The Legal 500

Flick Gocke Schaumburg remains ‘the national benchmark’ for tax law advice, and it counts among its clients numerous DAX-listed corporations as well as high net-worth individuals and family businesses. The team advised DZ Equity Partners on the sale of Curamik, and also regularly represents Volkswagen, Daimler, BASF, Beiersdorf, Lufthansa, Siemens, Aventis and Vodafone on a range of tax issues. Harald Schaumburg, Thomas Rödder and tax litigation specialist Detlev Piltz are recommended. The team’s success was echoed as several associates were promoted to the partnership.

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer’s comprehensive tax practice is ‘in a class of its own’ and ‘very agreeable to work with’, according to clients. It has seen ongoing demand in restructuring work and has also been busy with transactional support, frequently in a private equity context. It advised Albert Ballin Konsortium on several restructuring and refinancing transactions, Profine on its financial restructuring and Berggruen on the successful acquisition and subsequent reorganisations of Karstadt. The practice has significant expertise advising banks and other financial services clients, often on cross-border matters. Christian Ruoff leads the practice.

Linklaters LLP fields a team of quality lawyers at ‘all levels of seniority’, and provides ‘great depth in terms of resources’. It is a go-to firm for complex international transactions with sophisticated tax aspects. Recent high-profile instructions include advising ACS on the public takeover of Hochtief, and Deutsche Börse on its merger with NYSE Euronext. Triton instructed the team on the acquisition of Wittur Group from Goldman Sachs and Cerberus. Florian Lechner provides ‘pragmatic judgement and risk assessment’, and Oliver Rosenberg is ‘thorough, clear, creative and practical’. Sebastian Benz heads the team.

Allen & Overy LLP has one of Germany’s leading practices and this is underpinned by its practice worldwide: indeed, Munich-based Gottfried Breuninger is the firm’s global head of tax. Recent instructions include advising the syndicate of banks on Porsche’s €5bn capital increase by way of a rights issue; Evonik Industries on the implementation of a group-wide contractual trust arrangement; and Merck on its acquisition of the microbiological monitoring business of publicly listed Biotest. Eugen Bogenschütz is also recommended.

Hengeler Mueller’s practice capitalises on the firm’s outstanding finance and corporate expertise. It advised EQT on the sale of Kabel BW to Liberty Global; Porsche on its subscription rights capital increase; Cinven on the acquisition of SLV Group from HgCapital; and Pfleiderer on restructuring a €1.1bn syndicated credit facility. The ‘highly recommended’ Stefanie Beinert and the ‘extremely focused’ Martin Klein have ‘great expertise’. Friedhelm Jacob retired in December 2011.

P+P Pöllath + Partners’ clients appreciate its ‘creative approach to developing solutions’ and the ‘direct involvement of partners’. One of the practice’s key strengths lies in tax-efficient structuring of funds, and Andreas Rodin is highlighted as ‘a creative expert on fund structuring and tax issues’. Recent work for the firm includes advising Whitehall Funds on refinancings and the debt restructurings of various German real estate portfolios; Odewald KMU on its purchase of a majority stake in Polytech Ophtalmologie; and Freo Group on its acquisition of Goetheplaza office-and-retail complex in Frankfurt. The team has been reinforced by Pia Dorfmueller joining from Flick Gocke Schaumburg.

Clifford Chance has significant funds structuring expertise, exemplified in its advice to Paramount on corporate tax and insurance law questions concerning the structuring of two real estate funds. Other instructions included advising Commerz Real and a consortium of institutional investors on their acquisition of a 74.9% stake in Amprion, and WestLB on the sale of subsidiary WestLB International. Josef Brinkhaus heads the team.

Gleiss Lutz has ‘exceptional know-how and experience’, and its broad practice encompasses transactional assistance as well as standalone tax advice, estate planning and compliance. It advised on the sale of Infineon’s wireless solutions business to Intel, assisted Mitsubishi Electric Corporation with the acquisition of Vincotech, and is a regular and comprehensive adviser to the Würth family and its foundations. Achim Dannecker ‘successfully handles difficult international and double taxation issues’, and new partner Stefan Mayer is also recommended.

Hogan Lovells International LLP, which provides a ‘remarkably high level of quality’ and ‘effective support’, has been busy advising in the context of financial markets stabilisation measures such as acting for Erste Abwicklungsanstalt on the acquisition of risk positions from WestLB. The team has capitalised on the firm’s enlarged US network and, for example, attracted instructions to advise News Corporation and its subsidiaries on the sale of Fox Mobile Group. Stephan Geibel is recommended along with Michael Dettmeier, who is ‘a truly exceptional tax lawyer with an excellent grasp of wider implications’.

Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP’s relatively small tax practice features ‘very creative and reliable’ experts that give ‘clear and comprehensive’ advice. The team’s enviable caseload includes high-profile transactions such as advising NYSE Euronext on its merger with Deutsche Börse, Carlyle on the acquisition of Primondo Specialty Group, and Loyalty Partner Holding during its sale to American Express. Rolf Füger is ‘dedicated and extremely experienced’.

Baker & McKenzie has particular expertise in direct taxation, transfer pricing and VAT. It recently advised Gulfstream Aerospace on VAT and customs law structuring, and also handled tax-efficient restructuring for several large international corporations. Nicole Looks heads the team.

CMS Hasche Sigle increasingly utilises its access to the rest of the CMS network, with one example being its advice to new client Chartis on VAT and insurance tax, where the team worked in conjunction with CMS Cameron McKenna LLP in London. The team also advised Accor on the sale and leaseback of several hotels. ‘Problem-solver’ Heino Büsching ‘explains difficult cases understandably’. Wolf-Georg von Rechenberg heads the practice.

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP has particular experience in advising on capital markets issues, including hybrid financing structures and pre-IPO tax restructuring. It recently provided tax counsel to the Republic of Argentina regarding its $1bn new-money bond offering in exchange for defaulted debt, and advised American Express on its $685m acquisition of Loyalty Partner. Daniel Weyde is well regarded.

Business taxation and litigation are core areas for Haarmann Partnerschaftsgesellschaft Rechtsanwälte Steuerberater Wirtschaftsprüfer’. Name partner and practice head Wilhelm Haarmann is ‘absolutely outstanding’. The team receives instructions from family-owned businesses and mid-cap corporations, private equity companies, as well as international banks and other financial services clients.

Latham & Watkins LLP frequently advises in conjunction with its well regarded corporate and restructuring practice, recently acting for H.I.G. European Capital on the acquisition and restructuring of Walter Services Group. Advising Bankhaus Lampe/Oetker Group on the intended acquisition of BHF Bank from Deutsche Bank was another highlight of the team that includes the ‘superb’ Stefan Süss.

McDermott Will & Emery Rechtsanwälte Steuerberater LLP’s team led by Dirk Pohl enjoys an excellent reputation for advising on contentious financial sector matters. It recently represented a US-based Fortune 500 company in tax litigation, and advised a Luxembourg-based employer on cross-border taxation issues.

Noerr provides ‘very quick turnaround but never to the detriment of quality’, and its broad practice spans day-to-day advice as well as tax structuring advice. It recently advised Reckitt Benckiser on its tax audit and corporate reorganisation, and acted for RWE on its first hybrid bond issue. Georg Edelmann ‘proactively addresses issues and suggests solutions’.

Rödl & Partner advises its broad base of mid-cap clients on domestic issues and, increasingly, on cross-border matters too. The team advised Fuhrländer on its acquisition of a renewable energy company; Hahn on a real estate transaction; and Foncière des Murs on the purchase of four hotels. Christian Rödl is the key name.

Rölfs RP Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft is the result of RölfsPartner’s merger with RP Richter in 2011. Although there were some changes in personnel the team provides broad coverage of tax law, including international taxation, and represents clients such as Märker Group, Wirecard, Curanum and Strüngmann/Santo. Wolfgang Richter is recommended.

SJ Berwin LLP gives ‘very business-minded analysis’ and adopts ‘a solutions-oriented approach’. The team frequently employs its private equity and fund structuring expertise, and recently advised AXA Private Equity on acquiring Strack/Phönix Group, and acted for 3i on its acquisition of Armor Group and its sale of MWM Group. Andreas Söffing is recommended.

Shearman & Sterling LLP has a notable niche advising Arabian investors, and it recently advised Qatar Holding on tax structuring as well as Aabar Investments on a joint venture regarding an industrial plant in Algeria. It also advised Tengelmann on divesting food retail operations in Romania and Bulgaria. Johannes Frey is recommended.

‘Extremely well regarded’, Streck Mack Schwedhelm is a tax law boutique with a particular focus on tax disputes, investigations and adviser’s liability. The team excels at strategic advice and court representation, and compliance advice is a growing area of practice. Michael Streck is recommended.

White & Case LLP has been busy advising on cross-border matters, with one example being representing an international corporation on both tax and customs law across-borders. Advising Clariant on the acquisition of shares in Süd-Chemie, and Deutsche Bank on the new financing of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen were further highlights. Andreas Knebel heads the practice.

Ashurst LLP’s ‘very knowledgeable and service-minded’ team advised Privalia Venta on the financing and acquisition of dress-for-less from Palamon. Klaus Herkenroth is well regarded.

Debevoise & Plimpton LLP has ‘extensive knowledge’, particularly in cross-border tax matters. It advised Anchorage Capital Group on the buying up and holding of German debt portfolios. Friedrich Hey is ‘always thoughtful, creative and careful’.

Following departures from the team in 2010, Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP has shifted its focus to advice on transactions and fund structuring. It recently advised WPP on the takeover of Commarco/Scholz & Friends. Funds expert Bernulph von Crailsheim is recommended.

Heuking Kühn Lüer Wojtek has recently increased its transactional and litigation instructions, and increased the number of partners in the team. It recently advised the shareholders of Ranger on the sale of a majority interest to a private equity fund and also advised Versatel on a transaction. Dieter Bohnert is recommended.

Honert + Partner has seen an increase in transactional advice, with recent highlights including acting for Kabel BW on its sale to Liberty Global and for HPE on the purchase of a stake in SFC Energy. Jürgen Honert is the name to note.

Peters, Schönberger & Partner is strong on compliance, VAT and tax audits, and tax advice relating to electronic invoicing is a growing source of instructions. Several large banks instruct the team on compliance matters. Harald Dörfler is recommended.

Weil, Gotshal & Manges excels at advising on restructurings, and private equity deals or corporate M&A. The team advised Synventive Group on financial restructuring and Atos Origin on its acquisition of Siemens IT Solutions and Services. Tobias Geerling and Jürgen Börst are the key partners.