The Legal 500

Within Antitrust, Gleiss Lutz is a first tier firm,

‘By far the strongest capabilities in the market’, Gleiss Lutz has impressive depth and breadth, with ‘outstanding practicioners’ at numerous offices, among them the seasoned Rainer Bechtold and Ingo Brinker, who are ‘very good in all respects’. Syngenta International instructed the team on the acquisition of Monsanto’s sunflower seed business and the coordination of worldwide merger control notifications, and Nokia Siemens Networks/Juniper on a joint venture, merger control and review of compliance with antitrust law in more than 40 countries. Procter & Gamble, Siemens and Daimler are further clients. Martin Raible gets ‘straight to the point’, and clients value Matthias Karl’s ‘pragmatic and hands-on approach’.

Within Banking and finance: Bank lending, Gleiss Lutz is a third tier firm,

Gleiss Lutz’s refinancing and restructuring practice benefited from the firm’s domestic focus. The team, led by Helge Kortz in Frankfurt, advised RHJ International on the restructuring of Honsel, and PHOENIX Pharmahandel & Co. KG on its standstill arrangements and certain restructuring measures. It also advised Magna on its complex bid for Opel. Clients praise the team as ‘very responsive, diligent, smart and innovative’, and Maximilian von Rom is ‘technically strong’ and ‘gets things done’.

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

Gleiss Lutz advised on the successful issue of a substantial convertible bond by Celesio, the pharmaceutical service organisation, with a total issuance of €350m. The team also advised a syndicate of banks including Deutsche Bank and JP Morgan on the cash capital increase of Klöckner & Co. Stephan Aubel is a well-respected figure in the team.

Within Corporate and M&A: Large deals, Gleiss Lutz is a second tier firm,

‘First choice for any major corporate work’, Gleiss Lutz integrated the entire team of ‘excellent M&A lawyers’ from Rittstieg in October 2010, providing in one stroke a Hamburg presence, and it also opened a Düsseldorf office. Remarkably, both offices already have a solid track record. Magna instructed the team on the intended takeover of Opel/Vauxhall from General Motors, and Credit Suisse in connection with the €9bn acquisition of cash settled options on Volkswagen. It also advised Hypo Real Estate on recapitalisation matters. Ralf Morshäuser jointly heads the practice with Christian Cascante, who displays ‘outstanding legal skills’ and is ‘responsive and cost conscious’. Andreas Wölfle ‘combines confidence with competence’ and ‘manages extremely complex cases well’, while Ralf Thaeter possesses ‘in depth knowledge’.

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

Gleiss Lutz’s ‘strong and successful’ team acted on several noteworthy capital markets-related matters, including defending Hypo Real Estate Holding against more than 200 actions for damages on account of alleged incorrect capital market information. The team also defended Infineon Technologies against claims of the insolvency administrator of Qimonda. The ‘impressive’ Stephan Wilske, Stefan Rützel and Gerhard Wegen, who maintains a ‘very good network of contacts’, are recommended.

Within Employment , Gleiss Lutz is a first tier firm,

‘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.

Within IP: patents: Litigation, Gleiss Lutz is a third tier firm,

Head of team Thomas Bopp at Gleiss Lutz counts among ‘the leading names’ in the market and has a particular good reputation for representing pharaceutical industry clients. The team represented ratiopharm in €15m proceedings against Sanofi-Aventis concerning clopidogrel, and acted for KBA-GIORI against TEMA and Mühlbauer regarding software for bank note verification systems. The firm’s new Düsseldorf office significantly offers scope for further IP-related growth. Matthias Sonntag is recommended.

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

Gleiss Lutz successfully secured trade mark protection for building society Schwäbisch Hall, and represented Daimler in invalidity proceedings regarding the infringement of a community design. Gubor, H&M and Volkswagen also rely on the team. Stefan Völker provides ‘timely and appropriate’ advice, and Stefan Weidert impresses with ‘extensive knowledge and experience’. ‘We tried others but always came back’, say clients.

Within Information technology and outsourcing , tier 4

Gleiss Lutz is visible in both transactional and stand-alone IT work. The team, headed by Stefan Weidert, acted for AOK in connection with the issuing of an electronic health card, while Mamut, Heidelberg Cement and Schindler are further clients. The team gained Celesio as a new client in 2010.

Within Insolvency and restructuring: Restructuring, Gleiss Lutz is a second tier firm,

The team at Gleiss Lutz knows the German law ‘inside out’ and lawyers are ‘technically extremely good’. The firm capitalises on its full service approach for generating work in numerous sectors. It advised RREEF, Generali, Pirelli RE and Borletti Group on the restructuring of the Highstreet real estate joint venture, and Golden Gate Capital on its planned acquisition of Primondo/Quelle/HSE 24 from the insolvency administrator. Andreas Spahlinger and Burkard Göpfert are recommended.

Within Investment funds , tier 4

Gleiss Lutz’s investment funds team is jointly led by Helge Kortz and Stephan Aubel, and advises on the structuring and placement of foreign and German investment funds. It advised Lend Lease Real Estate Investments and Majid Al Futtaim Asset Management on private placements of investment funds in Germany.

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

Gleiss Lutz expanded in 2010 with its integration of Hamburg-based boutique Rittstieg Rechtsanwälte. Christian Cascante’s team also witnessed the arrival of a new partner in Thomas Menke from Baker & McKenzie. Highlights included advising Golden Gate Capital on the planned acquisition of Primondo and HSE24, and assisting One Equity Partners on the restructuring of Hosel. The Hilton Hotel Group instructed the firm on the refinancing and restructuring of the group’s existing debt, including the conversion and repayment of part of the mezzanine tranches to equity at an early stage. Clients praise the team’s ‘innovative and responsive’ manner.

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

Gleiss Lutz has been increasingly visible in contentious matters, and has an exquisite reputation for its broad coverage and numerous highly regarded individuals; Olaf Otting, Michael Uechtritz and Markus Deutsch. DEHOGA and the German Hotel Association instructed the team regarding the permissibility to levy a local expenditure tax on hotel stays, and the team provided public procurement law advice to the City of Hanau in the competitive dialogue on the remodelling of the city centre. Scottish and Southern Energy and Airtricity instructed the team on a complex high-value development procedure for three wind farms to be built in an area used for marine and air force exercises. The team has been strengthened through the addition of constitutional and administrative law expert Ulrich Battis.

Within Real estate and construction: Construction, Gleiss Lutz is a second tier firm,

Gleiss Lutz has a good reputation for project development work, and the team, headed by Tobias Boecken in Berlin, has a particular focus in the construction of facilities for the generation of renewable energy, which also includes Tim Weber in Frankfurt. The firm advised new client Wetfeet Offshore Windenergy on an offshore wind farm in the North Sea; other clients include Hornbach Group and Krieger Group.

Within Real estate and construction: Real estate, Gleiss Lutz is a second tier firm,

The ‘rock solid’ practice at Gleiss Lutz is rated for its low leverage, where the ‘strong’ Berlin office is particularly noted. Tim Weber’s move from Berlin to Frankfurt successfully raised the group’s profile. Highlights included advising Corestate on a €160m acquisition of a residential and commercial real estate portfolio, and IVG Immobilien on its sale of green office buildings in Munich and Bonn. Morgan Stanley Real Estate Funds instructed the team on the sale of Park Tower in Frankfurt to RREEF. Detlef Schmidt and Johannes Niewerth are particularly recommended. The international alliance with Herbert Smith LLP and Stibbe remains pivotal.

Within Tax , Gleiss Lutz is a third tier firm,

Achim Dannecker heads the practice at Gleiss Lutz, which was boosted by the firm’s opening of its sixth German office, in Hamburg, in 2010. Recent work includes advising Morgan Stanley on the sale of Frankfurt’s Park Tower to RREEF; itelligence AG on its cross-border takeover of Dutch company 2B Interactive; and Adolf Wuerth & Co and other subsidiaries of the Wuerth Group in a range of tax matters. Alexander Werder and Michael Marquardt are recommended.

Within Telecoms Other recommended firms