Christian Cornett combines his activities as a corporate lawyer with a selective pro bono practice. Also in his pro bono activities, Christian Cornett has never taken on tasks outside of his core area of competence. Rather, for selected pro bono clients, he applies his specific experience in a targeted way, for example to create appropriate supportive structures for good ideas.
His pro bono work, supporting NGOs, foundations and other purpose-driven organisations, is not an all-purpose commitment to every cause or every request. Rather, Christian Cornett applies the same professional expertise pro bono that clients would otherwise engage him to provide at substantial fees – but merely at heavily reduced rates, a symbolic fee or for free. Christian Cornett advises selected organisations on how to establish themselves and promote their causes in the legal form that best serves their purpose, whether as a foundation, association, non-profit company or another suitable structure. In doing so, Christian Cornett focuses on questions that are genuinely within his professional field and where sound legal and organisational structuring can make a meaningful difference.
In doing so, Christian Cornett deliberately chooses projects where the underlying purpose is convincing and where his particular experience can add real value. This approach allows him to contribute to selected causes without turning pro bono work into a separate profession or a somewhat arbitrary catalogue of charitable engagements.
Over the years, Christian Cornett has helped a range of organisations turn ambitious ideas into workable and sustainable legal structures. Christian Cornett sees this as a natural extension of his professional work: from time to time, the same knowledge that serves commercial clients can also be put to accomplish meaningful results for a worthwhile cause.
After two decades of pro bono activities, this selective and focused approach has become a consistent part of his professional identity.
The Sperr-Notruf 116 116 is a free, centralised German emergency service that allows individuals to immediately block lost or stolen payment cards, online banking access, electronic IDs, and other digital credentials to prevent unauthorised use.
Christian Cornett advised the association pro bono on its formation, served on its board for many years and is currently, alongside numerous legal entities, its only living member.
Finance in Motion GmbH has over the last 20 years evolved into a leading global impact asset manager, specialising in developing and managing blended-finance investment funds to foster sustainable economic development, financial inclusion, and environmental conservation in emerging markets.
Christian Cornett supported the management team in setting up an adequate structure to allow for the efficient channelisation of public and private means to facilitate micro-finance loans as well as to support environmental and other sustainable funding. After the founding of Finance in Motion, Christian Cornett was a member of the supervisory board for more than ten years.