Clifford Chance
Magic Circle firm Clifford Chance is among the largest law firms in the world, with global operations in 23 countries. The firm’s presence in Germany can be traced back to the end of the 19th century. It has offices in Frankfurt, Düsseldorf and Munich. The firm has a formidable practice across all sectors. Its standout capital markets practice includes joint US-German qualified
George Hacket and Axel Wittmann. In a recent highlight the team advised Industrie De Nora on the IPO of thyssenkrupp nucera. The corporate team includes rated practitioners such as
Jörg Rhiel, Christoph Holstein, Thomas Krecek and
Christian Vogel. The team advised Harbour Energy on its acquisition of assets from Wintershall Dea and Asterion Industrial Partners on the acquisition of STEAG.
McDermott Will & Emery
McDermott Will & Emery is an international law firm headquartered in Chicago with a growing presence in Germany. The firm has offices in Düsseldorf, Frankfurt and Munich and over 70 lawyers in the German corporate practice alone. The firm moved up across three tables this year, for M&A, private equity and banking, benefitting from significant mandates from clients such as Vuelta Group, Deutsche Beteiligungs, Hyundai Corporation and Investcorp Technology. In 2023, the firm made significant fires from peers in the corporate practice, including
Matthias Weissinger, Ludwig Zesch and Felix Ganzer. Key partners include
Michael Cziesla and Christoph Coene.
Schalast & Partner (Schalast Law | Tax)
Schalast & Partner was established in 1995 and has offices in Frankfurt, Berlin, Düsseldorf, Hamburg and Stuttgart. The firm has substantial expertise in financial services regulatory, banking and insurance, and M&A and is often noted for its work in with start-ups, novel financing products and in the emerging digital finance space. Co-managing partner
Andreas Walter leads the banking and finance department, supported by key partners including
Alexander Gebhard, Matthias Geurts and
Thorsten Voß. Managing partner Christoph Schalast focusses on M&A and real estate, while Stuttgard head
Wolfgang Sigler specialises in insolvency law. The corporate team is led by
Gregor Wedell. Several of the partners lecture at the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management. Although a domestic, Schalast & Partner is part of the Multilaw network.
Highlights
Over the past year the firm’s corporate department has grown with the addition of two new partners in Joachim Habetha and Patrick-Lukas Mamok. Recent highlights include advising Kraftwerke Mainz-Wiesbaden on the establishment of a JV to build and operate a data centre. The team also advised international heating, industrial and refrigeration systems company Viessmann in structuring a JV with Italy’s Epta and Faber-Castell on its acquisition of Robert E Huber.
The firm’s large regulatory practice acts as counsel to Nikkei, advising in its role as benchmark provider in EU, and clients such as insurer Alte Leipziger Lebensversicherung, supporting on its outsourcing projects. The team recently worked with BNP Paribas on an internal reorganisation of a regulated entity. In one of its most interesting projects, led by Andreas Walter, it advises the Technical University of Darmstadt on the on the German-state funded EuroDaT programme. This pioneering and untested project seeks to establish a European data trustee primarily for banking data.
The team regularly handles a wide range of finance mandates. Partner Simon Waldbröl has helped structure crowdfunding platforms Econeers, Seedmatch and Mezzany. Other projects have included advising Frankfurter Lebensversicherung on the structured financing of a EUR300 million special fund of a run-off platform, to acting for UniCredit/BayLB on the restructuring of EUR200 million financing for Green Tower solar park. Elsewhere, the firm played a pivotal role in Interbridge Group's refinancing deals, including securing a $200 million refinancing credit line with Hauck Aufhäuser and Credion.
Key Clients
Viessmann Werke, Faber-Castell, Federal State of Berlin, TU Darmstadt, Beyond Capital Partners, Silicon Valley Bank, Hauck Aufhäuser Lampe Bank, Interbridge, Kraftwerke Mainz-Wiesbaden, Nikkei Inc
Testimonials
"Very active on thought leadership in the financial space and very active in the fintech sector; they are well-versed in working with start-ups and have been successful in areas such as blockchain, distributed ledger technology (DLT) and crypto-currency projects" (banking & finance)
"They have a large team with a lot of dedicated regulatory lawyers and some very talented individuals” (financial regulatory)
“Highly experienced; excellent rhetoric” - Christoph Schalast, partner
Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom
Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom is an American multinational law firm founded in 1948 in New York. It is present in Germany with offices in Frankfurt and Munich.
The firm has a strong offering across several financial and corporate areas in Germany.
In banking it has shown a capacity to advise on domestic and cross-border transactions, with a focus on acquisition finance, structured finance, syndicated lending and debt restructuring work.
The capital markets team has vast experience handling complex cross-border equity and debt capital markets transactions on behalf of both issuers and underwriters, and in particular capital markets work with a unique US component.
M&A is another active area for the firm, with the team possessing a unique experience in structuring and executing cross-border transactions.
Similarly, in private equity, the firm has a strong international focus, advising private equity houses on their inbound buyouts in Germany, as well as pan-European transactions with a strong German component. The team also boasts substantial experience in significant transatlantic transactions involving major US corporates and investors.
Key clients include
Adevinta, Black Diamond Capital Management, Gulf Energy Development, Standard Chartered Bank, Wells Fargo Bank, BioNTech, AMS Group, MorphoSys,
Medigene,
Signa Group,
BofA Securities, Berenberg, UBS, JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, American Industrial Partners, Blackstone, Energy Infrastructure Partners, SCP Group, Kone and Coty.
A&O Shearman - Germany
A&O Shearman was formed in May 2024 as the resulting entity of the merger between two global law firms, UK-based magic circle firm Allen & Overy and US-headquartered Shearman & Sterling. The firm’s German offices are located in Frankfurt and Munich and the firm retains high tier rankings across the practice areas. Highly rated practitioners include
Alexander Behrens, Martin Scharnke, Marc Plepelits and
Astrid Kruger, with recent highlight work including a large ESG-linked financing for SAP and the acquisition of He Dreiht offshore wind farm.
Ashurst
The multinational law firm Ashurst has a foothold in 15 countries around the world. In Germany, the firm operates offices in Frankfurt and Munich. Highly rated practitioners include
Derk Opitz, Matthias von Oppen, Tobias Krug and
Martin Kaiser. In recent work the firm acted for the lenders on financings for the acquisitions of Personalmanagement Deutsche Beteiligungs and ProMik Programmiersysteme für die Mikroelektronik.
Berner Fleck Wettich
Berner Fleck Wettich is a German boutique law firm located in Düsseldorf. The firm was founded in 2014. It specialises in advising companies and entrepreneurs on corporate law and M&A transactions. The firm boasts strong relationships in corporate Germany, with clients such as real estate developers LEG Group and Adler. In recent highlights, the firm advised software start-up Foxbase in securing an investment from Schöck, and Müller Medien on its sale of solute Holding to ad pepper media International. Key partners include Olaf Berner,
Thilo Fleck and Christian Nienkemper.
Bird & Bird
Bird & Bird, a global firm well-known for excelling in IP and emerging technologies, has offices in Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Munich. Its areas of focus include financial services regulatory, banking and finance, and projects. The firm enters the Banking and Project finance tables this year, backed by strong work in sectors such as real estate, infrastructure, AI, automotive and renewable projects. It boasts a strong financial regulatory practice, especially for crypto, ESG compliance and license applications. Key partners include Michael Jünemann,
Johannes Wirtz, Matthias Winter, Sebastian Bergenthal,
Benjamin von Bodungen and Alexander Wojtek.
Dr Beck & Partner
Established in 1998, Dr Beck & Partner is a 170-strong German law firm with a specialist focus on insolvency administration. The firm has eight offices in Bavaria, namely Nuremberg, Munich, Regensburg, Ansbach, Hof, Würzburg, Augsburg and Landshut. Over the course of its two-decade history, the firm has carved out a reputation as one of the best insolvency administrators in Germany. The team is recognised for its ability to create value for both creditors and restructuring companies. Its expertise lies in complex insolvency cases, cross-border insolvencies, insolvency law, and corporate restructuring. Highlights include acting as court-appointed administrators on the insolvencies for Rhodius Group, Lingl Group, Dolzer-Unternehmensgruppe and Lippert & Co, before the courts of Nuremberg, Weiden, Neu-Ulm and Ansbach. The firm is led by renowned experts in the field such as
Joachim Exner and Hubert Ampferl.
EY Law
EY operates in more than 150 countries. Formed in 2018, it has offices in about 20 locations in Germany, including Hamburg, out of which its private equity team services clients. The firm is highly active in private equity and is typically seen advising PE funds on acquisitions of new targets, as well as add-on acquisition for existing portfolio companies. The team boasts vast experience in the automotive, healthcare, technology and software sectors, and is predominantly focused on mid-cap work. Recent notable projects include advising HgCapital on the acquisition of software companies AMANA Group and LucaNet. The firm also advised Daimler Truck on the establishment of a JV with Toyota in Asia. The team is led by
Jan Philipp Feigen.
Gibson Dunn & Crutcher
Global firm Gibson Dunn & Crutcher was founded in Los Angeles in 1890 and boasts over 1,900 lawyers in 21 offices across the Americas, Europe, Middle East and Asia. The firm’s global clout lends it an enviable client list. Operating out of Frankfurt and Munich, the German team focuses heavily on banking, M&A and private equity. Key partners include M&A and private equity lead
Dirk Oberbracht, along with Wilhelm Reinhardt,
Ferdinand Fromholzer and Markus Nauheim. Recent highlights include advising repeat client Heska, a veterinary diagnostic and specialty products business, on its $1.5 billion acquisition by Mars in June 2023, and Dr Barbara Sturm on the sale of Barbara Sturm Molecular Cosmetics to Spanish cosmetics company Puig in January 2024. The team also handled significant M&A projects for clients including Publicis Group, Bosch, Platinum Equity Advisors and Lone Star portfolio companies.
Glade Michel Wirtz
Glade Michel Wirtz is a renowned German boutique corporate firm established in 2007 and based in Düsseldorf. The team has impressed with its growth in stature over recent years an boasts a strong client based with companies including Mercedes-Benz Group, Daimler Trucks, Deutsche Wohnen and Sania. The firm regularly advised DAX and MDAX listed stock corporations, mid-sized companies, and family-run partnerships on corporate projects and capital markets matters for publicly listed companies. Recent examples highlights include advising Mercedes-Benz on its share buy-back programme and a stream of projects on behalf of Daimler Truck, which spanned a merger between subsidiaries, a share buy-back programme and advice on listing rules relating from its spin-off from MBG. The firm also advised Scania on a joint venture with sennder Technologies.
Andreas Merkner and Marco Sustmann are both in high demand.
Gleiss Lutz
Gleiss Lutz is one of the largest full-service German firms. The firm is headquartered in Stuttgart and has offices in Berlin, Brussels, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Munich. In 2022 the firm made a bold strategic move in opening an office London. Gleiss Lutz’s banking and financial regulatory practices, helped by its strong line-up and close integration with other practice areas, have remained a source of strength. In September 2023 the firm added Christian Hissnauer, deepening its offering for banking regulatory, investment, and insurance regulatory. Of note is the firm's growing presence on high stakes and complex restructurings, with a standout record on many of Germany’s leading recent cases, including the restructurings of Leonie, STEAG, Adler Group and Gerry Weber International. The corporate practice added partner
Stefan Widder in September 2023. Accomplishments in the corporate space include working on four of the 10 largest recent M&A transactions in Germany, including the acquisitions of Synlab, Software AG, and Vitesco.
GLNS
GLNS, a Munich-based independent firm that established in 2012, specializes in mid-cap M&A work and corporate advisory. The firm has a diverse client-based which counts corporates from the US, Spain, the UK, Austria, the Netherlands, and Sweden, and it has advised many blue chip German corporates such as Allianz and Audi. With its partner-oriented structure, GLNS has a team of practitioners experienced in public and private M&A, stock corporation and capital markets. This team is led by Georg Lindner, Reinhard Ege and
Bernd Graßl. In 2023 it added Stefan Bührle from a US peer firm. The firm recently advised Kuka Industries on the sale of business division to an Italian buyer consumer finance platform Smava on a complex equity and debt financing.
Gütt Olk Feldhaus
Gütt Olk Feldhaus is a boutique law firm based in Munich and founded in 2011.
Focusses / specialisms
The firm is particularly active in M&A and banking and finance. Its M&A practice focuses on advising major German companies, such as Allianz, ZF Friedrichshafen, Hubert Burda Media and Mast-Jägermeister, and strategic investors on small and mid-cap joint ventures and venture capital transactions.
The banking team has significant experience in advising sponsors and lenders on mid-cap leverage transactions with a strong focus on corporate financing as well as financial restructuring primarily for private equity firms and financial institutions.
Key clients
The firm’s key clients include Oldenburgische Landesbank, LBBW Landesbank Baden-Württemberg, Harald Quandt Industriebeteiligungen, KKA Partners, HANNOVER Finanz, ProLED Group, Deutsche Apotheker- und Aerztebank, Quadriga Capital, ARCUS Capital, Ergon Capital Partners, Deutsche Private Equity and HQ Equita.
Research period review: 32nd edition (2022/2023)
The banking and M&A practice areas were particularly active during the research period.
The M&A team mainly advised on acquisitions of shares, for both the buy side and sell side of the transactions, and financial investments with an active involvement in the investment management industry. Notable examples include advising Harald Quandt Industriebeteiligungen, on behalf of its portfolio company, procilon Group, which acquired a majority stake in intarsys.
The firm’s banking team worked closely with the M&A team to advise on the financing aspects of acquisition transactions. Thus, the banking area was seen advising only on acquisition finance. An example of such deals was advising KKA Partners on the financing of the acquisition of a majority stake in Xantaro Deutschland.
Deal highlights: 32nd edition (2022/2023)
Harald Quandt Industriebeteiligungen acquisition of shares in Systemhaus Cramer
KKA Partners acquisition financing
Client feedback: 32nd edition (2022/2023)
M&A
"Excellent service. Very responsive. Experienced and pragmatic. Fun to work with."
"Very professional, very knowledgeable, very responsive, super-service oriented."
Kilian Helmreich
"Very professional, extremely responsive, great knowledge and very good communication. Great value for money."
Sebastian Olk
"Great value for money. Knowledgeable and pragmatic. Fun to work with."
Hengeler Mueller
Hengeler Mueller is a leading German law firm with an international reach. It was established in 1990. The firm’s locations in Germany are in Berlin, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt and Munich, with international offices based in Brussels and London.
The firm is active across most financial and corporate domains and excels in banking, capital markets, regulatory, M&A and private equity.
The firm’s banking practice is market leading and covers bank-side work and advice to borrowers across the full extent of lending products. It frequently acts for large corporates including several DAX30 companies.
The firm is active in equity capital markets, where it typically does landmark issuer-side work on a share of the largest transactions in Germany. In debt, the firm is equally strong, with sound expertise possessed in both bonds and structured finance.
In the financial services regulatory space, the firm advises both institutions and investors, public and private, across the European banking and finance sector. The firm advises international and German banks on regulatory questions, with consolidation of the European banking industry remaining a key focus for the firm.
In M&A and private equity the firm is extremely strong, regularly seen advising on the lion’s share of the largest transactions in Germany.
Restructuring has strengthened in past research cycles, gaining a high market share of the country’s complex mandates.
Key clients include
Waterland, BlackFin,
Trill Impact, Tencent,
Skaylink, HAL Investments,
Deutsche Lufthansa, Glencore, Siemens, Deutsche Börse, Schneider Electric, 3i, Apollo, Bain, Blackstone, Oaktree, Rothschild, KKR,
Adidas, Robert Bosch,
Thyssenkrupp, KION, Covestro, Barclays, BNP Paribas, Citigroup, ABN AMRO and Goldman Sachs.
Client feedback: 32nd edition (2022/2023)
“HM transfers well the knowledge about our company,
set-up and business to the legal world. HM is always on top of issues and
has an almost 24/7 availability.”
“Fast, complete, accurate, friendly, responsive, good involvement of senior people on complicated topics rather than too-junior staff.”
Hogan Lovells
The American-British headquartered international law firm Hogan Lovells has operations in 40 countries on all continents. The firm’s German offices are located in the cities of Frankfurt, Munich, Berlin, Düsseldorf and Hamburg.
Areas of activity for the firm’s banking team include acquisition finance, syndicated loans, corporate finance, debt restructuring, real estate finance, project finance, trade and export finance and promissory notes. The firm’s work for non-bank lenders has intensified in
the recent past, whilst it also continues to regularly advise national and international banks on various aspects of banking law, as well as large corporate groups on international cash-pooling arrangements.
The firm has an able financial services regulatory practice, whose work ranges from advice on all aspects of legal banking supervisory requirements, financial market stabilisation measures and contractual trust agreements to assistance on BaFin
licence
applications and security regulatory law.
In capital markets, the firm is especially well recognised in structured finance and securitisation work, where it is among the market leaders for fintech and
startup securitisations and retail structured products, but also has credible equity and debt offerings.
The M&A practice group, bolstered by the firm’s global profile, has a strong market penetration. The firm has improved its share of work for DAX30 companies in recent years and has made significant strides in infrastructure M&A, where the team increasingly works on complex and high-profile matters.
Key recent clients include
AkquiVest,
BayernLB, Commerzbank,
Bundesrepublik Deutschland
-Finanzagentur, Daimler Group, Marex Financial,
Voxeljet, Dana Incorporated, OMV, Boston Consulting Group and Gilead Sciences.
Client feedback: 32nd edition (2022/2023)
“Extremely responsive, knowledgeable and competent. They demonstrate high levels of expertise, work efficiently to deadlines and are a pleasure to work with.”
Capital markets: Structured finance and securitisation
“Solution-focused and
with the ability to solve tricky negotiation issues by providing clear and solid opinions. Quick response times.”
K&L Gates
K&L Gates is an international law firm headquartered in Pennsylvania with more than 40 offices located in key capital cities and world commercial and financial
centres, including its offices in Munich, Berlin and Frankfurt.
The firm’s M&A practice focuses on large middle-market transactions for multinational corporations in Europe, the US and Asia, with strong participation in the automotive and technology industry sectors. The team advises on acquisitions, divestitures, mergers, joint ventures, strategic alliances and
recapitalisations for clients.
The firm’s notable clients include Continental, Cummins,
Minebea Mitsumi and Mobis Europe.
Client feedback: 32nd edition (2022/2023)
“Very good market and business knowledge as well as good, speedy legal advice.”
“Client service,
timely
delivery,
great
commerciality and
practical.”
Kallan
Berlin and Frankfurt-based Kallan was founded in 2016. The core of the team formerly formed the German offices of the Scandinavian law firm Mannheimer
Swartling.
The firm provides a comprehensive M&A and corporate offering to a client list that ranges from
owner-managed “Mittelstand” companies to international groups. It advises on national and cross-border transactions that include acquisitions and divestments of shares and assets, mergers and joint ventures.
Key recent clients include
Hemsö Tyskland Fastigheter, Langley Holdings, DC Druck Chemie and Beijer Ref.
Client feedback: 32nd edition (2022/2023)
“Very good knowledge and advice. Great support and easy to work with. Adaptable to changing situations.”
“Knowledgeable and experienced in
cross-border M&A, strong communicators, pragmatic and balanced.”
King & Spalding
Headquartered in Atlanta, the international law firm King & Spalding has offices in North America, Europe and Asia. In Germany the firm advises clients out of Frankfurt.
The firm’s German team is active in the banking space. It is part of an integrated global finance group that advises a wide spectrum of clients on the full range of secured and unsecured financing transactions.
The team has experience in handling complex national and cross-border transactions in the financial services, real estate and funds industry. Its client list features prominent national and international banks, funds, asset managers and institutional investors.
The firm’s key clients include
Deka Bank Deutsche Girozentrale, AEW Invest, Barings Real Estate Advisers, HANSAINVEST
Hanseatische Investment,
BeOS, Principal Real Estate Europe (fka Internos Global Investors), 2IP Institutional Investment Partners, Universal Investment, BMO Real Estate Partners and Proprium Capital Management (UK).
Kirkland & Ellis
US firm Kirkland & Ellis established an office in Germany in Munich,its second branch in Europe, in 2005.
Founded in 1909 in Chicago, Kirkland & Ellis is a leading US and international firm with a network of 15 offices spanning three continents.
In Germany, like the firm as a whole, the team has a focus on serving the needs of financial sponsors and does this well. However, the firm’s restructuring team is its – and one of the market’s – best in Germany.
In lending and borrowing work, the firm specialises in advising sponsors in LBO transactions and exclusively works for borrowers.
The firm’s work in the capital markets area is typically bond issues and also focused around private equity transactions. It represents sponsors on bond issues to finance acquisitions or refinance portfolio businesses, or on exits through an IPO.
The firm’s transactional private equity team is large and experienced and is generally seen on a share of what large primary or secondary transactions there are in Germany annually. It more often works for US-based funds.
The restructuring practice is known for working for creditors (often funds) on large cases with a complex debt element, and in the recent past has been involved in a good share of large German or European cases.
Advent, Apax, Bain, BC Partners,
CVC, Cinven,
Apollo, Brookfield
and Lone Star
are a few of the firm’s key private equity clients.
Client feedback: 32nd edition (2022/2023)
“Very commercial, close to market standards, high technical expertise, lots of experience, high accessibility.”
“Kirkland &
Ellis have quickly become the leaders for German corporate M&A and public to privates. They combine a high-performing culture with excellent technical ability, commercial astuteness and an international outlook.”
Latham & Watkins
The multinational law firm Latham & Watkins is among the largest and most profitable in the world. It was established in 1934 in Los Angeles. In Germany, the firm serves clients from the country’s major commercial hubs–Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Munich.
The firm’s financial and corporate coverage is broad, with banking, capital markets, private equity and restructuring being among the firm’s strengths.
Working in close cooperation with the firm’s capital markets and restructuring teams, the banking practice is especially strong in corporate finance work. The team is among the market’s best and frequently assists both borrowers and lenders on complex and impactful transactions.
Within capital markets the firm is particularly well recognised in equity capital markets, where it is often seen serving clients on IPOs across the German and other European stock exchanges. The firm is also active in the debt capital markets domain, where it
has a strong foothold in the European and German market for
high-yield bond offerings.
An area of strength for the firm in the financial services regulatory domain is advising global financial institutions on complex issues, such as the provision of support in relation to supervisory measures of the ECB.
In M&A, the firm has a focus on technology and healthcare, where it has completed a plethora of landmark transactions recently, but also advises clients on complex deals in other industries such as financial services, manufacturing and infrastructure.
The firm has been consistently competitive in the private equity space, where it advises on a share of the market’s landmark transactions, but also regularly completes a high volume of mid-market deals.
In restructuring, the firm’s offering is also impressive, with the firm often advising on some of the most challenging restructurings, insolvencies and distressed transactions in Germany.
The firm’s key clients include
Adesso, Allgeier, Atai Life Sciences,
Atotech,Berenberg,Air Berlin, Barings, Commerzbank, 3i Group, Ardian, Banco Santander, BlackRock, BNP Paribas, Allianz Capital Partners, Goldman Sachs Merchant Banking, Brookfield, Temasek, Carlyle Group, Siemens
Healthineers, JP Morgan, Citi and Deutsche Bank.
Client feedback: 32nd edition (2022/2023)
“What I appreciate is the very business-oriented, progressive and holistic approach of the Latham restructuring team in Germany. With three partners and about 15 team members, there is no other restructuring team in the German market with such fire power.”
“Very forward thinking, proactive and full service oriented.”
Leo Schmidt-Hollburg Witte & Frank
Leo Schmidt-Hollburg Witte & Frank is a German boutique law firm with a narrow focus on M&A and intellectual property/information technology work.
The firm is located in Hamburg and Frankfurt.
The firm advises on a wide spectrum of corporate and M&A transactions such as acquisitions, investments and investment rounds. It is seen on both the buy-side and sell-side and has distinct strengths in the transportation, food and beverages, technology, media, software, finance, professional services and real estate sectors.
Key recent clients for the firm include Zertus,
DSV Group, FFG
Finanzcheck Finanzportale, Nordic Alpha Partners, Oyster Bay Venture Capital, Vivum, FMS Friedrich Meyer’s Sohn and COR
Therapeutikum WestFehmarn.
Client feedback: 32nd edition (2022/2023)
“Very knowledgeable, target-focused and pragmatic.”
“Very clear, structured and innovative.”
LSP | Lindemann Schwennicke & Partner
The German boutique law firm Lindemann Schwennicke & Partner was formed in 2006 as a spin-off from international law firm Lovells (now Hogan Lovells). It operates out of a Berlin office.
The firm fields strong banking and financial services regulatory teams.
In banking its work extends to the full spectrum of clients and transactions. Its core financing practice advises on acquisition finance, project finance, real estate finance and corporate loans.
In the financial services regulatory space, the firm is well regarded for advising banks, financial institutions, fintech and insuretech in connection with the digitisation of the banking and insurance industry. The firm is also frequently seen advising major German and European banks and bank associations in connection with the transfer of various EU regulations and directions and directives into German law.
Key clients include Commerzbank, Deutsche Bahn, DvHM Medien, Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg, IKB Deutsche Industriebank, Landesbank Baden Württemberg (LBBW), Axel Springer, BAWAG PSK Bank, Bitpanda, Deutscher Sparkassen-und Giroverband, GARBE Industrial Real Estate, Hypoport, Invesdor and S-Payment.
Client feedback: 31st edition (2020/2021)
Bank lending : Borrower side
"Focused on our business situation and special needs. "
Bank lending : Lender side
"Outstanding knowledge in debt financing, finding pragmatic solutions, applying business logic."
"Pragmatic and professional execution"
Milbank
Milbank is an international law firm headquartered in New York. With roots tracing back to 1866, the firm has expanded to 12 office locations around the world. The firm’s German presence dates back to 2001 when it opened its Frankfurt office, followed by a Munich office two years later.
The firm has an active and able banking and finance practice which advises financial institutions, private equity funds, underwriters and corporate clients. Its work spans the full range of financing transactions, with particular strengths possessed in cross-border Term Loan B financings, where the firm is among the market’s leaders.
The firm’s German capital markets practice advises issuers, management and shareholders, as well as syndicate banks and investors, whilst working in collaboration with the firm’s New York and London offices.
Its M&A team represents public and private companies and financial sponsors and investors on a broad range of transactions and corporate reorganisations.
Private equity is a key focus area for the firm in Germany. Fully integrated with the firm’s international offices, the team advises large- and mid-market investors, and often works on complex transactions.
Working with other practice areas and offices, the firm’s restructuring team provides complex solutions on cross-border mandates. It advises on both the creditor and borrower side.
The firm’s key clients list includes such names as
Advent International, Allianz X, Ardian,
Axel Springer,
EQT, CVC Capital Partners, Deutsche Beteiligungs, Carlyle Group, Blackstone Group, General Atlantic, Auto1 Group, Cerberus, Pemberton, Signal Capital Partners, Aviva and ProSiebenSat.1.
Client feedback: 32nd edition (2022/2023)
“Very skilled lawyers, but I guess what they are doing better than competitors is the service approach. Their advice is always on time, always thought through.”
“Service oriented, out-of-the-box thinking, high technical knowledge.”
POELLATH
P+P
Pöllath + Partners (POELLATH) is a German-based law firm founded in 1997 and headquartered in Berlin with offices in
Munich and Frankfurt.
Corporate
M&A and private equity are the key strengths of the firm. The practice offers advice to both publicly listed and private companies regarding their general and shareholders’ meetings, restructuring and all corporate governance
matters. The firm advises clients in the technology, e-commerce,
banking, media and healthcare sectors.
Notable clients of the firm include
Brockhaus Technologies,
Equistone Partners Europe, EQT Partners,
Emeram Capital,
Elvaston Capital,
GenUI,
Gimv, Investcorp, Oaktree Capital,
Pinova and
SevenVentures.
Client feedback: 32nd edition (2022/2023)
“Diligent, commercially minded, likeable to work with.”
“Very professional, very easy and good to deal with, reliable, good personalities.”
