The Legal 500

CMS Hasche Sigle provides ‘great performance at a reasonable price’, and has an admirably comprehensive practice capable of acting on high-end cross-border matters as well as domestic issues. It advised Hubert Burda Media on employment issues pertaining to the complete reorganisation of its group companies; Kabel Deutschland on reorganisational, merger and senior executive issues; and Versatel Group on restructuring its business in Germany. Achim Lindemann gives ‘practical and quick’ advice, and is recommended along with Björn Gaul.

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer excels at international transactions and complex cross-border mergers. Recent instructions include advising E.ON on individual labour law and co-determination issues; Sparkasse Bremen on restructuring its pension scheme; and Pinault Printemps Redoute on Puma’s SE transformation. Elmar Schnitker ‘understands business requirements and then applies legal technicalities – not the other way around’. Heinz Josef Willemsen and Thomas Müller-Bonanni are also recommended.

Gleiss Lutz’s large and comprehensive practice includes established senior lawyers that are ‘convincing experts’ alongside talented junior lawyers, and the firm continues to grow the team’s scope geographically and in terms of personnel. It acted for Siemens regarding the reconciliation of interests and a social plan for the SIS carve-out; HRE in court disputes with former executive board members; and Bayerische Landesbank in litigation for the closure of pension funds. Stefan Lingemann has ‘brilliant expert knowledge’ and ‘a very analytical mind’, Martin Diller is ‘superb’ and Katrin Haußmann gives ‘extremely quick, clear and appropriate’ responses.

Baker & McKenzie’s ‘very strong’ team provides ‘good, practical advice’ at an ‘extremely high service level’. It is a good choice for complex cross-border matters, particularly on large restructurings. It advised Opel on restructuring of its European business; Clariant on setting up under SE status; and Ticona on relocating one of its factories. Günther Heckelmann heads the group.

Beiten Burkhardt has seen an increase in restructuring advice, such as acting for Praktiker. Other instructions included advising Flughafen München on collective bargaining agreements and acting for SAP on works constitution and individual labour law issues. Alexius Leuchten heads the team.

The extremely well regarded employment law boutique Kliemt & Vollstädt, member of Ius Laboris is a serious competitor to larger firms, and is a significant market presence. Key instructions included advising Lufthansa Systems on restructuring matters and Santander on integrating SEB Retail. Other clients include Dell, Accenture and Merck. Michael Kliemt and Oliver Vollstädt are highly rated.

Küttner Rechtsanwälte is a longstanding and well established boutique, which advises leading names such as Deutz and Nissan, and enjoys a particularly excellent reputation for its advice on company pension schemes, where Commerzbank is a client. It has acted for clients such as BASF in litigation. Klaus-Dietrich Küttner is highly experienced.

Noerr provides ‘first-class service’ while remaining ‘cost-efficient’, and its strong client base includes large corporations as well as mid-cap companies. Notable industry strengths include media, where the firm represents several publishers, and aviation, where its clients include airberlin and DBA. Stefan Tomicic and Georg Annuß are recommended, but Marc Steffek left to set up his own firm.

The well-established boutique Tschöpe/Schipp/Clemenz has particular expertise in works constitution law and a large number of longstanding clients, including Canon, Jil Sander, B.Braun and mobile operator E-plus. Ulrich Tschöpe, Susanne Clemenz and Johannes Schipp are recommended.

Clifford Chance has seen an increase in instructions relating to compliance issues and boardmembers. It advised Elster Group on establishing SE status and LSG Sky Chefs Deutschland on employment law issues pertaining to the reorganisation into regional companies. The team has acted for American Airlines in litigation. Nicole Engesser Means heads the practice.

DLA Piper enjoys a good reputation for cross-border matters. It advised Cisco on a cost and workforce reduction exercise and acted for H&M in disputes between works councils and management. Volker von Alvensleben is recommended along with Rolf Kowanz, who remains ‘calm and confident in difficult negotiations’.

Heuking Kühn Lüer Wojtek provides ‘extremely fast, highly relevant and pragmatic’ advice, and is increasingly instructed on cross-border mandates. It advised Agfa HealthCare on structuring its company pension scheme and RTL Television on relocation and restructuring matters. The team includes the ‘business-oriented’ Astrid Wellhöner and ‘problem-solver’ Kay Jacobsen.

Hogan Lovells International LLP suffered a blow when two of the team’s flagship partners, Hans-Peter Löw and Thomas Ubber, joined Allen & Overy LLP. However, the firm has been rebuilding and brought in compliance expert Tim Wybitul from Mayer Brown LLP. Hendrik Kornbichler heads the team, which ‘clearly spells out risks and benefits’. Recent instructions include advising HRE on the implementation of a new remuneration system for 800 employees, and Honeywell on restructuring.

Kasper Knacke is well known for advising longstanding retail clients such as Lidl and Schlecker on broad-ranging issues including data protection and contentious matters. Other clients include Electrolux, Daimler and Schenker. Frank Hahn and Wolfgang Hesse are recommended.

Latham & Watkins LLP’s recent work includes advising on restructurings and it also has a good reputation for representing senior executives. It advised Airbus Deutschland on cross-border matters and SPIEGEL on negotiation of a new social plan. Stefan Lunk is an ‘outstanding personality’ and ‘great lawyer’, and Claudia Heins is also highly rated.

Luther Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbH has been busy with restructuring and outsourcing matters, including assisting Metro Cash & Carry with its reorganisation and advising a Spanish automotive supplier regarding co-determination. Axel Braun and Robert von Steinau-Steinrück are well regarded.

Employment law boutique Schmitt-Rolfes, Faltermeier, Staudacher acts for clients including Siemens, Deloitte and MAN, and handles contentious matters for ARD and Bayerischer Rundfunk. Name partners Günter Schmitt-Rolfes, Peter Staudacher and Werner Faltermeier are recommended.

Schrader Straube Siebert strengthened its team with new name partner Jens Siebert, and added several major new clients to a roster that includes Bertelsmann, Gildemeister, Volkswagen and VHV. Peter Schrader is recommended.

Taylor Wessing is reaping dividends from the realignment of its practice according to industry expertise, with technology, infrastructure and life sciences particularly noteworthy. This ‘very pragmatic and solutions-oriented’ team, headed by Jörg Bausch, acted for Evonik Industries on the sale of its carbon black division and regularly advises Google Deutschland. Oliver Bertram joined from Kleiner Rechtsanwälte, but Roland Falder moved to Bird & Bird.

Allen & Overy LLP achieved a coup by hiring Hans-Peter Löw and Thomas Ubber from Hogan Lovells International LLP, a move viewed as a ‘door opener with international companies’. The team acted for Allianz Global Investors on HR reorganisation projects, Deutsche Bahn during collective bargaining negotiations, and Evonik Industries on pension liabilities outsourcing. Tobias Neufeld is ‘very clear and concise’.

CBH Cornelius Bartenbach Haesemann & Partners has specialist expertise in personnel representation law and employee invention law. Clients include the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, Allianz, Toyota, SAS and Wolters Kluwer. Ernst Eisenbeis is recommended.

Linklaters LLP’s service is ‘excellent in every respect’. It focuses on cross-border matters such as advising Apax Partners on its acquisition of Takko. Other clients include Morgan Stanley and Fuji Foto. Michael Tepass is recommended.

White & Case LLP advised Aixtron on its SE conversion. Other clients include Motorola and Clariant. Karl-Dietmar Cohnen ‘not only points out risks but sees opportunities’.

Buse Heberer Fromm’s clients include Atos Origin, Cognex and new client IMW Real Estate, which it advised on its SE foundation. The team advised BitDefender on restructuring. Alexander Otto and Oliver Lücke are recommended.

Heisse Kursawe Eversheds leverages the Eversheds network and increasingly advises on cross-border matters. It advises Philip Morris on an ongoing basis and Munich Airport recently instructed the team on international service agreements with foreign employers. Susanne Giesecke is recommended.

Schlütter Bornheim Seitz’s ‘employment specialists’ have acted on several complex matters recently, including advising Opel on its nationwide restructuring and staff reduction programme. Other clients include Randstad and Lufthansa. Stefan Seitz heads the practice.