The Legal 500

Within Antitrust, Noerr is a third tier firm,

Noerr remains busy advising on antitrust damages claims, and is representing 
HUK-Coburg and other German insurers in pursuing claims for damages arising from the 
car glass cartel. The team advised Fresenius 
on its voluntary public takeover offer for 
Rhön-Klinikum and assisted Daimler with 
merger control proceedings regarding the sale of a 65% stake in MBtech to AKKA Technologies. Practice co-heads Alexander Birnstiel and Karsten Metzlaff give ‘advice that is focused on business-oriented solutions’, and Metzlaff displays ‘commitment and efficiency’.

Within Bank lending,

Refinancing and real estate work have kept Noerr busy, and the team has expanded its banking clientele. The team advised Postbank on the refinancing of the former Saalepark Center in Leipzig; and Thomas Cook on the refinancing of an existing syndicated facility agreement. Sebastian Bock is the key name in the team, which recruited Andreas Naujoks from Luther Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbH. However, Olaf Grabowski left the firm.

Within Project finance, tier 5

Noerr capitalises on its regulated industry and PPP expertise, and regularly advises banks on renewable energy project financings. Borrower clients include NA Renewable Energy and Nawaro BioEnergie. Torsten Fett heads the banking and finance group.

Within Capital markets, tier 4

Noerr’s ‘broad and good-quality practice’ recently advised SAF-Holland on its capital increase; Fresenius Medical Care on its $1.5bn high-yield bond issuance; and TAG Immobilien on its €85.3m convertible bonds issuance. Holger Alfes and Laurenz Wieneke are recommended.

Within Corporate and M&A, Noerr is a third tier firm,

Noerr’s ‘excellent’ team adopts a sector-specific approach to practice, and made significant steps forward regarding real estate and public M&A work. It advised TAG Immobilien on the takeover of Colonia Real Estate; Daimler on the structuring of an international tender process regarding the sale of MBtech; and BMG on its acquisition of publisher R2M Music. Thorsten Reinhard is ‘to the point’ and ‘presents complex matters in a comprehensible way’. Alexander Ritvay and Thomas Schulz jointly head the team.

Within Dispute resolution, Noerr is a second tier firm,

Noerr’s ‘very broad practice’ has recently seen an increase in D&O insurance disputes. The firm also handles a range of other liability claims, where clients include pharmaceuticals companies and banks. The firm regularly advises Deutsche Bank and WestLB on a range of matters. The firm also acted for a board member of a German energy company regarding claims for damages. Michael Molitoris and Oliver Sieg are recommended.

Within Employment, Noerr is a second tier firm,

Noerr’s broad practice advised ARAG insurance group on its SE transformation, represented Aviapartner in collective bargaining disputes with works councils, while Air Berlin and EADS are further clients. However, the departure of Georg Annuß to Linklaters LLP was a blow for the team now headed by the ‘very skilled’ Andreas Butz.

Within IP: trade marks, tier 4

Noerr is able to leverage its office in Alicante, which is the seat of the administrative body for the EU community trade mark. Clients include BMG Rights Management, Topshop International and Grand Slam Tennis Properties. Georg Jahn is recommended.

Within Information technology and outsourcing, Noerr is a first tier firm,

Noerr provides ‘tailor-made teams on the spot’, and is particularly expert in outsourcing matters as well as in-trend topics such as cloud computing and e-commerce, and frequently draws on the firm’s strong media practice. The team provides ongoing advice to Microsoft on cloud computing, data protection and commercial agreements, and acts for MAN Truck & Bus on various IT projects. It also advised publisher Weltbild on the partial acquisition of Pubbles internet platform from Bertelsmann. Joachim Schrey is highly recommended, as is ‘seasoned negotiator’ Peter Bräutigam, who ‘combines legal excellence with a business-oriented approach’.

Within Restructuring, Noerr is a third tier firm,

Noerr provides comprehensive legal and management consultancy services, including litigatious representation. It assisted Spanish company Arenales and its banking consortium with the restructuring triggered by the insolvency of shareholder Solar Millennium. Deutsche Bank is a client on the contentious front. The team also advised the insolvency administrator on the sale of NDT Systems to a strategic investor. Christian Pleister heads the practice.

Within Entertainment, Noerr is a first tier firm,

Noerr has ‘an extremely broad practice’ and ‘a fantastic team with strength in depth’. It operates at the forefront of the sector, advising on emerging areas such as acting for a consortium of 17 production companies on building a video-on-demand platform. In terms of media transactions, the team advised BMG Rights Management on the bidding process to acquire EMI Records. On the litigation side, the team represented New York’s Museum of Modern Art in a copyright dispute with heirs of a German artist. This ‘top-notch’ team includes Johannes Kreile, Martin Diesbach and Ulrich Michel, who provides ‘clear and pragmatic advice’ and pursues ‘a business-oriented approach to get deals done’.

Within Press and publishing Other recommended firms

Within Private equity, Noerr is a third tier firm,

Noerr has recently attracted a number of new venture capital clients. Recent deals include advising Wellspring Capital Management on its acquisition of ThermaSys Corporation, and acting for Avail TVM, the buyout platform of Carlyle Europe Partners, on its acquisition of On Demand Group. Georg Schneider and Thomas Schulz jointly head the practice.

Within Public sector, Noerr is a second tier firm,

Noerr excels at environmental and planning law work, and ‘proactively brings issues to the client’s attention’. The team recently advised Gazprom on its acquisition of Envacom Service. Olav Wagner is a key figure on the public procurement side, where the team capitalised 
on its health sector expertise to advise 
Hochtaunus-Kliniken on PPP matters. Holger Schmitz is ‘knowledgeable, service-oriented and pragmatic’.

Within Construction Other recommended firms

Within Real estate, Noerr is a third tier firm,

Noerr ‘provides business-minded solutions based on deep industry knowledge’. It has been acting on large deals such as advising TAG Immobilien on its €471m acquisition of TLG Wohnen’s housing portfolio. Real estate finance is a growing element of the practice, which 
has been advising Deutsche Postbank on refinancing. The team also assisted Zalando 
with developing a new logistics centre. Alexander Goepfert is ‘outstanding’ and Stefan Weise has ‘a keen sense of the commercial relevance of legal issues’.

Within Tax, tier 4

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’.

Within Telecoms, Noerr is a third tier firm,

Noerr has a focus on contractual advice. Highlights included advising SES Astra on its contracts with network operators and content providers, and acting for Research In Motion on distribution agreements with Deutsche Telekom. Telecoms operator Televersa Group is a new client. Tobias Frevert heads the team.