The Legal 500

Within Antitrust, Gleiss Lutz is a first tier firm,

Clients report great satisfaction with Gleiss Lutz’s team at all levels of seniority, and remark on the group’s ‘great business acumen’ and comprehensive scope, which includes merger control proceedings, cartel investigations, compliance issues and a number of state aid cases in the renewables and healthcare sectors. The team advised Infineon Technologies on the €1.1bn sale of its wireless solutions business division to Intel, and secured an acquittal for Geberit in EC proceedings relating to the bathroom suppliers cartel. Matthias Karl has ‘a willingness to work on creative solutions’, Ulrich Denzel is ‘a perfect blend of accurateness of advice and pragmatic solution-finding’, and Rainer Bechtold remains the team’s ‘flagship partner’.

Within Bank lending, Gleiss Lutz is a third tier firm,

Gleiss Lutz ‘focuses on relevant points’ and clients appreciate its ‘small, powerful and well co-ordinated teams’. The team has been busy with restructuring and refinancing, but also advised Blackstone on financing the acquisition of Jack Wolfskin; and Behr on Mahle Group’s purchase of a stake in Behr and on a comprehensive refinancing. Société Générale is a new client. Helge Kortz has ‘a very dedicated, hands-on mentality’.

Within Capital markets , Gleiss Lutz is a third tier firm,

Gleiss Lutz confirmed its significant market standing in Prime Standard IPOs on Frankfurt Stock Exchange when it advised Commerzbank and Crédit Agricole on Adler’s IPO as well as equinet Bank and BHF-BANK on Derby Cycle’s IPO. It acted for J.P. Morgan and Deutsche Bank on Klöckner’s €500m capital increase, and also advised various issuers on the issuance of bonds and convertible bonds. Clients value the team’s ‘in-depth knowledge’ and particularly rate Stephan Aubel, who is ‘never too busy to offer help’.

Within Large deals, Gleiss Lutz is a second tier firm,

Gleiss Lutz had a fantastic year with Hamburg and the new Düsseldorf office thriving. The team has been busy advising on public takeovers and M&A, particularly in its focus areas of automotive, energy and technology. It advised the Federal State of Baden-Württemberg on its acquisition of Electricité de France’s stake in EnBW, and advised Leighton (which is 55% owned by Hochtief) on ACS’ takeover bid for Hochtief. Andreas Rittstieg is ‘extremely strong’, Stefan Mutter has ‘incredible in-depth knowledge of the law’, and Ralf Morshäuser is ‘excellent’. Christian Cascante leads the team, which is rated very highly for responsiveness and technical knowledge.

Within Dispute resolution , Gleiss Lutz is a second tier firm,

Gleiss Lutz combines ‘excellent legal expertise and fantastic client service’. Corporate and restructuring litigation are strengths, and capital markets cases have also been a focus. It also represented a foreign energy supplier in DIS arbitration with two energy groups, and defended Deutsche Bank in an action for damages brought by Leo Kirch. The ‘very impressive’ Stefan Rützel displays ‘commercial understanding’, and ‘doyen of arbitration’ Gerhard Wegen has an ‘extensive network of contacts’.

Within Employment , Gleiss Lutz is a first tier firm,

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.

Within Litigation, Gleiss Lutz is a third tier firm,

Gleiss Lutz is primarily known for its outstanding pharmaceuticals expertise, partly thanks to Thomas Bopp, but has significantly broadened the practice, with recent examples being its advice to Sharp regarding GSM patents and to TomTom regarding navigation systems. The team also recently represented new client Actavis in a patent infringement dispute with Novartis and acted for Teleatlas regarding a nullity action on appeal against Philips.

Within IP: trade marks , Gleiss Lutz is a second tier firm,

Gleiss Lutz’s key strengths lie in its abilities to plan international trade mark strategies and handle litigation, and clients appreciate the ‘pragmatic focus on issues’ and ‘concise and diligent’ advice. The practice has various areas of industry expertise, including automotive, technology and pharmaceuticals. The team defended Ritter Sport’s square shape chocolate trade mark against Milka, and advised Philip Morris on plain packaging matters. Stefan Völker is able to ‘put himself in the client’s shoes’.

Within Information technology and outsourcing , tier 4

Gleiss Lutz’s M&A-oriented practice recently advised Infineon on the sale of its wireless solutions division to Intel, and MCS on the sale of its patient data management systems business division. Clients appreciate the team’s ability to assimilate their needs. Stefan Weidert is recommended.

Within Restructuring, Gleiss Lutz is a third tier firm,

Gleiss Lutz is able to serve on major national transactions, and the restructuring team frequently works alongside the banking and corporate groups. It advised Medfort on the acquisition of PrimaCom from the administrator; Borletti on the proposed purchase of insolvent Karstadt Warenhaus; and the UK administrators on the restructuring and sale of Nortel Group. Andreas Spahlinger heads the practice.

Within Private equity , Gleiss Lutz is a second tier firm,

Gleiss Lutz regularly advises Blackstone, most recently on its acquisition of Jack Wolfskin from Quadriga Capital and Barclays Private Equity. It also advised RHJ International on the restructuring of Honsel Group and represented the main shareholders of Versatel during the voluntary public takeover offer by KKR. The firm’s merger with Hamburg-based Rittstieg in 2010 has allowed the team to expand its client base. ‘Superb lawyer’ Jan Bauer has ‘a prominent market position’, and Christian Cascante shows ‘outstanding legal skills’ and ‘cost-conciousness’.

Within Public sector , Gleiss Lutz is a first tier firm,

Gleiss Lutz’s ‘spotless’ public law practice has broad coverage and is ‘one of the best in Germany’. The team has increased its focus on the infrastructure sector and is acting in various ongoing disputes regarding the termination of the nuclear power programme. Other highlights included advising Schluchseewerk on approval of a hydropower plant and the City of Stuttgart on the planning for a residential development as part of the Stuttgart 21 project. Due to the firm’s healthcare sector expertise, statutory health insurance funds number among the team’s public law clients. The practice, led by Olaf Otting, operates with ‘small teams that provide first-class advice’.

Within Construction, Gleiss Lutz is a third tier firm,

Gleiss Lutz has a full-service practice, but notably advised Nordsee Offshore MEG I and Windreich on the construction of a 400MW offshore wind farm. It also handles contractual matters for Hornbach. Tobias Boecken leads the two-partner team.

Within Real estate, Gleiss Lutz is a second tier firm,

Gleiss Lutz is well known for its excellent Berlin office, but the Frankfurt office is also gaining visibility in the market. The practice advised on one of the largest financing deals of 2011, when it acted for a consortium of banks led by Helaba and Société Générale on financing of Cerberus’ €500m purchase of a portfolio of 45 Metro Cash&Carry stores. IVG Immobilien instructed the team on the sale of an office portfolio. Clients rate the group’s ‘extremely high service level’, and single out Tim Weber for his ‘dedication’ and Detlef Schmidt for ‘excellent subject knowledge’. Hans Schlarmann leads the team.

Within Tax , Gleiss Lutz is a third tier firm,

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.

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