The lawyer and specialized lawyer in criminal law Dr Kerstin Stirner is a partner in the law firm Gercke Wollschläger, which she has already joined in 2013 – initially as an associate. She provides advice and acts as counsel for the defense in all areas of the commercial criminal law. In particular, one of her focuses is the advising and defending in proceedings concerning the medical criminal law – and this on account of both allegations of medical malpractice and submission of false claims, embezzlement and corruption in the healthcare system – as well as in proceedings in consequence of major damaging events and occupational accidents. The representation in professional proceedings forms part of her skills, too. She defended, inter alia, the creative director of Lopavent in the so-called “Love Parade Proceedings” before the Regional Court Duisburg and, together with Professor Dr Gercke, the entrepreneur Alexander Falk before the Regional Court Frankfurt. Moreover, she was co-expert in the expert opinion commissioned by the Archdiocese Cologne on the misconduct of responsible persons in dealing with sexual abuse in the Archdiocese. Together with her law firm colleague Prof. Dr. Gercke, she led the investigation of the law firm Gercke Wollschläger into possible misconduct of a German rabbi and his husband towards students and other members of various Jewish institutions for the Central Council of Jews in Germany.
The “Wirtschaftswoche” and the “Handelsblatt” (in cooperation with BestLawyers) rank her among the most renowned German lawyers in the commercial criminal law. She is considered “technically excellent”, “assertive” (Juve Handbook 2021/22) as well as a “prudent and experienced” (Juve Handbook 2023/24). In 2023, she was named one of “40 under 40” in Germany by the industry service Juve.
The lawyer regularly lectures and publishes in all areas of the commercial criminal law. Here, the entire medical criminal law forms part of her focuses, too. For example, in 2019 the Handbook of Medical Criminal Law, prepared jointly with the lawyer Professor Dr Gercke and the lawyer Dr Leimenstoll was published. Dr. Stirner has also been active for several years as a lecturer in legal training at the German Lawyers’ Academy. She is currently lecturing in the new certification course in commercial criminal law in the field of medical (commercial) criminal law. Besides, in 2017 she acted as an expert for the Criminal Law Commission regarding the deployment of undercover informants. Moreover, she is a trained business mediator (cvm).
Dr Stirner studied at the Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremberg with the focus on commercial criminal law, criminology, juvenile criminal law and penal system. She completed her legal clerkship in the judicial district of the Higher Regional Court Nuremberg and worked, inter alia, for the law firm Gercke Wollschläger during that time. She did her doctorate at the Institute for Criminal Law, Criminal Trial Law and Criminology at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg with Professor Dr Hans Kudlich in the field of the medical criminal law.
Dr Stirner speaks German and English.
