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Anahita Thoms

Anahita Thoms LL.M.

Partner
Baker McKenzie Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbH von Rechtsanwälten und Steuerberatern

Biography

Anahita Thoms heads Baker McKenzie's International Trade Practice in Germany and is a member of our EMEA Steering Committee for Investigations, Compliance & Ethics. Anahita is Global Lead Sustainability Partner for our Industrials, Manufacturing and Transportation Industry Group. She serves as an Advisory Board Member in profit and non-profit organizations, such as Atlantik-Brücke, and is an elected National Committee Member at UNICEF Germany. She has served for three consecutive terms as the ABA Co-chair of the Export Controls and Economic Sanctions Committee and as the ABA Vice-Chair of the International Human Rights Committee. Anahita has also been an Advisory Board Member (Beirätin) of the Sustainable Finance Advisory Council of the German Government.

Anahita has won various accolades for her work, including 100 Most Influential Women in German Business (manager magazin), Top Lawyer (Wirtschaftswoche), Winner of the Strive Awards in the category Sustainability, Pioneer in the area of sustainability (Juve), International Trade Lawyer of the Year (Germany) 2020 ILO Client Choice Awards, Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum, Capital 40 under 40, International Trade Lawyer of the Year (New York) 2016 ILO Client Choice Awards. In 2023, Handelsblatt recognized her as one of Germany’s Dealmaker and “most sought after advisors of the country” in the field of sustainability.

Practice Focus

Anahita focuses her practice on global investigations and white-collar crime proceedings before German authorities and courts. She has significant experience advising on internal compliance programs, accompanying internal and external investigations and self-disclosures, inter alia in cases of breaches of sanctions, export control, human rights, data protection and foreign investment review, closely collaborating with the competent authorities.

Professional Honors

  • Responsible Leader, BMW Herbert Quandt Foundation, 2023
  • Winner of the Strive Awards 2022 in the Category Sustainability
  • Leading individual in trade and distribution: Foreign Trade Law, Legal 500 Europe 2021/22
  • Leading individual in Foreign Trade Law, Juve Germany 2022
  • Top 100 Most Influential Women in the German Economy, manager magazin 2020
  • 40 under 40, Capital, 2020
  • Leading individual in Foreign Trade Law, Juve Germany 2020
  • The Best Lawyers in Germany 2022 edition for Public Law since 2020
  • Young Global Leader, World Economic Forum, 2020
  • International Trade Lawyer of the Year (Germany), ILO Client Choice Awards, 2020
  • Thought Leader in Trade, Germany, Who's Who Legal 2020
  • 40 under 40, Capital, 2019
  • Compliance Lawyer of the Year, Finalist, Women in Compliance Awards 2019
  • Compliance Innovator of the Year, Finalist, Women in Compliance Awards 2019
  • 40 under 40, Juve, 2019
  • M&A, Corporate Governance and Foreign Investment Review, Who's Who Legal 2019
  • Future Leaders in Investigations, Who's Who Legal 2018
  • Leading Practitioner in Trade & Customs, Who's Who Legal 2017
  • 40 under 40, Global Investigations Review, 2017
  • International Trade Lawyer (Germany), ILO Client Choice Awards, 2020
  • International Trade Lawyer (New York), ILO Client Choice Awards, 2016
  • Rising Star, New York Law Journal, 2016
  • Young Practitioner of the Year, World ECR Awards, 2016
  • Outstanding CLE Committee Program, ABA Section of International Law Award, 2016
  • Outstanding Non-CLE Committee Program, ABA Section of International Law Award, 2015
  • Young Leader of the Atlantik-Brücke e.V. 2014

Professional Associations and Memberships

  • Deutsches Komitee UNICEF e.V. - Member
  • American Bar Association - Member of the International Human Rights Steering Committee
  • Berlin Bar Association - Member
  • Dusseldorf Bar Association - Member
  • American Bar Association - Co-chair of the ABA Export Controls and Economic Sanctions Committee
  • American Bar Association - Member of the ABA Privacy, E-Commerce and Data Security Steering Committee
  • Atlantik-Brücke e.V. - Board Member

Admissions

  • New York - Foreign Legal Consultant (2015)
  • Germany (2008)

Education

  • Harvard Kennedy School (Executive Education: Global Leadership and Public Policy for the 21st Century) (2022)
  • Stanford University (Executive Education: Strategies for Sustainability) (2020)
  • Nottingham Trent University (LL.M.) (2013)
  • Higher Regional Court of Dusseldorf (Second State Exam) (2007)
  • Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf (First State Exam) (2005)

Languages

  • English
  • Farsi
  • German

Interviews, Publications & Presentations

Interviews

  • Interviewee, "EU Trade Meeting," BBC World / BBC One, 3 June 2022
  • Interviewee, "Mehr Diversität im Dax," Handelsblatt, 1 June 2022
  • Interviewee, "Modi in Europe," BBC World / BBC One, 2 May 2022
  • Interviewee, "Lieferkettengesetz wird auf Weg gebracht - Hohe Bußgelder bei Verstößen ab 2023," Interview ntv online, 2 March 2021 
  • Interviewee, "Development of trade talks between the UK and USA," Interview BBC World News online, 8 September 2020
  • Interviewee, "Brexit negotiations, fourth round of talks to end without agreement," Interview on Business Briefing, BBC World Television, 5 June 2020 
  • Interviewee, "Auswirkungen des Corona-Virus auf Lieferketten," Interview on Telebörse , n-tv, 5 March 2020 
  • Interviewee, "Moderne Sklaverei auch für Finanzinstitute von großer Bedeutung", Börsen-Zeitung, 12 October 2019

Geschäftsführer: Dr. Alexander Wolff, Dr. Oliver Socher, Dr. Christian Vocke
Baker McKenzie Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbH von Rechtsanwälten und Steuerberatern is registered with the Local Court of Frankfurt/Main (registered seat) HRB 123975. It is associated with Baker & McKenzie International, a Verein organized under the laws of Switzerland.