Dr. Christoph C. Dengler

Perspectives

Insights

Working notes on the General Counsel's role in PE, pharma, and the moments that decide whether an exit closes clean or drags.

Exit Readiness Starts on Day 1, Not with the Investment Banker

An exit does not start when bankers are engaged. It starts on Day One of ownership, because warranties look back five years or more.

PE Exit Delays: When Yesterday's Oversights Kill Today's Exit Window

Non-commercial delay drivers in PE exits: sanctions exposure, legacy compliance, governance gaps, IP complexity, change-of-control and carve-outs.

How an Exit Starts on Day 1 of PE Ownership: A Practical Playbook

A practical Day 1 agenda: fix buy-side findings, stop bad practices, clean up IP, settle disputes, and start assurance processes years before exit.

Lessons from a General Counsel: Strategic Disclosure in a PE Exit

Disclosure isn't about hiding risk. It's about preventing the unintentional amplification of risk. Two lessons for sell-side GCs.

Dual-Track Exits: Why Disclosure Discipline Matters

IPO and trade sale tracks follow fundamentally different disclosure rules. The GC's job is to keep the right logic on the right track.

Debt Refinancing: the Blind Spot Before Exit

Offering memoranda are durable disclosure. A debt financing exposes weak spots years before the exit window opens.

Proactively Managing the Buy-Side Machine

In sell-side processes, distance creates distortion. Direct legal dialogue short-circuits the buy-side pyramid before non-topics harden into findings.

Why PE Sponsors Benefit from a General Counsel Sounding Board

Strong GCs don't need more lawyers. They need peer-level perspective, confidentiality, and a trusted person outside the internal circle.

Why PE Loses Money on Legal Fees

Unmanaged legal processes destroy value. Seven recurring patterns of legal spend leakage in PE-owned portfolio companies and at exit.

Why PE Sponsors Should Offer a Due Diligence Readiness Service

Due diligence readiness is not a one-off exit topic. It is recurring. Sponsors can offer portfolio companies a confidential peer-level contact for global functions.