The Legal 500

Within Antitrust, tier 6

‘Not overly cautious regarding risk evaluation’, White & Case LLP receives praise for its ‘young and dynamic’ team, headed by Börries Ahrens, who displays ‘excellent negotiation skills and risk assessment capabilities in dealings with authorities’. Allianz instructed the team in merger control proceedings regarding the establishment of a joint venture company with ING Real Estate in Hungary. It also acted for Scientific Games Corporation on merger control issues regarding the acquisition of Wincor Nixdorf’s lottery business.

Within Banking and finance: Bank lending, White & Case LLP is a second tier firm,

The Frankfurt-based team at White & Case LLP, headed by the ‘excellent’ Annica Lindegren, was involved in a number of cross-border financings and restructurings in 2010. Tom Oliver Schorling and lead partner Leila Röder advised Deutsche Bank, Commerzbank and LBBW as mandated lead arrangers on the new €1.4bn financing of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen. The practice was also instructed by the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg and the State of Schleswig-Holstein, both holding a stake of about 30% in HSH Nordbank, on the structuring of a risk shield with a guarantee of €10bn, a mandate handled by Volker Land in Hamburg.

Within Banking and finance: Project finance, White & Case LLP is a second tier firm,

Alexander Reuter heads the project finance team at White & Case LLP, noted for its ‘good quality of legal advice and experience’. It has established itself in the German photovoltaic and wind projects sectors, and is advising several consortia of banks on large photovoltaic plant projects, including one of the world’s largest. The team also represented a banking consortium on the long-term financing of the Berlin Brandenburg International Airport, a €1.4bn deal.

Within Capital markets , White & Case LLP is a second tier firm,

The ‘highly committed’ and ‘very engaged’ team at White & Case LLP advised Deutsche Bank and Morgan Stanley on an envisaged IPO in the consumer goods sector worth over €500m. In debt capital markets, the team assisted Deutsche Bank as lead manager of an issue of €750m fixed-rate notes by Evonik Industries, and Crédit Agricole and others as underwriters and joint lead managers of €500m fixed-rate notes issued by Rheinmetall. Clients value Jochen Artzinger-Bolten’s ‘excellent advice’ and Lutz Krämer’s ‘client-oriented’ approach.

Within Corporate and M&A: Large deals, tier 4

White & Case LLP’s team was instructed by Allianz to advise on corporate governance issues, and also acted for Drägerwerk on its acquisition of a minority stake in Dräger Medical from Siemens. Otto Group, Thomas Cook, and Vattenfall are also clients. Lutz Krämer is expert in stock corporation and capital markets law.

Within Dispute resolution , White & Case LLP is a second tier firm,

White & Case LLP saw a significant increase in work coming from the finance sector, with a major German provider of financial services instructing the team in several hundred cases brought by customers regarding faulty investment advice and flawed prospectuses. It also advised a leading German mortgage bank on asserting loan repayment claims relating to a €450m distressed syndicated loan. Christian Wirth heads the team, that includes international arbitration expert Patricia Nacimiento.

Within Employment , tier 5

White & Case LLP has a good reputation for restructuring work, and the team, headed by Karl-Dietmar Cohnen, acted for Tipp24 in the context of a merger to form a SE, and acted for EDEKA affiliate Netto Marken-Discount following the acquisition of Plus.

Within IP: patents: Litigation Other recommended firms

Within IP: trade marks , White & Case LLP is a second tier firm,

White & Case LLP is mainly known for ‘trade mark guru’ Christian Rohnke, who ‘knows his stuff’. The team is particularly visible on the litigation side, advising Audi on procedural and strategic issues, and representing Unilever on numerous trade mark and unfair competition law matters. Volkswagen receives ongoing advice and representation in numerous disputes concerning trade marks. Clients rate the advice provided as ‘very effective and to the point’. Martin Munz is recommended.

Within Information technology and outsourcing , White & Case LLP is a third tier firm,

White & Case LLP provides ‘high quality legal advice’ and clients particularly rate the ‘experienced’ partners, including Jost Kotthoff and Detlev Gabel. Renowned for its outsourcing advice, the team acted for pbb Deutsche Pfandbriefbank on the outsourcing of the worldwide IT infrastructure, and counts several other DAX30 listed companies among its clients, as well as a German federal state bank and a health care group.

Within Insolvency and restructuring: Insolvency , White & Case LLP is a first tier firm,

White & Case LLP’s team has significantly strengthened following the arrival of Germany’s most active insolvency administrator Christoph Schulte-Kaubrügger. Biner Bähr and Sven-Holger Undritz are also recommended. The team has been involved as administrators in insolvency cases for Elixia, Mustek, HMH Hamburger Medien Haus and Sphairon Access Systems. The large-scale insolvency of Hertie and subsidiary Hertie Warenhandel in 2008 is still a considerable source of work for the firm.

Within Insolvency and restructuring: Restructuring, White & Case LLP is a third tier firm,

White & Case LLP has a great reputation with banks and private equity funds for its financial restructuring work, and the recent addition of a renowned administrator has opened up new synergy possibilities for the group. The team, including Biner Bähr and Sven-Holger Undritz, acted for the City of Hamburg and the State of Schleswig-Holstein on the restructuring of HSH Nordbank, and for Commerzbank on the restructuring of a German automotive supplier.

Within Investment funds , White & Case LLP is a third tier firm,

The renowned Marietta Lienhard leads White & Case LLP’s investment funds team, which provides the full range of services to major investors wishing to be introduced to the German market. The team has many high-profile clients, such as Allianz Invest, HSBC, Goldman Sachs and Vanguard, and has recently added a number of Irish and French investment companies to its client list.

Within Media: Entertainment, tier 5

White & Case LLP has expertise advising on media matters with a telecommunications angle, with the experienced Norbert Wimmer heading a team which represented Kabel Baden-Württemberg in dealings with the Federal Network Agency and provided competition, media, and IP law advice to Tipp24 Services. Regulatory expertise complements the offering.

Within Private equity , tier 4

White & Case LLP’s team is headed by Frank Evers and Andreas Stilcken, and has a strong involvement in distressed or special situations stemming from the firm’s renowned restructuring and insolvency practice. The firm advised NIBC Infrastructure Partners on the acquisition of a German wind farm portfolio, and assisted Novasep on its due diligence review of a €370m issue of high yield bonds.

Within Public sector , White & Case LLP is a second tier firm,

White & Case LLP is highly regarded for its energy and public procurement expertise, representing Anglo American in a dispute concerning a mining law prospecting permit for a potential copper mine, and advising the Federal Ministry of the Interior on public procurement, administrative and regulatory law regarding its D115 project. It also advises The European Investment Bank on environmental and planning law aspects in connection with the financing of the world’s second largest photovoltaic power plant, and Nord Stream on the Nord Stream Project, a planned gas pipeline from Russia through the Baltic Sea to Germany, a cross-border project involving a number of the firm’s European offices. Kersten Wagner-Cardenal and Norbert Wimmer head the team.

Within Real estate and construction: Real estate, White & Case LLP is a third tier firm,

White & Case LLP’s team is headed by Endrik Lettau, who specialises in real estate transactions of foreign investors in Germany. The group also has significant expertise in real estate financing matters. Highlights included advising new client Überseequartier Beteiligung in connection with the Überseequartier development in Hamburg’s HafenCity, and Allianz Real Estate on the acquisition of a 50% stake in a Budapest shopping centre. The European Business School instructed the team in connection with plans to build a university and law school.

Within Structured finance and securitisation , White & Case LLP is a third tier firm,

White & Case LLP receives high praise from clients for its ‘excellent industry knowledge and legal expertise’ and ‘pragmatic advisory approach’, with practice head Ulf Kreppel and Dennis Heuer both rated as ‘outstanding’. Key highlights of 2010 included advising Residential Capital, the mortgage subsidiary of GMAC Financial Services, on the complex sale of its European mortgage assets and businesses to subsidiary funds. The team also assisted BayernLB as co-arranger of a €300m trade receivables programme for Quelle, one of the best-known German online retail stores, in light of its insolvency.

Within Tax , tier 4

Andreas Knebel heads the ‘professional’ three-partner team at White & Case LLP, which delivers ‘timely feedback in a client-friendly manner’. The firm notably advised the City of Hamburg and the State of Schleswig-Holstein on the restructuring of HSH Nordbank, and also advised a consortium of banks led by Commerzbank on the tax implications of investor claims. The team, which fosters excellent international links, is ‘very flexible’ and the ‘availability of top partners is very good’. Clients rate Josef Große Honebrink.

Within Telecoms , White & Case LLP is a third tier firm,

White & Case LLP is visible in the cable networks arena, in which Kabel BW is the team’s major client; it recently advised on the auction of digital dividend for the next generation mobile communication networks. The team further acted for Deutscher Kabelverband in a case relating to unlawful state aid, underlining the team’s visibility in the cable sector as opposed to the mobile sector. Norbert Wimmer advises on telecoms and media regulation issues, and Martin Munz has particular expertise in negotiating and drafting of contracts.