Rising Stars

Firms To Watch: Tax

ADVANT Beiten is particularly active in advising companies on cross-border tax matters in relation to M&A transactions, restructurings and internationalisations; this is mirrored by its German-Russian tax practice and was further enhanced by its 2021 merger with French law firm ADVANT Altana and Italian law firm ADVANT Nctm. The group is also experienced in assisting economic departments of public bodies.
Kirkland & Ellis International LLP's team around Daniel Hiemer and Michael Ehret, who joined from Allen & Overy LLP in 2022, is well versed in assisting with tax aspects of transactions and also has expertise in tax litigation and tax audits.

Tax in Germany

Flick Gocke Schaumburg

Flick Gocke Schaumburg houses one of Germany’s largest tax teams and comprehensively advises national companies, the public sector, private individuals and international players on all tax issues, including transaction-related tax matters, tax compliance, criminal tax law, restructuring and reorganization as well as corporate succession. The practice, which is headed by Thomas Rödder (corporate and group taxation) in Bonn, also advises on transfer pricing and IPOs. Karsten Randt and Jörg Schauf are well versed in criminal tax matters, while the appointments of Jörg Kurzenberger and Tim Zinowsky in January 2022 enabled the firm to expand its partner presence in tax restructuring matters.

Practice head(s):

Thomas Rödder


Testimonials

‘Tax support for family businesses, in particular with regard to international tax law, transfer pricing and inheritance tax.’

Work highlights


  • Advising CTP NV on tax aspects of their public takeover (public offer share swap) for Deutsche Industrie REIT-AG (DIR).

  • Tax advice to Dr. Oetker on its demerger.

Linklaters

As part of its international firm network Linklaters predominantly focuses its tax advice on transactions: the team, and in particular Sebastian Benz and practice head Oliver Rosenberg, regularly apply their expertise in the context of joint ventures, company acquisitions and private equity as well as in relation to complex reorganizations and restructurings. The practice also provides ongoing advice to large companies on transfer pricing, crisis management and tax compliance, criminal tax law and forensic matters related cum-ex and cum-cum, with Jens Blumenberg being particularly well versed in the latter topic; in addition, the group possesses intersectional capacities in fund structuring and investment tax law. Managing associate Julian Böhmer focuses on corporate restructuring-related tax advice among other matters.

Practice head(s):

Oliver Rosenberg


Testimonials

‘High professional competence and interdisciplinary cooperation; coordinated independently and proactive action, so that control efforts on client side can be limited to what is necessary; Targeted use of IT tools to systematically expand very large amounts of data; transparent fee statements.’

‘Excellent, broad practice combined with a strong business understanding. The team has the ability to present complex issues in a comprehensible manner and makes concrete recommendations for action that also take into account the company’s workings.’

‘Creative use of digital technologies for efficient processing of mass matters and analysis of large amounts of data. The legal advisory teams are well coordinated with project managers and digital experts and offer a complete product.’

Work highlights


  • Advising Daimler AG on the spin-off and IPO of its Trucks & Buses division.

  • Advised Glennmont Partners on the acquisition of a 50% stake in Ørsted’s Borkum Riffgrund 3 offshore wind farm.

  • Advising McKesson Corporation on the sale of parts of their European business to the Phoenix Group.

Allen & Overy LLP

Allen & Overy LLP‘s tax team impresses with wide-ranging know-how on the entire spectrum of relevant issues which its also handles on international level due to its cross-location network. Corporate and transactional tax matters form a particular strong pillar of the practice and are further complemented with expertise in the digitization and automation of tax processes, preventive tax compliance and tax litigation; practice head Gottfried Breuninger, who also assists financial institutions with complex investigations and tax audits, is particularly well versed in the latter segment. Heike Weber primarily advises on tax aspects of mergers and acquisitions, while the arrival of Florian Lechner from Jones Day in February 2023 enabled the firm to expand its cum-cum and cum-ex capacities. Thomas Dieker (tax restructuring and transaction tax law) joined Mayer Brown LLP in December 2022 and Michael Ehrlich (transaction-related tax law) left for Kirkland & Ellis International LLP in May 2022.

Practice head(s):

Gottfried Breuninger


Testimonials

‘The tax team offers a great service. They have excellent specialist knowledge of all tax aspects of the real estate industry. Always to the point, service-oriented and very responsive. We have been working with them for a long time.’

‘Perfect cooperation at the highest technical and IT level; Adherence to deadlines, great cooperation and communication in the team, great work results.’

‘Allen & Overy has already accompanied us on various aspects within our multinational group. The team skillfully solves complex requirements, which requires various specialists in tax, corporate finance and corporate governance. They think ahead and are genuinely willing to solve client problems.’

Key clients

Deutsche Bank AG


Frankfurter Lebensversicherung AG


Bridgepoint


Hapag-Lloyd AG


Charterhouse Capital Partners LLP


Work highlights


  • Advising private equity company Bridgepoint on the acquisition of a majority stake in the PTV Group (PTV).

  • Advising and defending Deutsche Bank AG against liability claims related to alleged joint and several obligation and damages.

  • Advice to Hapag-Lloyd AG on entering the JadeWeserPort (JWP).

Clifford Chance

Clifford Chance‘s German tax practice focuses on four core areas: transaction taxation in the context of M&A and PE, financial tax matters in the adjacent fund and asset management sphere, contentious tax matters and tax assistance with real estate transactions. Its international client base mainly consists of banks, corporations, investors, funds, capital management companies and family businesses, which the group also advises on tax audits and criminal tax proceedings; in the latter area, practice head Felix Mühlhäuser in Frankfurt is a key contact, who also assists with tax compliance. Other key contacts include Dominik Engl, who is well versed in real estate and transactional tax issues, and Marco Simonis, who is increasingly sought after for fund and asset management tax structuring advice. Thorsten Sauerhering left the firm in spring 2022 to enter self-employment.

Practice head(s):

Felix Mühlhäuser


Testimonials

‘Very pragmatic and layman-friendly advice, which is rather unusual for tax advice.’

‘Hands-on mentality and responsive. Do their best to close the deal. A weekly update on costs was provided upon request. Stick to budget.’

‘Dominik Engl: Hands on and provides business-oriented advice, very experienced in cross-border structuring of transactions.’

‘Dominik Engl is characterized by excellent specialist knowledge paired with incredibly strong social skills. He identifies any sticking points of a transaction in the shortest possible time and works in a solution-oriented and efficient manner. He is not only able to present his clients with legal or structural solutions, but also to determine the quantitative effects of the respective option on the tax to be paid.’

‘Dominik Engl: I am 100% convinced of his competence and do not work with any other team or lawyer on tax issues. Mr. Engl’s price-performance ratio is excellent and significantly better than that of other comparable law firms. I have already recommended Mr. Engl to several companies.’

‘Dominik Engl is outstanding.’

Milbank

Milbank has extensive private equity and M&A tax expertise, thereby advising on domestic and cross-border acquisition and financing structures and corporate restructurings, while tax litigation and tax-related arbitration represent other important core areas for the practice. In addition, companies and private individuals also draw on the team's expertise for tax audits, ongoing tax advice, accessions tax planning and management participation programs. Thomas Kleinheisterkamp, Rolf Füger, Matthias Schell and Norbert Rieger are all experienced in transaction-related tax advice.

Testimonials

‘Fast, pragmatic, very experienced, involved partners, flexible, very accessible.’

‘Complex topics are quickly grasped, structured and processed. Each sub-area is processed with professionalism and solutions are implemented with appropriate, economically sensible approaches.’

‘Matthias Schell embodies an extraordinarily high level of responsiveness, to the point and – this is to be rated particularly highly – the ability for an all-round view, i.e. the further topics in the direction of risk management in a transaction. Interdisciplinary thinking is not just a buzzword, but is pre-structured for the client and implemented in an exemplary manner.’

Key clients

Advent International


About You


Allianz X


Ardian


Auto1 Group


Bilfinger SE


Conrad Electronic SE


Deutsche Beteiligungs AG (DBAG)


Deutsche Invest Capital Partners GmbH


ECM Equity Capital Management


EMH Digital Growth Fund GmbH & Co. KG


EQT Partners AB


General Atlantic


H.C. Starck Group


H.I.G. European Capital Partners GmbH


INNIO Group


KAEFER Isoliertechnik GmbH & Co. KG


LEA Partners


Otto Group


PAI Partners


ProSiebenSat.1 Media SE


Sartorius AG


The Carlyle Group


Work highlights


  • Advising HC Starck Group on the conclusion of an agreement to sell its electronic materials business (HCS-Electronic Materials) to Materion Corporation.

  • Advising KAEFER Isoliertechnik GmbH & Co. KG and shareholders on the sale of 50% of shares to a consortium consisting of the European PE fund Altor Fund V and the SMS Group.

  • Advising Allianz X on the integration of their portfolio company finanzen-Gruppe into the digital insurance broker CLARK.

Baker McKenzie

Transaction taxation represents the mainstay of Baker McKenzie's practice, which is increasingly active in cross-border matters, and is also the focus of Frankfurt-based practice heads Thomas Schänzle and Christoph Becker. The group also has expertise in tax compliance, tax audits and contentious tax matters, that are often handled by Jana Fischer. After welcoming Florian Gimmler (transfer pricing) from PwC Legal (PricewaterhouseCoopers Legal AG Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft) in 2021, three more lawyers followed from the same firm: Hans-Martin Eckstein (transactional tax law) joined as senior counsel in autumn 2021, Ron Dorward (transfer pricing and tax law investigations) as counsel in January 2022 and Jörg Hanken (transfer pricing) as partner in March 2022.

Testimonials

‘Very agile team with deep expertise in all tax-related areas. Strong global network, extremely fast, technically profound and yet pragmatic.’

‘Thomas Schänzle: Excellent combination of a comprehensive view of client needs on the one hand and professional expertise on the other.’

‘Thomas Schänzle: Highly qualified advice, especially on complex international issues.’

Key clients

Rakuten


Sika


Nikkiso


Kerry Group


Aurelius Privat Equity


Boehringer Ingelheim


Ingenics AG


Work highlights


  • Tax advice from Nikkiso Co. Ltd. on the sale of LEWA GmbH, Geveke BV and their respective subsidiaries to Atlas Copco.

  • Tax advice to Aurelius Private Equity on the acquisition of Minova as part of a global carve-out transaction from ASX-listed Orica Limited.

  • Tax advice to SIKA AG and its subsidiaries on the sale of the industrial coatings business of Sika Deutschland GmbH to US company Sherwin-Williams.

Gleiss Lutz

Gleiss Lutz is particularly well versed in transactional tax law, tax compliance, investigations and corporate succession planning; Achim Dannecker is one of the main contacts for the latter. Companies in crisis situations often instruct the practice in restructuring and insolvency tax matters which represent some of the team's strongest competencies. Frankfurt-based practice head Stefan Mayer and Johann Wagner are experienced in assisting with tax aspects of PE and M&A transactions, while Alexander Werder applies his forensic expertise in cum-ex matters. Ocka Stumm made partner in January 2022 and focuses on transaction taxes, tax compliance and tax disputes.

Practice head(s):

Stefan Mayer


Testimonials

‘Outstanding tax team that is always up to date on current topics, delivers top quality very efficiently and communicates very well.’

‘Lots of experience in private equity, small deal teams with lots of partner presence.’

‘Stefan Mayer has comprehensive tax expertise in the private equity field, always acts in an absolutely client-oriented manner; networking within his own law firm with corporate colleagues works well despite different locations.’

Work highlights


  • Advising specialty chemicals group LANXESS in connection with the establishment of a joint venture for technical high-performance polymers with private equity investor Advent International.

  • Advice to Adler Modemärkte AG and three German subsidiaries of the Adler Modemärkte Group in connection with its insolvency.

  • Advising Deutsche Post DHL Group in connection with the acquisition of up to 100% of JF Hillebrand Group AG and its subsidiaries.

POELLATH

POELLATH‘s tax practice focuses on tax aspects of transactions and asset management, with the team and in particular co-head Michael Best in Munich being particularly active in tax-optimized private equity structures (buyouts) and the structuring of investment funds. In addition, Berlin-based co-head Hardy Fischer impresses with expertise in assisting domestic and foreign investors with real estate transaction taxation while the group is also experienced in asset management and corporate tax law. André Fest, who predominantly advises on tax compliance systems, made associated partner in January 2022; Korbinian Wintermeier (corporate and group tax law) was promoted to counsel at the same time. Andreas Rodin (tax fund structuring) joined Orbit at the end of 2021 and is now with YPOG.

Practice head(s):

Michael Best; Hardy Fischer


Testimonials

‘Pöllath’s colleagues are pragmatic and practice-oriented. Very high quality.’

‘Hardy Fischer: No-nonsense guy, quick thinker.’

‘Hardy Fischer: Technical expertise and industry knowledge, responsiveness; tailor-made advice from e-mails to detailed statements, tax fact books or contract negotiations.’

Key clients

DPE Deutsche Private Equity


Objectway


LMP Partners (GHe/FrT)


Maxburg Capital


Acura/Investcorp


Ingentis Softwareentwicklung (Ghe/OH/JH)


Union Investment


LBBW Immobiliengruppe


Quantum Immobilien


ZBI


EQT


Elvaston Gruppe


ProGlove Gruppe


Equistone Partners


EMERAM Capital


Work highlights


  • Advising Castic Capital on the launch of new Luxembourg single asset fund EPIC Fund Ib including all tax, contractual and regulatory aspects of fund structuring, contractual documentation and negotiations with investors.

  • Advising Deutsche Wohnen on the sale of a real estate portfolio to the State of Berlin.

  • Advising the investor consortium consisting of OMERS Infrastructure, Goldman Sachs Asset Management and AXA IM Alts on management participation in the takeover of amedes group from previous investor Antin Infrastructure Partners.

CMS

CMS' tax team is particularly experienced in transactional advice and corporate tax issues, but also assists clients with the implementation of tax compliance systems, criminal tax proceedings and tax disputes. In the non-contentious sphere, the group also advises on wealth planning, investment tax law and corporate succession; practice heads Björn Demuth in Stuttgart and Angelika Thies in Munich possess extensive know-how in the latter field. Martin Mohr, who is experienced in transaction-related tax law, made partner in January 2022.

Practice head(s):

Björn Demuth; Angelika Thies


Dentons

Alongside transactions and conversions, Dentons' tax experts also focus on assisting insurance industry players with special risk and W&I insurance. Tax disputes, tax audits and corporate tax represent further areas of expertise, while the use of legal tech creates additional value in the context of transfer pricing documentation and tax compliance. The client base consists of national and international companies as well as funds and investors, which are often looked after in cooperation with the firm's global network. Fund and investor advice is one of Stephan Busch's mainstays, while Frankfurt-based practice head Michael Graf has expertise in corporate tax law, Pia Dorfmueller focuses on corporate and group tax law and Dominik Thomer frequently assists with transaction taxes. Andreas Berberich in Munich (focus on transaction taxes and tax disputes, among others) made partner in April 2022 and Lars Kutzner (tax compliance) joined Osborne Clarke in early 2022.

Practice head(s):

Michael Graf


Testimonials

‘Recognized technical expertise combined with many years of experience and always up to date with tax law developments. Expert support, especially in corporate transactions and financial issues. Interdisciplinary cooperation through internal involvement of other partners and associates.’

‘Very competent law firm with an international character.’

‘Very good knowledge of the client’s special features. Many years of experience and high availability.’

‘Michael Graf is characterized by the fact that he can find a good tax solution for highly complex tax issues in a very short time, even if there is no case law or literature on these issues. His accuracy, precision, professional expertise and human nature make him an indispensable part of our daily work in corporate tax law, including international issues.’

‘Pia Dorfmueller tirelessly represents the interests of her clients and provides clear, pragmatic and user-friendly tax advice.’

‘Andreas Berberich: An excellent lawyer. We routinely work with him on our German tax matters. He is knowledgeable, very responsive and knows our business needs very well.’

‘As a veteran, Stephan Busch approaches complex issues in a goal-oriented manner.’

‘Dominik Thomer is characterized by outstanding specialist knowledge and a deal-oriented mentality, which clearly stands out from the usual level of tax lawyers on the market.’

Key clients

AIG


ATAI Lifesciences NV


Berliner Wasserbetriebe


BNP Paribas Real Estate Investment Management GmbH


BVV Versicherungsverein des Bankgewerbes a. G.


Deutsche Vermögensberatung AG


Deutscher Sparkassen und Giroverband


Dual Specialty M&A GmbH


Franger Investment GmbH & Co. KGaA


Riskpoint A/S


Ruby Hotels GmbH


SAF-Holland SE


S Broker AG & Co KG


S-Kreditpartner GmbH


Stabilus SE


TELUS International


VolkswagenStiftung


Vonovia SE


Work highlights


  • Legal and tax advice to Vonovia on the sale of a real estate portfolio with residential and commercial units in Berlin.

  • Advising AIG, AMANIKI, Beazley, DUAL, Riskpoint, Liberty, Acquinex and Brockwell Capital on a total of over 130 W&I and special tax insurance policies.

  • Advising AIF Kapitalverwaltungs-AG on the acquisition of a portfolio of residential real estate and commercial units in the Netherlands.

Hogan Lovells International LLP

Hogan Lovells International LLP predominantly advises on transaction taxes, transfer pricing, tax compliance and tax aspects of real estate transactions, having recently been very active in the investment fund and private equity sectors. This also reflects the team-wide sector expertise in finance, with Heiko Gemmel and Mathias Schönhaus being the key contacts here and often accompanying M&A transactions. Practice head Ingmar Dörr focuses on forensic work in tax and customs investigations and is also well versed in tax disputes.

Practice head(s):

Ingmar Dörr


Key clients

AKASOL AG


ADVA Optical Networking


NRW.Bank und NORD/LB


Quadriga Capital


Saurer Netherlands Machinery Company BV


Talanx-Gruppe


Bundesrepublick Deutschland – Finanzagentur GmbH


FlixMobility


Teufel-Gruppe


Daimler AG


Cygna Labs Group


Dagmar Vogt Vermögensverwaltungs GmbH


Digital Charging Solutions (DCS)


InfraRed Capital Partners


EB – Sustainable Investment Management (EB-SIM) und die LHI Gruppe


Naxicap Partners


NorthC Gruppe


Selux AG


AGROB Immobilien AG


PTC, Inc.


Maguar


Armira Growth


Work highlights


  • Advised BMW and Mercedes-Benz on the sale of Share Now to Stellantis.

  • Advising the project development company Groß & Partner on the sale of the T1 project in Frankfurt.

  • Advising IDEAL insurance group with parent company IDEAL Lebensversicherung aG on the takeover of myLife Lebensversicherung AG and Honorarkonzept GmbH from previous owner Swiss INSUREVOLUTION Partners AG.

DLA Piper

DLA Piper provides tax expertise in transactions, particularly in the real estate sector, group tax law, transfer pricing and contentious matters. In cooperation with other locations the team also increasingly assists with cross-border tax compliance and further advises on withholding taxes. Frankfurt-based practice head Marie-Theres Rämer complements the offering with know-how on tax aspects of structured finance and leasing transactions, while Ulf Andresen is well versed in conducting tax audits including joint audits and subsequent tax disputes.

Practice head(s):

Marie-Theres Rämer


Testimonials

‘Very strong advice in the area of structuring and taxes, with very good availability of the responsible people. Communication within the law firm is also very good.’

‘Team is always coordinated, including the team leader, accessibility is very good.’

‘Good interdisciplinary teamwork. Very good specialist knowledge, very practice-oriented and goal-oriented.’

‘Ulf Andresen: An absolute expert in his field. Very good conversation partner and always well prepared in meetings. His calm manner is very pleasant and purposeful.’

‘The team was very thorough in their collaboration and analyzed the problem in detail. They were also very solution-oriented and solved the matter in a pragmatic way.’

‘Ulf Andresen: Excellent expertise and outstanding liaison/negotiator with tax authorities (never experienced anything like it in my career); Mr. Rohde: Very good expertise.’

‘Konrad Rohde is very thorough and attentive in his approach, he provides pragmatic solutions to existing problems.’

Key clients

DIC Asset AG


Schroder Real Estate


Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Japan/USA/UK/Switzerland


Sunovion Pharmaceuticals USA


InterContinental Hotel Group


Olympus Gruppe


Heidelberger Druckmaschinen


Catella Real Estate


LINET Gruppe


Work highlights


  • Advising DIC Asset AG on the acquisition and tax structuring of the purchase of two office properties in an off-market transaction in Munich.

  • Comprehensive global group structuring and restructuring, corporate and VAT advice to Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma in the supply chain.

  • Advising Schroder Real Estate on the sale and tax structuring of Victoriastadt Lofts at Berlin Ostkreuz to Austrian Signa Holding GmbH.

Oppenhoff

Oppenhoff's tax practice assists national and international clients with tax matters pertaining to restructuring and M&A transactions, with practice head Axel Bödefeld as the main contact. The practice demonstrates further expertise in transfer pricing and customs valuation as well as in contentious tax matters, where it regularly acts in connection with tax audits and before tax courts. Jan Mohrmann, previously at ADVANT Beiten, joined the Frankfurt office in April 2022 and advises private individuals on corporate and asset succession and is  also well versed in non-profit law.

Practice head(s):

Axel Bödefeld


Key clients

Benckiser Holding / JAB


Johnson & Johnson


Sebastian Vettel


Merck Sharp & Dohme


Bristol-Myers Squibb


VHV Versicherungen (unter anderem Hannoversche Leben)


Saint-Gobain


Ford


DuMont Media Group


Shop Apotheke Europe N.V.


Ecolog International


Work highlights


  • Advising Finatem III GmbH & Co. KG on the IPO of their portfolio company hGears AG.

  • Advising Schoofs Immobilien GmbH Frankfurt on the sale of six food stores (under construction).

  • Advising VHV Group on restructuring by founding and set-up of a new (partial) holding structure.

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP's team is well positioned to provide tax assistance with complex cross-border transaction structures, restructurings, tax audits as well as tax disputes; on contentious level, the practice and in particular practice head Johannes Frey were particularly active in IP-related tax proceedings.

Practice head(s):

Johannes Frey


Other key lawyers:

Frank Schwarz


Key clients

Alstria Office REIT


Amazon


Liberty Global


Apple


Færch Gruppe und A.P. Møller Holding


Filmbetriebe Berlin Brandenburg GmbH (FBB)


Goggo Network GmbH / Levere Holdings Corp


HeidelbergCement AG


IBM


MorphoSys AG


Netflix


NIKE


Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan


Perella Weinberg Partners


Viking Cruises


SEEPEX GmbH


SIGNA Sports United GmbH


Silver Lake


Vertex Pharmaceuticals


Work highlights


  • Advising SIGNA Sports United on their merger with Yucaipa Acquisition Corp.

  • Advising Armira Beteiligungen GmbH & Co. KG and Boxine GmbH on the merger of Boxine with 468 SPAC I SE.

  • Advising the Færch Group and AP Møller Holding on the acquisition of PACCOR Group.

White & Case LLP

White & Case LLP's tax team, which often advises across borders, is particularly active for players in the finance, real estate and energy sectors and impresses with know-how on M&A transactions, structured and asset-based financing, tax planning and tax disputes; the latter also represents the focus of Tim Bracksiek who made partner in January 2022. Practice head Bodo Bender is particularly well versed in advising on tax aspects of transactions.

Practice head(s):

Bodo Bender


Other key lawyers:

Tim Bracksiek


Testimonials

‘Professional competence, extraordinary commitment and client orientation characterize the tax team.’

Key clients

Adler Group


Aggregate Holdings S.A.


Faurecia


Landesbank Baden-Württemberg (LBBW)


Summit Group


Qatar Investment Authority


College Pension Plan of British Columbia


Jenoptik


ETC Issuance GmbH


Deutsche Lufthansa AG


Morgan Stanley


Work highlights


  • Advising Faurecia SE on the takeover bid for HELLA GmbH & Co. KGaA and on the acquisition of 60% of HELLA shares previously held by a pool of family shareholders.

  • Advising Landesbank Baden-Württemberg (LBBW) on the acquisition of Berlin Hyp AG from Landesbank Berlin Holding AG.

  • Advising Deutsche Lufthansa Aktiengesellschaft on its capital increase with subscription rights.

YPOG

YPOG's clients include investors, medium-sized and large companies, funds and private individuals seeking advice on tax aspects of transactions, investments and tax planning. Most recently, the team continued to expand its tax advice for private equity fund structures, while it applied its digital assets expertise in blockchain-based projects and in connection with crypto tokens. The Hamburg-based Malte Bergmann is well versed in the tax structuring of transactions and heads the group which recently saw various changes at partner level: Tammo Lüken  (tax structuring at VC and PE) made equity partner and Ann-Kristin Lochmann (transaction tax law) associated partner in January 2022, while associated partner Florian Oppel (corporate tax law) joined from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in April 2022 and Andreas Rodin (fund structuring tax) from Orbit in summer 2022.

Practice head(s):

Malte Bergmann


Testimonials

‘Very good expertise in M&A, employee participation programs, financial transactions.’

Key clients

Armira


IGEFA


BPE Unternehmensbeteiligungen


DTCP


KRONGAARD


BSI


Project A


Cherry Ventures


SellerX


Orlando Capital


Greenfield


Minimum Spanning Technologies


Delivery Hero


KKA


Work highlights


  • Tax advice to Delivery Hero on the sale of foodpanda Germany to Gorillas and as part of the investment in Gorillas.

  • Advising Armira on Boxine’s de-SPAC transaction with 468 SPAC.

  • Tax advice to SellerX on various financing rounds.

GSK Stockmann

Due to its firm-wide focus on the real estate sector, GSK Stockmann is ideally positioned for corresponding tax advice but also possesses expertise in assisting with transactions; thus, the team advises its client base, primarily consisting of companies, real estate investors and financial services providers, on transaction taxes, tax compliance, conversions, succession issues, green tax and fund structuring. In the latter area, as well as on matters of cross-border financial taxes, the team frequently cooperates with the Luxembourg office and demonstrates further know-how in tax disputes and tax audits. The practice is headed by Petra Eckl in Frankfurt and Dirk Koch in Munich, both of whom have extensive experience in tax advice on real estate transactions. Heiko Stoll (tax optimization of funds and investments) joined Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner in early 2022.

Practice head(s):

Petra Eckl; Dirk Koch


Testimonials

‘Very fast reaction, always available, partner participation if necessary, very high quality work results.’

Key clients

aTmos Gruppe


degewo AG


GPEP GmbH


Art Invest Real Estate und Accumulata Real Estate


Art-Invest Real Estate Management GmbH & Co. KG


BERNARD Gruppe ZT GmbH


Pedersoli Studio Legale WIIT S.p.A.


IMAXXAM Asset Management GmbH


Work highlights


  • Advising Degewo AG in connection with the purchase of a very large residential portfolio in Berlin from Deutsche Wohnen and Vonovia.

  • Comprehensive advice to Pedersoli Studio WIIT SpA on the acquisition of Boreus GmbH and Gecko Gesellschaft für Computer und Kommunikationssysteme mbH.

  • Advising previous shareholders of the aTmos Group on the sale to Ufenau Capital Partners.

Heuking

Heuking's tax law expertise includes advice on restructuring and transactions in the M&A and private equity fields, with the practice being primarily instructed by companies and investors. Restructuring also represent one of the mainstays of Düsseldorf-based practice heads Marion Sangen-Emden and Marc Scheunemann. With the arrival of Jörg Michelsen in early 2022, the team welcomed an in-house expert who is adept at transfer pricing for large construction projects among other matters.

Testimonials

‘Client-oriented; always available and approachable; excellence; innovative; on the pulse of time; very good results in first mover projects.’

‘Creative solutions stand up to scrutiny by third parties and public authorities.’

‘Pragmatic solutions.’

‘Easy collaboration with other teams at HKLW and third party service providers.’

‘Strong in structuring new service offerings.’

‘Henrik Lay: Solution-oriented, strong in implementation, pays attention to small details and the bigger picture.’

Jones Day

Jones Day is active in transaction-related tax law and also advises internationally in cooperation with other offices. Counsel Oliver Staatz is well versed in assisting with tax aspects of national and international M&A, private equity and real estate transactions. Klaus Herkenroth retired at the end of 2021, while Florian Lechner (cum-cum and cum-ex) joined Allen & Overy LLP in February 2023.

Other key lawyers:

Oliver Staatz


Testimonials

‘Unique tax law expertise in the field of financial taxes.’

‘Hands-on, very personal service, very understanding and pragmatic approach to business partners.’

‘Oliver Staatz: Sound economic expertise, strategic thinking in communication with the courts and the other side. Down-to-earth attitude with measure and middle, pragmatic pursuit of the client’s interests, also when it comes to litigation risks.’

Key clients

Compagnie Plastic Omnium S.A.


Eastman Chemical


PTT Global Chemical Public Company Limited


Suez S.A.


Oxenwood Real Estate LLP


Work highlights


  • Advising Eastman Chemical on the sale of its global tire additives business.

  • Advised PTT Global Chemical on the acquisition of allnex Holding GmbH from Advent International.

  • Advising Oxenwood Real Estate LLP on the acquisition of several logistics properties in Germany.

Kantenwein Zimmermann Spatscheck & Partner

Tax assistance with M&A and real estate transactions is one of the core competencies of Kantenwein Zimmermann Spatscheck & Partner, while the team is also well versed in tax audits, company succession issues and tax disputes. The Munich-based Gerhard Widmayer possesses intersectional expertise in corporate law and heads the tax team which also includes Annett Kuhli-Spatscheck, who primarily represents entrepreneurial families and medium-sized companies in contentious proceedings, while Rainer Spatscheck is the key contact for criminal tax law.

Practice head(s):

Gerhard Widmayer


Testimonials

‘Gerhard Widmayer: An excellent tax lawyer.’

‘The firm has been supporting us for years, primarily in German M&A transactions. The quality of the results obtained is always excellent.’

‘They are excellent service providers who quickly familiarize themselves with unusual issues and find practicable solutions that also stand up to scrutiny by the financial authorities.’

‘Gerhard Widmayer: Due to his very good professional knowledge, he is a preferred advisor for M&A transactions.’

‘Great consultant for medium-sized companies.’

‘Sven Ceranowski: Outstandingly thorough, responsive and thoughtful. I recommend him without hesitation.’

‘Very good consultants, hands-on and fast!’

‘Rainer Spatscheck: Strong personality, good negotiator, pragmatic approach.’

McDermott Will & Emery Rechtsanwälte Steuerberater LLP

In cooperation with its US, UK, France and Italy offices, McDermott Will & Emery Rechtsanwälte Steuerberater LLP's tax practice frequently advises on projects requiring international tax law advice and also impresses with extensive expertise in tax disputes in Germany; here practice head Dirk Pohl is experienced in acting in principle proceedings before the Federal Fiscal Court, the European Court of Justice and the Federal Constitutional Court. Kian Tauser at the Frankfurt office is responsible for most of transaction-related tax advice, including restructuring and insolvency cases. The capital market law intersection is handled by Heiko Kermer and Florian Schiefer, who made partner in January 2022; both assist with fund-related tax matters.

Practice head(s):

Dirk Pohl


Testimonials

‘Kian Tauser: Enormous client commitment.’

Key clients

Agilent Technologies Inc.


CV Real Estate AG


DIC Asset AG


H.I.G. Capital


HT Trust Group


Imfarr Beteiligungs GmbH


Real I.S. AG Gesellschaft für Immobilien Asset Management


Redos Real Estate GmbH


Signa Retail Selection AG


Swiss Life Versicherungsgruppe


Work highlights


  • Advising the group and joint venture companies of Imfarr Beteiligungs GmbH on the acquisition and financing of Silberturm and Gallusanlage 8 in Frankfurt am Main.

  • Advising SIGNA Retail Selection AG on the IPO of SIGNA Sports United Group via a SPAC on the New York Stock Exchange.

  • Advising DIC Asset AG on the sale of Uptown Tower in Munich.

Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP

Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP applies its tax expertise in restructurings, litigation and transactions, with particular strong knowhow in M&A and especially private equity deals; here, the team is regularly instructed to assist with asset deals, closed-end fund structuring and tax due diligence. These pillars also represent the focus of Benjamin Rapp in Frankfurt, who joined the partnership in January 2022, and practice head Tobias Geerling in Munich, both of whom frequently advise on the tax-efficient structuring of private equity and M&A transactions.

Practice head(s):

Tobias Geerling


Other key lawyers:

Benjamin Rapp


Key clients

KKR


Advent International


ChargePoint, Inc.


DIC Asset AG


TES


TCV


Elevion Group


INVEN Capital


PT Holdings/Parts Town


Work highlights


  • Tax advice to ChargePoint Holdings, Inc. on the takeover of has-to-be GmbH.

  • Tax advice to DIC Asset AG on the acquisition of a 60% stake in VIB Vermögen AG.

  • Tax advice to TES on the establishment of a strategic partnership with Open Grid Europe (OGE) for the development of CO2 infrastructure.