Christian Heinelt

Christian Heinelt advises and represents companies and individuals in the areas of commercial and tax criminal law, as well as compliance. His practice focuses on the intersection of criminal law, cybersecurity, data protection, and artificial intelligence.

He defends clients in cases involving IT and data protection offenses, represents companies in fine proceedings, and assists them in the aftermath of cyberattacks—from responding to ransomware to communicating with authorities.

Heinelt provides proactive advice on IT regulatory obligations and liability risks, particularly those arising from NIS-2, the BSIG, DORA, the Cyber Resilience Act, and the AI Regulation. His focus is on the personal responsibility of executive management. In addition, he addresses criminal law risks associated with the use of AI—such as those faced by individuals bound by professional secrecy under Section 203 of the German Criminal Code (StGB)—as well as cross-border data access by investigative authorities (e-evidence) and criminal compliance, including in M&A transactions.

Christian Heinelt regularly publishes on these topics, including in the NStZ, MMR, and RDi, as well as in the Computer Law Handbook (C.H. Beck). As a lecturer at the Bitkom Academy, he trains executives and other decision-makers on IT criminal law, cybersecurity, and IT compliance. Christian Heinelt is a certified AI Officer and a certified data protection officer (both from the University of Münster).

Christian Heinelt has been with Wessing & Partner since 2022 and was named a partner in 2026. Prior to that, he worked for major international law firms in the areas of tax law and white-collar crime, and served as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company. He completed his law degree in Heidelberg and Bergen (Norway). He speaks German and English.