The new 2020 Deutschland guide, available since January, marks the seventh edition since we launched our German language guide. The substantial growth and refinement of our guide is evident in the numbers: while our very first 2014 guide contained 12 practice areas and 43 ranking tables, we currently list 21 practice areas and no less than 73 ranking tables.
Although there are now more rankings to be conquered, we continue to focus on the elite within the law firm market. The 2020 rankings feature a total of 393 firms (compared to 350 in our 2014 edition), we recommend 2,802 lawyers in our commentary, and 580 lawyers are listed across our leading lawyers, next generation lawyers, and rising stars tables. Congratulations to each and every firm and all lawyers that have been included in the new guide, but well done especially to those who have entered the rankings for the very first time.
Looking at this year’s rankings data, some firms are continuing to stand particularly strong in the German market: Top of the pack with the most rankings in the new guide are CMS (50), Hogan Lovells (45), Noerr (42), Taylor Wessing (38) and Hengeler Mueller (37). CMS also again achieved the most recommended lawyer mentions (82), while Hengeler Mueller took over from Freshfields with the most top tier rankings (19).
Notably, the usual suspects are joined by Luther – the full-service German firm with eight offices abroad – now holding fifth place among the top firms with the most lawyer mentions this year (60).
Hogan Lovells and Linklaters are clearly prepared for the next inevitable generational shift with the most next generation lawyers listed in our tables (nine and eight respectively). Noerr deserves a special shout-out for straight away achieving the highest number of rising stars (six) in this brand new category. Overall, Freshfields remains in the lead with the most lawyers listed across our three leading individuals tables (31).
A third category to our leading individuals tables to recognise the younger talent was not the only change in our 2020 guide. We have a brand new website (www.legal500.de/)! Alongside the enhanced functionality and user-friendly design, the new site also contains an improved and expanded editorial format with more emphasis on client testimonials and more information on key clients and highlight matters. We are therefore now able to showcase firms’strengths in much more detail.
Firms ranked in our Deutschland guide also immediately benefit from reaching a larger international English-speaking audience through our EMEA guide. Every year our German-language coverage of Germany is translated and all editorial and all rankings are transferred to our EMEA edition, which publishes in April.
Preparing for 2021
So, with no need to submit for EMEA separately, what’s next? Time to prepare for the 2021 guide, of course. As every year, we are looking to make some changes to reflect current market developments and demands. While we added Real Estate Finance, Foreign Trade Law, and Commercial Administrative Law as new categories for 2020, 2021 will see a novel table for Consumer Goods and Food Law, and the Real Estate rankings will get a makeover with a separate table for Project Development. In addition, a new regional section for Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland should open the doors to our rankings for some firms in the west of the country.
A couple of years ago we started highlighting the top five firms advising in the Fintech segment as part of our Banking Regulatory ranking. Now this hot topic deserves a broader and more comprehensive mention by means of its own ranking, which will for the first time be featured under the Banking and Finance section in the next guide.
Last year we renamed our Maritime and Shipping table to reflect a broader range of advice to the maritime sector, and this year we will do the same for our Transport Law ranking, which will now encompass all Advice to the Transport Sector. Similarly, our Outsourcing ranking will look more broadly at IT Transactions and Outsourcing and our Non-profit ranking will expand to Private Clients and Non-Profits.
To submit for our upcoming research, please visit our website. There you will find a list of all practice areas featured in the upcoming guide, our submission deadline and our submission form for you to download, fill out, and send via our Submissions Site. If you have any queries regarding the new guidelines or upcoming research, then please get in touch. Best of luck and here’s to raising the bar in 2021!