Photo of Sonja Klein

Sonja G. Klein

Senior Counsel
Baker McKenzie Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbH von Rechtsanwälten und Steuerberatern

Biography

Sonja Klein studied at the University of Gießen, graduating both in law as well as obtaining a Master of Business Administration (Diplom-Kauffrau). She was admitted to the Frankfurt bar in 1994. Sonja joined Baker McKenzie's Frankfurt Office in 1996 and qualified as Certified Tax Advisor admitted to the German Tax Bar in 1999. Sonja was made Partner in 2000. She is an active member of the International Fiscal Association (IFA), Corporate Law Association, Inheritance Law Association and Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP).

Practice Focus

Sonja has more than 10 years of experience in advising multinational corporate clients in particular on tax issues in connection with M&A transactions, tax-efficient restructuring, e.g. in order to reduce the overall group tax rate of companies, optimization of thin capitalization planning and business reengineering such as implementing commissionaire and low-risk distributor structures. Another focus of her practice lies in estate planning for high net worth individuals and providing advice to private banks and insurance companies engaged in the wealth management sector with respect to their specific products and services. In this context she advises also on tax efficient investment strategies and tax-optimized international succession planning schemes as well as on pre-immigration and expatriation issues.

Representative Legal Matters

  • US multinational: Advice on tax-optimized profit repatriation and reorganization of the German group.
  • US multinational: Advice in relation to a tax-effective spin-off of a separate business unit.
  • Foreign real estate investors: Advice on tax-optimized acquisition structures for corporate income and real estate transfer tax purposes.
  • Insurance companies: Advice on tax-efficient life insurance products, permanent establishment issues and new obligations under the flat tax regime.
  • Foreign banks: Advice on compliance issues in light of the increased transparency within the banking sector.
  • Individuals with respect to relocation matters.

Admissions

  • Frankfurt Tax Bar (1999)
  • Germany (1994)

Education

  • Steuerberaterin (Certified Tax Advisor) (1999)
  • State of Hesse (Assessor Exam) (1994)
  • University of Giessen (M.B.A. Diplom-Kauffrau) (1991)
  • University of Giessen (Referendar Exam) (1990)

Languages

  • English
  • German

Publications

Co-author (with Christian Port, Lars Haverkamp, Udo Henkel, Thomas Schänzle), contributed article in handbook "Steuerrecht international tätiger Unternehmen," Verlag Dr. Otto Schmidt, 5th edition, 3 April 2018

Co-author, "German Parliament Passes Tax Amendment Act 2015," October 2015

Co-author, "EMEA Tax Newsletter," October 2015

Co-author, "European Tax Newsletter," July 2015

Co-author, "Private Banking Newsletter," June 2015