The Legal 500

‘The benchmark’, say competitors of CMS Hasche Sigle’s ‘gigantic’ practice, which impresses with ‘enormous breadth and depth’, and a large number of highly regarded partners in numerous offices across Germany. Highlights included advising easyJet on collective bargaining regarding setting up staff representation for flight operations, and Vereinigte Postversicherung on restructuring the company pension scheme. Long-standing clients include Mondi Group, Burger King, GE, Bitburger and Cisco Systems. Bombardier Transportation instructed the team regarding a company agreement on securing jobs in return for concessions, and the team advised Ganske Verlagsgruppe on reorganisation matters. Björn Gaul and the ‘extremely accurate and thorough’ Eckhard Schmid are recognised.

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer advised on several high-profile mandates across various sectors and industries across its international network, advising Mylan Laboratories on implementing ethics guidelines in 21 countries. ThyssenKrupp instructed the team on the complex restructuring of its Shipbuilding Group, and the team advised Bilfinger Berger on its SE conversion as well as carrying out electoral procedures in 26 countries for the formation of the special negotiation body. Heinz Josef Willemsen is a ‘luminary’ of the employment law world, and Thomas Müller-Bonanni is rated as ‘very analytical and balanced’. René Döring made partner.

‘Primus inter pares’, Gleiss Lutz provides ‘high-quality advice’ that is ‘excellent beyond doubt’, with a large team of ‘meticulous’ lawyers. Mainly known for figurehead Jobst-Hubertus Bauer, the practice features the highly rated Burkard Göpfert, Stefan Lingemann, Ulrich Baeck and Martin Diller. Highlights included advising Bayerische Landesbank on the amendment of pension commitments due to the financial crisis, and the implementation of a major redundancy programme in Germany for Demag Cranes. The firm represented Hypo Real Estate Holding in legal disputes concerning the contract termination of management board members. The merger with boutique firm Rittstieg in Hamburg has opened up new opportunities for the firm.

Hogan Lovells International LLP acts for US clients across Europe, and added a Berlin presence to its office network. The stand alone practice, led by Hendrik Kornbichler, has great industry contacts in various sectors such as pharmaceuticals, banking and insurance. Honeywell Group is an ongoing client, and Deutsche Lufthansa instructed the team in connection with the wage disputes with the pilots’ trade union. Clients rate the ‘short response times and valuable advice in alignment with corporate strategy’ Thomas Ubber, who has a ‘comprehensive understanding of business needs’ and ‘excellent negotiation skills’ moved to Allen & Overy LLP in March 2011.

Noerr LLP has gained visibility in the restructuring arena, through the team’s good relations with insolvency administrators and the strong mid-cap client base. Highlights included representing German airline dba in connection with the cessation of flight operations. The team also acted for Avon Cosmetics, Accenture and Mitsubishi Motors Germany. Marc Steffek is ‘extremely assertive’ and ‘delivers pragmatic results within short time’, while Georg Annuß is rated ‘best in class’. ‘The most reliable firm I worked with’, say clients, who value a team that is ‘more pragmatic and sensible with regard to costs than other big law firms’.

Baker & McKenzie has been involved in several high-profile deals, particularly on an international level, including advising General Motors in conjunction with the planned partial sale of Opel to Magna, and Abbott on the €4.5bn sale and integration of the worldwide pharma business of the Belgian Solvay Group. Restructuring advice is a key element of the practice, with Kraft Foods and Hapag-Lloyd clients. Günther Heckelmann heads the team.

Beiten Burkhardt saw changes to its team of eight, including Hendrik Muschal departing to Salans LLP, but has consequently appointed new partners in both Berlin and Munich. The ‘impressive’ Munich team, with head of practice Alexius Leuchten, is well regarded, advising newly acquired client Coca-Cola on tariff agreement negotiations with the labour union, while Nokia and Axel Springer Verlag are long standing clients.

Boutique firm Kliemt & Vollstädt, member of Ius Laboris is noted for its strong international relations, and has seen an increase in transaction-related advice, even in a difficult market environment. Alexander Bartz made partner, and the team has seen further growth on associate level to keep pace with the growing size of projects. Household names such as Lufthansa Cityline, Air Liquide, E-Plus, TomTom, Santander Bank, and Sal Oppenheim instruct the team through name partner Michael Kliemt.

Küttner Rechtsanwälte maintained its client base, even after the gradual withdrawal of former name partner Wolfdieter Küttner. Restructuring advice has again been a source of work, with Zurich and Deutz instructing the team. Another focus is media sector-related advice, with TV channels VOX and Super RTL instructing the firm. Ford, Henkel, and Nissan Center Europe are further clients of the team, which includes the recognised Klaus Küttner and Tim Wißmann.

Tschöpe/Schipp/Clemenz is rated as ‘one of the most well-established names’ in German employment law. The boutique firm has a good reputation advising on restructuring matters and company pension schemes, where a number of prestigious clients were added to the roster. A growing area for the firm is advising senior level employees. NDR, Canon, Jil Sander, E-plus and Ratio are clients. Ulrich Tschöpe, Susanne Clemenz and Johannes Schipp are recommended.

The dried up transaction stream resulted in Clifford Chance seeing more work in the area of energy, healthcare and compliance. EnBW instructed the team on acquiring a stake in Rostock power plant, and the firm represented Pfizer in the Ratiopharm tendering procedure. Bernt Gach heads the group.

DLA Piper has built up a significant base of longstanding clients, and frequently receives high-profile instructions from its network. Highlights included advising Benteler Automobiltechnik on the worldwide acquisition of the automotive structure business of Norsk Hydro, and Havells Sylvania Germany on the worldwide merger of Activision with Vivendi Games. Volker von Alvensleben and Michael Magotsch are recommended.

Heuking Kühn Lüer Wojtek’s Cologne office, with ‘great sparring partner’ Wilhelm Moll, is highly rated, but the Frankfurt and Düsseldorf offices are increasingly visible. Kaupthing Bank instructed the team on closing its German branch and terminating contracts of its entire staff, and the firm also acted for Agfa HealthCare on restructuring the company pension scheme. Christoph Hexel and Regina Glaser jointly lead the team.

Kasper, Knacke, Wintterlin & Partner remains a force in the market with instructions from discount supermarkets such as Lidl and Schlecker. The team, which includes the recommended Frank Hahn and Thomas Nick, has seen a growth in restructuring advice. Daimler, Hewlett Packard, and MAGNA CarTopSystems are all clients.

Latham & Watkins LLP has a great reputation, partly thanks to the renowned Stefan Lunk. Clients appreciate the dedicated employment team within the structure of a large international firm. The team represented Airbus Operation in employment lawsuits, as well as in ongoing works constitution matters; Hexal sought restructuring advice. Claudia Heins is recommended.

Luther Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbH frequently acts for clients from the retail sector, and has a focus advising on restructurings. Robert von Steinau-Steinrück is recommended in a team which advised Trition during the Karstadt tendering procedure. Further clients include Accor, Metro, and Remondis.

The experienced partners at boutique firm Schmitt-Rolfes, Faltermeier, Staudacher are regarded for their advice to senior level employees, and the team recently saw an increase in restructuring mandates, acquiring new client Swiss Life. Deloitte, Siemens, and HypoVereinsbank are further clients. Günter Schmitt-Rolfes and Peter Staudacher are praised.

Unperturbed by the retirement of former name partner Klaus Neef, Schrader Straube has managed to increase its market presence across Germany. Instructions come from Volkswagen, Gildemeister and Bertelsmann, and the team, including renowned Peter Schrader, saw some key hires on associate level.

Taylor Wessing saw the departure of Tobias Neufeld to Allen & Overy LLP in August 2010, but retains ‘exceptional lawyers’ Thomas Griebe and head of team Jörg Bausch. Telecommunications-related advice has been a focus of the firm, with new clients Nokia and Vodafone D2. The team also successfully prevented a works council election for client easyJet. NH Hotel Group and the Protestant Church of Germany are further clients.

CBH Cornelius Bartenbach Haesemann & Partners mainly focuses on the mid-cap sector, but has clients from a broad range of industries on its roster, among them Allianz, Toyota, SAS, the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, and Agfa-Gevaert.

Head of team Michael Tepass at Linklaters LLP is ‘unpretentious, professional and experienced’, and the practice extended its advice on international matters, including litigation. German BP instructed the team on the creation of BP Europe SE, and the team also acted for Morgan Stanley on the co-ordination of worldwide employment projects.

White & Case LLP has a good reputation for restructuring work, and the team, headed by Karl-Dietmar Cohnen, acted for Tipp24 in the context of a merger to form a SE, and acted for EDEKA affiliate Netto Marken-Discount following the acquisition of Plus.

Buse Heberer Fromm’s team has seen significant growth, adding Siemens to its client roster. Further clients include Turkish Airlines, Rewe, RWE Trading and Atos Origin. Jürgen Masling is recommended in a team that sets a focus on ongoing advice to large German companies.

Heisse Kursawe Eversheds’ name partner Stefan Kursawe has a good reputation advising high-level employees, among them the previous CEO of Siemens Greece. The team recently added several household names to its client base, with Sony, Merck, Securitas Germany and Intertone also clients.