The Legal 500

Within Antitrust, tier 6

Taylor Wessing’s Michael Dietrich is ‘sophisticated and knowledgeable’, and the group deepened its resources by recruiting Holger Wissel, who has an ‘an eye for commercial needs’, from Clifford Chance. The group advised REWE on food retail antitrust proceedings and provided merger control advice to Evonik Industries regarding the sale of its carbon black unit. Melitta is a new client.

Within Bank lending, tier 4

Taylor Wessing’s core expertise lies in real estate finance matters, including an increasing volume of cross-border matters. It advised Anglo Irish Bank on the transfer of several existing portfolio financings to the National Asset Management Agency, and Corealcredit Bank on the refinancing of a residential property portfolio owned by Deutsche Annington. Claus Goedecke heads the team.

Within Capital markets , tier 4

Linklaters LLP’s clients are ‘very comfortable with the team in complex or unprecedented transactions’, both on the debt and equity side. The team advised Commerzbank, Deutsche Bank and Goldman Sachs on Norma Holding’s IPO, one of the largest in Germany in 2011, and on several capital increases by German real estate companies. Herbert Harrer is ‘simply brilliant’ and Peter Waltz ‘effectively handles transactions and provides tailor-made services’. Staff changes saw Marco Carbonare relocate to Frankfurt from the firm’s London office, and Christoph Vaupel join Taylor Wessing.

Within Mid-sized deals, Taylor Wessing LLP is a second tier firm,

Taylor Wessing is ‘efficient and cost-sensitive, with in-depth industry know-how’. It advised Evonik Industries on the sale of its carbon black division worldwide; ThyssenKrupp on several M&A deals; and the China desk advised Wuhan Guoyu on joint venture matters. Frank Koch ‘addresses legal problems and translates them into business needs’, while Peter Hellich and Ernst-Albrecht von Beauvais are ‘quick and responsive’. The M&A practice bolstered its partner ranks with two lateral hires.

Within Dispute resolution , Taylor Wessing LLP is a third tier firm,

Taylor Wessing has seen notable growth in director’s liability actions, but this broad practice also has a substantial caseload of restructuring, banking, corporate and IP litigation. The team recently acted for an international bank in a dispute relating to structured notes issued by a German bank, and handled a €60m shareholder dispute in the media sector. Practice head Harald Bechteler is recommended along with ‘solid and pragmatic litigator’ Wolfgang Gruber.

Within Employment , Taylor Wessing LLP is a third tier firm,

Taylor Wessing is reaping dividends from the realignment of its practice according to industry expertise, with technology, infrastructure and life sciences particularly noteworthy. This ‘very pragmatic and solutions-oriented’ team, headed by Jörg Bausch, acted for Evonik Industries on the sale of its carbon black division and regularly advises Google Deutschland. Oliver Bertram joined from Kleiner Rechtsanwälte, but Roland Falder moved to Bird & Bird.

Within Litigation, Taylor Wessing LLP is a second tier firm,

Taylor Wessing receives ‘best marks’ for client interaction and support, including seamless cross-border collaboration between offices. The practice enjoys an excellent reputation and is particularly recommended for its pharmaceuticals expertise, where it is representing Hospira in litigation regarding cancer drugs, and acted for Abbott Laboratories in various patent infringement and nullity proceedings. Clients appreciate that the partners ‘always follows the strategy – no mud fights in court’, and Christoph de Coster is particularly recommended for his ‘good commercial awareness’.

Within IP: trade marks , Taylor Wessing LLP is a second tier firm,

Taylor Wessing, which provides ‘clear, business-friendly and practical’ advice, recently added Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard to its client roster. The team also represented Sky in unfair competition injunction proceedings and Tommy Hilfiger in trade mark infringement cases. Thomas Raab is recommended along with Dirk Wieddekind, who ‘comes up with innovative ideas’.

Within Information technology and outsourcing , Taylor Wessing LLP is a second tier firm,

Providing ‘outstanding legal service’, Taylor Wessing’s broad practice is especially familiar with advising on cloud computing and media related matters. It advised TSYS on extensive outsourcing projects for various banks; Microsoft comprehensively on data protection issues; and Chinese bank ICBC on its entry into the online banking market. Axel von dem Bussche is ‘solutions-oriented’, Detlef Klett has ‘great project management skills’, and Carsten Schulz ‘stays cool in negotiations’.

Within Restructuring Other recommended firms

Within Maritime, shipping and transport Other recommended firms

Within Media: Entertainment, tier 4

Taylor Wessing capitalises on its broad technology know-how, including IT and telecoms, to attract new clients. It advises audio publisher DAV on copyright and licensing law, has expanded its working relationship with Microsoft and also acts for Sky Germany. Amazon.de and Google are clients for copyright advice. Gregor Schmid leads the practice.

Within Media: Press and publishing, Taylor Wessing LLP is a third tier firm,

Taylor Wessing advises publishers on copyright law and has a particular focus on online businesses and digital content, and recently advised Deutsche Post on the creation and operation of a journalistic online platform. Publisher Egmont Ehapa Verlag is a new client, while longstanding clients include AdAudience and Tomorrow Focus Internet. Reinhard Gaertner heads the practice.

Within Private equity , tier 4

Taylor Wessing handles private equity and venture capital work. It has a strong base of longstanding clients and recently advised WHEB Partners on its acquisition of a majority stake in friedola TECH by way of an MBO, and DN Capital and Xange on a €7m growth financing of Mister Spex. Peter Hellich ‘knows the VC space and the requirements very well’.

Within Public sector , tier 4

Taylor Wessing is a good choice for environmental and planning law, and is also growing its public procurement and renewables practices. The team recently advised the City of Wertheim on the approval of a photovoltaic power plant and provides ongoing advice to the Federal Interior Ministry on subsidies law, constitutional law and European law. Various international online gaming providers also instruct the team. Klaus Willenbruch has ‘fantastic knowledge of tender law’, and Walter Potthast is ‘pragmatic, strategic and diplomatic’.

Within Real estate, tier 4

Taylor Wessing is ‘extraordinarily quick to respond to any issue at any time’. Project development and transactions are core areas of practice, with recent highlights including advising Anglo Irish Bank on the refinancing of real estate portfolios and Parkwood on the refinancing of a €60m commercial real estate portfolio by Nationwide Building Society, Investec and NMR Rothschild. Practice head Thomas Fehrenbach and ‘great dealmaker’ Daniel Ajzensztejn are recommended.

Within Tax Other recommended firms

Within Telecoms , Taylor Wessing LLP is a third tier firm,

Taylor Wessing’s strengths lie in transactions and contractual matters. The team recently acted for the Federal Ministry of the Interior on the procurement of the uniform call number 115, and advised ED-Connect on the introduction of a directory service for mobile phone numbers. Detlef Klett is recommended.