elvenstein: four disciplines, two partners, one system

In the summer of 2026, Michael Kohl and Steffen Meier brought their respective practices together and founded elvenstein in Berlin, a boutique for Corporate Finance, Private Capital, Restructuring / Insolvency and Disputes. Between them, Kohl and Meier bring a client base of more than 50 clients.

Kohl comes from Corporate Finance and Private Capital, with experience in distressed situations; Meier from restructuring and insolvency, together with a litigation and disputes practice. Four disciplines side by side, held together by the same core: whoever has structured a financing knows what holds in a crisis, and whoever has worked through crises knows which undertaking will have to be honoured. The two met in Frankfurt in the early 2010s. The partnership predates the firm by more than a decade.

Both built their practices at international law firms as well as at national ones — Kohl at Hogan Lovells and Weil Gotshal, Meier at Wellensiek and White & Case among others. What elvenstein deliberately leaves behind is the administrative apparatus: partner-led advice, backed by a small senior team. Around half of the firm’s work is in English, much of it international and cross-border.

Leon Aretz moved across with Michael Kohl’s team as an associate. He works in Corporate Finance and Private Capital.

One reason for starting fresh is the operating system of the new firm. Building from the ground up means designing the technology core from the outset instead of working against established routines. elvenstein is being built around an operating system. It frees the lawyer from repetitive administration and leaves more time for clients, their objectives and the legally solid solutions they need.

“The cases that matter are decided by a handful of people who have genuinely understood the situation. We help to take decisions faster, with reduced risk.”Michael Kohl

elvenstein acts for international banks and corporates, credit and distressed funds, sponsors and family offices as well as for large and small (owner-managed) businesses in a crisis. Private individuals are among elvenstein’s clients too. What elvenstein offers is not tied to a sector: a craft business in distress and a cross-border financing package have one thing in common, the question of which structure holds under strain.