The Legal 500 > Baker & McKenzie > Berlin, GERMANY

Baker & McKenzie

FRIEDRICHSTRASSE 88, UNTER DEN LINDEN, 10117 BERLIN, GERMANY

Zurich, Washington DC, Warsaw, Vienna, Valencia, Toronto and 73 more

Germany : Banking and finance

Baker & McKenzie again demonstrated its ability to handle large cross-border matters when it advised Chonqing Light Industry & Textile on the financing of its acquisition of the insolvent SaarGummi Group. The team also advised LBBW as lender on a senior syndicated loan facility to finance an acquisition. Oliver Socher is ‘always first choice’ and has ‘a commercial and pragmatic approach’. Matthias Eggert is also recommended.

Germany : Corporate and M&A

Within Corporate and M&A, tier 4

Baker & McKenzie is highly regarded for its Asian network and has been increasingly busy with China-related mandates, such as its advice to Kiekert’s shareholders on the sale of shares to Hebei Lingyun Industrial Group. The firm also advised WestLB on its divestiture of certain international subsidiaries and assets, and acted for ACM on the sale of a minority shareholding in Leica Camera to Blackstone. Sönke Becker and Nikolaus Reinhuber jointly head the practice.

Germany : Dispute resolution

Within Dispute resolution, Baker & McKenzie is a second tier firm,

Baker & McKenzie is excellent for arbitration matters, where Jörg Risse in particular enjoys a good reputation. The team represented a company in ICC arbitration regarding an infrastructure project, and acted for a Swedish pharmaceuticals company in CIETAC arbitration against a Chinese business partner. Litigation mandates included representing Allianz against a renewable energy company. Günter Pickrahn ‘gets directly to the point’ and is ‘convincing at hearings’.

Germany : Employment

Within Employment, Baker & McKenzie is a second tier firm,

Baker & McKenzie frequently acts for multinationals in cross-border projects, most recently for Abbott Laboratories on the global labour and employment aspects of corporate reorganisation. The team is also advising Conergy SolarModule on the restructuring of a factory, and assisting Opel with its ongoing restructuring. Günther Heckelmann heads the practice, which includes Christian Reichel, who has ‘an excellent know-how of company pension schemes’, and the ‘pragmatic’ Gregor Dornbusch, who ‘gets things done’.

Germany : IP: patents

Within Litigation Other recommended firms

Germany : IP: trade marks

Within IP: trade marks, Baker & McKenzie is a second tier firm,

Baker & McKenzie remains a great choice for portfolio work, and is increasingly handling litigation, such as representing Roca Sanitario in injunction proceedings; and Calvin Klein in a trade mark infringement lawsuit. K-Swiss instructed the team regarding a trade mark infringement of the five-stripe mark. Michael Fammler is recommended along with Rembert Niebel, who has ‘excellent technical knowledge’.

Germany : Information technology and outsourcing

Within Information technology and outsourcing, Baker & McKenzie is a second tier firm,

Baker & McKenzie gives ‘superb advice’ and is excellent for outsourcing and data privacy matters, where the team has acted on several projects for DAX30 companies. One recent success was the team’s advice to Hitachi Data Systems on two high-value projects regarding its global IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) and cloud services. Christoph Rittweger heads the practice, which includes the ‘extremely knowledgeable’ Michael Schmidl, who has ‘very good negotiation skills’. Clients praise the team’s ‘very diligent time-keeping’ and ‘accurate cost estimates’.

Germany : Insolvency and restructuring

Within Restructuring Other recommended firms

Germany : Private equity

Within Private equity, tier 4

Nikolaus Reinhuber is the key figure in Baker & McKenzie’s small team, which advised ACM Projektentwicklung on its sale of a minority stake in Leica Camera to Blackstone. The group also acted in conjunction with the firm’s foreign offices to advise AXA Private Equity and LGT Capital Partners on the acquisition of a portfolio of private equity assets from HSH Nordbank.

Germany : Public sector

Within Public sector, tier 5

Baker & McKenzie acts for clients such as Novartis on public procurement law, while environmental law work includes advising a foreign natural gas company on plans for a project to explore shale gas resources in Germany. Marc Gabriel and Joachim Scherer are recommended, and clients say ‘if we need urgent advice they work within our timescales’.

Germany : Real estate and construction

Within Real estate Other recommended firms

Germany : Structured finance and securitisation

Within Structured finance and securitisation, Baker & McKenzie is a second tier firm,

Baker & McKenzie’s team ‘acts like a business partner, assuming its part of risks’. It is particularly expert in asset-backed securities, and has ‘strong, in-depth expertise in auto business securitisations across Europe’. It advised BMW Bank on an €800m auto lease receivables backed securities transaction, and acted for LBBW regarding its €5bn US commercial paper programme. Dietmar Helms shows clients where they can ‘enforce interests in negotiations’, and Martin Kaiser has ‘impressive knowledge’.

Germany : Tax

Within Tax, Baker & McKenzie is a third tier firm,

Baker & McKenzie excels at transfer pricing and VAT advice. The team also advised a global energy company on tax aspects of a corporate reorganisation and on tax planning matters, and assisted a DAX30 company with feasibility studies regarding the restructuring of its European distribution operations. Nicole Looks and Stephan Schnorberger are well regarded.

Germany : Telecoms

Within Telecoms, Baker & McKenzie is a first tier firm,

Baker & McKenzie provides comprehensive telecoms advice, including regulatory, projects and contractual matters, often in a cross-border context. The team also acted for longstanding client E-Plus in litigation regarding frequency management and regulation, as well as in proceedings regarding the regulation of mobile network access and mobile termination rates. The firm has been chosen as Colt Group’s preferred legal provider in Europe. Joachim Scherer heads the practice.

Further information on Baker & McKenzie

Please choose from this list to view details of what we say about Baker & McKenzie in other jurisdictions.

United Arab Emirates

Offices in Abu Dhabi

Corporate and M&A : Corporate and M&A

Argentina

Offices in Buenos Aires

Australia

Offices in Sydney and Melbourne

Austria

Offices in Vienna

Azerbaijan

Offices in Baku

Legal market overview : Legal market overview

Belgium

Offices in Brussels, Antwerp, and Brussels

Bahrain

Offices in Manama

Brazil

Offices in Brasilia, Porto Alegre, Sao Paulo, and Rio de Janeiro

China

Offices in Beijing and Shanghai

Chile

Offices in Santiago and Santiago

Colombia

Offices in Bogota and Bogota

Czech Republic

Offices in Prague

Germany

Offices in Berlin, Frankfurt, Dusseldorf, and Munich

Egypt

Offices in Cairo

Spain

Offices in Madrid and Barcelona

France

Offices in Paris

Hong Kong

Offices in Hong Kong

Hungary

Offices in Budapest

Indonesia

Offices in Jakarta

India

Foreign firms : Foreign firms

Italy

Offices in Rome, Milan, and Bologna

Japan

Offices in Tokyo

Kazakhstan

Offices in Almaty

Legal market overview : Legal market overview

London

Offices in London EC4V and London EC4V

Luxembourg

Offices in Luxembourg

Mexico

Offices in Juarez, Cancun, Tijuana, Monterrey, Mexico City, and Guadalajara

Malaysia

Offices in Kuala Lumpur

Netherlands

Offices in Amsterdam

Philippines

Offices in Makati

Poland

Offices in Warsaw

Qatar

Offices in Doha

Foreign firms : Foreign firms

Russia

Offices in Moscow and St Petersburg

South Africa

Offices in Johannesburg

Sweden

Offices in Stockholm

Singapore

Offices in Singapore

South Korea

Foreign firms : Foreign firms

Saudi Arabia

Offices in Riyadh

Switzerland

Offices in Zurich and Geneva

Taiwan

Offices in Taipei

Thailand

Offices in Bangkok

Turkey

Offices in Istanbul and Istanbul

Ukraine

Offices in Kiev

United States

Offices in Washington DC, Palo Alto, New York, Miami, Dallas, Chicago, San Francisco, and Houston

Venezuela

Offices in Valencia and Caracas

Vietnam

Offices in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City

Search News and Articles

Legal Developments by:
Baker & McKenzie

The New Turkish Code of Obligations: Important Changes for Leases of Residential & Business Premises

For decades, the primary Turkish laws governing leases of residential and business premises have been the Law on Leasing Real Property dated May 27, 1955 (the “Lease Law”) and the Turkish Code of Obligations No. 818 dated April 22, 1926 (the “Obligations Code”). Both of these laws, however, will be repealed and replaced with the new Turkish Code of Obligations No. 6098 dated January 11, 2011 (the “New Obligations Code”), which will enter into force on July 7, 2012.

- Esin Attorney Partnership

Legal Developments in Germany

Legal Developments and updates from the leading lawyers in each jurisdiction. To contribute, send an email request to

Preliminary injunction proceedings in German intellectual property...

Law & Practice (2013) 8: 136-145

- FPS Rechtsanwälte & Notare
GSK attorney Karl v. Hase authored the German Chapter of GTDT’s 10th edition of Dispute Resolution

Getting the Deal Through has published its fully revised and updated tenth edition of Dispute Resolution, a volume in the series of annual reports, which provide international analysis in key areas of law and policy for corporate counsel, cross-border legal practitioners and business people. Following the format adopted throughout the series, the same key questions are answered by leading practitioners in each of the 47 jurisdictions featured. GTDT's German Chapter was authored by GSK attorney Dr. Karl von Hase. In his article he gives an overview of civil and commercial litigation in Germany, arbitration agreements and alternative dispute resolution (ADR).

- GSK Stockmann + Kollegen
GSK attorneys authored the German Chapter of GTDT's 5th edition of Banking Regulation

Getting the Deal Through has published the fully revised and updated fifth edition of Banking Regulation, a volume in the series of annual reports, which provide international analysis in key areas of law and policy for corporate counsel, cross-border legal practitioners and business people.

- GSK Stockmann + Kollegen
Ownership of employee inventions under the German Law on Employee In-ventions (ArbEG) –

Potential risks for companies and ways to minimize them

- Wildanger Kehrwald Graf v.Schwerin & Partner
Court of Justice of the European Union renders final decision on...

Supplementary Protection Certificates with regard to second marketing authorization of medical compounds (decision of July 19, 2012 – Case C-130/11 –Neurim Pharmaceuticals vs. Comptroller General of Patents)

- Bardehle Pagenberg
New Top Level Domains – Noerr expert warns against trademark infringements

On June 13, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) published the names of those who have applied for a new top level domain the ending of which may be geographic, such as "munich", industry identification such as "insurance" and even all trademark names and company descriptions such as "canon" and "adidas".

- Noerr
No obligation to set up filtering systems in order to prevent copyright violations

ECJ, decision of February 16th, 2012, ref. C-360/10 – SABAM

- Avocado Rechtsanwälte
Further ECJ Ruling concerning NGO’s right of action under German environmental law

For the second time within a short period of time, the non-governmental organisations right to challenge administrative decisions under German law is going to be subject to the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice (ECJ). In January 2012, the German Supreme Administrative Court (Bundesverwaltungsgericht) referred a case to the ECJ for a preliminary ruling concerning the NGO’s right of action.

- Avocado Rechtsanwälte
Lessons in Cross-Border M & A Transactions

The fundamental advice for international business transactions is obvious and easy to understand: different countries have different laws, business habits and cultures. These differences may range from minor nuances, such as lengthy French business lunches or unusual Spanish office hours, to significant legal roadblocks, such as strict European employment laws.

- Avocado Rechtsanwälte
Company & Commercial - Germany

Letters of comfort under company law

- GSK Stockmann + Kollegen