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Germany
Antitrust
Antitrust - ranked: tier 5
Dentons
With ‘industry knowledge and speed, but also finesse and solution-generating creativity’ Dentons’ team led by Jörg Karenfort advises a broad client portfolio, which includes names such as Daimler, ThyssenKrupp and Airbus, on all antitrust matters. The firm is particularly active in antitrust proceedings, damage claims proceedings and in merger control, where it assisted Flex with the acquisition of an automotive supplier and the establishment of a joint venture. Other areas of expertise include compliance advice and distribution antitrust; in the latter area the team often advises Coca-Cola Germany, Samsung and Kolon Industries. René Grafunder was promoted to partner.
Compliance
Compliance - ranked: tier 4
Dentons
With corporate compliance work at its core, Dentons is well versed in advising on acquisitions and restructurings and has expertise in dealing with data protection matters and internal investigations; the latter frequently features tax evasion, fraud and corruption elements. Key figures include Rainer Markfort and of counsel Christian Schefold. Anti-corruption expert Michael Malterer joined the team in July 2016 from Norton Rose Fulbright.
Employment
Employment - ranked: tier 6
Dentons
Dentons provides a ‘a very high service level’ and has particular expertise in the healthcare sector and in church labour law. Benefiting from its global network, the team acts for a number of national and international clients; this includes an international conglomerate from the metal and electrical industries, which received advice on matters pertaining to decision procedures initiated by employee representatives, while the practice also assisted a logistics company with wage and contract negotiations with two competing unions. Utz Andelewski heads the team, whose junior members are frequently recommended by clients. Markus Diepold has deep restructuring expertise.
Tax
Tax - ranked: tier 5
Dentons
Dentons ‘keeps the client’s interests in mind and knows the financial industry and the regional conditions very well’. Assisting insurance companies, among others, with transactional matters constitutes a key portion of the workload along with corporate tax structuring, international tax law and contentious tax issues. The ‘solution-oriented’ Stephan Busch, who co-heads the practice with Michael Graf and ‘is open for an informed discourse and at the same time is very pleasant to work with’, acted for the insolvency administrator of GEG Grundstücksentwicklungsgesellschaft Wasserstadt Berlin Oberhavel in a revision procedure on the constitutionality of minimum taxation before the Federal Constitutional Court. On the transactional side, the team assisted various subsidiaries of regional savings banks on the sale of their majority stakes in S Broker to DekaBank, while Igsaan Varachia advised private equity investor Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) on the tax law aspects involved in the acquisition of the platform Travelopia from the TUI Group. Counsel Thomas Voss is recommended and counsel Marcus Seiboth joined the team in September 2016 from the auditing and tax consulting firm Roever Broenner Susat Mazars.
Germany: Banking and finance
Financial services: regulatory
Banking and finance: financial services: regulatory - ranked: tier 4
Dentons
Dentons’ growing regulatory practice is ‘highly regarded’, not least due to its ‘excellent advice, very good industry knowledge and very quick response times’. The team surrounding Bernd Geier advises banks, market infrastructure providers and associations on strategic matters and transactions and also covers mandates in connection with internal investigations and litigation. A particular focus lies in advising on MiFID II implementation and the European Market Abuse Regulation (MAR); clients include the German Stock Exchange and Bankhaus Metzler regarding its MAR and MiFID-II project. Other clients are the Deutsche Sparkassen- und Giroverband and BayernLB, among others.
Germany: Capital markets
Structured finance and securitisation
Capital markets: Structured finance and securitisation - ranked: tier 3
Dentons
Now also ‘on the radar’, Dentons was able to significantly strengthen its structured finance and securitisation practice: The firm not only gained Arne Klüwer from Clifford Chance in Frankfurt in April 2017, who now heads the German banking and finance group and the European structured finance practice, but Mortimer Berlet followed at the same time and joined as partner, and in the Munich office the ‘bright’ Matthias Eggert switched from Baker McKenzie. He currently advises BillFront on a financing structure for the refinancing of receivables from online advertisement, and provides continuous advice to Wilmington Trust SP Services as trustee regarding a multitude of securitisations and collatoralised financings. The team also advises various German banks on diverse cross-border trade receivables transactions, in some cases with multiple financings from different banks.
Germany: Industry focus
Energy
Industry focus: energy - ranked: tier 5
Dentons
Dentons ‘covers the full range of transactional work including corporate and tax matters in the renewable energy sector’. The group has a ‘broad practice and a world-wide offering of competent lawyers’. Within the five partner-strong team, Peter Mayer is recommended for international energy transactions, while Daniel Barth stands out for his share deal expertise. Up to early 2017, transaction lawyer Thomas Schubert assisted Enbridge with a €2bn investment in offshore wind farm Hohe See, which included commercial, regulatory and contractual law matters. In Frankfurt, Christoph Papenheim assisted China National Environmental Protection Group with taking over the German energy-from-waste company EEW.
Healthcare and life sciences
Industry focus: healthcare and life sciences - ranked: tier 4
Dentons
In the healthcare sector, Dentons stands out for its strong transactional expertise, which was further strengthened by the arrival of Thomas Strassner and counsel Christopher Mayston, who both formerly worked at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP. Another new-joiner is competition law expert Matthias Nordmann, who came from Norton Rose Fulbright. In a recent highlight, practice head Christof Kautzsch advised BG Kliniken on the creation of a centrally managed hospital group, with a total value of €1bn. Ilka Mehdorn is the name to note for regulatory work; instructions include handling market access issues and representing the German association of plastic, reconstructive and aesthetic surgeons in litigation concerning the disclosure of calculation bases for hospital flat rates per case. Additionally, the group is experienced at handling labour law.
Germany: Intellectual property
Trade marks and unfair competition
Intellectual property: trade marks and unfair competition - ranked: tier 5
Dentons
Dentons was able to strengthen its trade mark and competition law team by adding Stefan Dittmer from DLA Piper, who now jointly heads the team with Constantin Rehaag. With new of counsel Helmut Brandau, the practice also gained expertise in the white-collar crime space. Recent highlights include advising a large pharmaceutical company on trade mark and white-collar crime matters for countering the sale of counterfeit medicine, and assisting a market-leading online retailer with matters pertaining to the distribution of branded products.
Germany: Public sector
Planning and environment
Public sector: Planning and environment - ranked: tier 5
Dentons
Dentons offers an ‘optimal service level’ and is ‘recommended as an all-rounder’. Ilka Mehdorn, who is ‘experienced in many legal areas’ and ‘finds a solution for all issues, and also organises complex tasks in an optimal manner and is able to grasp issues extremely quickly’, is highly recommended. In the area of product and waste legislation, she advises BHIM Zentrale Wertstoffstelle on the establishment and activity of Stiftung Zentrale Verpackungsregister, particularly with regard to the packaging act; all project stages are handled and advice is provided in a number of areas within and outside of public law. The team also advises DPG Deutsche Pfandsystem on product law matters. Procurement law specialist Wolfram Krohn, corporate law specialist Matthias Santelmann and tax law specialist Stephan Busch are also recommended. The ‘strategically excellent consultant’ Jörg Karenfort has been advising Emerson Electric for 11 years on product-related environmental law.
Public procurement
Public sector: Public procurement - ranked: tier 2
Dentons
Procurement law at Dentons is a particularly international practice area; the group acts for clients from the IT, defence, transport and logistics sectors. An international car manufacturer retained the group for representation in a Federal Transport Ministry proceeding for the new tender for the truck toll system, which includes the sale of shares to Toll Collect and the new operating contract from 2018 to 2028. Infrastructure work included practice head Wolfram Krohn’s representation of a railway construction technology provider in proceedings for the acquisition of special rail vehicles for the French state railways. Krohn also, together with a partner from the firm’s Washington office, assisted a US defence company with a dispute with a German subcontractor concerning a military assignment in the US. A highlight for Frankfurt-based Peter Braun is advising a global consulting service provider on compliance matters during a European procurement procedure.
Leading individuals
Wolfram Krohn - Dentons
Germany: Real estate and construction
Real estate
Real estate and construction: Real estate - ranked: tier 3
Dentons
Dentons specialises in the asset classes hotels, nursing homes and speciality properties such as student residences and data centres and has a strong profile for international transactions including the acquisition of corporate chains. Team head Dirk-Reiner Voß and Volker Mergener provide regular advice to IREIT Global and Barings on asset management issues, while CR Investment Management and KanAm Grund are also part of the team’s client roster. In early 2017, Jan Hellner, Sebastian Schmid and Sabine Wieduwilt were elevated to the partnership. Hellner has been advising the hotel group Meininger on various matters, while Schmid has been acting for Commerz Real since 2009, and along with Andreas Ziegenhagen, Wieduwilt assisted AmRest with the acquisition of 15 Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants in Germany.
Germany: Restructuring and insolvency
Restructuring
Restructuring and insolvency: Restructuring - ranked: tier 3
Dentons
Dentons is ‘particularly active in the field of trusts and advice on pre-insolvency matters or insolvency itself’. The practice had a new office in Munich since July 2016 and was additionally strengthened with the arrival of counsel Benjamin Kurzberg from Heuking Kühn Lüer Wojtek. Besides comprehensive expertise in financial restructurings the 15-strong team also advises on self-administration and handles in insolvency-related disputes. A particular focus lies on restructuring advice in connection with two-way trusteeships. ‘Outstanding practitioner’ Andreas Ziegenhagen advised Scholz Holding regarding the transfer of the shares held in a trust to Chiho-Tiande Group. In another highlight the firm assisted AEG Power Solutions with the introduction of a restructuring plan and agreement with bondholders. The Frankfurter office saw the departure of counsel Till Buschmann to Berwin Leighton Paisner LLP in April 2017; Dirk Schoene and Sebastian Schmid, however, were already promoted to partner in January 2017 and Daniel F. Fritz, who is ‘well connected and involved in current legislative proposals’, joined from HWW Hermann Wienberg Wilhelm in September 2017.
Leading individuals
Andreas Ziegenhagen - Dentons
Further information on Dentons
Please choose from this list to view details of what we say about Dentons in other jurisdictions.
United Arab Emirates
Offices in Abu Dhabi and DUBAI
Australia
- Banking and finance
- Corporate and M&A
- Dispute resolution
- Labour and employment
- Natural resources (transactions and regulatory)
- Real estate
- Regulatory compliance and investigations
- Restructuring and insolvency
Azerbaijan
Offices in Baku
Belgium
Offices in Brussels and Brussels
- Banking, finance and capital markets
- Competition : EU and global
- Customs, trade, WTO and anti-dumping
China
Offices in Shanghai, Jilin, Wuhan, Chengdu, Ji'nan, Chongqing, Beijing, and Guangzhou
- Antitrust and competition : Antitrust and competition: PRC firms
- Banking and finance : Banking and finance: PRC firms
- Capital markets : Capital markets: PRC firms
- Corporate and M&A : Corporate and M&A: PRC firms
- Dispute resolution : Dispute resolution: PRC firms
- Investment funds : Investment funds: PRC firms
- Labour and employment : Labour and employment: PRC firms
- Private equity/venture capital : Private equity/venture capital: PRC firms
- Projects and energy : Projects and energy: PRC firms
- Real estate and construction : Real estate and construction: PRC firms
- Shipping : Shipping: PRC firms
- Tax : Tax: PRC firms
- WTO/international trade : WTO/international trade: PRC firms
Canada
Offices in Montreal, Toronto, Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver, and Ottawa
- Aboriginal law
- Banking and finance
- Capital markets
- Competition and antitrust
- Corporate and M&A
- Dispute resolution
- Energy and natural resources : Energy and natural resources: mining
- Energy and natural resources : Energy and natural resources: oil and gas
- Energy and natural resources : Energy and natural resources: power
- Environment
- Infrastructure and projects
- International trade
- Labour and employment
- Media and entertainment
- Pensions
- Public procurement
- Real estate
- Restructuring and insolvency
- Tax
- Technology
- Telecoms
- Transport : Transport: aviation
- Transport : Transport: other transport
Czech Republic
Offices in Prague
- Banking, finance and capital markets
- Commercial, corporate and M&A
- Dispute resolution
- Employment
- Projects and energy
- Real estate and construction
- Tax
Germany
Offices in Berlin, Frankfurt, and Munich
- Antitrust
- Banking and finance : Financial services: regulatory
- Capital markets : Structured finance and securitisation
- Compliance
- Employment
- Industry focus : Energy
- Industry focus : Healthcare and life sciences
- Intellectual property : Trade marks and unfair competition
- Public sector : Planning and environment
- Public sector : Public procurement
- Real estate and construction : Real estate
- Restructuring and insolvency : Restructuring
- Tax
Egypt
Offices in Cairo
Spain
Offices in Barcelona and Madrid
- Banking and finance
- Commercial, corporate and M&A
- Private equity
- Projects and energy
- Public law
- Real estate and construction
- Tax
- Transport : Other transport
France
Offices in Paris
- Administrative and public law
- Banking and finance : Transactional work
- Derivatives, structured finance and securitisation
- Dispute resolution : Commercial litigation
- Dispute resolution : International arbitration
- Dispute resolution : White-collar crime
- EU, competition and distribution
- Employment
- Industry focus : Energy
- Industry focus : Healthcare and life sciences
- Industry focus : IT, telecoms and the Internet
- Industry focus : Luxury goods
- Insolvency
- Intellectual property : Patents
- Intellectual property : Trade marks, designs and copyright
- Media and entertainment
- Mergers and acquisitions
- Private equity : Fund formation
- Project finance
- Real estate
- Tax
Georgia
Offices in Tbilisi
Ghana
Hong Kong
Offices in Hong Kong
Costa Rica
Offices in San Jose
- Banking and finance
- Corporate and M&A
- Dispute resolution
- Intellectual property
- Labour and employment
- Real estate
- Tax
Hungary
Offices in Budapest
- Banking and finance
- Capital markets
- Commercial, corporate and M&A
- Competition
- Dispute resolution
- Employment
- Intellectual property
- Projects and energy
- Real estate and construction
- TMT
Italy
- Administrative and public law
- Banking and finance : Borrower side
- Banking and finance : Lender or arranger side
- Commercial, corporate and M&A
- Dispute resolution
- Employment
- Industry focus : Energy
- Industry focus : Retail
- Industry focus : TMT
- Intellectual property
- Private equity
- Real estate and construction
- Restructuring and insolvency
- Tax
Jordan
Offices in Amman
Kuwait
Offices in Kuwait City
Kazakhstan
- Banking, finance and capital markets
- Commercial, corporate and M&A
- Dispute resolution
- Energy and natural resources
- IP and TMT
- Real estate and construction (including projects)
- Tax and customs
London
Offices in London
- Corporate and commercial : Commercial contracts
- Corporate and commercial : Equity capital markets
- Corporate and commercial : Flotations: small and mid-cap
- Corporate and commercial : Private equity: transactions
- Finance : Asset finance and leasing
- Finance : Islamic finance
- Insurance : Insurance: corporate and regulatory
- Projects, energy and natural resources : Infrastructure (including PFI and PPP)
- Projects, energy and natural resources : Mining and minerals
- Real estate : Commercial property
- Real estate : Construction
- Real estate : Environment
- Real estate : Planning
- Real estate : Property finance
- Real estate : Property litigation
- Real estate : Social housing: finance
- Real estate : Social housing: local authorities and registered providers
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) : PATMA: Patent attorneys
Luxembourg
Offices in Luxembourg
- Banking, finance and capital markets
- Commercial, corporate and M&A
- Dispute resolution
- Investment funds
- Private equity
- Real estate and construction
- Tax
Morocco
Offices in Casablanca
- Banking, finance and capital markets
- Commercial, corporate and M&A
- Projects and public law
- Tourism and real estate
Mauritius
Offices in Port Louis
Mexico
Offices in Mexico City
Netherlands
Offices in Amsterdam
- Banking and finance : Financial services regulatory
- Commercial, corporate and M&A
- Construction
- Dispute resolution : Commercial litigation
- Dispute resolution : Mediation
- EU and competition
- Employment
- Environment and planning
- Industry focus : IT
- Industry focus : Retail
- Insurance
- Intellectual property : Trade marks, copyrights and design rights
- Real estate
- Restructuring and insolvency
Oman
Offices in Muscat
Papua New Guinea
Offices in Port Moresby
Poland
Offices in Warsaw
- Banking and finance
- Capital markets : Debt
- Capital markets : Equity
- Commercial, corporate and M&A
- Competition/antitrust
- Construction
- Dispute resolution
- Employment
- Energy and natural resources
- Intellectual property
- Investment funds
- Private equity
- Public law
- Real estate
- Restructuring and insolvency
- TMT
- Tax
- White-collar crime
Panama
Offices in Panama City
Qatar
Offices in Doha
Romania
Offices in Bucharest
- Banking and finance
- Commercial, corporate and M&A
- Dispute resolution
- EU and competition
- Employment
- Energy and natural resources
- Real estate and construction
- Restructuring and insolvency
- TMT
Russia
Offices in Moscow and St Petersburg
- Banking and finance : Lender or arranger side
- Commercial, corporate and M&A : Moscow
- Commercial, corporate and M&A : St Petersburg and elsewhere
- Competition
- Dispute resolution : Arbitration and mediation
- Dispute resolution : Litigation
- Employment
- Energy and natural resources
- Intellectual property
- PPP and infrastructure projects
- Real estate and construction
- TMT
- Tax
- Transport
South Africa
Offices in Johannesburg and Cape Town
Scotland
Offices in Aberdeen, Glasgow, and Edinburgh
- Corporate and commercial : Corporate and commercial: Edinburgh and Glasgow
- Corporate and commercial : Corporate and commercial: elsewhere in Scotland
- Corporate and commercial : Corporate tax
- Corporate and commercial : EU and competition
- Crime, fraud and licensing : Crime: fraud
- Crime, fraud and licensing : Crime: general
- Dispute resolution : Commercial litigation
- Dispute resolution : Debt recovery
- Finance : Banking and finance
- Human resources : Employment
- Human resources : Health and safety
- Human resources : Immigration
- Human resources : Pensions
- Insurance : Professional negligence
- Private client : Personal tax, trusts and executries
- Projects, energy and natural resources : Energy (excluding oil and gas)
- Projects, energy and natural resources : Oil and gas
- Projects, energy and natural resources : Projects
- Public sector : Education
- Real estate : Commercial property: elsewhere in Scotland
- Real estate : Construction
- Real estate : Environment
- Real estate : Planning
- Real estate : Property litigation
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) : Intellectual property
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) : IT and telecoms
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) : Media and entertainment
- Transport
South East
Offices in Milton Keynes and Watford
- Corporate and commercial : Corporate and commercial: Beds, Bucks, Herts, Middx
- Dispute resolution : Commercial litigation: Beds, Bucks, Herts, Middx
- Dispute resolution : Debt recovery
- Finance : Banking and finance
- Finance : Insolvency and corporate recovery
- Human resources : Employment: Beds, Bucks, Herts, Middx
- Human resources : Immigration
- Insurance : Professional negligence
- Real estate : Commercial property: Beds, Bucks, Herts, Middx
- Real estate : Construction
- Real estate : Property litigation
- TMT : IT and telecoms
Singapore
Offices in Singapore
Slovakia
Offices in Bratislava
- Banking, finance and capital markets
- Commercial, corporate and M&A
- Dispute resolution
- Employment
- Real estate and construction
Saudi Arabia
Offices in Riyadh
Turkey
Offices in Istanbul
Ukraine
Offices in Kiev
- Banking, finance and capital markets
- Commercial, corporate and M&A
- Competition
- Dispute resolution
- Employment
- Energy
- Intellectual property
- Real estate and construction
- Tax
United States
Offices in San Francisco, New York, Rancho Sante Fe, Orange County, San Diego, Washington DC, St Louis, New York, Kansas City, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington DC, Atlanta, Albany, Los Angeles, Denver, San Diego, San Francisco, Dallas, Phoenix, Short Hills, Silicon Valley, Downtown, Atlanta, Boston, Miami, New Orleans, McLean, Houston, and Mclean
- Dispute resolution : Corporate investigations and white-collar criminal defense
- Dispute resolution : General commercial disputes
- Dispute resolution : Product liability, mass tort and class action: toxic tort - defense
- Dispute resolution : Securities litigation: defense
- Finance : Financial services regulation
- Finance : Structured finance: securitization
- Government : Government contracts
- Government : Government relations
- Industry focus : Energy litigation: conventional power
- Industry focus : Energy: renewable/alternative
- Industry focus : Energy regulatory: conventional power
- Industry focus : Energy transactions: conventional power
- Industry focus : Environment: regulatory
- Industry focus : Environment: transactional
- Industry focus : Healthcare: health insurers
- Industry focus : Healthcare: life sciences
- Industry focus : Healthcare: service providers
- Industry focus : Insurance: advice to insurers
- Industry focus : Insurance: non-contentious
- Intellectual property : Patent litigation: full coverage
- Intellectual property : Patent: prosecution (including reexamination and post-grant proceedings)
- Intellectual property : Trade secrets (litigation and non-contentious matters)
- Intellectual property : Trademarks: non-contentious (including prosecution, portfolio management and licensing)
- Labor and employment : ERISA litigation
- Labor and employment : Employee benefits, executive compensation and retirement plans: design
- Labor and employment : Employee benefits, executive compensation and retirement plans: transactional
- Labor and employment : Immigration
- Labor and employment : Labor and employment disputes (including collective actions): defense
- Labor and employment : Workplace and employment counseling
- M&A/corporate and commercial : M&A: middle-market ($500m-999m)
- M&A/corporate and commercial : Venture capital and emerging companies
- Media, technology and telecoms : Media and entertainment
- Media, technology and telecoms : Outsourcing
- Media, technology and telecoms : Technology: transactions
- Media, technology and telecoms : Telecoms and broadcast: regulatory
- Media, technology and telecoms : Telecoms and broadcast: transactional
- Real estate : Construction (including construction litigation)
- Real estate
- Tax : Financial products
- Tax : International tax
- Tax : US taxes: contentious
- Tax : US taxes: non-contentious