Tim Nikolas Mueller
Image of Tim Nikolas Müller

Dr. Tim Nikolas Müller

Partner

Tim heads our German White-Collar Defense and Criminal Compliance practice.

He is highly experienced in advising companies on a broad range of criminal matters, including bribery, embezzlement, fraud, insider dealing, money laundering, and tax evasion cases. Together with his team, he has successfully defended various companies and senior executives in complex criminal and administrative offence proceedings.

Tim also has very extensive experience in con-ducting internal investigations. He has led several high-profile compliance reviews across a wide variety of suspected misconduct, both domestically and cross-border. In addition, Tim specialises in assisting companies in the implementation and improvement of compliance management systems, such as in the areas of anti-bribery, anti-money laundering, and sanctions laws and regulations. He has a wealth of experience in directing compliance due diligence processes, having advised buy-side and sell-side clients on more than 100 M&A transactions to date.

Tim is widely recognized as a leading practitioner in his field. Germany’s renowned legal directory JUVE features him as a frequently recommended lawyer for compliance investigations. Chambers ranks him as a notable practitioner for “White-Collar Crime: Corporate Advisory”. Legal 500 lists him among the “Next Generation Partners” in the categories “Internal Investigations” and “Compliance”. The German business news magazine WirtschaftsWoche names him as a “Top Lawyer” for “Compliance” and “Criminal Tax Law”.

 

Expertise

Industries

Experience

Representative matters

  • Conducting an internal investigation for a global financial services group into cum/ex transactions against the background of criminal proceedings conducted by a German Public Prosecutor’s Office.
  • Advising and defending an international real-estate project development company in cross-border criminal proceedings into allegations of tax evasion conducted by a German Public Prosecutor’s Office.
  • Advising an international e-commerce company on the design and implementation of a comprehensive compliance management system, including in respect of a code of conduct, anti-bribery and corruption, anti-money laundering and anti-terrorism financing, and sanctions issues.
  • Conducting a cross-border internal investigation for a German life sciences company into suspicions of bribery and fraud in connection with the company’s international business activities.
  • Advising a German traffic and mobility company on the design and implementation of a comprehensive compliance management system, including in respect of ESG, anti-harassment, human rights and modern slavery, and whistleblowing issues.

Recognition

Reliable and cooperative with very high professional expertise and pragmatic solution approaches.
JUVE Handbook 2025/2026 (Compliance Investigations), 2025
His advice reflects academic depth, with clear, pragmatic advice always focused on practical solutions.
Chambers Germany Guide, 2026

Qualifications

Admissions

Rechtsanwalt, Germany, 2013

Academic

Second State Exam, Law, Germany, 2012

Dr iur, University of Freiburg, Germany, 2010

Magister Juris, University of Oxford, UK, 2007

First State Exam, Law, Germany, 2005

Disclaimer
A&O Shearman was formed on May 1, 2024 by the combination of Shearman & Sterling LLP and Allen & Overy LLP and their respective affiliates (the legacy firms). Any matters referred to above may include matters undertaken by one or more of the legacy firms rather than A&O Shearman.