RA Martin Wohlrabe

Managing Director

Telephone: +49 30 20 91 29 70
Email:

Martin Wohlrabe is the founder of CONSILIUM. He has been in the media business for more than 20 years - as a communi­cations consultant, lawyer and previously a journalist: He advises companies and individuals across all sectors on crisis communi­cation, trans­formation processes, campaign planning and policy advice. His clients in­clude board members, entre­preneurs, heads of communi­cations and top politicians. Since starting his career as a consultant, Martin Wohlrabe has supp­orted well over 100 clients in over­coming situations critical to their success.

Martin Wohlrabe studied law at the Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, the Freie Universität and the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. He completed his legal clerkship at the Berlin Court of Appeal. Prior to founding CONSILIUM, he worked in the political and business editorial depart­ment of the BILD news­paper and was an advisor to Wolfgang Schäuble in the German Bundestag.

Excerpt from our consulting and practice focus areas

  • M&A-Communication
    • Strategic communi­cations consul­ting for an inter­national shipping company in the context of an M&A trans­action involving a German shipyard, including comprehensive state-level public affairs elements.
    • Support for complex investor processes in the health­care sector, including the transfer of multiple subsidiaries to new owners, with a focus on balanced media coverage and trust-building among employees, patients and business partners.
  • Litigation-PR
    • Advising a global investor group in the context of a state liability lawsuit against the Federal Republic of Germany.
    • Support in a complex patent law dispute with an Asian competitor in Germany through preventive commentary and the safe­guarding of confiden­tiality vis-à-vis the media.
    • Long-standing communi­cation support in a family law dispute over the inheri­tance of a billion-pound services company.
  • Restructuring communication
    • Communication manage­ment for numerous restruc­turing processes in protective shield, self-administration and regular insolvency proceedings in the health­care and pharma­ceutical sectors.
    • Cross-procedural communi­cation consulting during the insolvency of a market leader in local rail passenger transport, with targeted engage­ment of internal and external stake­holders.
    • Support for the reorgani­sation and restruc­turing proceedings of a market leader in the fitness franchise, fashion and motor­cycle equip­ment sectors.
    • Preparatory communi­cation for a planned comprehensive reorgani­sation under protective shield proceedings for a German-based automotive supplier with an inter­national holding structure.
  • Crisis communication
    • Advising a global real estate investor on a prestigious billion-euro project in a German metro­polis involving multiple crisis incidents.
    • Communication planning in the run-up to a public prosecutor's search due to accounting irregularities.
    • Advising an international strategy consultancy during official investi­gations and internal incidents.
    • Supporting a co-owner of a leading medium-sized company in a publicly noted share­holder dispute.
    • Supporting the govern­ment of a federal state with signifi­cant invest­ment capacity in the face of media, political and NGO-driven attention in Germany surrounding discussions on responsi­bility in a geo­political conflict.
  • Compliance communication
    • Communication consulting for a listed auto­motive supplier in the context of diesel investi­gations.
    • Implemen­tation of compliance structures at a global top manage­ment consultancy, including communi­cation strategies, risk and oppor­tunity analyses in the regulatory environ­ment.
    • Support for a municipal housing construction company in a nationally recognised compliance issue with political implications.
  • Reputation management in ad hoc crises
    • Management of communi­cations during a nation­wide recall following a food scandal involving a major producer.
    • Support for a nationally recognized NGO in connection with US entry sanctions against its manage­ment.
    • Reputation protection following an identity conflict within an Abrahamic religious community.
    • Communication support for a global insurance network during internal conflicts and a change of control process.
  • Change-Communication
    • Preparation of a collective agree­ment change for the pharma­ceutical subsidiary of a globally active listed market leader.
    • Develop­ment and align­ment of communi­cation formats for a medium-sized family business to communi­cate key organi­sational changes in a manner appro­priate to the target audience.
  • Intercultural market entry communication
    • Development of communi­cation strategy guide­lines for companies in the port­folio of a Middle Eastern sovereign wealth fund entering the DACH market, considering political conditions and regional market require­ments.
  • ESG communication
    • Advising on a supply chain issue involving a sub­contractor of an inter­national logistics market leader, taking into account local regula­tions and operational require­ments.
  • Cyberattack PR
    • Developing a tiered communi­cation strategy for a social network following a serious hacker attack that compromised the data of hundreds of thousands of users, including technical classi­fication and target group-specific actionable recommen­dations.

Puclications

  • Litigation-PR – Wie Krisen­kommuni­kation im Gerichts­saal der Öffen­tlichkeit funk­tioniert
    Ed. Martin Wohlrabe, 1st edition, Heidelberg 2020
  • Martin Wohlrabe, Kommunikation in der Krankenhauskrise, in:
    Handbuch Krankenhausrestrukturierung – Außergerichtliche und gerichtliche Sanie­rungs­wege
    Ed. Rainer Eckert, Co-author Martin Wohlrabe, 1st edition, Heidelberg 2025
  • Martin Wohlrabe & Maximilian Schwärecke, Pionierpfade beschreiten – Verbesserungs­potenziale bei der Etablierung eines sektorenübergreifenden Versorgungszentrums, in:
    Handbuch Sektorenübergreifende Ver­sorgungs­einrichtung und Level-1i-Kranken­haus
    Eds. Timm/Beivers/Krämer, 1st edition, Heidelberg 2025

Lectures/Talks

  • "Politicians under in­dict­ment: Pro­tec­ting the repu­tation of public offi­cials and elec­ted repre­sen­tatives in criminal pro­cee­dings"
    Lecture at the WisteV conference on the to­pic of "Poli­tical cri­mi­nal law" in Berlin (6 February 2026)
  • "The time factor in legal communication: Opportunities for new synergies through AI"
    Keynote at the Legal Revolution 2025 (18 September 2025)
  • "Public perception in legal disputes"
    Lecture at the fall conference 2024 of the Interlectual Property & Media Working Group of the DAV (AGEM) (8 November 2024)
  • "When things go really wrong - crisis communication in the public procurement enviroment"
    Lightning talk as part of the 25th procurement conference (24 September 2024)
  • "Arbitration proceedings and strategic communication in the insurance industry"
    Lecture at "The New Normal: Companies in times of multiple crises" at the spring conference of GSK-Stockmann (18 April 2024)
  • "Companies in crisis - How to win back reputation with using the right communication"
    Lecture at the ARIAS Annual Conference (8 March 2024)
  • "Three theses on crisis communication at the turn of the century"
    Presentation as part of a parliamentary evening of a Franco-German industrial company (22 November 2023)
  • "Hospital communication in special situations: What matters in prosecution investigations, reorganization proceedings & collective bargaining"
    Presentation at the 72nd Annual Conference of the Association of Hospital Directors Germany e.V. (Hesse) (13 September 2023)
  • "The battle for the narrative – corporate crises from an agencies point of view | A coffee with Martin Wohlrabe"
    Talk with Martin Wohlrabe as part of the "Freshfields Skills Group Crisis Communication" (2 June 2023)
  • "When the prosecution is at the door. Duck, turn away or cooperate - what matters for corporate communication"
    DPRG "Crisis Cocktail" - Practice Talk with Martin Wohlrabe (17 April 2023)
  • "Sustainability communication in the area of conflict with greenwashing - communicating values confidently | securing reputation strategically"
    Webinar with Pohlmann & Company in Berlin/Munich (16 February 2023)
  • "Convincing corporate communication in the crisis"
    Lecture with CONSILIUM consultant Marlen Fasold as part of the seminar "Crisis management in challenging times - recognizing imbalances, taking countermeasures & using opportunities" of the Hessische Hospital Society e. V. (14 September 2022)
  • "Competent communication in crises"
    Dialog with Detlef Fleischer (publisher "Existenz") at the 10th Turnaroundkongress 2022 (5 and 6 September 2022)
  • "Reputational risk ESG: What SMEs need to watch out for"
    Video impulse at CMS Hasche Sigle's digital ESG Day III (30 August 2022)
  • "Winning in the court of public opinion: Litigation-PR”
    Keynote speech at Hochschule Hannover (12 May 2022)
  • "Communication in the 'Court of Public Opinion' - How strategic legal communication works"
    Lecture at ROLAND Rechtsschutz - Legal policy council (29 April 2022)
  • "From the insolvency application to the closing date: How restructuring communication succeeds convincingly"
    Lecture at an event of the Institut für Insolvenzrecht e.V. Hannover (25 January 2022)
  • "When reputation is much more than just the name of the company - what matters in crisis communication, especially for family entrepreneurs"
    Talk at "Die Familienunternehmer" in Hamburg (25 January 2022)
  • "Litigation-PR in the context of public relations and digital communication"
    Lecture in the master’s course “Media-Ethics-Religion” at the Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (13 January 2022)
  • "Bankruptcy proceedings: 7 lessons for employee communication in a crisis"
    Lecture at the Legal Communication Summit (9 November 2021)
  • "Law, Rhetoric and Public Relations"
    Lecture as part of the interdisciplinary study program "Law and Rhetoric" at the Eberhard Karls University Tübingen (29 October 2021)
  • "More persuasive communication in the workplace"
    Discussion round at the JUWiST Annual Conference 2021 (24 September 2021)
  • "In-depth aspects of legal communication - litigation PR"
    Lecture as part of the university course "Professional LL.M. Data Protection and Intellectual Property Law" at Danube University Krems (20 September 2021)
  • "Legal practice in the public eye: How lawyers protect their reputation - even with controversial mandates"
    Lecture at Deutscher Anwaltstag 2021 (8 June 2021)
  • "Companies in crisis - How to win back reputation with the right communication"
    Lecture as part of the seminar series on "Strategic Planning & Management" at the University of Potsdam (16 April 2021)
  • "Law firms under pressure: What matters for reputation protection in times of Cum-Ex & Co"
    Webinar „PI Risk Day“ with Clyde & Co (23 February 2021)
  • "Focus on directors' and officers' liability: crisis communication in compliance cases"
    – Webinar with CMS (21 January 2021)
  • "Companies in Crisis: The Interface of Restructuring and Communication"
    Webinar with Taylor Wessing and Dr. Wieselhuber & Partner GmbH (23 November 2020)
  • "Tatort Tönnies - Communicate correctly in the crisis"
    DUB-Business-Talk with Brigitte Zypries and Jens de Buhr (18 August 2020)
  • "Crisis PR after the Cyber Attack: What matters in times of the DSGVO"
    Presentation at Mainzer Datenschutztage 2020 (21 April 2020)
  • "Protecting the good reputation in the crisis - what matters in strategic legal communications"
    Lecture at the Zeppelin University Friedrichshafen (29 November 2019)
  • “Crisis PR after a cyber-attack: Key points in the GDPR age”
    – Talk at the Legal Communication Summit (12 November 2019)
  • "Protecting the reputation in crisis"
    Bird & Bird (9 October 2019)
  • “Standing the test of the ‘Court of Public Opinion’ with strategic legal communication”
    Lecture at the University of Potsdam for the Master’s Course in Digital Media Law and Management LL.M./MBA (4 June 2019)
  • “How companies get around public prosecutors with media pressure”
    Lecture at the AG Crisis and Issues Management Event by the DPRG (23 November 2018)
  • “Winning in the court of public opinion: Litigation-PR”
    Keynote speech at Hochschule Hannover (23 October 2018)
  • “Presentation of the CONSILIUM study: Influence of the media on judges and public prosecutors”
    Talk at the Commercial Criminal Law Association (WisteV) and the Berlin Defence Lawyers’ Association (Berliner Strafverteidigervereinigung) (26 June 2018)
  • “Litigation PR for manager liability and other cases of damage”
    Financial Lines Days in Munich and Düsseldorf (5 and 6 June 2018)
  • “Law and PR as a holistic strategy for clients”
    Workshop at the Litigation PR Conference in Winterthur (18 April 2018)
  • “Litigation PR: Supporting legal strategies, winning over the public”
    Keynote speech at Osborne Clarke (10 April 2018)
  • “Insolvency and legal communication: Key aspects for working with the media today”
    Presentation at the 40th Reutling Insolvency Forum (13 October 2017)
  • “Strategic legal communication - Miracle cure or a toothless tiger? - Insight into and discussion of public relations work in the context of legal disputes”
    Presentation at the University of Freiburg (13 July 2017)
  • “Media work at large law firms”
    Presentation at KPMG Law (14 October 2016)
  • Keynote speech for the course “Introduction to strategic Legal communication” with Prof Christian Schertz
    at the Humboldt University in Berlin (29 April 2016)

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