Dr. Laurin Havlik is an associate in Willkie's German practice. He is a member of the firm’s Environmental, Social & Governance, Investigations & Enforcement, Global Trade & Investment, White-Collar Defense as well as Private Equity practice groups.
Laurin advises clients in particular in the science and automotive industry on the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act and integration of sustainability and has in-depth expertise in setting up state-of-the-art ESG Compliance Management Systems. He also regularly advises clients on foreign trade law compliance and in the context of internal investigations.
He is a specialist in the realm of the laws regulating unfair competition, in particular misleading advertising claims, whereas in his Ph.D. dissertation he dealt with, inter alia, greenwashing claims in the context of advertising.
Laurin regularly authors in the Corporate Compliance Law Journal (CCZ) and has recently contributed to Willkie’s essay series regarding compliance-related transactional due diligence. He also contributed to the Financial Crime Academy, where helped to create the Certificate Course on Sanctions & Export Control Compliance.
Prior to joining Willkie, he worked at other international law firms.
Laurin speaks German and English.
Experience
- “One Step Closer to the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive”, February 5, 2024.
- “German Federal Court of Justice Confirms: Liability of a Managing Director for Compliance Violations Can Be Limited by Internal Allocation of Responsibilities”, February 2, 2024.
- “Compliance (Due Diligence) im Kontext von Transaktionen – Die ESG Due Diligence”, Corporate Compliance Law Journal (CCZ) 2023, Issue 1-2/2024, p. 13.
- “Compliance (Due Diligence) im Kontext von Transaktionen – Außenwirtschaftsrecht”, Corporate Compliance Law Journal (CCZ) 2023, Issue 12/2023, p. 337.
- “Compliance (Due Diligence) im Kontext von Transaktionen – Allgemeine Einführung in die Thematik”, Corporate Compliance Law Journal (CCZ) 2023, Issue 10/2023, p. 269.
- “KYS & KYC - (Un-)Intended Interplay Between the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act and Anti-Money Laundering Laws?”, September 1, 2023.
- "German Court Observing EU Blocking Regulation May Be Disproportionate During Pending Authorization Procedure Before the EU Commission: Non-Compliance with US Sanctions Required Under the EU Blocking Regulation May Be Unreasonable During the Ongoing Exemption Process”, June 13, 2023.
- Advising Wendel on the sale of Constantia Flexibles to One Rock Capital Partners
- Assisting a major German company in its internal investigation into alleged misconduct by key social media influencers
- Advising a European manufacturer of luxury vehicles in relation to ESG-related requirements with a specific focus on compliance with the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act
- Advising a leading international manufacturer of medical science equipment on compliance with EU Russian & Crimea Sanctions
- Advising a leading global technology company on updating the existing screening process of business partners and products in relation to the export of (US) goods from the European Union to China
- Advising a client in business partner due diligence including enhanced background checks
- Setting up a state-of-the-art ESG compliance management system for a world leader in medical and scientific education solutions
- Advising a market-leading multinational company for filter products and solutions on EU sanction issues
- Advising a leading German supplier of process and packaging solutions on ensuring foreign trade law compliance for contemplated exports to China
Credentials
Education
University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Dr. jur., 2023 Higher Regional Court of Bamberg, Second State Exam, 2021 University of Bayreuth, First State Exam, 2019