The Legal 500

Within Antitrust, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP is a first tier firm,

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has been among the top firms for antitrust advice ‘for the past 20 years’. The team again underlined its top tier status, advising E.ON regarding an investigation by the EC Commission into an alleged market sharing arrangement, and Chiquita Brands in cartel and multi-jurisdictional leniency proceedings (coordinated globally from the firm’s Cologne office). Bayer instructed the team in relation to cartel follow-on damages claims brought in the UK High Court following an EC Commission decision. Helmut Bergmann and Martin Klusmann provide ‘outstanding counsel’, Ulrich Scholz has ‘great energy sector expertise’, Uta Itzen displays ‘in depth knowledge’ and is ‘always available’, and Gerhard Wiedemann’s expertise is ‘without question’. ‘Way above the rest’, say clients, with ‘speed, integrity and expertise that is worth every penny’.

Within Banking and finance: Bank lending, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP is a first tier firm,

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer was one beneficiary of the increased activity in the acquisition finance market, advising international cable net operator Liberty Global on the financing of the €3.5bn acquisition of Unitymedia, and also ING Bank and Commerzbank on the financing of the acquisition of GEERS Hörakustik, a Dortmund-based hearing aid retailer, by AudioNova International. Continental also instructed the firm, on the restructuring of its debt financing in connection with its takeover by the Schaeffler group. The team is headed by the well-respected figure of Yorck Jetter.

Within Banking and finance: Project finance, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP is a first tier firm,

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer’s three-partner team is headed by Daniel Reichert-Facilides, and has an enviable reputation in motorway PPP projects. It recently advised on the second tranche of the German A-model PPP motorway programme. In other areas, the City of Offenbach instructed the firm on its PPP school project, involving the demolition and rebuilding of a number of schools, while energy projects handled by the team include coal and several major solar and photovoltaic schemes. Key clients include HSH Nordbank and Grosskraftwerk Mannheim. Christian Bunsen and Thomas Wagner are recommended.

Within Capital markets , Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP is a first tier firm,

Andreas König heads the successful equity capital markets team at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, whose highlights included advising Ströer Out-of-Home Media and Kabel Deutschland Holding on their IPOs (€394m and €759m respectively). Christoph Gleske’s debt capital markets team advised NORD/LB on the issuance of $500m capital notes without a maturity date through Fuerstenberg Capital International. In the area of high yield, the firm acted for Continental on the issuance of the first secured bond by Conti-Gummi Finance, in the amount of €750m.

Within Corporate and M&A: Large deals, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP is a first tier firm,

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer had an ‘extremely good year’, relatively untouched by the effects of the crisis that made some competitors struggle. The cooperation between practice groups and the successful involvment of young partners in high-profile matters sets the firm apart. Highlights included advising Cognis Holding Luxembourg on the €3.1bn sale of the specialty chemicals company Cognis to BASF, ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems on the sale of Blohm + Voss Shipyards, and Deutsche Bank on its €1bn acquisition of Sal Oppenheim. Tyco also instructed the team on the sale of its European waterworks business to private equity firm Triton. Marius Berenbrok heads the practice that includes Axel Epe and Andreas Fabritius, both held in high esteem, and Christoph von Bülow, who is rated as ‘top class’. The breadth of the practice is ‘impressive’.

Within Dispute resolution , Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP is a first tier firm,

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer represented clients in a large number of complex high-value matters, with contentious matters from banking and capital markets clients making up a significant part of the workload. Lars Westpfahl heads a team that acted for Solvay in complex cartel damage claim proceedings with a claimed amount of €650m, involving 32 industry players. On the arbitration side, the firm acted for an international logistics group in a cross-border post-M&A dispute, consisting of three arbitrations under DIS rules and five state court proceedings with a total volume of €400m in respect of purchase price adjustments. It also represented UniCredit in various disputes relating to the business combination with HVB. A number of partners are praised, among them ‘exceptional lawyer’ Christian Duve, who is ‘amazingly calm and assertive in court’, the ‘brilliant’ Wilhelm Danelzik, and ‘creative thinker’ Rolf Trittmann.

Within Employment , Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP is a first tier firm,

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer advised on several high-profile mandates across various sectors and industries across its international network, advising Mylan Laboratories on implementing ethics guidelines in 21 countries. ThyssenKrupp instructed the team on the complex restructuring of its Shipbuilding Group, and the team advised Bilfinger Berger on its SE conversion as well as carrying out electoral procedures in 26 countries for the formation of the special negotiation body. Heinz Josef Willemsen is a ‘luminary’ of the employment law world, and Thomas Müller-Bonanni is rated as ‘very analytical and balanced’. René Döring made partner.

Within IP: patents: Litigation, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP is a third tier firm,

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer’s pharma expert Frank-Erich Hufnagel also has significant expertise in technology matters. Highlights included representing Hexal / Sandoz against Sanofi-Aventis regarding the distribution of a blockbuster active ingredient, and acting for both clients Microsoft and Nokia Siemens Networks Oy in two patent infringement proceedings. Peter Chrocziel is recommended.

Within IP: trade marks , tier 4

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer acted on several highly complex transactions with interesting IP angles, including advising Otto Group on acquiring the brand portfolios of Quelle Austria and Quelle Switzerland. Further highlights included representing Amer Sports regarding the prohibition of selling its brand named products on internet auction platforms. The team provides ongoing advice to Mars Group, and to Wrigleys regarding trade mark and unfair competition matters. Andrea Lensing-Kramer is rated as ‘absolutely reliable’.

Within Information technology and outsourcing , Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP is a first tier firm,

The team at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer impresses with ‘excellent performance in international transactions’, and further excels advising on cross-border outsourcing and data protection matters. Headed by Klaus Beucher, the practice advised Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank on outsourcing IT processes and infrastructure to a foreign data centre, and D+S Europe on outsourcing agreements with several international fashion companies regarding e-commerce and logistic services. SEB further instructed the team on the sale of its German retail business to Santander Consumer Bank.

Within Insolvency and restructuring: Restructuring, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP is a first tier firm,

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has a diversified and ‘highly professional’ practice that excels at advising both on national and cross-border matters. The team is among the few dominating a market in which ‘there is no way around’ Lars Westpfahl, whose ‘performance is beyond any doubt’. With traditionally strong ties to the banking sector, the team recently acted for SoFFin/Financial Markets Stabilisation Agency on a federal bad bank model in form of a special public law entity. Berggruen Holdings instructed the team on the acquisition of insolvent department store chain Karstadt Warenhaus, and the team has been visible in restructuring of public companies, the automotive and the shipping sectors, including the successful debt restructuring of Israeli shipping container company ZIM. Yorck Jetter is recommended.

Within Investment funds , Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP is a second tier firm,

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer’s three-partner investment funds team has been increasingly busy in regulatory matters. The practice advised ING on a comprehensive range of products, and assisted BlackRock as a leading foreign provider of exchange traded funds and their distribution in Germany. Deutsche Bank and Deutsche Bank Luxembourg also instructed the team, on the acquisition of the Sal. Oppenheim Group. Thomas Emde, Gunnar Schuster and Konrad Schott are all recommended figures in the practice.

Within Media: Entertainment, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP is a second tier firm,

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer operates as an integrated team, offering seamless media, corporate, antitrust, and telecommunications law advice. Highlights included advising Comcast regarding the formation of a joint venture for taking over a majority stake in NBC, and advising Liberty Global regarding the acquisition of Unitymedia. The focus has, however, shifted to transactional advice, and away from providing continuous media law advice to long-standing clients. Klaus Beucher is recommended for advising on complex, high-value deals.

Within Private equity , Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP is a first tier firm,

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer’s ‘good, strong’ team, spread between six offices in Germany, demonstrates a ‘sound commercial approach’, and has a specialism in large-cap deals. It acted for Kabel Deutschland Holding on its €760m listing on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange; and Ströer Out-of-Home Media on its €394m IPO. The firm also advised BASF on the purchase of chemicals company Cognis, and handled the €3bn purchase of Anheuser-Busch Inbev’s CEE operations by CVC Capital. Ludwig Leyendecker leads the team, and Anselm Raddatz and Andreas von Werder are also recommended.

Within Public sector , Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP is a first tier firm,

‘Simply the best’, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer’s team, headed by Wolf Friedrich Spieth, not only follows but anticipates trends, particularly on emerging fields of law, including setting up a low carbon energy group. Recent highlights include advising the Federal Ministry for Economic Co-operation and Development on the structural reform of foreign aid organisations, and Hexal in connection with the act reforming the supply of pharmaceuticals. E.ON instructs the team on planning law matters regarding a black coal power station, and a consortium of bidders regarding tender procedures for the extension, financing and operation of the A8 and A9 motorways. Herbert Posser and Juliane Hilf are among the numerous partners praised.

Within Real estate and construction: Real estate, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP is a first tier firm,

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer ‘sets the benchmark’, and clients value the low leverage and constant involvment of partners who ‘know their stuff’. Erwin von Bressensdorf’s departure to set up his own firm is regarded as loss, but the practice still features ‘some of the brightest people in the industry’. The team acts for a significant number of private equity funds, real estate banks, developers and REITs, and provides clients with the ‘best response times in the market’ and a service that is ‘worth every penny’. Key deals included advising the joint venture between Portuguese property developer Sonae Sierra and French investor Foncière Euris on the sale of 91% shares of a shopping centre, and Perella Weinberg Real Estate UK on the acquisition of Germany’s largest shopping centre. Clients rate Niko Schultz-Süchting’s ‘positive tenacity’, and regard Johannes Conradi as ‘outstanding in Germany’. Heinz-Joachim Kummer impresses with his ‘quiet, but in the end, successful’ way of negotiating.

Within Structured finance and securitisation , Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP is a second tier firm,

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has been heavily involved in financial markets stabilisation measures, the restructuring of ABS transactions, and securitisations of trade and lease receivables. Among recent highlights, it advised the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia in its role as a major shareholder of WestLB, on the establishment of the first German special bad bank, and also advised the German Financial Markets Stabilisation Fund on the establishment of a bad bank for Hypo Real Estate Holding. In derivative securities, the team has advised JP Morgan on the structuring of certificates distributed in Germany. Clients recommend Bernhard Kaiser and Andreas Bartsch.

Within Tax , Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP is a first tier firm,

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer’s large team is led by Christian Ruoff, and witnessed an upturn in M&A-related tax advice, with restructuring and refinancing work also remaining significant areas. The group has an impressive portfolio of clients that includes Porsche Automobil Holding, Deutsche Bank, Volkswagen and Deutsche Post. Recent highlights include acting for Thyssen Krupp Marine Systems in the complex takeover of the shipbuilding group Blohm + Voss; and representing Merckle/VEM Vermoegensverwaltung on the sale of the Merckle/ratiopharm group to an Israeli company, in a €3.6bn deal. Tobias Teufel is now partner at the firm and specialises in bank and investment taxation. Stephan Eilers and Norbert Schneider are recommended.

Within Telecoms , Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP is a first tier firm,

‘Setting the benchmark’, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer impresses through Thomas Tschentscher’s team, which excels in both the regulatory and transactional arena. Highlights included advising Liberty Global in a large scale transaction on the acquisition of Unitymedia, and advising Vodafone/D2 on all regulatory matters. The team was instructed by AT&T on the integration of Wayport’s German business, Kabel Deutschland regarding its IPO, and Saudi Telecom relating to a joint venture. The firm continues to advise Telefónica/Quam in litigation regarding the reimbursement of UMTS licensing fees, while Qwest and 1&1 receive regulatory advice. The integrated TMT team, including recommended Norbert Nolte and Michael Haidinger, comprises dedicated telecoms M&A specialists.