chamber of the Munich I Regional Court concerning the allegation that after having sold protective masks to various German federal states and having earned almost 50 million Euros in commissions, the required taxes were not handled appropriately and rather sought to be evaded.

7) International Bribery Scandal: Representation of a German Subsidiary of a Large U.S. Conglomerate

German lead defense counsel of a German subsidiary of a large U.S. conglomerate for an almost 4-year period coordinating efforts across multiple jurisdictions especially the U.S. and Germany and representing this German subsidiary in the German white-collar proceedings as well as coordinating a team of defence counsel for the targets (individuals).

8) International Bribery Scandal: Defence of a Former Senior CFO at Siemens

Lead defence counsel of a former senior CFO at Siemens for more than 17 years in

-      an internal FCPA investigation and in the German criminal investigation which ended with a termination of the proceedings,

-      together with U.S. counsel in the U.S. investigation conducted by the United States Department of Justice which ended with a non-prosecution agreement and

-      together with an Argentinian counsel in Argentinian criminal court proceedings.

Managing Partner of the stetter Rechtsanwälte law firm for white collar crime in 2010 Legal training in Munich and Karlsruhe Experience as a lawyer including appeal proceedings with Prof. Gunter Widmaier Doctorate (Dr. iur.) in international tax crime under Prof. Wolfgang Joecks Munich Bar (admitted to all German Courts, except the Federal Court of Justice in Civil Law)

QUALIFICATIONS

Dr Sabine Stetter has the following qualifications:

Certified Specialist in Criminal Law Certified Specialist in Tax Law

AWARDS

Dr. Sabine Stetter has been recognized by all the major rankings organizations in Germany and globally:

1. JUVE

"Result-oriented, in search of pragmatic solutions, dynamic, competent, highly valued by law firms specializing in civil law, long-time experience in international proceedings”.

“Like only few boutique law firms in the field, stetter Rechtsanwälte maintains a solid network of white-collar law firms in the USA”.

“Brilliant and highly professional”.

Listed 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024

2. Chambers and Partners

“Sabine Stetter of stetter Rechtsanwälte is a highly active white-collar crime and tax criminal law specialist. She is active on prominent German and international mandates, including representing notable individuals connected to the wirecard and diesel emissions scandal”.

Listed 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024

3. The Legal 500

“The boutique law firm stetter Rechtsanwälte has a reputation in handling international cases, especially relating to Europe and the USA. Further special fields are medical criminal law, labor criminal law, foreign trade law and environmental criminal law. The mandates range from financial services providers to automobile and the manufacturing sector. The “absolute excellent” Sabine Stetter has a good record in international cases and is engaged in all current complex cases”.

“The team is extremely experienced and knows how to end legal procedures quickly and quietly. The team knows how to handle complex international cases and offers intelligent solutions. The commitment extends far beyond normal consulting”.

“Sabine Stetter is living proof that white collar crime needs absolute specialists”.

Listed 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024

4. Who´s Who Legal

Category “Business Crime Defense”

Listed 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023

5. Best Lawyers – “Lawyer of the Year” Report

Dr Sabine Stetter “Criminal Tax Practice” – Bavaria

Listed 2023

6. Best Lawyers

Dr Sabine Stetter “Criminal Defense”

Listed 2016 | 2017| 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025

Dr Sabine Stetter “Criminal Tax Practice”

Listed 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025

Dr Sabine Stetter “Tax Law”

Listed 2016 | 2017| 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025

7. WirtschaftsWoche – Legal All Stars

In two consecutive years, Dr. Sabine Stetter from the Munich-based law firm stetter Rechtsanwälte was voted one of the top three advisors in the field of compliance by WirtschaftsWoche and the respondents of Handelsblatt Research in Germany.

Listed 2021 | 2022

8. WirtschaftsWoche

Top Law Firm “White-Collar Crime”

Listed 2022 | 2023 | 2024

Top Attorney at Law Dr Sabine Stetter “White-Collar Crime”

Listed 2022 | 2023 | 2024

Top Law Firm “Compliance”

Listed 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |2024

Top Attorney at Law Dr Sabine Stetter “Compliance”

Listed 2019 | 2020 | 2021

9. Handelsblatt – Germany´s Best Attorneys

Listed 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021| 2022 | 2023 | 2024

10. FOCUS Spezial – Germany´s Top Commercial Law Firms

White-Collar Crime and Compliance

Listed 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023

11. FOCUS Spezial – Top Lawyers

Criminal Law

Listed 2021 | 2022 | 2023

12. Brandeins – Best Commercial Law Firms

Compliance and White-Collar Crime

Listed 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023| 2024

German and English

Sabine is member of the following associations:

International Bar Association (IBA), Officer of the Anti-Corruption Committee of the IBA – Vice Chair of the Non-Trial Resolutions Committee, Women’s White Collar Defense Association (WWCDA), Juristinnen im Wirtschafts- und Steuerstrafrecht (JuWiSt) – Association of Female White Collar and Tax Crime Lawyers, Wirtschaftsstrafrechtliche Vereinigung (WisteV) – White Collar Defense Association, Deutscher Juristinnen Bund (DJB) – German Association of Female Lawyers, Deutscher Anwaltverein (DAV) – German Bar Association – Working Groups on Criminal Law, Tax Law, Medical Law and Female Lawyers, Rechtsanwaltskammer (RAK) München – Munich Bar Association.

Studied in Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich and at the London School of Economics

Furthermore, Sabine is one of the co-authors of the Münchener Anwaltshandbuch Strafverteidigung and Münchener Anwaltshandbuch Verteidigung in Wirtschafts- und Steuerstrafsachen (both standard references for German defence counsel), the Handbuch Arbeitsstrafrecht (a comprehensive practical guide to the responsibility of company personnel in respect of labour criminal liability risk) as well as the Handbuch des Fachanwalts Medizinrecht (a standard reference for medical law).