Appeals and constitutional complaints are the masterpiece of criminal law expertise. Only a handful of attorneys in Germany have the professional knowledge and experience required to lead an appeal to success. Professor Dr Christoph Knauer is Honorary Professor for Commercial Criminal Law and Criminal Appeals at Munich’s Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität and the editor of the landmark Munich Commentary on the German Code of Criminal Procedure, in which he comments on the regulations for appeals, and regularly works as defence counsel in appeal proceedings, especially before the German Federal Court of Justice. He is frequently already involved in an advisory capacity during ongoing main hearings with a view to “setting the course” for the appeal in the court of lower instance.

Constitutional complaints under criminal law require not only proficient mastery of criminal norms and procedures at a scientific level, but also profound knowledge of constitutional law. Professor Dr Christoph Knauer has proven that he possesses these qualities, e.g. in the constitutional complaint that led to the annulment of Section 217 of the German Criminal Code (Strafgesetzbuch, StGB).