The Legal 500

Within Antitrust, Hengeler Mueller is a second tier firm,

Hengeler Mueller represents numerous very well-known names including an increasing number of international clients. It recently defended Akzo Nobel in damages claim proceedings initiated by CDC against members of the bleach cartel and represented EQT in merger control proceedings regarding the sale of Kabel Baden-Württemberg to Liberty Global. It also represented GN Store Nord in a damages claim against the Federal Republic of Germany due to the FCO’s illegal prohibition of the proposed sale of ReSound Group to Sonova. Christoph Stadler is ‘very calm and matter-of-fact’, and Horst Satzky is ‘always available’ and has ‘great contacts with the authorities’. Clients also appreciate the firm’s ‘fantastic team of German lawyers’ in Brussels.

Within Bank lending, Hengeler Mueller is a first tier firm,

Hengeler Mueller’s ‘highly recommended’ practice focuses on extremely high-value deals, where it does ‘a fantastic job’. Recent examples include advising on the restructuring of Carl Zeiss Vision; the comprehensive refinancing of Phoenix Pharmahandel in 19 jurisdictions; and Commerzbank on SAP’s refinancing. Thomas Cron and Johannes Tieves are recommended. Nikolaus Vieten was promoted to partner.

Within Capital markets , Hengeler Mueller is a first tier firm,

Hengeler Mueller ‘still leads the pack both in volume and in level of expertise’, and gives ‘fast, very reliable and legally sound advice’. It has been advising on some of the most significant capital increases, notably those of Porsche and Commerzbank. This innovative team advised Hypo Real Estate on establishing a bad bank under financial market stabilisation legislation through the transfer of portfolios in amount of €173bn. It also advised on proposed IPOs by Kabel BW and Takko. The team’s lawyers show ‘entrepreneurial spirit’, with Torsten Busch and Hendrik Haag being particularly recommended.

Within Large deals, Hengeler Mueller is a first tier firm,

Hengeler Mueller’s ‘level of expertise sets the benchmark’. It has been advising on several significant cross-border matters including acting for Brambles, an Australian logistics company, on its acquisition of Dutch-German IFCO Systems, and advising on SANYO Electric’s sale of its global semiconductor business. Christian Möller is ‘remarkable’ and ‘extremely good’, the ‘pragmatic and accurate’ Hans-Jörg Ziegenhain provides a ‘very high service level’, and ‘good negotiator’ Jochen Vetter has ‘fantastic business acumen’.

Within Mid-sized deals Leading individuals

Within Dispute resolution , Hengeler Mueller is a first tier firm,

Hengeler Mueller produces ‘high-quality work’ and focuses on select, extremely high-end cases. It represented a gas importer in a case relating to price adjustments under long-term supply contracts; Toll Collect in pursuing claims against the Federal Republic of Germany regarding compensation payments; and Porsche in mediation concerning capital markets liability claims. The team also represented Bayerische Landesbank in bringing claims for damages against former board members for negligent management. Markus Meier is ‘an experienced litigator’ and ‘first class in all respects’, and John Flüh is ‘reassuring’ and ‘always retains the big picture’.

Within Employment Other recommended firms

Within Litigation Other recommended firms

Within IP: trade marks Other recommended firms

Within Restructuring, tier 4

Hengeler Mueller, which represents some of Germany’s major corporations, acted as counsel to the Highstreet consortium during the sale of the insolvent Karstadt, and advised Carl Zeiss Vision on the restructuring of the €586m financing of Carl Zeiss Vision Group. The team includes the ‘very sharp-minded’ Johannes Tieves as well as Daniel Weiß, who ‘thinks outside the box’.

Within Investment funds , Hengeler Mueller is a first tier firm,

Hengeler Mueller remains the leading practice in Germany and draws on its best-friends network globally for advice on cross-border matters. The team excels at regulated and unregulated funds, particularly real estate investment funds. It can leverage the firm’s extremely strong contacts to key players in the financial services industry. It recently advised Bank of New York Mellon on its €253m acquisition of BHF Asset Servicing from BHF-Bank und Sal. Oppenheim. Edgar Wallach and Thomas Paul are highly recommended.

Within Private equity , Hengeler Mueller is a second tier firm,

Hengeler Mueller’s ‘extremely co-operative’ group advised on various large-cap transactions in 2011. Highlights included advising Advent International on the sale of Takko to Apax Partners; Cinven on its acquisition of SLV Group from HgCapital; and EQT on the sale of Kabel BW to Liberty Global. The firm is able to act on cross-border deals through its best-friends relationships abroad. Hans-Jörg Ziegenhain is recommended.

Within Public sector , Hengeler Mueller is a third tier firm,

Hengeler Mueller has particular expertise in PPP and infrastructure matters, and also frequently advises on environmental and planning matters, and is able to staff multidisciplinary teams. It advised a provider of recycling systems (“Der Grüne Punkt”) in a guideline dispute pertaining to packaging regulations, and advised the City of Düsseldorf on its harbour area development. The firm has a focus on regulated industries such as energy, where RWE is a client. Dirk Uwer is ‘very well versed in managing complex transactions’.

Within Real estate, Hengeler Mueller is a third tier firm,

Hengeler Mueller’s core expertise lies in transactions, refinancing and securitisation. Fortress instructed the team on restructuring of Deutsche Bank real estate loans pertaining to 40 property companies, and acted as counsel to GIC as joint venture partner of J.P. Morgan Asset Management on the acquisition of Frankfurt’s Opernturm. Georg Frowein is recommended.

Within Structured finance and securitisation , Hengeler Mueller is a first tier firm,

Hengeler Mueller’s ‘market-leading’ practice is excellent for innovative work, such as advising on new structured finance products or on bad bank restructuring issues. The team advised the Highstreet-Joint-Venture on restructuring the financial debt obligations of the Highstreet syndicate, one of the market’s largest CMBS restructurings. The team also advised BNP Paribas, Unicredit and HSBC on covered bonds programmes, and acted for WestLB and Santander regarding a €600m securitisation of auto loans. Daniel Weiß ‘never fails to impress’, and London-based German lawyer Martin Geiger is ‘outstanding’.

Within Tax , Hengeler Mueller is a second tier firm,

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.

Within Telecoms , Hengeler Mueller is a third tier firm,

Hengeler Mueller gives ‘outstanding’ advice and is extremely strong on the transactional side. It recently represented longstanding client Kabel Deutschland against VG Media in proceedings relating to cable network operators’ liability to radio and TV broadcasters. Other highlights were advising EQT on its sale of Kabel BW, freenet on the sale of its value-added services business, and Jesta on its acquisition of Fox Mobile Group. Wolfgang Spoerr and Albrecht Conrad are the key figures.