The Legal 500

‘An absolutely leading practice’, Flick Gocke Schaumburg is in ‘a class of its own’, and appointed five new partners in 2012. The team acts for DAX-listed companies and high-net-worth individuals, and its expertise encompasses tax-led restructuring, litigation and VAT expertise. Clients include Volkswagen, Daimler, E.ON, BASF, Beiersdorf, Lufthansa, Siemens, Aventis, and Vodafone. Harald Schaumburg, Detlev Piltz and practice head Thomas Rödder are recommended.

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer ‘gets nothing but great feedback’, and this extremely broad practice attracts top-end mandates, particularly in a transactional context. Recent work includes advising UPS on its €5.2bn acquisition of TNT and acting for Praktiker on its new restructuring programme and financing concept. It also advised EQT on tax structuring of its €1.8bn acquisition of BSN medical. Norbert Schneider ‘gives clear explanations and thinks beyond the question raised’, and practice head Christian Ruoff is also recommended. Ulf Johannemann is an expert in taxation of structured financial products.

Linklaters LLP is ‘among the best we have dealt with globally’, according to major clients. It is particularly strong in banking and finance related tax advice. It acted for RBS on the refinancing of existing senior facilities for Schaeffler, and advised UniCredit Bank on its €7.5bn rights issue. On the transactional front, the team advised Volkswagen on its public takeover of MAN, and assisted Linde with its acquisition of Air Products’ continental European homecare business. Practice head Sebastian Benz is recommended, and Oliver Rosenberg ‘fully understands clients’ practical requirements and appetite for risk’. Wilhelm Haarmann joined the firm in February 2013.

Allen & Overy LLP’s tax practice has capitalised on the firm’s overall growth in the corporate and finance arena, and recently advised Patrizia on the tax aspects of its €1.4bn acquisition of a portfolio of residential units from LBBW. It also advised Nomura on buying Delta Lloyd’s German business and assisted GE Healthcare with its acquisition of PAA Laboratories. Munich-based Gottfried Breuninger is the firm’s global head of tax.

Hengeler Mueller gives ‘excellent support’ on large-scale transactions. It advised E.ON on tax aspects of its €3bn sale of Open Grid Europe, and acted for Fresenius on the voluntary public takeover offer for Rhön-Klinikum. It also assisted ThyssenKrupp during the combination of its stainless steel business with Outokumpu. ‘Very capable tax specialist’ Stefanie Beinert is ‘an expert in cross-border partnership taxation’, which is a growing area of practice for the firm.

Baker & McKenzie excels at transfer pricing and VAT advice. The team also advised a global energy company on tax aspects of a corporate reorganisation and on tax planning matters, and assisted a DAX30 company with feasibility studies regarding the restructuring of its European distribution operations. Nicole Looks and Stephan Schnorberger are well regarded.

CMS’ 13-partner practice has been busy advising on real estate matters, such as advising Accor on the sale of hotels, and has experienced an increase in international instructions such as advising an American group on its restructuring ahead of a planned disposal. It also advised a Korean corporation on a planned acquisition. The team also provides ongoing advice to a major insurer. Wolf-Georg von Rechenberg heads the practice.

Clifford Chance leverages the firm’s expertise in areas such as real estate and acquisitions, and excels at tax litigation. It advised Commerz Real and a consortium of institutional investors on the acquisition of a majority stake in Amprion, and advised Hatfield Philips on the tax-efficient restructuring of a €940m securitised loan. The team advised LSG Sky Chefs on its split into twelve separate entities. Practice head Josef Brinkhaus ‘always does a fantastic job’. ‘Terrific lawyer’ Marco Simonis is ‘extremely experienced in setting up fund structures’.

Gleiss Lutz ‘handles particularly difficult issues most successfully’, and the team has been busy with transactional and tax compliance work. Key achievements were advising Ferrostaal on its settlement with public prosecutors on compliance infringements, and acting for Robert Bosch on the partial sale of its brakes business. The team also acted for Würth on the sale of its solar module production line. Practice head Achim Dannecker is ‘extremely knowledgeable’.

Hogan Lovells International LLP is particularly expert in real estate and finance matters. It has been advising new client IVG Institutional Funds on the structuring of a tax exempted real estate fund investing into Polish assets, and acting for SABMiller on its alliance with Anadolu. The team also acted for FMS Wertmanagement on the transfer of risk assets and non-strategic business units from Hypo Real Estate Group. Practice head Jens-Uwe Hinder is recommended along with the ‘very efficient’ Heiko Gemmel. Michael Dettmeier is well regarded for his ‘up-to-date knowledge and appropriate advice’.

Latham & Watkins LLP’s team has ‘extensive knowledge of European tax law’, and its chief strengths lie in large-scale transactions and restructuring, where the team delivers 
‘business-minded solutions’. It advised Avery Dennison on the $550m cross-border sale of its office and consumer goods business to 3M, and advised Deutsche Bank on its pan-European funds platform. Götz Wiese ‘asks the right questions’, and ‘innovative thinker’ Stefan Süss ‘understands clients’ needs and intentions’. Thomas Fox is ‘particularly strong in restructuring issues’.

Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP specialises in advising on tax-optimised acquisition and financing structures, and the team is ‘hands-on with profound business knowledge’. It advised NYSE Euronext on its intended combination with Deutsche Börse, and acted for Axel Springer on a partnership with General Atlantic in the online classified business. Rolf Füger is ‘superb’, and Thomas Kleinheisterkamp ‘seamlessly connects German tax issues with international transactions’ and ‘translates the legal framework into practical advice’.

P+P Pöllath + Partners’ ‘excellent’ tax practice is particularly expert in private equity and fund-related matters, where clients include Apax Partners. The team has also recently advised several family-owned businesses on restructuring. Reinhard Pöllath and Andreas Rodin are recommended.

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP frequently advises on cross-border matters such as Lafarge’s sale of its European and Latin American gypsum operations. The team also acted as tax counsel to Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and UBS regarding Lufthansa Malta Blues’ €234m exchangeable bonds issuance. Tax specialist Daniel Weyde is recommended.

Noerr has a comprehensive practice with tax structuring and transactional experience, and has ‘a thorough understanding of the financial services industry’. The team advised INEOS on the foundation of a joint venture with BASF, and acted for TAG Immobilien on its acquisition of DKB Immobilien’s entire share capital. Georg Edelmann ‘combines technical expertise with a pragmatic approach’, and Michaela Engel is ‘creative and effective in structuring complex 
deals’.

Rödl & Partner has an exceptionally strong position in the mid-cap market and is increasingly acting for major clients such as Audi on high-profile mandates. It also advised DWS on tax structuring and assisted Hannover Leasing with its purchase of 30 Crown Place, London. Name partner Christian Rödl is recommended.

SJ Berwin LLP lost Gerald Thomas and Boris Meissner, who left to set up their own firm, but maintains an excellent practice advising private equity investors and also has a busy private client team led by Andreas Söffing. Rüdiger Knopf leads on transactional matters. The team recently advised HSH Nordbank on its sale of a European private equity fund; and Star Capital Partners on its acquisition of Blohm + Voss.

Shearman & Sterling LLP lost Johannes Frey to Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP but retains key figures Bodo Bender and Reinhard Stockum and is recommended for advising on matters with a US element. Highlights included advising The Dow Chemical Company on the divestiture of its polypropylene business to Braskem; and Sany Heavy Industry on its acquisition of Putzmeister.

Streck Mack Schwedhelm is a tax boutique with expertise spannings adviser’s liability, tax investigations, structuring, compliance, and litigation. Ferrostaal is a client in the tax compliance arena, and the team also frequently acts for auditors and tax advisers. Rolf Schwedhelm is particularly recommended.

White & Case LLP advised the Federal Republic of Germany on the planned privatisation of state-owned real estate group TLG, and assisted Novasep with the tax aspects of its financial restructuring. Andreas Knebel heads the practice, and Günter Kahlert specialises in tax restructuring.

Debevoise & Plimpton LLP advised Dover Corporation on its sale of the Paladin business to KPS Capital Partners, and assisted Viacom with cross-border tax matters. The team has notable in-depth private equity know-how. Friedrich Hey is ‘very skilled’ and has ‘extremely valuable knowledge of both US and German tax law’.

Haarmann focuses on tax aspects of corporate matters, and advises family-owned businesses, private equity firms and mid-market companies. The firm recently lost key figure Wilhelm Haarmann to Linklaters LLP. André Suttorp joined Beiten Burkhardt.

Heuking Kühn Lüer Wojtek gives ‘top service and appropriate advice’. Its recent caseload includes advising a telecoms group on contentious matters, and acting for an investor in non-performing loans regarding the restructuring of a real estate loan. Marc Scheunemann is ‘a highly qualified and reliable expert’, and Fabian Gaffron recently joined from KPMG.

Honert + Partner’s Jürgen Honert acts for listed corporations and private equity firms. The team recently advised EQT on a transaction.

McDermott Will & Emery Rechtsanwälte Steuerberater LLP is known for its litigation and restructuring advice, and acted for Centrum and Signa regarding their joint venture to acquire two department stores. Dirk Pohl heads the team.

Peters, Schönberger & Partner acts for family-owned companies on matters including VAT and electronic invoicing. The firm recruited private clients expert Hannspeter Riedel from Buse Heberer Fromm and Alexander Reichl from Flick Gocke Schaumburg in January 2013. Stefan Groß is recommended.

RölfsPartner combines legal, tax and auditing capabilities. Clients include hospitals, a publisher and a foundation. Wolfgang Richter heads the group.

Weil, Gotshal & Manges focuses on restructuring and the tax structuring of private equity transactions. It advised Bregal Capital on its acquisition of all shares in Novem, and acted for Summit Partners on its purchase of a majority stake in 360 Treasury Systems. Tobias Geerling is recommended.