Foundations Expert Prof. Hans Fleisch Joins Flick Gocke Schaumburg as an Of Counsel

Professor Hans Fleisch has joined the Berlin office of Flick Gocke Schaumburg as an Of Counsel. The 57-year-old lawyer and expert in foundations has many years of experience with the establishment, strategic positioning, and organization of foundations. He will be part of the firm’s succession, foundation, and NPO practice.

From 2005 to 2015, Fleisch was Secretary General of the Association of German Foundations and Executive Director of the German Foundation Academy. He now heads the Lipoid Foundation and is an honorary professor at the University of Hildesheim.

Fleisch began his career at the insurance provider Allianz Lebensversicherungs AG. Between 1992 and 2002, he became known to the foundation world as the Executive Director of the German Foundation for World Population, based in Hanover. In 2003 he was appointed Director of the European Center for Population and Development, and in 2004 he became Head of Administration and Finance at the Volkswagen Foundation.

Fleisch also serves on numerous boards in a voluntary capacity. These include the German National Committee for UNICEF, the advisory board of Transparency International Deutschland, the KfW monitoring committee for the financing of social enterprises, and the supervisory board of the National Institute for Science Communication. In 2012, he became a co-editor of the German publication ‘Zeitschrift für das Recht der Non-Profit-Organisationen’ (journal for the law of non-profit organizations).

“Hans Fleisch is one of Germany’s leading experts in strategy and the legal organization of foundations and foundation enterprises,” states Professor Stephan Schauhoff, the partner responsible at Flick Gocke Schaumburg in Bonn for foundations and non-profit organizations. “He is familiar with countless foundations, their bodies, and the way they work. What’s more, he has set up numerous charitable foundations and belongs to several foundations’ supervisory boards. With his rich experience, he will be able to offer our clients a wealth of valuable advice.”