Firms To Watch: Real estate

In addition to real estate and commercial law, Lindenpartners focuses on transactions and their financing, with a regional focus on Berlin and the surrounding area.
Menold Bezler offers its predominantly medium-sized clients a full-service approach, covering all legal, tax and accounting issues pertaining to real estate. The team also covers cross-border transactions, thanks to an international law firm network. 
Schmidt, von der Osten & Huber comprehensively advises on real estate matters and is particularly well versed in project developments and recycling matters as well as interfacing environmental, foundation and public construction law.
SZA Schilling, Zutt & Anschütz Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbH focuses on transactions and their structuring, including portfolio transactions, forward deals and share deals.

Real estate in Germany

Clifford Chance

Market leader Clifford Chance 's real estate practice impresses with comprehensive advice on investments and transactions, including property repositioning, financing matters, tax structuring, fund structuring and tenancies. This expertise is also evident at practice head level in Christian Keich, who regularly takes the lead in the structuring and financing of national and cross-border real estate investments, transactions and project developments. He is supported, among others, by Fabian Böhm, a key contact for national and international investors in connection with portfolio transactions, and Philipp Stoecker, who frequently advises institutional investors on transactions and investments. The group's project work covers all asset categories, including specialist properties such as logistics, data centers, hospitals as well as care and nursing homes; interfacing construction and public law issues are also handled by the team.

Practice head(s):

Christian Keilich

Other key lawyers:

Fabian Böhm; Philipp Stoecker

Testimonials

‘Despite the good name and the size of the team, the advice is personal and tailor-made.’

‘We receive high-quality support in all areas. The enthusiasm and commitment of all team members is also noticeable. Excellent.’

‘Leading team in Germany, high level of industry knowledge and legal knowledge, efficient, well-structured and clear advice.’

‘Practicable solutions are developed for complex legal issues within a short period of time. Versatile team. Employees are competent.’

‘Top team.’

Greenberg Traurig Germany

Greenberg Traurig Germany is among the top players in real estate law and offers full-service advice, including asset management, project developments as well as clients' representation in litigation. The team demonstrates particular strength in supporting large-scale international transactions and respective financing matters. Key contact Peter Schorling heads the German corporate and M&A group and regularly advises on transactions. The close cooperation with the firm's technology and public law experts leads to regular instructions pertaining to sustainable living and ESG. Practice head Florian Rösch and co-chair of the global real estate team Christian Schede both routinely assist with transactions, project developments and financing issues. Rösch also acts as a notary and has additional expertise in joint ventures and the drafting of tenancy agreements.

Practice head(s):

Florian Rösch

Testimonials

‘Strong international customer base; the go-to place for large and complex deals throughout Germany.’

‘Dr. Florian Rösch: Clear legal guidance, taking commercial perspectives into account. Very pleasant negotiator even in highly contentious situations.’

‘Extraordinarily good professional and personal advice from GT for years. The technical competence in all specialist areas is extremely high. Even the most difficult issues are always resolved to our complete satisfaction.’

‘Henning Sieber is very calm, has a lot of experience, is uncomplicated, precise, humorous and unobtrusive.’

‘Pleasantly diverse team, household name in real estate in Germany, unproblematic, seamless service, service-oriented, legally top .’

‘Dr. Christian Schede has a more trained CEO perspective than many CEOs. Dr Daniel Benighaus consistently thinks through project development issues upfront in a way that makes him one of the most creative and effective minds in the industry. Dr Florian Rösch brings every transaction to fruition with almost frightening reliability and dependability – as a lawyer or notary.’

‘Acts reliably in every phase of the transaction from structuring to closing with full commitment, heart and soul!’

‘Peter Schorling: performance-oriented, extremely fast, strong negotiator.’

Key clients

Ares Management

HanseMerkur Grundvermögen AG

Heimstaden Bostad

Dream Industrial

Garbe Industrial

KKR/Velero

OVG/Edge Technologies

Oxford Properties

Pinebridge Benson Elliot

Swiss Life/Beos

Tristan Capital Partners

Wertgrund

Castlelake

CBRE Investment Management

HB Reavis

Aermont

Commerz Real

Tritax

Work highlights

  • Advising Heimstaden on the acquisition of the Akelius Group with around 29,000 apartments in Germany, Sweden and Denmark for €9.1 billion.
  • Advising Canadian Dream Industrial Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) on the acquisition of a group of companies holding a portfolio of 31 logistics properties in Europe for €882 million.
  • Advising the real estate investment manager Allianz Real Estate and the real estate developer EDGE on the joint start of a €1.3 billion program for the development of intelligent and sustainable office properties in four major German cities and advising on the purchase of a first development site.

Allen & Overy LLP

Allen & Overy LLP comprehensively advises on all real estate matters with a focus on large-volume international transactions as well as asset and share deals. This is partly due to relevent expertise offered by practice head Jochen Scheel, he frequently acts for national and international investors, who form the core of the client base alongside banks, insurance companies, asset managers and project developers. The group routinely advises in cross-practice cooperation with the relevant experts, above all financing, M&A, funds, tax law and private equity. Among the asset categories are office and commercial, logistics, nursing homes, digital infrastructure and energy. Scheel also acts as a notary.

Practice head(s):

Jochen Scheel

Other key lawyers:

Christian Hilmes

Testimonials

‘The law firm is very familiar with the needs of international investors who want to invest in the German real estate market and can in turn also explain the customs on the German market to them very well.’

‘Dr. Christian Hilmes is an excellent real estate law specialist.’

‘Real team, very quick on the subject, solution-oriented.’

Key clients

Aérium Finance

Bayerische Versorgungskammer

Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank

CORESTATE

ECE

Frankfurter Lebensversicherung

GARBE Industrial Real Estate GmbH

Ivanhoé Cambridge

Lino Management

Nuveen

PATRIZIA

Swiss Life Asset Manager

Universal-Investment

Work highlights

  • Advice to a fund managed by Universal-Investment for the Bayerische Versorgungskammer (BVK) on the acquisition of Zalando’s Berlin headquarters. The fund is set up as an AIFM on the Luxembourg platform of Universal-Investment. The seller of the property is the international real estate company Hines on behalf of a Luxembourg real estate fund.
  • Advising IntReal International Real Estate Kapitalverwaltungsgesellschaft on the acquisition of two airport logistics properties from DWS Grundbesitz GmbH.
  • Advising Frankfurter Lebensversicherung on the acquisition of two residential real estate portfolios from Asargo Capital Partners and on the acquisition of a portfolio of non-performing real estate loans.

CMS

Led by Sebastian Orthmann, the team at CMS offers an impressive track record of large-volume portfolio transactions, particularly portfolios in the category housing. Clients benefit from the international network, especially the cooperation with the location in Luxembourg. In this context, the team also regularly demonstrates its investment expertise. All asset categories are covered by the group, with the most recent instructions pertaining to retail, local suppliers, supermarkets, logistics, data centers and care homes. This offering is complemented by expertise in asset management and commercial tenancy law. Heinz-Joachim Kummer is another key contact and specialises in supporting investors in financing, project developments as well as national and international real estate transactions.

Practice head(s):

Sebastian Orthmann

Other key lawyers:

Heinz-Joachim Kummer

Testimonials

‘Very competent and at the same time pragmatic consulting approach.’

‘The law firm’s real estate team shines with enormous specialist knowledge and very good communication. The cooperation was characterized by short reaction times and proactive action.’

‘The cooperation between the two contact persons also worked extremely well. The technical know-how was very good and was put to the test by many complex and unusual special cases.’

Key clients

Allianz Real Estate

HIH Real Estate

DIC Asset

Invesco Real Estate

Peakside Capital Advisors

Credit Suisse

Savills Investment Management

ECE Group

Union Investment

Work highlights

  • Advising Allianz Real Estate on the sale of the Skyper office property in the Frankfurt banking district for a purchase price of around €550 million and on the sale of the mixed-use property Quartier 207 – Galeries Lafayette as part of an off-market deal.
  • Advising the British project developer Segro on the acquisition of a large area from the Flughafengesellschaft Berlin for the purpose of expanding Airport Park Berlin.
  • Advising DIC Asset on the acquisition and financing of the Berlin operations center of Deutsche Bahn (DB) and on the acquisition and financing of the Berlin Bundesarchiv location at the Borsigturm.

DLA Piper

Integrated into the international network, DLA Piper supports real estate investors, managers and developers as well as companies in national and cross-border transactions, project developments and forward deals. Recent topics include advice on sustainability and ESG matters, the latter mainly pertains to real estate investments as well as ESG-compliant transactions and tenancy agreements. Various asset categories such as office, retail, hospitality, housing and light industrial are covered, with Lars Reubekeul offering additional experience in technology-related properties such as smart buildings and data centers. He jointly heads the practice with real estate transaction specialist Fabian Mühlen (also project developments and acquisition financing). Martin Haller is another key contact for project developments. Christian Lonquich (portfolio transactions) and Martin Wilmsen (real estate finance) joined Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP in June 2022 and November 2022 respectively.

Practice head(s):

Fabian Mühlen; Lars Reubekeul

Other key lawyers:

Martin Haller

Testimonials

‘Good commercial understanding, very good accessibility, large team and pleasant interaction with the individual members.’

‘Dr. Martin Haller is very pleasant to deal with, has a very deep understanding of the individual real estate issues and has advised us in depth and flawlessly on past transactions. There is also a commercial understanding.’

‘The DLA team is extremely responsive and service-oriented. Questions and pending tasks are proactively identified and coordinated. This basic attitude combined with outstanding expertise and experience leads to a very positive and successful cooperation.’

‘Very strong teamwork, work wonderfully together and represent each other where necessary. A competent contact person is always available.’

‘Very good team spirit, excellent communication, open partnership. Technically absolutely on point. Always available and customer-oriented.’

‘The customer approach is excellent. I have never worked with a law firm as service-oriented as DLA. It’s also a lot of fun with the whole team. DLA feels like an in-house legal department. Furthermore, the cooperation based on partnership at eye level is always in the foreground.’

‘We work constantly with Fabian Mühlen because of his holistic approach, which goes far beyond “simple” legal work.’

‘DLA Piper is characterized in particular by excellent quality, adherence to schedules, availability and professionalism. I would also like to particularly emphasize the proactive thinking in non-legal areas. The DLA Piper team thinks “out-of-the-box” and always works in a solution-oriented manner.’

Key clients

DIC Asset AG

Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG

IHG Hotels & Resorts

KINGSTONE Investment Management

Schroder Real Estate

Aurelis-Immobilien

AXA Investment Managers

Carlyle

Catella Real Estate Ltd.

Hahn

Indigo

Jamestown

Korian Deutschland GmbH

Mileway

Tilad

LIP

Work highlights

  • Advising DIC Asset AG on the acquisition of two office properties as part of an off-market transaction in Munich. The acquisition includes the high-rise Uptown München and the fully let multi-tenant property Campus C.
  • Advising Schroder Real Estate on the sale of the Victoriastadt Loft at Ostkreuz in Berlin to the Austrian Signa Holding GmbH.
  • Advising the international hotel group IHG Hotels & Resorts on the amicable termination of their lease agreement with the owner of the premium property at Königsallee 59/59a in Düsseldorf and the sale of the hotel business.

Gleiss Lutz

Gleiss Lutz is particularly well versed in supporting transactions and relevant financing issues, with a focus on the asset categories logistics, healthcare and office as well as specialist properties. In line with the team's orientation, practice head Tim Weber also specialises in share deals, asset deals, joint ventures and other transactional matters. This is complemented by experience in project developments as well as asset management and tenancy law.

Practice head(s):

Tim Weber

Testimonials

‘Very experienced real estate know-how, strong commercial focus, good independent work and very good accessibility.’

‘Dr. Tim Weber is extremely pleasant to deal with and has a very diverse understanding of the law, even outside of real estate law. His commercial perspective is essential for our transactions, as is the certainty that he works independently and always with the highest quality.’

‘In the area of real estate law, I have not come across any better advice to date.’

Key clients

Daishin Securities

EDGE Technologies

Edge Technologies

Europa Capital

Europi Property Group AB

Invesco

Patrizia

Resolution

RFR

Shinhan Alternative Investment Management

UNIQA Real Estate

Wöhr + Bauer

Work highlights

  • Advising Patrizia on the sale of a portfolio of twelve retail parks to MEAG, the asset manager of Munich Re and Ergo.
  • Advising RFR on the submission of a voluntary public takeover offer in the form of a cash offer to the shareholders of AGROB Immobilien AG to acquire all ordinary and preferred shares in AGROB Immobilien AG not already held by the bidder.
  • Advising Europa Capital on the acquisition of several logistics locations and joint ventures in Germany.

GSK Stockmann

GSK Stockmann routinely advises asset managers, project developers and institutional investors on (portfolio) transactions, including share and asset deals, asset management issues and real estate financing, where the clients also benefit from the close cooperation with the Luxembourg office. This expertise is regularly requested in connection with investments in the German real estate market made via investment vehicles structured in Luxembourg. The team's transactional capacities were strengthened with Martin Prothmann (previously at CMS ) in January 2022 and the partner appointment of Maritheres Palichleb in March 2022; This is complemented by capacities at the interface between corporate and real estate law, such as the reshaping of joint ventures into forward share deals. The practice is led by Dirk Brückner (advice on share deals and real estate joint ventures) and Philip Huperz (industry expertise in the healthcare and micro-living sector), who both are experienced in transactions and investments; the latter recently replaced Rainer Werum (regulatory issues pertaining to open-ended real estate funds) as co-head; he remains on the team.

Practice head(s):

Dirk Brückner; Philip Huperz

Testimonials

‘Competent, fast, service-oriented.’

‘Dr. Dirk Brückner: Super negotiator, very good on the subject, always calm and level-headed, available at all times.’

‘Dr. Brückner: Highly competent, on time and fast.’

‘Dr. Rainer Werum: Very pleasant, fair pricing, always has an overview, technically very good.’

‘Very good proportion of women; very high service orientation; firmly anchored in Munich’s asset management market.’

‘Monique Franke: Outstanding Partner; very strong and solution-oriented in negotiations. Always with a holistic view. Always comes to viable solutions for both parties. Economic thinking is also very strong.’

Key clients

DLE Living GmbH

Universal-Investment-Gesellschaft mbH / GPEP GmbH

ABG Real Estate Holding GmbH & Co. Kommanditgesellschaft

degewo AG

Hines Immobilien GmbH

U City Public Company Limited; Lombard Estate Holdings Limited; Vienna House Capital GmbH

Art-Invest Real Estate Management GmbH & Co. KG

CORESTATE Capital Group GmbH

Patron Lyndon S.à.r.l.

Neue Wege für Berlin e.V.

BECKEN Holding GmbH

IMAXXAM Asset Management GmbH

Deka Immobilien Investment GmbH

Centerscape

ABG Capital GmbH

Invesco Real Estate

Westbrook Partners

AXA IM Alts

Pembroke Real Estate

Work highlights

  • Advising degewo AG on the acquisition of over 2,400 Berlin apartments from Deutsche Wohnen SE and Vonovia SE.
  • Advising Hines Immobilien GmbH on the sale of the Zalando headquarters as a share deal to the Bayerische Versorgungskammer.
  • Advising the asset and property manager GPEP GmbH and the fund service platform Universal-Investment on the acquisition of a food retail portfolio with 35 rental properties throughout Germany and on the acquisition of a food retail portfolio consisting of 50 properties.

Hengeler Mueller

National and international investors, banks, asset managers, private equity houses and real estate groups rely on Hengeler Mueller's expertise for large-volume portfolio and individual real estate transactions covering all asset categories. This is complemented by capacities in related areas such as negotiating rental agreements, purchase financing and real estate refinancing as well as real estate issues in the insolvency and restructuring arena. Daniel Kress is a key contact for financing and restructuring matters, while Thomas Müller specialises in real estate transactions.

Other key lawyers:

Thomas Müller; Daniel Kress

Hogan Lovells International LLP

Hogan Lovells International LLP assists national and international clients, including investors and project developers, which are advised on the entire life cycle of a property. Among the core topics are transactions, financing – Marc Werner is a key contact here – and project developments as well as rental issues. Equally versatile are the covered asset categories, whereas a focus is on the office, retail, commercial and logistics sectors as well as specialist properties. Dirk Debald is well versed in advising on real estate and corporate law matters pertaining to specialist properties, while also covering tenancy and brokerage law. Practice head Roland Bomhard specialises in transactions, project developments and financing issues; the latter two areas are also part of Markus Franken‘s expertise, who made partner in January 2023. In August 2021, Sabrina Handke (focus on the hotel sector) left the firm and joined the private sector.

Practice head(s):

Roland Bomhard

Testimonials

‘The team is excellent. Great knowledge and strength across the range of subjects and in other disciplines when needed.’

‘Dirk Debald is the most responsive, knowledgeable and commercially minded real estate attorney I have worked with in Germany.’

‘Friendly interaction, very good behavior in difficult situations and in complex negotiations, smart solutions, good cooperation between partner and associate, negotiating skills.’

‘Kept calm when there were suddenly new topics from the counterparty at the closing; found good solutions and then skilfully negotiated this with the parties.’

‘Very likeable and dynamic team with a clear and efficient allocation of roles.’

‘Dr. Dirk Debald: Outstanding negotiator, economically minded, concerned about fair compensation, technically outstanding, personable.’

‘High professional level. Short response times. Full scope of testing.’

‘Dirk Debald as a strong negotiator with a high level of assertiveness and sovereignty.’

Key clients

Groß & Partner

Bayerische Landesbank

BNP Paribas Real Estate Investment Management

Amundi Asset Management

LaSalle Investment Management

Prologis

Union Investment

alstria office REIT AG

Hannover Leasing

DeWert Deutsche Wertinvestment GmbH

Hillwood

Ferox

PATRIZIA GrundInvest Kapitalverwaltungsgesellschaft

Real I.S. AG

EDF Invest

MAS Real Estate

Generali Real Estate S.p.A

SV Hotel AG

Beos

Sysmex

Hana

Work highlights

  • Advised the project development company Groß & Partner on the sale of the T1 project in Frankfurt.
  • Advising the Healthcare Property Fund (HPF) Europe managed by BNP Paribas REIM on the acquisition of four nursing homes from the real estate investment company Capital Bay Group.
  • Advising Amundi Asset Management on the sale of the Square 41 office building in Frankfurt.

Linklaters

Linklaters advises national and international investors, banks and insurance companies on transactions as well as the leasing and financing of real estate, with a recent focus on the office, logistics, healthcare and retirement properties asset categories. Sustainable construction matters constitute a growth area, including the advice on related legislative and regulatory measures to investors, landlords and tenants. Matters at the financing intersection are covered by managing associate Isabelle-Carmen Weis, while practice head Wolfram Krüger focuses on pan-European portfolio transactions and restructurings and frequently acts on behalf of Asian investors. Former co-head Carsten Loll (real estate transactions and industry-specific private equity) joined  Latham & Watkins LLP in October 2022.

Practice head(s):

Wolfram Krüger

Other key lawyers:

Isabelle-Carmen Weis

Testimonials

‘Great skills, industry experience, transaction experience, profound and factual negotiation skills.’

‘International law firm that offers a very good price-performance ratio. In addition, the people involved are always willing to help and look for solutions, even when it exceeds their own area of responsibility and crosses national borders.’

‘The team is characterized by competent, effective and timely processing and offers one-stop advice for all required services.’

Key clients

Aermont Capital

Blackstone

CBRE Investment Management

Credit Suisse Asset Management

MEAG MUNICH ERGO Asset Management

Swiss Pillar Investments Europe S.à r.l.

Union Investment

Versicherungskammer Bayern (VKB)

BNP Paribas REIM

NAS Invest

Work highlights

  • Advising Aermont Capital on the sale of the Marienturm commercial tower with 45,000 square meters and a height of 155 meters in Frankfurt am Main to DWS and NPS. The deal volume was over €800 million.
  • Advising SwissRE on the takeover of Lakeward Living AG and five German GmbHs, the owner of the Mittenmang residential complex in Berlin, and on the subsequent corporate restructuring.
  • Advising CBRE Investment Management on the acquisition of Deutsche Telekom’s office in the capital and partial leaseback by way of a sale-and-lease-back.

McDermott Will & Emery Rechtsanwälte Steuerberater LLP

McDermott Will & Emery Rechtsanwälte Steuerberater LLP comprehensively covers all matters pertaining to real estate projects, with a traditional focus on transactions and project developments. These competencies were further strengthened with the addition of Johannes Honzen in January 2022 (previously counsel at Hengeler Mueller). Recent topics include the assistance with large-volume deals in the commercial and logistics asset categories, here, Ulrich Flege is a key contact. In addition to transactions, Holger Weiß and Maximilian Clostermeyer also handle real estate financing, project developments and commercial tenancy law, while Frank Müller covers the investment law intersection. Practice head Jens Ortmanns advises investors and family offices on project developments, transactions, financing and joint ventures.

Practice head(s):

Jens Ortmanns

Testimonials

‘Jens Ortmanns: Very strong negotiator, keeps calm even in the most tense situations and always advises deal-oriented; reliable and tireless in his work for his clients.’

‘Excellent cooperation at a very high level.’

‘Dr. Holger Weiß: Extremely good lawyer with outstanding expertise and very good judgment in all areas of real estate law; fast and reliable legwork; thinks through the deal from the client’s point of view and is therefore a real sparring partner in the implementation and processing of complex transactions, far beyond purely legal advice.’

‘The team works well hand in hand and with One Face to the Client. It doesn’t appear to be cross-selling or wasting time.’

‘Customer-oriented, helpful, competent and pragmatic.’

‘Dr. Ulrich Flege: Technically outstanding and also extremely pleasant to work with personally.’

‘Full service law firm that works very closely with its clients. Every deadline is met. Very open and trusting interaction. Not only very well staffed at the top level, but also at the 2nd and 3rd rows with very talented and capable people.’

‘Holger Weiß penetrates complex issues quickly and precisely; very good lawyer; pleasant in negotiations.’

Key clients

Art-Invest Real Estate

DEMIRE AG

DIC Asset AG

Goodman Group / Goodman Germany GmbH

Imfarr Beteiligungs GmbH

Imfarr Beteiligungs GmbH und SN Beteiligungen Holding AG

NRW.Bank

Officefirst

SIGNA

Values Real Estate

Noerr

Noerr focuses on advising national and international real estate companies and investors on project developments and transactions in the retail, office and logistics asset categories, while also representing clients in litigation. The interface between real estate law and M&A was further strengthened with the partner appointments of Henrik Dornscheidt in January 2022 and Tim Behrens in January 2023. The team also grew its private equity capacities thanks to increasing instructions from PE investors. Practice head Annette Pospich specialises in real estate finance and investment issues and frequently assists with rental structures for commercial real estate and sale-lease-back structures for industrial sites. In September 2022, Roxana Dudau left the team and joined Wolf Theiss's Bucharest office as head of real estate and construction law.

Practice head(s):

Annette Pospich

Key clients

AEW

alstria office REIT-AG

ATMIRA Gruppe

BEOS Logistics GmbH

Brookfield Asset Management, Alexandrite Lake Lux Holdings S.à r.l.

Commerz Real

CONREN Land / HANSAINVEST

Deutsche Industrie REIT-AG (DIR)

DIC Asset AG

Flughafengesellschaft Berlin Brandenburg (FBB)

Gegenbauer Holding SE & Co. KG

GIEAG Immobilien AG

HOWOGE

Instone Real Estate Development GmbH

Invesco

Investa Real Estate

Kathrein-Gruppe

Kaufland Unternehmensgruppe

LHI Leasing GmbH

MEAG Munich ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft

Peakside Capital Partners

Real I.S. AG Gesellschaft für Immobilien Assetmanagement

Real I.S. AG Gesellschaft für Immobilien As-setmanagement

Savills Investment Management

Toms (Marken Hachez und Feodora)

UBM Deutschland GmbH

Union Investment Institutional GmbH

Wertgrund Immobilien

Work highlights

  • Advising Alexandrite Lake Lux Holdings S.à r.l. on the successful public takeover bid for alstria office REIT-AG.
  • Advising HOWOGE on the purchase of around 15,000 residential and commercial properties from the listed real estate companies Vonovia SE and Deutsche Wohnen SE.
  • Advising Real I.S. AG Gesellschaft für Immobilien Assetmanagement on the acquisition of a large-volume project development in Berlin that has not yet been completed.

POELLATH

POELLATH specialises in supporting real estate transactions, financings, project developments as well as joint ventures and restructurings. This expertise is also evident at practice head level in Matthias Durst and Stefan Lebek, who have additional expertise in rental and lease agreements. The team advises on all sale and acquisition matters in the transactional space as well as the whole life cycle of a property in the context of project developments thanks to the close cooperation with the tax and corporate law teams.

Practice head(s):

Stefan Lebek; Matthias Durst

Testimonials

‘Poellath is a law firm that, thanks to its strong team, can quickly handle large, complicated deals.’

‘The holistic approach to real estate law helps to conclude complex deals with a specialist team.’

‘Very professional and subject-specific. Always approachable, strong negotiator and solution-oriented.’

Key clients

CA Immo Deutschland GmbH

Caleus Capital Investors GmbH

CBRE

Cloud Office

Commerz Real

Coros Management GmbH

Cresco Projektentwicklungs GmbH

Deutsche Wohnen SE

DLE Deutsche Landentwicklung Holding AG

Generali

HANSAINVEST Hanseatische Investmentgesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung/Magna Asset Management AG

Henderson Park

Hines

Investa Capital Management GmbH

LBBW

Momeni

Patrizia Deutschland GmbH

Quantum Immobilien

ZBI Group

Credit Suisse

VALUES. Institutional Invest GmbH

Gewerbesiedlungs-Gesellschaft mbH

White & Case LLP

White & Case LLP covers all aspects of real estate law, but traditionally focuses on large-volume transactions, where Rostyslav Telyatnykov frequently takes the lead. These regularly pertain to the purchase and sale of commercial portfolios, residential units and healthcare properties, including forward transactions. Related financing, refinancing and restructuring issues are covered by Holger Wolf, among others. Clients benefit from cross-practice as well as cross-locational cooperation, especially with the office in Luxembourg, which opened in March 2022. Due to the latter, financings and transactions which are structured in Luxembourg are also part of the advice offering.

Testimonials

‘Very good advice in the field of real estate law with very good availability of the people involved. Communication within the law firm also works very well.’

‘You can feel the good atmosphere among colleagues who can rely on each other, as well as the appreciation that everyone experiences there. As a client, you don’t notice the hierarchical boundaries between partners/associates, which has a positive effect on the working atmosphere.’

‘Dr. Holger Wolf is a very committed, personally very involved partner who is always involved in the details of the transactions. I appreciate him for his pragmatic nature, his drive to move things forward without losing sight of the commercial. Mr Wolf negotiates hard on the matter, determined but friendly.’

‘The partners are very involved and available.’

‘The team offers more than just legal interpretation and advice; they are also very entrepreneurial.’

Key clients

Aggregate Holdings S.A.

aam2Core AG

Greenman OPEN

Icade SA

Edge Technologies Deutschland B.V.

Cilon GmbH

Summit Group

Adler Group S.A.

777 Capital Partners

Al-Ula Development Company

Peker Group

Goldman Sachs

x+bricks

Work highlights

  • Advising Castle Investment S.à rl on the acquisition of a development portfolio through the purchase of majority stakes in numerous project companies from the ZAR Real Estate Group. The total project portfolio, in which Aggregate acquires 85%, has a gross target value of €4.5 billion and a residual value of €1.3 billion.
  • Advice to the Adler Group S.A. on the sale of 14,400 residential and commercial units, mainly in medium-sized cities in eastern Germany. The buyers are the international investment company KKR and Velero, a real estate company specializing in Germany. The agreed purchase price corresponds to a portfolio valuation of approximately €1.05 billion.
  • Advising 777 Capital Partners as investment manager on the acquisition of a new serviced apartment building with 100 rooms and a gross rental area of almost 6,000 square meters in a central location in Frankfurt by W5 Group GmbH.

Ashurst LLP

Ashurst LLP is experienced in advising on transactions and project developments as well as in drafting rental agreements, with a focus on the logistics, residential and office sectors. Senior associate Stefan Schlimm advises national and international companies as well as state institutions on commercial tenancy law, among others. Recently, a greater focus was placed on sector-specific ESG matters as well as asset management. Practice head Liane Muschter supports national and international investors in real estate transactions, project developments as well as financing.

Practice head(s):

Liane Muschter

Testimonials

‘Nicolas Deuerling and his team are incredibly committed, have above-average specialist knowledge and experience, enabling them to deal with difficult negotiating partners.’

‘Apart from the technical aspects, Ashurst is remembered throughout the industry for its generous parental leave policy, which is also applied in particular to male employees.’

‘Nicolas Deuerling: Experienced partner who always works in a pragmatic and solution-oriented manner and thus makes a significant contribution to the conclusion of the transaction.’

Key clients

Aberdeen

AEW

d.i.i.

EQT

HIH Invest

LIP Invest

Panattoni

Patron

Values

Work highlights

  • Advising Aberdeen Standard Investments Deutschland on the acquisition of two building plots in Frankfurt’s Schönhof district from Instone as part of a forward deal for an Aberdeen real estate fund.
  • Advising Patron Capital and Sonar Real Estate on the acquisition and financing of the Prisma office building in Frankfurt am Main from Commerz Real.

Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP

Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP focuses on advising both the buyer and seller side on individual property and portfolio transactions, including asset deals, share deals as well as sale-and-lease-back structures and related financing matters. This focus was further strengthened with the additions of Christian Lonquich in June 2022 and Martin Wilmsen in November 2022 (both previously at DLA Piper ), where the team frequently covers the asset categories shopping centers, office and commercial. The group follows a cross-practice as well as cross-locational approach, thus covering cross-border matters in addition to various interfaces. Notary and transaction expert Tina Siebenhaar recently took over practice management from Roland Fabian, who moved to of counsel position and also specialises in transactions. Carsten Bremer is another key contact for transactions, with regular instructions from investors, banks, insurance companies and asset managers.

Practice head(s):

Tina Siebenhaar

Testimonials

‘Seamless service between London, Berlin and Frankfurt, one-stop shop for real estate, very different teams – something for every requirement (pragmatic to very academic). Also great notary.’

‘Carsten Bremer: Incredible experience, top notary and transaction consultant, sees things that competitors don’t think of, top risk assessment and communication, very precise drafting without overengineering, large network, which benefits the negotiation atmosphere.’

Key clients

Aedifica

Allianz Real Estate

Avignon Capital

ARA Europe (vormals InfraRed Capital Partners)

BentallGreenOak

CBRE Global Investors Germany GmbH

Cromwell Germany

Work highlights

  • Advising BentallGreenOak on the acquisition of two logistics properties in Rhineland-Palatinate and Worms.
  • Advising InfraRed Capital Partners on the sale of the first construction phases of the Eastsite Offices in Munich.
  • Advising Allianz Real Estate on the sale of a mixed-use portfolio with buildings in Cologne, Düsseldorf and Berlin to aik Immobilien-Investment GmbH.

Dentons

Integrated into the global network, Dentons acts from four German locations and offers clients a full-service approach, which, in addition to the focus on national and international transactions, also covers related corporate, tax and investment law issues as well as financing. Berlin-based practice head Dirk-Reiner Voß, who is supported in Düsseldorf by David Zafra Carollo, among others, also specialises in transactions and related financing matters; the latter is also well versed in real estate litigation. Bernhard Gemmel (real estate transactions and financing) joined Baker Tilly Roelfs in October 2022, while the team welcomed the equally versatile Maximilian Schulte from HFK Rechtsanwälte LLP in January 2023.

Practice head(s):

Dirk-Reiner Voß  

Testimonials

‘The team around David Zafra Carollo is extremely professional and does an excellent job.’

‘Cases are processed in an uncomplicated manner and at as little cost as possible. The Dentons team is available 24/7 to answer any questions.’

‘The answers are always satisfactory and of the highest standard. Invoicing is carried out on a quarterly basis according to the client’s wishes.’

‘The team is large and available in all major cities.’

‘David Zafra Carollo: Extremely professional. Large network and an excellent approach to problems. Client-oriented and very reliable.’

Key clients

Vonovia

KKR / Global Infrastructure Partners

Palmira Capital Partners

Swiss Life Asset Managers

Advenis REIM

Harrison Street

Hines

Union Investment

x+bricks

REInvest

Castleforge

DW Real Estate

Deutsche Bank

Berlin Hyp

P3 Logistic Parks

Work highlights

  • Advising DAX company Vonovia on the sale of a portfolio of Berlin apartments and commercial units to the municipal housing companies berlinovo, degewo and HOWOGE.
  • Advising private equity firm KKR and fund manager Global Infrastructure Partners on the acquisition of CyrusOne, a global REIT and data center operator.
  • Advising the investment company Palmira Capital Partners on several transactions to build up a European logistics and corporate real estate portfolio.

Eversheds Sutherland

Eversheds Sutherland advises on the entire life cycle of a property, where the team frequently cooperates with the corporate and tax law team, among others. The focus is on supporting transactions and project developments for the asset categories healthcare, energy, data centers, retail centres and logistics, including prominent topics such as ESG, data protection, prop tech and smart solutions. Practice head Gerhard Molt acts from Munich and, in line with the team's expertise, focuses on project developments and transactions, particularly forward asset deals and share deals.

Practice head(s):

Gerhard Molt

Other key lawyers:

Thomas Ziegler

Testimonials

‘Thomas Ziegler impresses with an extremely structured approach and goal- and deadline-oriented work. Responses to our inquiries are extremely quick, so there is no delay.’

‘The team is extremely responsive and service-oriented.’

‘Questions and pending tasks are proactively identified and coordinated. This basic attitude combined with outstanding expertise and experience lead to a very positive and successful cooperation.’

‘Dr. Gerhard Molt: In critical situations he encouraged and motivated the team. Complex and initially unknown hurdles were quickly recognized, understood and dealt with or solved in a result-oriented manner.’

‘For the first time, I had the feeling that I was fully supported for my interests in the deal.’

Key clients

AXA Investment Managers

Boeing

Cyrus One

Europa Capital

Microsoft

Patrizia Immobilien AG

Invesco Real Estate

Meta (Facebook)

Savills Investment Management

Shell

Work highlights

  • Comprehensive advice and support for the logistics service provider of a food delivery service in connection with entering the German market, renting two logistics warehouses in Hamburg and Berlin and around 80 shops.
  • Advising the joint venture of an international investor with a local project developer on the sale of a multi-tenant building in Munich for €330 million as a share deal with PropCo/OpCo companies and a Luxembourg ownership structure.
  • Advising a leading asset manager on a forward asset deal for the acquisition of a commercial property in the Rhineland.

GÖRG Partnerschaft von Rechtsanwälten mbB

GÖRG Partnerschaft von Rechtsanwälten mbB comprehensively covers real estate law and focuses on transactions and related financing support, with additional expertise in asset management, tenancy law and project developments. The team advises across practices, primarily with the corporate and tax law teams. In 2021, Silvio Sittner, who is experienced in all key areas of the practice and acts as a notary, took over practice management from Jan Lindner-Figura, who primarily acts as a notary and also advises on real estate transactions.

Practice head(s):

Silvio Sittner

Testimonials

‘Specialists are available for every area, but if desired, there is also a central contact person.’

‘Precise work, taking economic aspects into account. Very good accessibility.’

Key clients

Addvalue Capital GmbH / Paladin Immobilien GmbH & Co. KG

Ampega

Andersch AG / FTI Consulting

Art-Invest

baucon projektentwicklung GmbH

Berenberg Real Estate Asset Management

CA Immo

CFI Conzepte für Immobilien GmbH / Florack Bauunternehmung GmbH

Covivio

Deutsche Industrie Grundbesitz AG

DFI Real Estate Management GmbH & Co. KG

DIC

Edmond de Rothschild

F&W Fördern & Wohnen AöR

Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg

Fundamenta Group Deutschland AG

Gewobag Wohnungsbau AG

HanseMerkur Grundvermögen AG

HIE Hamburg Invest

Ingersoll-Rand

KGAL

Oberberg Gruppe

Real I.S. AG

SIGNA

Solaris Immobilien GmbH

Staycity Group

Values Real Estate

WealthCap

Zeitfracht Gruppe

Work highlights

  • Advising Ampega Asset Management GmbH on the acquisition of the SKYPER office tower in Frankfurt am Main for various HDI Deutschland AG companies.
  • Advising Real I.S. AG on the acquisition of the Quarto logistics portfolio, in particular on the purchase review, due diligence and the negotiation and execution of the purchase agreement and financing.
  • Advising HanseMerkur Grundvermögen AG on the acquisition of the office property Smart Office in Düsseldorf Airport City.

Goodwin

Goodwin focuses on capacities demonstrated by the practice group management: Marc Bohne and Peter Junghänel specialise in real estate transactions, while Bohne also covers the asset management area. Junghänel additionally advises on property-related contracts and Stephan Kock is a proven real estate financing expert. In November 2021, the latter area was reinforced with the arrival of Anke Johann from a leading German bank, while the investment expertise was strengthened in June 2021 with fund expert Sebastian Bruchwitz (formerly at Dechert LLP). The team covers various asset categories, including, most recently, logistics, nursing homes, offices, commercial and mixed-use properties.

Other key lawyers:

Anke Johann; Sebastian Bruchwitz

Key clients

777 Capital

Clarion Partners Europe

Cofinimmo S.A.

IntReal für HanseMerkur

KanAm Grund

Slate Asset Management L.P

Zürich Versicherung

Work highlights

  • Advising Clarion Partners Europe on the sale of a corporate structure owning a portfolio of 31 logistics properties in Germany, the Netherlands, France, Spain, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. The value of the properties is over €880 million.
  • Advising Cofinimmo S.A., a Belgian REIT, on the acquisition of three nursing homes in West Germany. Cofinimmo’s investment for the three locations amounts to around €39 million.
  • Advising IntReal International Real Estate Kapitalverwaltungsgesellschaft mbH, which works for the special AIFs HMG Grundwerte Büro Deutschland III and HMG Stadt – Land – Bund, which are advised by HanseMerkur Grundvermögen AG, on the acquisition of the properties in Berlin and Düsseldorf.

Herbert Smith Freehills LLP

Herbert Smith Freehills LLP supports capital management companies, investment funds, asset managers, institutional investors, project developers, financial institutions and family offices and fields Sven Wortberg, who is experienced in real estate transactions and related financing support; he also advises on letting and leasing matters. Practice head Thomas Kessler frequently takes the lead in transactions, increasingly, these are large-volume as well as pan-European portfolios, while the the addition of Heike Schmitz from DLA Piper in October 2021, strengthened capacities at the interface with investment and ESG matters.

Practice head(s):

Thomas Kessler

Testimonials

‘Very good networking of the international teams.’

‘Competence at the highest level with very timely returns. Constructive and solution-oriented. Integrative teamwork par excellence.’

‘Very good cooperation with Sven Wortberg; professional and customer-oriented.’

Key clients

EQT Exeter

Ardian

Artmax

Work highlights

  • Advising EQT/Exeter as German Lead Counsel on the sale of the pan-European EQT/Exeter fund Europe Value Venture III to the Singaporean sovereign wealth fund GIC.
  • Advising the family office Artmax Group from Hong Kong on entering the German market through the acquisition and financing of an office property in Berlin.
  • Advice to Ardian on the purchase of the WestendCarree property in Frankfurt am Main.

Jones Day

Due to the close cooperation with its M&A practice, Jones Day is an experienced advisor for real estate transactions and related financing issues; In addition to practice head Sandra-Christiane Kamper, Christian Trenkel is also well versed in the latter. The advice covers various asset categories, including office, retail, hotel and residential properties as well as specialist properties such as logistics. Further competencies are asset management, tenancy law as well as the insolvency and restructuring intersection.

Practice head(s):

Sandra-Christiane Kamper

Other key lawyers:

Nicole Kadel; Christian Trenkel

Testimonials

‘Nicole Kadel: Pragmatic, responsive.’

Key clients

Digital Bridge Holding

Eastman Chemical Company

Materion Corporation

Oxenwood Real Estate LLP

PTT Global

Work highlights

  • Advising Oxenwood Real Estate on the acquisition of several logistics properties in Germany.
  • Advising Vantage Data Centers in connection with a European project financing for the construction of data centers in Europe.

Mayer Brown LLP

Mayer Brown LLP offers longstanding experience in supporting the purchase and sale of individual properties, property portfolios and project developments. These recently included local supply centers, logistics properties, office buildings, care facilities and properties intended for site development. Practice head Fabian Hartwich regularly takes the lead here, while he also advises on asset management and the drafting of rental and leasing agreements. Volker Junge covers matters at the tax law interface and Philipp Schaefer is experienced in advising institutional investors; the latter made partner in January 2023.

Practice head(s):

Fabian Hartwich

Testimonials

‘Fabian Hartwich: Outstanding perception, very good negotiating skills.’

‘Fabian Hartwich: Perfect negotiator, deal maker.’

Key clients

DIC Asset AG

LaSalle Investment Management Kapitalverwaltungsgesellschaft mbH

VALUES Investment Management GmbH & Co. KG

Generali Real Estate S.p.A.

Commerz Real AG

The Carlyle Group

Principal Real Estate Spezialfondsgesellschaft mbH

Joh. Berenberg, Gossler & Co. KG

Art-Invest Real Estate Management GmbH & Co. KG

Greenman Investments

Neuwerk Rechtsanwälte

Neuwerk Rechtsanwälte specialises in supporting national and cross-border transactions and demonstrates particular expertise in forward deals with construction obligations and logistics transactions, including investment reviews and tenancy law issues. In addition to the logistics sector, recently covered asset categories include office and residential. The team is led by transaction experts Claudia Jehle and Philipp Jehle as well as Annette Heinz, who specialises in investment and real estate law; she made partner in July 2021.

Testimonials

‘Powerful team that keeps an overview even in complex transactions and is always solution-oriented.’

‘Good spirit, even under pressure; balanced composition of the teams, strong associates and visible partners; clearly above-average proportion of women, especially in the partnership.’

‘Claudia Jehle: Pleasant to work with; focused on the essentials, good at negotiating.’

Key clients

Tishman Speyer

Bayerische Beamtenkrankenkasse AG / Konzern Versicherungskammer

Soravia

Zalando SE

Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield

Garbe Industrial Real Estate / Garbe Investment

DWI-Gruppe

Captiva Investment Management

Universal-Investment

Essity

HafenCity Hamburg GmbH / Billebogen Entwicklungsgesellschaft

Bonitas-Gruppe

INP Invest GmbH

Frank Immobilien

Quantum Immobilien Kapitalverwaltungsgesellschaft

Work highlights

  • Advising Tishman Speyer on the acquisition of the former Kaufhof building on Mönckebergstrasse in Hamburg by way of an asset deal.
  • Advising the DWI Group on the acquisition of the Ipanema office property in Hamburg, which is still to be built, and the conclusion of a rental agreement with the new anchor tenant, Berenberg Bank.
  • Advising Soravia on the acquisition of a property in Unterföhring, currently still used by Allianz as a data center, from a fund managed by DFH for future project development.

Norton Rose Fulbright

Norton Rose Fulbright routinely advises on transactions and covers various asset categories for investors and developers as well as German and international companies. Maren Stölting, who recently took over practice management from Head of Germany Stefan Feuerriegel, frequently takes the lead here; Feuerriegel continues to support clients in transactions as well as rental agreements, project developments and asset management issues. This expertise corresponds with the wide-ranging focus of the practice, which also handles dispute resolution. Capacities in the transactional space were further strengthened with the addition of Oliver Beyer from Simmons & Simmons in May 2022.

Practice head(s):

Maren Stölting

Key clients

ADLER Real Estate AG

AEW Global Real Estate Investment Management Services

Ambridge

Amundi

BGW / VBG

ECE Marketplaces GmbH & Co KG

EDEKA Head Office / CEV

EDGE Technologies

Fattal Group

Frischezentrum Frankfurt am Main – Großmarkt GmbH

Garbe Logistics

GBI AG

Generali

Hamburg Trust

Int Real

Klépierre

Leonardo Hotels

Mogotel

Nuveen

Otto Family Office

P3

Panattoni

PATRIZIA

Real I.S.

Richard Ditting GmbH & Co KG

Rocco Forte

Savills Investment Management

Swiss Life

Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield

UniCredit / Wealthcap

Union Investment

Work highlights

  • Advising Real I.S. AG on the sale of the Mosse Zentrum in Berlin by way of an asset deal, on the sale of the Oswald office property in Stuttgart and on the sale of a logistics property.
  • Advice to Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield on the project development of Germany’s largest shopping center development in HafenCity in Hamburg and advice on the sale of the Gera Arcaden shopping center in Gera, Thuringia.
  • Advising Garbe on the construction of an Amazon distribution center in Giengen/Baden-Württemberg, including advice on the purchase of the property and on the lease negotiations with Amazon.

Taylor Wessing

Taylor Wessing ‘s real estate practice advises on transactions and related financing as well as asset management, including rental agreements and addenda to leases, while also supporting project and residential developments. Various asset categories are covered, with additional cross-practice expertise in IT and healthcare matters in the context of specialist properties such as data centers and healthcare properties. Johannes Callet is a key contact for transactions and is frequently instructed by French investors; in May 2022, he took over practice management from Anja Fenge (transactions and project developments), who remains on the team.

Practice head(s):

Johannes Callet

Other key lawyers:

Anja Fenge

Testimonials

‘Good, fast and competent cooperation; uncomplicated involvement of colleagues from the law firm on other topics, if necessary; transparent and fair cost structure.’

‘Johannes Callet is very approachable and a reliable and proven partner for large transactions and deals.’

‘Taylor Wessing has a large and experienced team in the field of real estate law at all 5 German locations and also internationally with a large reach. The team’s collaboration across legal departments and locations is smooth and time-efficient.’

Key clients

AEW

Commerz Real

Dalata Hotelgroup

DWS

European Healthcare Investors

Four Parx

Garbe Immobilien-Projekte GmbH

Lifento

Macquarie

Premier Inn

Work highlights

  • Advising Commerz Real on the sale of the Highlight Towers in Munich to the Viennese and Swiss family offices Imfarr and SN Holding.
  • Advising the Dalata Hotelgroup on entering the German market and acquiring the hotel operations of the Nikko Hotel in Düsseldorf.
  • Support for a joint venture between Garbe Immobilien-Projekte GmbH and Terragon AG on the acquisition of a residential building in Westfield Hamburg Überseequartier.

Baker McKenzie

Baker McKenzie demonstrates its strength in transactions and financing matters, with a focus on the asset categories logistics and hotel – Ulrich Hennings is a key contact for the latter – while the group also advises on commercial tenancy agreements in the retail and office sectors, among others. This expertise is requested by investors, insurance companies, financial institutions, companies and family offices. Real estate transaction specialist Florian Thamm heads the practice.

Practice head(s):

Florian Thamm

Other key lawyers:

Ulrich Hennings; Niklas Wielandt

Testimonials

‘Efficient, fast, conscientious and easy to reach at any time. Very solution-oriented in negotiations.’

‘Dr. Florian Thamm: Perfect overview of ongoing projects, technically excellent and available at all times.’

‘Dr. Florian Thamm gave me perfect professional advice. He was available at all times and one can confidently say that he has a thorough command of real estate law and the associated real estate tax law. I couldn’t make the slightest criticism of his consulting work.’

Key clients

Intel

Peakside Capital

Berlin Hyp

Landesbank Baden-Württemberg

Norddeutsche Landesbank

METRO

Worldline

Walgreens Boots Alliance

Bayer

Mytheresa

Oda/Kolonial

Tapestry

Abercrombie & Fitch

Alzayani Investments

ERWE Immobilien

Work highlights

  • Advised Intel in connection with the construction of a new chip factory in Magdeburg, including advice on the purchase of the location.
  • Advising a banking consortium led by Norddeutsche Landesbank, PBB, DZ Hyp and Helaba on the €550 million refinancing of a real estate portfolio of DIC-Asset AG.
  • Advised a fund in an auction process to acquire a cross-border logistics portfolio worth over €500 million.

BMH BRÄUTIGAM

BMH BRÄUTIGAM specialises in real estate transactions and regularly supports joint ventures, share deals, project developments and related financings thanks to its corporate law interface capacities. Practice head Boris Reschucha is a key contact here as well as Alexander Nast, who offers additional expertise in tenancy lease matters and also works as a notary. The notary's office is led by Johannes Meinel and focuses on supporting investor groups.

Practice head(s):

Boris Reschucha

Other key lawyers:

Alexander Nast; Johannes Meinel

Testimonials

‘The team impresses with its far-sightedness (they really are up to date!), competence, pragmatism and speed.’

‘Boris Reschucha: Pragmatic, fast, solution-oriented and competent.’

‘We are very happy to use the team, in addition to normal real estate transactions and leases, also for special issues that require a high degree of legal competence on the one hand and commercial understanding on the other.’

Key clients

SIGNA-Gruppe

Blackstone/OFFICE FIRST

Inspiration Group

Moravia Gruppe

ANDANDO Real Estate S.à r.l.

spreewater GmbH

LenzWerk Holding GmbH

Work highlights

  • Ongoing advice on letting the entire Blackstone real estate portfolio in northern Germany, including negotiation and conclusion of leases, contentious disputes in existing leases, lease of restaurant space to the Five Guys chain, support for the comprehensive conversion and new lease of the Axel-Springer-Passage and lease of the Spreespeicher in Berlin.
  • Advising the SIGNA Group on the acquisition and financing of the Ellington Hotel property in Berlin City West. The acquisition from the previous owners IDEAL Versicherungen and Estrel Group took place in a share deal.

BRL BOEGE ROHDE LUEBBEHUESEN

BRL BOEGE ROHDE LUEBBEHUESEN ‘s advice focuses on transactions, asset management and (inner-city) project developments, where the team offers industry expertise in the segments hotel and mixed-use district developments. Related financing issues are handled by Felix Baum, who made partner in January 2023 and jointly heads the practice with Marc Biebelheimer and Michael-Alexander Rojnic; all three are well versed in transactions, project developments and tenancy law in line with the team's orientation. Both litigation and advisory capacities were strengthened with the addition of Lara Nikishin in September 2021 from Luther Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbH.

Other key lawyers:

Verena Schepers; Lara Nikischin

Key clients

Art-Invest Hotelsparte

Art-Invest Real Estate Funds GmbH

Art-Invest Real Estate Management GmbH & Co. KG

Aurelis Asset GmbH

Bahnhofsvorplatz Bremen GmbH

BECKEN Development GmbH

Dat Backhus

Enercity AG

Enerparc AG

Fay Projects GmbH

Hamburger Hochbahn AG

HASPA Projektentwicklungs- und Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH (HASPAPeB)

LeVoPark GmbH

meravis Bauträger GmbH

Mühlenau Projektgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG) (vormals Assetando Mühlenau Projektgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG)

Schramm & Schoen Immobilien GmbH

FPS

FPS is frequently instructed by national and international real estate developers, property developers and investors on matters at the interface between real estate and construction law, including construction approval procedures, project developments, leasing issues and transactions. This corresponds with the expertise evident at preactice head level: Dietrich Sammer advises on portfolio and individual property transactions, commercial and residential leases, in and out-of-court litigation; Hendrik Sandmann handles transactions, project developments, tenancy and real estate law, while Lars Voigt is also experienced in transactions.

Other key lawyers:

Marco Andreas Rückert

Testimonials

‘Good knowledge of the market, well connected.’

‘Dr. Hendrik Sandmann is pragmatic and solution-oriented.’

‘Lars Voigt is a good negotiator and pragmatic.’

‘Lars Voigt: Very good specialist knowledge of real estate/construction law with a pragmatic approach, solution-oriented, strong negotiator with very good accessibility/availability (also at short notice).’

‘Absolute integrity and, above all, very well networked in Frankfurt in all directions, be it in politics as well as with the authorities.’

‘Great cooperation, well-coordinated internal processes, always up to date in the legal fields.’

‘Very good market experience, very broad positioning in the real estate sector with incredible depth. Specialists for many individual questions about real estate and projects. The firm’s full service approach fits our needs perfectly.’

‘Dietrich Sammer: You can rely on him – in complex negotiations as well as in court. Very good communication, knows his client’s needs.’

Key clients

d.i.i. Investment GmbH

aam2core Holding AG

Achte Real Estate Poolgesellschaft mbH & Co. Wohnungs-KG i.L.

apollo real estate GmbH & Co. KG

Aurelis Real Estate GmbH & Co.KG

BaseCamp Student GmbH und European Student Housing Fund

benchmark. REAL Estate

Catalyst Capital GmbH

CONREN Land AG

CV Real Estate AG

Deka Immobilien

Dodenhof Immobilien

DUSAPRO Immobilien GmbH

Edeka Handelsgesellschaft Südwest mbH

Gustav Zech Stiftung Management GmbH

HansaInvest Hanseatische Investment GmbH und KGAL GmbH & Co. KG

Hattersheimer Wohnungsbau GmbH

Horn Grundbesitz AG

Institutional Investment Partners GmbH

Jeans Fritz Mode

Jones Lang LaSalle SE

Landwirtschaftliche Rentenbank

NH Nassauische Heimstätte

OFB Projektentwicklung GmbH

P3 Logistic Parks GmbH

Patrizia AG

Premier Inn Holding GmbH

Reinhard Unternehmensgruppe

RFR-Gruppe

Rock Capital München

Secura Industriebeteiligungen GmbH

Sonar Real Estate GmbH

Work highlights

  • Advising the BaseCamp Group and the European Student Housing Fund on the sale of a residential area on Gothaer Platz in the inner-city area of Göttingen to the real estate investment manager WERTGRUND Wohnpartner GmbH.
  • Advising OFB Projektentwicklung GmbH on the sale of a property located in Wiesbaden along with a construction obligation (forward deal) with a transaction volume of €80 million on all legal issues relating to the sale process.
  • Advising CV Real Estate AG on the acquisition of the former headquarters of HypoVereinsBank in Frankfurt’s banking district by the Adler Group for a project development.

GvW Graf von Westphalen

GvW Graf von Westphalen supports transactions and project developments, where the team regularly covers the asset categories logistics, retail, office as well as commercial properties. The additional expertise in commercial tenancy law frequently pertains to the retail and hotel sector as well as airports and also includes advice on the rental and lease effects of the lockdowns. Forward deals are a growth area in the transactional arena. Practice head Lorenz Czajka specialises in project developments and transactions at the interface between real estate and construction law, while Melanie Eilers, who is well versed in construction, architectural, real estate and residential property law, made partner in January 2022.

Practice head(s):

Lorenz Czajka

Testimonials

‘Graf von Westphalen has extraordinary, well-founded knowledge in the real estate sector, which, in combination with the very large practical experience, results in the best possible advice on the legal issues that arise.’

‘Dr. Lorenz Czajka: Very experienced and a skilful negotiator who always has the client’s economic interests in mind.’

‘The practice group is characterized by its many years of experience and the fact that it is a well-rehearsed team with no significant departures.’

Heuking Kühn Lüer Wojtek

Heuking Kühn Lüer Wojtek ‘s real estate team covers asset management, transactions, financing and leases. ESG matters as well as subsequent sustainability-related contract regulations constitute recent growth areas. In January 2022, Christoph Nöhles, who is experienced in real estate law and brokerage law as well as tenancy and lease law, made partner. Practice head Stephan Freund covers a similarly broad range of topics and also supports clients in litigation and arbitration proceedings. In October 2022, new salary partner Jeannine Drossart (project development, tenancy and lease law), previously at AHB Arends Hofert Bergemann Rechtsanwälte Steuerberater PartGmbB, joined the team, while counsel Kathrin Paulet (transactions and tenancy, lease and property law) joined Eversheds Sutherland in December 2021.

Practice head(s):

Stephan Freund

Testimonials

‘Dr. Peter Zimmermann: Excellent real estate transaction lawyer. Always available and responsive. Solution-oriented and not argument-oriented.’

‘If our primary contact person is unavailable or it does not relate 100% to his area of competence/preferred area of law, a colleague from the law firm can always take over and continue the legal advice. Our primary contact person is kept informed at all times and is proactively involved.’

‘Dr. Zimmermann advises with very good specialist knowledge and great commitment. His competent demeanor coupled with his calmness makes him a very reliable and important representative and advisor for our company, even in difficult contract negotiations.’

‘Very, very high technical know-how; absolute reliability; strong negotiation leadership in contract negotiations with customers.’

Heussen Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbH

The team at Heussen Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbH demonstrates particular expertise in supporting real estate transactions and real estate project developments, where the team frequently cooperates with the firm’s tax, regulatory, financing and corporate law experts, as well as the increasing advice to private individuals and family offices on project developments. Pertaining to the latter, the team regularly assists with the development of district centres or entire districts, here, practice head Norbert Huber‘s expertise in public law and public procurement law is regularly called upon. This latter interface competence was further strengthened with Angelika Schwabe in December 2021 (previously at BUSE ). Torsten Prokoph, who joined from Hartmann Gallus und Partner in January 2022, focuses on real estate, construction and architectural law.

Practice head(s):

Norbert Huber

Testimonials

‘Quick reactions, great negotiators, well networked in the market.’

‘Jan Dittmann: The man for all scenarios, perfect support for every project development.’

‘The team always pulls together, is mutually updated and the good atmosphere internally can also be felt as a client. Cooperation is always efficient, professional and very pleasant.’

‘Jan Dittmann is an excellent strategist, real estate lawyer and consultant.’

‘Reliable, competent, good value for money.’

Key clients

Bluerock Fund PCC Limited

Wöhr + Bauer

Habona

KIRKBI A/S (Lego Group, Denmark)

REAL I.S. AG

Industria Wohnen GmbH

Ehret + Klein GmbH

Matrix Immobilien GmbH

Property Ventures GmbH

Centerscape Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG

Bayerische Landesbank Immobilienbeteiligungs-Gesellschaft mbh & Co.KG

Work highlights

  • Advising Industria Wohnen on various (portfolio) transactions, both purchase and sale. In addition, advice on tenancy law.  
  • Advising the district and project developer Ehret & Klein on several purchase transactions, financing and project developments.
  • Advising various project developers on transactions and their financing in the form of bonds/private placements, funds, club deals, mezzanine and transactions.

K&L Gates LLP

K&L Gates LLP focuses on supporting transactions and project developments. The team in Berlin frequently assists asset managers, private equity investors and funds in the sectors care, residential, retail and logistics, while the Munich-based team regularly supports retailers, including online traders, with additional expertise in tenancy law. The latter is a key strength of both Philipp Turnwald and Nicolas Mähner. In Berlin, Felix Greuner (industry expertise in the care sector) and Georg Foerstner (restructuring advice) are among the key contacts.

Other key lawyers:

Nicolas Mähner; Anja Rösch; Christia Hullmann

Testimonials

‘The entire team: highly motivated, always available and leading the client and the opposing side in a first-class manner.’

‘Clear communication and flow of information from the partners. Goal-oriented, practical structuring of the process. No unnecessary fussing over the contract structure. Hands-on mentality!’

Key clients

Patrizia AG

TSC Fund SICAV FIS- Three Stone Capital

Cromwell European Real Estate Investment Trust

Mercureim Fund

Everest Trust

Thirteen Seven GmbH

Orsay GmbH

Peloton

Swiss Life

Corpus Sireo

America Today Germany GmbH

Daniel Wellington GmbH

Work highlights

  • Advising Patrizia AG on the sale of 51 retail properties (Power Bowl portfolio) to GPEP.
  • Advising the TSC Fund SICAV FIS on the sale of a nursing home portfolio with a total volume of around €‎425 million by way of a share deal.
  • Germany-wide advice to a market-leading American online retailer on the project development of logistics space with land acquisition and subsequent long-term leases (sale-and-lease-back) for numerous projects.

King & Spalding LLP

The core competence of King & Spalding LLP is real estate law advice in the investment funds area. Among the client base are numerous capital management companies, investment fund managers and asset managers as well as German and international institutional real estate investors and banks. These are regularly supported in national and cross-border real estate transactions, including related financing and regulatory issues. Capacities in real estate litigation complement this offer. Since the departure of former partner Mario Leißner in June 2022, Alexandra Weis (investment law and regulatory advice) is the key contact.

Other key lawyers:

Alexandra Weis

Key clients

Hannover Leasing

AEW Invest GmbH

AXA Investment Managers

Tishman Speyer

HansaInvest Hanseatische Investment GmbH

Commerz Real Investmentgesellschaft

Savills Fund Management GmbH

BEOS AG

Institutional Investment Partners Group (2IP)

BMO Real Estate Partners

Savills Fund Management GmbH

RAM Invest

Orion Capital Managers

Patrizia Frankfurt Kapitalverwaltungsgesellschaft mbH

LaSalle Investment Management

La Française

Wertgrund

Union Investment

Universal Investment

Warburg-HIH Invest Real Estate

bsi Bundesverband Sachwerte und Investmentvermögen

Ärzteversorgung Westfalen-Lippe

Galleon Capital Partners

GRR Real Estate

Proprium Capital Management (UK), LLP

Work highlights

  • Advising a fully licensed AIF capital management company on the launch of its first open-end mutual fund with five different share classes for real estate investments in Germany.
  • Ongoing advice to AEW Invest GmbH on supervisory law and on the launch and structuring of funds as well as on real estate financing.
  • Advice to Hannover Leasing on various real estate transactions as well as on fund launch and structuring.

Luther Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbH

Luther Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbH's real estate team follows a full-service approach, thus offering transactional and notary support as well as experience in asset management, including commercial tenancy law. This expertise is requested by an equally versatile client base, consisting of institutional investors and funds, companies, family offices as well as public sector clients. Practice head Achim Meier regularly assists with construction matters and also supports clients in court and arbitration proceedings. Oliver Maaz specialises in Asia-related mandates.

Practice head(s):

Achim Meier

Testimonials

‘Quick feedback, tasks are distributed well and processed competently.’

‘Thomas Gohrke: vision, solution orientation, simplifying complex situations.’

‘Ruth Thomsen: High level of specialist knowledge, very pleasant personal manner. Good entrepreneurial understanding.’

Key clients

AOK Rheinland/Hamburg

M7 Real Estate

Möller Real Estate GmbH

OstStern Living GmbH & Co. KG

Universitätsklinikum Essen

Akelius

SKIBA Ingenieurs GmbH

HanseMerkur

Hannover Leasing

Instone Real Estate Development GmbH

Peach Property Group (Deutschland) AG

BUWOG Group

LBBW Immobilien Asset Managment

Lang & Cie. Rhein-Ruhr Real Estate AG

FAKT Tower GmbH & Co. KG

Mileway

P3 Logistic Parks

Work highlights

  • Advising the Swedish real estate company Akelius Residential Property AB on a transaction of more than 599 residential properties in Berlin, Hamburg, Stockholm, Malmö and Copenhagen with a transaction value of €‎9.1 billion.
  • Advising AOC Erfurt on the sale of the Coloria project development in Erfurt.
  • Advised the Space Plus Group on the roll-out of the self storage and flex office business in Germany, including advice on the acquisition of various properties.

Möhrle Happ Luther

Möhrle Happ Luther advises institutional investors, project developers and the public sector on transactions, project developments and related financing; the latter is a key strength of Anne Schöning. The multidisciplinary approach also encompasses the cooperation with auditors and tax consultants. Schöning jointly leads the team with Oliver Reimann, who, thanks to his administrative law expertise, also covers issues between the public law and real estate law interface.

Practice head(s):

Anne Schöning; Oliver Reimann

Other key lawyers:

Uwe Eppler

Testimonials

‘Möhrle Happ Luther guarantees that the customer receives excellent advice in both areas – legal and tax advice. The cooperation works completely smoothly, often without the client noticing.’

‘Anne Schöning: Profound expertise and many years of professional experience; balanced personal advice; extraordinary combination of overview of the entire transaction combined with particular attention to the smallest details; consistent follow-up of open topics, nothing is lost here; extremely team-oriented approach; very pleasant cooperation.’

‘Oliver Reimann: Profound expertise and many years of professional experience; good negotiation skills; tactical approach.’

‘The outstanding teamwork is unique. The transfer of knowledge about the current status of the contracts is always given in the team, so that the contracts are always processed within the agreed time and with the best quality.’

‘What is innovative is the transfer of responsibility even to young lawyers, who support clients in negotiations without a senior partner until the contract is signed in a goal-oriented manner.’

‘Oliver Reimann is characterized by his very high level of legal competence. His careful analysis of the facts described to him makes it possible to achieve the company’s goals with new ideas.’

‘Dr. Anne Schöning is characterized by outstanding legal competence. Efficient cooperation allows lawyer and client to become a team.’

‘The law firm is positioned professionally. Everyone involved, from the partners to the associates to the assistants and support units, has a high service mentality and is always friendly and appreciative in dealing with each other and with others. The teams are diverse.’

Key clients

Brightbay Partners (vormals RDI REIT P.L.C.)

HafenCity Hamburg GmbH

Habacker Holding GmbH & Co. KG

LogiCor Deutschland GmbH

Newport Holding GmbH

Union Investment Institutional

Ambridge Europe GmbH & Co. KG

Work highlights

  • Advising Union Investment on the acquisition of two local shopping centers in Germany from the international investment manager Savills Investment Management.
  • Advising HafenCity Hamburg GmbH on the sale of municipal land, including the sale of a building site to EDGE Elbside with Vattenfall as the anchor tenant.
  • Accompanying Habacker Holding GmbH on the completion of the logistics property in Reutlingen, which was developed according to the DBNB Gold Standard.

Pinsent Masons Rechtsanwälte Steuerberater Solicitors Partnerschaft mbB

Pinsent Masons Rechtsanwälte Steuerberater Solicitors Partnerschaft mbB is an experienced advisor to German and international capital management companies and fund companies in transactions and their financing as well as asset management issues. Thanks to cross-practice cooperation, other relevant issues are covered, such as the structuring and regulation of fund vehicles, which is a particular strength. While the advice pertains to all asset categories, a recent focus was on the areas of care, hotels and data centers. Experienced real estate lawyer Jörn Fingerhuth  took over practice management in the summer of 2022 from Wolfram Pätzold, who continues to advise on real estate transactions, financing, project development and joint ventures. In February 2023, Tobias Nuß (real estate law and transactions) joined PwC Legal (PricewaterhouseCoopers Legal AG Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft).

Practice head(s):

Jörn Fingerhuth

Testimonials

‘Wolfram Pätzold: Enormous transaction and negotiation experience. Clear communication.’

‘The team around Katharina von Hermanni stands for pragmatic and solution-oriented transaction advice. I don’t know of any other team that manages and controls transactions so well coordinated and organised.’

‘Very modern law firm that increasingly relies on LegalTech for client work.’

Key clients

Bayerische Versorgungskammer (BVK)

Concipio

Conren Land AG

Fortuna Düsseldorf

MEDIC Park GmbH & Co. KG

Premier Inn

Kempinski Grup

RDI REIT

Regus Management Germany GmbH

Savills Investment Management

Tokio Marine HCC/ HCC International Insurance Company

PATRIZIA Immobilien Kapitalverwaltungsgesellschaft

Universal Investment

Swiss Life Gruppe

General Electric

Work highlights

  • Advice to the Bayerische Versorgungskammer (BVK) and Universal-Investment on the purchase of the office property The Duke in Berlin.
  • Advising Conren Land AG on the acquisition of the office property at Benrather Platz 1 in Düsseldorf.
  • Ongoing advice to Premier Inn on the conclusion of purchase and rental agreements for hotel projects in Ingolstadt, Hanover, Lüneburg, Hamburg, Kiel, Bremen and Berlin.

REIUS Rechtsanwälte Partnerschaft mbB

REIUS Rechtsanwälte Partnerschaft mbB advises national and international private equity funds and project developers on real estate transactions in various asset categories, with a recent focus on the areas logistics, housing and office. The transactional expertise includes forward deals and project developments as well as related corporate structurings. Christian Thiele, Stefanie Fuerst and Annette Griesbach are well versed in transactions as well as investment and regulatory matters; the latter has additional experience in commercial tenancy law.

Testimonials

‘The law firm’s service is incredibly efficient and of incredibly good quality. The processing is fast and always solution-oriented. The entire spectrum of project development and real estate transactions can be covered very well.’

‘Annette Griesbach is characterized by incredible specialist knowledge in the areas of tenancy law and purchase contract law. Panu Siemer is characterized by expertise in investment law.’

‘Very good cooperation and knowledge of real estate law, especially in the area of project development. Goal-oriented advice in every project phase as well as fast and uncomplicated communication channels.’

Key clients

Angelo, Gordon & Company LP

Azure Hotels

BC Partners

Captiva Management GmbH

Catella Residential Investment Management GmbH

Deka Immobilien

Deutsche Logistik Holding GmbH & Co. KG

Fundamenta Group Deutschland AG

GARBE Industrial Real Estate GmbH

Gateway Real Estate AG

Hamburg Team Investment Management

Hanse Merkur Grundvermögen

Hesse Newman Real Estate Nr. 3 GmbH & Co. KG

LIP Invest GmbH

Panattoni Germany Properties GmbH

Petrus Vermögensverwaltungsgesellschaft mbH

Redos Real Estate GmbH

Work highlights

  • Advising Angelo Gordon on the acquisition of the multi-tenant property LAN 131 in Berlin Lichtenberg.
  • Advising Gateway Real Estate AG on the acquisition of a property in Leipzig. The purchase was made by way of share deals.
  • Advising Deka Immobilien on the acquisition of the Cubes office building in Düsseldorf.

ROTTHEGE

ROTTHEGE in Düsseldorf focuses on three central pillars: project development, transactions and asset management. The expertise of Lars Kölling and Martin Butzmann corresponds with the team's approach, which covers all asset categories, including office, logistics, commercial and hotel. The client base consists of project developers, real estate funds, asset managers, REITs and landlords, among others.

Practice head(s):

Lars Kölling; Martin Butzmann

Key clients

ABG Capital GmbH

CORESTATE Capital Advisors GmbH

ecoPARKS GmbH  EWMG – Entwicklungsgesellschaft der Stadt Mönchengladbach mbH

GERCHGROUP AG  GREENREB AG

Hahn Gruppe

HAMBORNER REIT AG

Hauck & Aufhäuser

ILG Assetmanagement GmbH

Inzepta Properties GmbH & Co. KG

Landmarken AG

Novum Hotels Holding GmbH

PROXIMUS INVEST

tristar GmbH

Squire Patton Boggs

Squire Patton Boggs comprehensively advises in the real estate sector, with a focus on supporting national and international real estate transactions, where practice head Kai Mertens regularly takes the lead. The team covers various asset categories, particularly residential and commercial, as well as project development transactions and related tax structurings. This is complemented by litigious experience.

Practice head(s):

Kai Mertens

Other key lawyers:

Christian Bleschke

Key clients

BMP Immobilien

Deutsche Wohnen

GSW Immobilien

Work highlights

  • Advice to Deutsche Wohnen on the sale of 2,200 residential units to LEG with a volume of over €‎300 million and advice to Deutsche Wohnen and Vonovia on the sale of around 18,000 residential units to subsidiaries of the State of Berlin with a volume of over €‎2.5 billion.
  • Defense of Deutsche Wohnen in a lawsuit regarding a broker’s fee as well as defense against the fine of approx. €14.5 million imposed by the Berlin Commissioner for Data Protection in Freedom of Information.
  • Representing GSW Immobilien AG against the assertion of a €‎10 million transaction fee by Burning Bush Ltd. following the 2017 transaction of Epicure’s portfolio of approximately 5,000 residential units.

ADVANT Beiten

Integrated into the global network of partner law firms, ADVANT Beiten assists clients in cross-border transactions and with European market entry. Most recently, a focus was on the asset management area as well as instructions from national and international companies, asset managers and real estate managers pertaining to commercial tenancy law. This advice offering corresponds with the expertise of practice head Klaus Legs, who also acts as a notary.

Practice head(s):

Klaus Beine

Other key lawyers:

Florian Baumann; Christoph Seidl

Testimonials

‘With Florian Baumann we have a single point of contact who takes care of all our concerns and solves them for us. He always attaches great importance to speed and absolute quality.’

‘The commitment of the entire team is more than exemplary.’

‘When it comes to difficult issues, Florian Baumann always highlights the legal risk associated with common practice in his assessments. Our entire team attaches great importance to his advice.’

‘The team around Florian Baumann is excellently positioned. It has set new standards in terms of quality and speed over the past few years.’

‘Available at all times.’

‘Florian Baumann: Fast and precise feedback. In addition, extremely cooperative and friendly cooperation.’

‘Friendly communication; permanently interested in all matters; follow-up on the points discussed; operational readiness; solution-oriented.’

Key clients

Aberdeen Standard Investments Deutschland AG

Active Ants B.V.

ALDI Süd-Gesellschaften mit Filialen in Bayern, Baden-Württemberg, Hessen und Rheinland-Pfalz

B&B Hotels Germany GmbH

Corestate Capital Advisors GmbH*

IQWIG Institut für Qualität und Wirtschaftlichkeit im Gesundheitswesen

Work highlights

  • Advising Corestate Capital Advisors GmbH on the lease of the new company headquarters in Frankfurt’s Marienturm as part of the Marieninsel development project in Frankfurt’s banking district on Taunusanlage.
  • Advising B&B Hotels GmbH on the conclusion of new hotel operator contracts.
  • Advising the Dutch company Active Ants B.V. on entering a new logistics market.

AHB Arends Hofert Bergemann Rechtsanwälte Steuerberater PartGmbB

Hamburg-based AHB Arends Hofert Bergemann Rechtsanwälte Steuerberater PartGmbB recently supported several large-volume transactions in Germany and the Netherlands pertaining to the residential, office and commercial sector as well as portfolio transactions, including their financing. The team is led by Volker Arends (real estate law, corporate law and M&A) and Malte Masloff (real estate law, employment law) and advises a loyal client base, including corporate groups and fund companies.

Practice head(s):

Volker Arends; Malte Masloff

Key clients

MIDEAL Management Limited Partnership

Kieft Unternehmensgruppe

Paribus Unternehmensgruppe

Work highlights

  • Advising MIDEAL Management Limited Partnership on the acquisition of a large portfolio of six Metro wholesale stores in Germany held by six Dutch B.V.s; simultaneous takeover of the existing real estate financing of LBWW.

Arnecke Sibeth Dabelstein

Arnecke Sibeth Dabelstein‘s real estate team offers an interdisciplinary approach, which covers all relevant corporate, tax and supervisory law matters. The main focus is on transactions, their financing and due diligence processes. The expertise of Thomas Richter, Jan Wunschel and Alexander Thiermann corresponds with the practice's approach; they jointly head the team and are also well versed in asset management. Stefan Meusel (real estate transactions) und Aldo Trentinaglia (real estate transactions and project developments) joined in January 2023 from Zenk Rechtsanwälte.

Testimonials

‘Alexander Thiermann: Specialist in commercial tenancy law and transactions. Pragmatic, economically oriented consulting approach with an eye for the essentials. You can tell that he attaches great importance to partnership and long-term cooperation. He’s also very well connected.’

‘Distinctive expertise, high assertiveness, reliable deadline monitoring, excellent quality of advice.’

‘Alexander Lehnen is always a competent and reliable contact person. He tries to give his clients excellent and timely advice. He’s always managed to do that with us.’

‘The team is very well coordinated!’

‘No automated assembly line work, high availability, high degree of communication skills.’

‘Individual care and approach to the assigned complexes, interdisciplinarity, the ability to “think around the corner”.’

‘All my questions are answered pragmatically, purposefully and thus also in a time-saving manner.’

‘High responsiveness (also and especially with partners) and fair, transparent invoicing, without putting together huge teams of lawyers for each mandate.’

Key clients

2CP Cube Capital Partners AG

Akron Group

Birte Mang

Bürgerwind Uetze 1 GmbH & Co. KG  Bürgerwind Uetze 2 GmbH & Co. KG

Deutsche Investment Kapitalverwaltungsgesellschaft mbH

DeWert Wertinvestment GmbH

Fujitsu

Gerch Gruppe

GERCHGROUP AG

Institutional Investment Partners GmbH

IntReal International Real Estate Kapitalverwaltungsgesellschaft mbH/KINGSTONE Investment Management GmbH

IntReal Internationale Real Estate Kapitalverwaltungsgesellschaft mbH/Sondervermögen Barton Wohnen Individual

ImmoRaising AG (Graw Gruppe)

Isaria (Tochtergesellschaft Deutsche Wohnen)

LLB Immo Kapitalanlagegesellschaft m.b.H

Omega

Schroders Real Estate Asset Management GmbH

Schroders Real Estate KVG mbH/Sondervermögen

SERGO Germany GmbH

Sodexo Group

Stena Recycling AB (Schweden)

Sternbach-Kliniken GmbH / Orthmann Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH

TAS Asset +Investment Management GmbH

Travnik Group

UCC Holding AG (Schweiz) Verifort

Wüstenrot Haus- und Städtebau GmbH

ZAR Real Estate Holding

Fieldfisher

Fieldfisher mainly advises investors, project developers, financial institutions and industrial companies on all aspects of commercial tenancy law as well as national and international transactions and project developments. The focus here is on the asset categories residential, office and hotel. Philipp Stricharz (real estate transactions and project developments) and Victor-Alexander Martins Kuenzel (real estate law) jointly head the team.

Testimonials

‘The team is young and growing and at the same time getting more and more experienced. Very uncomplicated and always straight to the point. Topics relevant to us are identified and addressed very early on. You always have the feeling of working together as a team towards a goal.’

‘Philipp Stricharz: His opinion is very important for our investment decisions, both at management level and at investor level. He identifies the relevant topics very quickly, gets to the heart of the matter and quickly brings about economically efficient solutions.’

‘The team speaks an unusual number of languages and is very straightforward and experienced in cross-border operations. All speak very good English.’

‘The team is excellent. The lawyers are dealmakers, not dealbreakers.’

‘Both in the area of real estate transactions and ongoing asset management as well as in litigation, we have achieved many very nice successes together.’

‘Philipp Stricharz leads the team well and professionally.’

Key clients

Carmex Precision Tools

Mezin Gruppe

NEXT Generation Invest

Reality Gruppe

Sloane Sportspack GmbH & Co. KG

TITAN Nadlan-Gruppe

Kapellmann und Partner

Kapellmann und Partner mainly focuses on transaction support, where the team is frequently instructed on the acquisition and sale of real estate portfolios and individual properties. This is complemented by experience in project developments and asset management. The capacities in these three areas were strengthened with the appointment of Max Mommertz as salary partner in January 2022. The team is led by Florian Kirchhof (construction, purchase and rental agreements) and Martin Lailach (project developments).

Other key lawyers:

Max Mommertz; Dennis Vorsmann

Testimonials

‘Fast response to inquiries; reliable delegation to competent colleagues in the event of short-term capacity bottlenecks.’

‘Florian Kirchhof: Quick understanding of (very) complex problems, development of targeted solutions. Very good client coaching.’

‘Super competent, even if it gets very complex. Excellent!’

Lambsdorff Rechtsanwälte

Lambsdorff Rechtsanwälte 's versatile real estate practice advises on traditional transactions and their financing, including asset and share deals, commercial tenancy law and project developments. The competencies in the transactional and financing arena were further expanded with the partner appointment of Daniel Moussa in January 2022. Practice head Stephan Albrecht is an experienced advisor as well as litigator.

Practice head(s):

Stephan Albrecht

Other key lawyers:

Daniel Moussa

Testimonials

‘A real insider tip. The law firm has grown significantly in recent years due to increased client demand.’

‘Dr. Stephan Albrecht: Very experienced real estate lawyer, who is particularly convincing due to his high speed when working for clients.’

Key clients

DIC Asset AG

Cresco Real Estate

TSC Real Estate

Fintech Community Frankfurt GmbH

Kinderwunsch Zentrum München

Novartis Pharma GmbH

Hexal AG

Penumbra Europe GmbH

5QRE

Estateguru

Wertconcept

Cycle Concepts (Rocycle)

Cushman & Wakefield LLC

Signature Capital

Berlinovo Immobilien Gesellschaft mbH

Sirius Real Estate

Immowert Immobiliengruppe

Scaling One GmbH

Reform Furniture Germany GmbH

PRIMUS Immobilien AG

MADE.COM Ltd.

Klarna Bank

Takeda Pharma

Work highlights

  • Advice to Signature Capital on transaction business, regular financing advice for both purchase financing and refinancing, as well as tenancy law advice for large-volume letting processes.
  • Advising 5QRE, an initiator of closed real estate funds in the healthcare real estate sector, on transactions and project developments throughout Germany.
  • Advising Estateguru, an Estonian provider of crowd lending-based real estate financing solutions, on all financing projects in Germany.

Latham & Watkins LLP

Latham & Watkins LLP 's focus on supporting national and cross-border real estate transactions in various asset categories was further strengthened with the addition of real estate transaction expert Carsten Loll from Linklaters in October 2022. Otto von Gruben is also experienced here, while Torsten Volkholz, who jointly heads the practice with von Gruben, complements this with relevant financing expertise.

Other key lawyers:

Carsten Loll

Testimonials

‘Very international, result- and practice-oriented team.’

‘Very competent, quick understanding, incredibly available, solution-oriented.’

‘Very transparent cost structure and in-depth industry knowledge.’

‘Torsten Volkholz is always available and provides fast, precise legal advice.’

‘Very dynamic and young team that always works very practice-oriented and efficiently and is always available for questions/comments.’

‘The communication style is very pleasant, which leads, among other things, to a goal-oriented course of the transaction and also to a good relationship with the other party in the respective transactions.’

‘Due to the strong international network of the law firm, cross-border transactions / legal issues do not pose a problem and are solved promptly, with the results always being collected by the (German) deal team and communicated to the client – the contact persons remain the same.’

Key clients

Allied Irisch Banks

Aventos Sigma Objektgesellschaft mbH

Bank of America

Catella Real Estate

Christie B.V.

Institutional Investment Partners GmbH (2IP)

Madison International Realty

Primevest Capital Partners Nederland B.V.

redos institutional GmbH

pbb – Deutsche Pfandbriefbank AG

Union Investment

Loschelder

Loschelder covers the entire life cycle of a property and thus advises national and international investors and project developers on transactions and large-scale urban district developments; the capacities in the latter segment include the purchase of land, project development and leasing as well as sales support. Practice head Stefan Stock regularly takes the lead here. In January 2022, commercial tenancy law specialist Janos Mahlo made partner.

Practice head(s):

Stefan Stock

Other key lawyers:

Janos Mahlo

Testimonials

‘Well positioned for real estate transactions. Collaboration is seamless.’

‘Stefan Stock: strong negotiator; present; charming; can adapt to the other side.’

‘What differentiates Loschelder from other law firms? The commercial understanding, the pragmatism, the speed and the personal commitment to implement transactions in the best possible way for the benefit of the client.’

‘Stefan Stock: The more complex the situation, the tighter the timeline, the better Stefan Stock becomes. He always remains down-to-earth and approachable.’

‘Young, dynamic team.’

‘Stefan Stock: Super efficient and very likeable.’

Key clients

Gentes Gruppe

Art-Invest

Signature Capital

Wohnkompanie

MSREI

Kintyre

Cube Real Estate

Prologis

SIGNA Real Estate

SilverCloud

Bain Capital

IC Campus GmbH

BEOS

Redevco

Zurich

Deutsche Fonds Holding GmbH

Raue

Raue 's Berlin-based practice offers longstanding expertise in real estate transactions, here, practice head Cornelia Gorn is particularly well versed in the healthcare sector. The transactional capacities in the asset categories office, retail and logistics were strengthened with the addition of Stefanie Rzeniecki (formerly at EY Law ) in March 2022. A further focus is on project developments, where the team frequently cooperates with the construction law team. Rzeniecki is also well versed in commercial tenancy law.

Practice head(s):

Cornelia Gorn

Other key lawyers:

Klaus Goecke; Stefanie Rzeniecki

Testimonials

‘The entire team is well-established and customer-oriented.’

‘Stefanie Rzeniecki has always won us over with her constant availability, deep understanding and pragmatic solutions. In particular, the deal orientation should be emphasized here.’

‘Stefanie Rzeniecki understands how to solve deadlocked negotiations and move them forward with good approaches. If required, contracts are provided in an extremely short time with very high quality. The availability is very good.’

Key clients

Planungsgemeinschaft Das Neue Gartenfeld GmbH & Co.KG

HAMBURG TEAM Investment Management GmbH (HTIM)

Tegel Projekt GmbH

Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) AöR

Swiss Life

Bundeskanzleramt

Land Berlin

ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg eV

Values Institutional. Invest GmbH

Work highlights

  • Advice to the planning association Das Neue Gartenfeld GmbH & Co.KG on the implementation of the structured bidding process and on the subsequent contract negotiations under real estate law.
  • Advice to HAMBURG TEAM Investment Management GmbH on the purchase of several senior housing projects.
  • Advising the State of Berlin, represented by the state-owned project company Tegel Projekt GmbH, on planning the redesign of the site of today’s Berlin-Tegel Airport into an innovative commercial, industrial and research location.

Reed Smith

Reed Smith focuses on transactional support, including portfolio and individual property transactions as well as share or asset deals and sale-and-lease-back structures; this is complemented by asset management expertise. Among the key contacts are Etienne Richthammer (real estate transactions and investments, asset management, commercial tenancy law), Martin Meißner (real estate transactions and project developments) and René Lochmann (real estate transaction-related financing).

Rittershaus

Local authorities, project developers and institutional investors rely on Rittershaus' combined real estate and construction law expertise, including property acquisition and financing, construction approval, development and sale. With the arrival of a five-strong partner team, including Michael Grünwald and Florian Hänle (both real estate transactions and financing) and Marina Schäuble (real estate transactions and project developments), in October 2021 from Arnecke Sibeth Dabelstein, this combined approach was further strengthened. Alongside Felix Klemt (project developments and real estate transactions), Hänle is a key contact for real estate law matters.

Practice head(s):

Felix Klemt; Florian Hänle

Testimonials

‘High client and service orientation. Outstanding knowledge of German real estate law.’

‘A hands-on, solution-oriented team that gives you the feeling of being the center of attention as a client.’

‘Dr. Marina Schäuble is characterized in particular by well-founded specialist knowledge with a considerable depth of detail, pronounced and empathetic negotiating skills, a high level of resilience, conscientiousness, a high degree of reliability and very good availability.’

Key clients

Deutsche Bahn AG, DB Fahrzeuginstandhaltung GmbH

DIR Deutsche Investment Retail GmbH

GRR Real Estate Management GmbH

Leibniz-Institut für Deutsche Sprache

MAN Truck & Bus SE

RAMINVEST GmbH & Co. KG

Wöhr+Bauer GmbH

Wüstenrot Haus- und Städtebau GmbH

Work highlights

  • Ongoing advice to Wüstenrot Haus- und Städtebau GmbH on the sale of building plots.

WAGENSONNER

Thanks to in-depth expertise in real estate and construction law, WAGENSONNER offers comprehensive support to investors, industrial companies, banks, project developers and portfolio holders as well as medium-sized companies in project developments and transactions in all asset categories. Practice head Andreas Helm also specialises in transaction support, he also has expertise in relevant mezzanine financing and commercial tenancy law. He is supported by salary partner Gero Martin, who also covers transactions and has additional experience in supporting clients in post-closing processes pertaining to concluded real estate contracts.

Practice head(s):

Andreas Helm

Other key lawyers:

Gero Martin

Testimonials

‘The main contacts are very deeply involved in all topics and coordinate internally across all legal departments. Deliver quickly and practice-oriented. Feels like it’s a team!’

‘Andreas Helm: Fast, reliable, incredibly broad knowledge. He negotiates in a very practice-oriented manner and presents good solutions. Can’t be fazed. Always factual and courteous.’

‘Gero Martin: Fast and professional processing.’

Key clients

ABG Real Estate Group

Aurelis Asset GmbH

AXA Investment Managers Deutschland GmbH

Bayerisches Rotes Kreuz, Kreisverband München

Bayern Facility Management GmbH

BEOS AG

EMG Real Estate GmbH/IMMOTIME AG

EPCOS AG

German High Street Properties A/S

HUK-Coburg

Linde AG

Logivest GmbH

Lucroso GmbH (Golden Leaf Hotels / Blattl Hotels)

Rathgeber AG

RF 360 GmbH

RMI Immobilien GmbH

Rock Capital Group

Versicherungskammer Bayern

Vonovia SE

Willy Bogner GmbH und Co. KGaA

Württembergische Lebensversicherungs AG

Work highlights

  • Advising ABG Allgemeine Beteiligungs- und Gewerbeimmobilien-Verwaltungs GmbH & Co. Objekt Deutschlandhaus KG on the conclusion of the rental agreement with Hamburger Sparkasse AG in the Deutschlandhaus in Hamburg with a fixed term of 15 years.
  • Advising Grundkontor Projekt GmbH on the sale of the Wendenquartier project in Hamburg with around 700 micro-apartments for students and professionals to the International Campus by way of a forward share deal.

Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP

Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP follows a cross-practice advisory approach, thus frequently covering corporate, insolvency and tax law matters. This combined expertise is predominantly utilised in (portfolio) transactions, project developments and related financing and recently included the asset categories logistics, industrial, residential, office, retail, hotel and data centers. The Frankfurt practice is led by Cornelia Thaler, whose competencies correspond with the team’s approach.

Practice head(s):

Cornelia Thaler

Testimonials

‘Top team for real estate market transactions – the team rushes from success to success.’

‘Cornelia Thaler is technically excellent, convinces with brilliant negotiating skills and a deep understanding of economics and also has an extensive network of contacts.’

‘The team has decades of experience in real estate and real estate transactions. The interfaces to investment law and investment tax law are also seamlessly covered from a single source. We feel that we are in very good hands and looked after in all legal questions relating to real estate.’

‘Cornelia Thaler is an authority in the market. In addition to the legal tools, she brings with her the necessary excellent network in the market.’

‘Cornelia Thaler: Extremely experienced, dealmaker with innovative solutions.’

Key clients

Globus SB-Warenhaus Holding

Greystar

StoneVest AG / IPE

Schaffhausen Institute of Technology

PATRIZIA

Corestate Capital/Hannover Leasing

Samsung Electronics

JP Morgan

WERTGRUND Immobilien AG

Delin Capital

Blantyre Capital Limited  DIR – Deutsche Investment Gruppe

Deutsche Landentwicklung AG

Indigo Invest

Kalrock Capital

Frasers Property

Work highlights

  • Advising the consortium consisting of Greystar and GIC on the acquisition of a care project development in Hamburg structured as a forward deal.
  • Advising the supermarket operator GLOBUS on the acquisition of 24 REAL supermarkets from the seller SCP.
  • Advising StoneVest AG on the structuring and development of the Industrial Properties Europe (IPE) investment platform, which focuses on logistics and light industry, and the joint venture with ESAS.