Dr. Sabine Vorwerk

Overview

Sabine is Partner in the Frankfurt Restructuring and Insolvency team. She has extensive experience in restructuring and insolvency situations, particularly in high-profile, cross-border transactions. She has broad understanding in complex, multi-jurisdictional refinancings, restructurings and insolvencies across industry sectors. 
She advises creditors, (including banks and other financial investors) where borrowers are facing insolvency or financial distress, including controlled enforcement situations, as well as corporate debtors on non-contentious restructuring as well as pre-insolvency and insolvency proceedings, including compliance with management duties. Sabine also specialises in advising shareholders and investors in turnaround situations, including where an acquisition target is facing insolvency, and in distressed M&A transactions generally.

She was named an "expert in corporate restructuring with extensive experience in banking consulting" (Competitor; JUVE Handbook 2022/23).

Clients applaud: "She is absolutely informed, incredibly clear in her head and approach," adding: "She always is in control of all the processes." (Chambers Europe 2022, Restructuring/Insolvency, Germany).

She has been rated in Legal 500 as "Leading Partner" (2025).

"Sabine Vorwerk is a technically brilliant lawyer who brings her original insolvency experience to bear on her advisory work." (Chambers 2025)

"Sabine Vorwerk has limitless emotional intelligence. She transcends cultures and backgrounds and is incredibly good at putting people at ease." (Chambers 2025)

Work highlights

Sabine has acted for clients on a wide range of restructuring transactions. These include advising:

• Genting (Hong Kong Group)/MV Werften Group: advising on a Holistic restructure of the financial indebtedness, including an amendment and extension of existing banking facilities, new money financing from the German government, a €300m state aid via the German Federal Economic Stabilisation Fund (WSF) (in connection with the restructuring of in total US$3.5bn financial indebtedness) and new equity financing provided by the shareholders of Dream Cruises, a non-wholly owned subsidiary.
• KfW: advising on a DIP-financing in the amount of up to €550m provided to Condor in the form of a state aid measure backed by the Federal Republic of Germany.
• Senior Lenders: advising on the restructuring and/or refinancing of the group of companies owned by Galapagos BidCo S.à.r.l.
• Oosterdam B.V.: advising the French shareholder in the context of protective shield proceedings over the group subsidiary located in Germany regarding possible reinvestment.
• H.C. Starck Group: advising the senior lenders’ Ad Hoc Committee on the restructuring.
• a group of Noteholders: advising on the Chapter 11 based DIP-Financing of the Toys “R“ Us group and the realisation of security in context with the German business.
• ING Bank: advising on the US$2bn Petroplus facility and the enforcement of security.

Education and Qualifications

Sabine studied law at the Humboldt University in Berlin, where she also later completed her doctorate.

She speaks German, English and Russian.