Vita

Current profile: criminal lawyer (Rechtsanwalt) and external senior advisor for aviation crime & crisis, lawyer-led internal investigations and crime-related corporate crises.

German lawyer (Rechtsanwalt), admitted to the bar in Magdeburg, Germany · Aviation Crime & Crisis & Internal Investigations

Legal and investigative training. Aviation Crime & Crisis (Pan Am). Corporate investigations & security advisory (PRO SECURA, GATE AG, ExxonMobil). Trained on ExxonMobil’s Risk & Threat Assessment Matrix by John W. Piper, former USSS.

My professional path combines criminal law, aviation, counterintelligence, corporate investigations and internal investigations – from Pan Am crisis response to my current work as an investigative lawyer and senior advisor.

“If we value the pursuit of knowledge, we must be free to follow wherever that search may lead us.” – Adlai Stevenson

The analytical side of my work is described in more detail in the Analytical Working Method dossier.

Martin Heynert – Vita

Education and foundations

Early focus on criminal law, criminology and deviant behaviour, complemented by practical training in investigations, counterintelligence and later corporate investigations in aviation, corporate security and other high-risk industries.

1977–1984
Integrated law degree programme in Hanover, including a two-year advanced course in “deviant behaviour” (criminal law, criminology, criminal sciences).
1981–1983
Training in investigations, counterintelligence and personal protection with highly experienced investigators from security and law-enforcement agencies.
1977–1993
Volunteer work in disaster management with the German Red Cross in Lower Saxony (Hannover), including large-scale incident management training and around seven years of frontline ambulance service for the City of Hanover.
1984
State Examination in Law (Volljurist), qualifying for judicial office, higher public service and admission to the bar.
1985–1991
Work for Pan Am as Crime & Crisis Advisor EMEA and corporate trouble shooter, including crisis management, corporate security and liaison with authorities and security services.
1991–1994
Expansion and management of PRO SECURA – Corporate Investigations (internal investigations and economic crime cases for industrial and financial companies; business sold at the end of 1993).
1994–1996
First own law office in Hildesheim (general practice with an early focus on criminal law).
1997–2000
Legal Counsel & Security Advisor at GATE AG, a maximum-security hosting provider for banks, industrial companies and early streaming services (outsourcing sensitive data to high-security data centres).
2001–2001
Security Advisor EMEA at ExxonMobil, focusing on risk & threat assessments for exploration sites and pipeline infrastructure and advising management on protective measures in complex environments.
2002–2012
Rechtsanwalt (Lawyer) with the firm Heyken & Wodsack in Hildesheim, focusing on criminal law and complex investigations.
Since 2012
Investigative lawyer in Magdeburg and Hildesheim focusing on criminal law, aviation crime & crisis, lawyer-led internal investigations and crime-related corporate crises.

Profile today

The experience gained from aviation crises, corporate investigations, corporate security and internal investigations flows directly into my current legal practice – particularly in criminal matters, aviation crime & crisis, internal investigations and crime-related crisis situations in regulated high-risk industries.

  • Criminal law and deviant behaviour
    Many years of working with motives, organisational culture and structural causes of criminally relevant behaviour – especially where the stakes are high (professional risks, corporate risks, HNWIs).
  • Aviation Crime & Crisis
    Crisis support and criminal-law advice for airlines, aircraft manufacturers, airports and aviation companies in cases with criminal, regulatory or diplomatic sensitivity.
  • Internal Investigations
    Lawyer-led internal investigations in line with international standards (including the United Nations Investigation Manual): investigation architecture, key interviews, reports for management, regulators and prosecutors, and alignment with subsequent legal and communications strategies.
  • International context
    Working languages German and English; experience dealing with international corporations, authorities, embassies and other state bodies in sensitive and highly political situations.

Contact

If you would like to draw on my experience in criminal matters, aviation or internal investigations for your case, I am available for a confidential initial discussion.

Contact:
E-mail: martin@heynert.com
Phone: Office +49.391.5982-243, Mobile +49.171.4135269