The Legal 500

Germany

Antitrust

Antitrust - ranked: tier 4

Dentons

Dentons stands out for its ‘dynamic team, high level of industry knowledge and quick grasp of complex matters’. Practice head Jörg Karenfort, who is ‘very well connected’ and has ‘strong strategic capacities’, specialises in litigious instructions and antitrust proceedings. His recent highlights include acting for Gazprom in abuse proceedings before the EU Commission and representing the Federation of German Banks in appeal proceedings related to special online banking conditions. The firm was also able to raise its profile in the area of merger control. René Grafunder assisted the Deutsche Post DHL Group with merger antitrust law matters involved in the sale of British marketing and communications service provider Williams Lea Tag to Advent International. In June 2018, the firm welcomed of counsel Jan Heithecker, who previously worked for WilmerHale, while Taylor Wessing partner Andreas Haak joined the group in October 2018.

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Compliance

Compliance - ranked: tier 5

Dentons

Dentons’ compliance team is well versed in advising on corporate governance issues as well as corporate reorganisations and restructurings. It also covers the review of existing compliance systems and whistleblowing management. Rainer Markfort primarily acts for clients in the construction and automotive sectors, while of counsel Christian Schefold advises a number of international groups from the automotive, healthcare and financial services sectors on the implementation of compliance management systems. Corporate lawyer Michael Malterer is the key contact for anti-corruption issues.

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Employment

Employment - ranked: tier 5

Dentons

With ‘high-quality standards and fair pricing policies’, Dentons is an attractive choice for national and international clients, which require support with cross-border matters at the intersection with various other practice areas. The team, which is jointly headed by Utz Andelewski and Markus Diepold, is particularly active in transactions, restructurings and the deployment of external personnel, leading to regular instructions from a global aviation and rail industry company to advise on collective employment law matters; it recently advised the same client on the relocation of various construction contracts. In the transactional space, the team assisted a financial services provider with the sale of its digital division to a media company. Fidelio Healthcare and Paracelsus-Kliniken are new clients. The ‘pragmatic’ Frank Lenzen, who ‘concludes negotiations constructively and in a timely manner’, and the ‘very accurate and prompt’ counsel Matthias Stelzer are also noted. The firm announced plans to open a new office in Düsseldorf by April 2019, which will be augmented by the addition of Sascha Grosjean from Taylor Wessing.

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Tax

Tax - ranked: tier 4

Dentons

The six-strong partner team in Dentons’ tax practice provide ‘a very high level of service’ for tax law advice in the area of insurance and transactions as well as in auditing and tax planning. Recent clients include several insurance providers, for which the team handled tax risk assessments of transaction-related W&I and special tax insurance policies. It also advised the Deutsche Post DHL Group on tax matters related to the sale of the services subsidiary Williams Lea Tag to private equity investor Ardent International. The group also assisted digital payment service provider Blue Code International with tax law matters related to its entry into the German market. The practice is managed by the ‘creative’, ‘conceptually strong’ and ‘innovative’ Stephan Busch and the ‘excellent’ Michael Graf. Michael Helm is regarded as ‘very client oriented’, ‘pragmatic’ and ‘helpful’. The appointment of the ‘knowledgeable’ Thomas Voss as partner in January 2018 follows the retirement of Detlef Olufs. Stefan Lorenz joined the group as of counsel in September 2018 from CMS.

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Germany: Capital markets

Structured finance and securitisation

Structured finance and securitisation - ranked: tier 3

Dentons

Dentons provides ‘very good, timely and extensive advice, which also includes indirectly addressed risks and alternative solutions’. The ‘internationally well-positioned and pragmatic’ team has ‘solid expertise in securitisation transactions and structured finance’ and continued its growth path throughout 2017 and 2018: in summer 2017, counsel Markus Schrader joined from an in-house role, and, in April 2018, Michael Huertas arrived from Baker McKenzie. The ‘competent, reliable and solution-oriented’ Arne Klüwer advised a financial services institution on a warehouse financing transaction based on a collateral structure, and also has experience in the restructuring of distressed transactions. Other key members of the team include the ‘very reliable, quick and competent’ Mortimer Berlet and the ‘very client and solution-oriented’ Matthias Eggert, who is ‘very committed and clever’ and has ‘profound product and industry knowledge’. Recently, he assisted Volkswagen Financial Services with a €2bn programme for the issuance of asset-backed notes by Driver UK Master.

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Germany: Industry focus

Energy

Energy - ranked: tier 5

Dentons

Dentons’ energy law team combines expertise in public, coporate and tax law and project finance to advise its predominantly international client base on transactions, energy supply and grid connection contracts and power plant and pipeline projects. The firm is focusing increasingly on renewable energy, in particular wind and solar energy, but also has experience in the oil and gas space. Practice head Thomas Schubert advised, in cooperation wih a team from the firm’s Canadian offices, energy infrastructure company Enbridge on the establishment of a joint ventre with Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and subsequent acquisitions; the transaction comprises wind and solar power plants in North America and investments in the German offshore wind farm projects Hohe See and Albatros. The team also regularly handles antitrust matters in the energy sector: Jörg Karenfort and Brussel-based Edward Borovikov are representing Gazprom OAO in antitrust abuse proceedings at the European Comission.

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Healthcare and life sciences

Healthcare and life sciences - ranked: tier 3

Dentons

Dentons’ team benefits from Christof Kautzsch’s longstanding experience advising on transactions in the hospital sector, and Ilka Mehdorn’s expertise in contracts involving considerable regulatory issues – such as selective and distribution contracts or contracts concerning clinical trials. Peter Homberg adds expertise in technology transfer-related matters and research and development agreements. The practice acts for a broad client portfolio, where it also regularly advises on employment, antitrust and IP law. In one highlight, the team advised BG Kliniken – Klinikverbund on the development of a unified, centralised healthcare group. Other clients include Aesculap, Bayer and HÄVG Hausärztliche Vertragsgemeinschaft.

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Germany: Intellectual property

Trade marks and unfair competition

Trade marks and unfair competition - ranked: tier 5

Dentons

Clients note Dentons’ ‘extraordinary expertise’ and ‘business sense’. The team, which is jointly led by Stefan Dittmer and Constantin Rehaag, is successfully expanding its prosecution practice for trade marks and designs and has deep expertise in combatting against product piracy. Of counsel Helmut Brandau has particularly extensive white-collar criminal law know-how. The practice’s strength in contentious matters can be seen in its representation of Amazon in complex competition law and trade mark infringement proceedings, particularly on the question of interference liability, while the team also has significant activity in transactional matters, such as handling the acquisition of Karlie Flamingo for Beeztees Group, including two trade marks. With Daimler and Yamaha the practice gained two new prominent clients.

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Germany: Public sector

Planning and environment

Planning and environment - ranked: tier 5

Dentons

Dentons’ environmental and planning practice convinces with its ‘comprehensive knowledge and creative solutions for the most difficult situations’. Core competencies include advising on product-related environmental law and waste management matters. Practice head Ilka Mehdorn is singled out for her ‘extremely quick comprehension and implementation, reliability and communication skills’. Procurement law expert Wolfram Krohn and antitrust lawyers Norman Hölzel and Jörg Karenfort are also part of the team, which was strengthened in February 2018 by the addition of Julia Pfeil from Baker McKenzie. The Stiftung Zentrale Stelle Verpackungsregister, Emerson Electric and DPG Deutsches Pfandsystem are among the practice’s long-term clients.

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Public procurement

Public procurement - ranked: tier 3

Dentons

Dentons’ public procurement practice is based in Berlin and Frankfurt and acts for both bidders and contracting authorities on national and international public procurements. Due to its global network, the group is often involved in cross-border instructions. The focus is on the healthcare, life sciences, IT and defence sectors. The team is led by the ‘outstanding, practical and reliable’ Peter Braun and the ‘creative’ Wolfram Krohn, who ‘always finds an adequate, feasible and legally compliant solution even for the most difficult public procurement situations’. A recent highlight was assisting an international postal service provider with a series of award and review procedures. In other work, it is advising a member of a consortium of bidders in the Toll Collect proceedings. The Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building and Home Affairs, the Alba Group and Wisag are also part of the client portfolio. Procurement speciailist Andreas Haak joined firm’s newly opened Düsseldorf office from Taylor Wessing.

Leading individuals

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Germany: Real estate and construction

Real estate

Real estate - ranked: tier 3

Dentons

As well as its expertise in real estate transactions and financing matters in the nursing home, logistics and other specialist property sectors, Dentons is also experienced in residential real estate work. In 2017, the ‘excellent’ team led by Dirk-Reiner Voß handled several mandates for new clients including Harrison Street Real Estate, a real estate investment company, which the team advised on the acquisition and financing of a German-wide micro-living apartment portfolio from MPC Münchmeyer Petersen Capital. Jan Hellner assisted TLG Immobilien with the acquisition of a nationwide portfolio consisting of 27 convenience shopping centres, supermarkets and discounters from a private investor and an institutional fund. In financing, Bernhard Gemmel acted for Berlin Hyp and Deutsche Postbank in three parallel international financing transactions to fund Bouwfonds European Real Estate Parking Fund III’s acquisition of a cross-border real estate portfolio valued at €250m. Other key individuals include Volker Mergener, who has ‘the ability to reconcile both legal aspects and commercial objectives’, and René Dubois, who joined the team in July 2018 from Noerr.

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Germany: Restructuring and insolvency

Restructuring

Restructuring - ranked: tier 2

Dentons

Dentons’ ‘solution-oriented’ approach and ‘strong professional competence and fitting team size’ guarantee ‘a very timely handling’ of instructions relating to creditor representation, the advice of insolvency administrations, distressed M&A transactions and the restructuring of financially troubled corporate groups. The group acted on the restructuring and reorganisation of the Paracelsus clinics, which are in self-administration. It also advised kitchen furniture manufacturer Alno on self-administration matters, and assisted Air Berlin Finance’s insolvency administrator with filing claims amounting to more than €500m. The highly regarded and ‘extraordinarily good’ practice head Andreas Ziegenhagen stands out for his ‘professional strength’ as well as his ‘convincing manner in negotiations’. With the addition of Petra Brenner from One Square Advisors GmbH and counsel Verena Etzel from Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP in April and May 2018 respectively, the practice was strengthened significantly. In November 2018 Giannina Kreutz joined from Baker McKenzie.

Leading individuals

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