As part of the Legal and Management Training Program held from 8 to 19 March 2021, courses on international business and intercultural communication skills as well as presentation, CV writing and global recruitment interview skills were attended on campus by our students of the LL.M. International Finance program.
Further, in order to broaden our students’ scope of knowledge of the diversed aspects and activities of the working world, a total of nine seminars/presentations of regulatories authorities, central banks, commercial banks, law firms and companies were conducted for them either on campus or online.
German Central Bank (Deutsche Bundesbank)
Dr. Michael Schröder, Senior Researcher, gave the ILF students an insight into the German Central Bank and its operation in Germany as well as in Europe, while highlighting the function and process of monetary policies.
Banco Santander
Mr. Timo Matthias Spitzer, Head of Legal Corporate & Investment Banking, Germany, Austria & Switzerland, spoke about “Forward Thinking Legal Departments” and his views on creating a work environment where people feel safe and valued. He emphasized the importance of reputation and that a as an in-house lawyer, one should have a professional ethical bottom line. One should investigate into a company's background before entering the company in order to enter a reliable working environment and one should maintain the integrity and uphold one’s own values. Based on his experience, Mr. Spitzer shared several essential traits of an in-house lawyer, in particular, one should be an accountable leader because an in-house lawyer is a corporate ambassador who uses uses networking to solve problems in the international community.
King & Wood Mallesons (KWM)
Ms. Sandra Link and Mr. Hui Zhao, Partners of KWM, gave an overview of KWM Global and KWM in Germany, They went on to explain the typical role of law firms in transactions, the current investment environment, particularities of a German M&A transaction and the KWM experience in Sino-German projects. The students had a closer look at Sino-German transactions and could raise questions in relation to obtaining internships and employment in international law firms with an Asian connection such as KWM.
Agricultural Bank of China (ABC)
Dr. Peter Regnery, Managing Director of the Frankfurt branch of the ABC, gave a talk on “Connecting to the Chinese Payment System for German corporations”. He presented ABC Group, an overview of the Chinese market environment, as well as a practical insight of how payment “go east” and “go west.” The discussion of the differences in payment environments between China and Germany deepened the ILF students’ understanding of cross-border payments. The ILF students raised questions regarding the communication and decision-making process between the Frankfurt office and its headquarter in Beijing.
German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin)
Mr. Peter Kruschel, Head of Technical Cooperation & Bilateral Affairs and his colleague Mr. Jochen Robert Elsen, Financial Counsellor, gave a very detailed presentation about BaFin and its role in the supervision of banks and financial services providers, as well as securities trading. They also discussed current cases studies and issues in banking supervision.
Noerr
Dr. Till Kosche, Partner, gave a seminar about how to do a share deal in Germany. He spoke about 1) the general aspects and possible timeline for a share deal, 2) due diligence, including due diligence areas, legal due diligence, and the importance of legal due diligence; 3) the difference between a share deal and an asset deal; 4) the important aspects of a Share Purchase Agreement.
European Central Bank (ECB)
Mr. Michael Sturm, Directorate General -International and European Relations, Mr. Radu Bosa, Directorate General Communications, and Mr. Guillermo Rebollo de Garay, hosted this online lecture. Mr. Michael Sturm gave an overview of how the ECB adjusts the economy and maintains price stability through monetary policies, and he explained in detail some of the monetary policy tools. He also explained the ECB’s supervisory mechanism, how the ECB ensures the safety and stability of the banks in Europe, as well as how the ECB operates to recover the economy as much as possible under the pandemic in Europe.
China International Investment Promotion Agency (CIIPA)
Dr. Michael Borchman, Senior Advisor, and Ms. Liang Shuanglin, Head of Public Relations, showed how Sino-German relations have developed in recent years and presented data and cases of Sino-German cooperation. The development which started from cultural exchanges to economic partners to comprehensive strategic partners has brought the Sino-German exchange to a deeper level. The students were introduced to the concept of hidden champion companies and the important role of SMEs.
German Federal Cartel Office (Bundeskartellamt)
Dr. Severin Frank, Deputy Press Officer, gave a brief introduction of competition policy, the history and the structure of the Bundeskartellamt. He pointed out that the aim is to protect competition and the consumers. He also analysed the enforcement process through cartel enforcement, merger control and the control of abusive practices.
