JD Journal » Germany

Allen & Overy Announces Launch of Office In Istanbul

rebneely — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 21:53:18 +0000

Today, Allen & Overy announced the launch of an office in Istanbul. The move will capitalize on the increasing flow of work being undertaken in Turkey.

According to statistics reported in a press release at the firm’s website, the International Monetary Fund, in its September 2011 World Economic Outlook, forecasted gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 6.6% for Turkey in 2011. That figure is higher than for any other market in Europe. GDP growth is expected to stabilize at around 5% over the medium term.

Also according to current projections, Turkey is expected, by 2050, to rank second only to Germany in terms of GDP in Europe. It is also expected to be upgraded to investment grade in the short- to medium-term, opening the market to a much larger pool of investors.

Banking partner Charles Lindsay will move to Istanbul from London to lead A&O’s Turkey practice. The office will focus on English law project finance, capital markets, general lending and M&A work.

Allen & Overy global managing partner Wim Dejonghe was quoted as saying in a press release at the firm’s website: “Turkey is a market that we have been watching for some time. Turkey’s strong economy, extensive privatization program, pressing demand for infrastructure investment and emerging status as an energy hub, present an immense opportunity for both Allen & Overy and our clients. We see significant opportunities to build on the work we already do in Turkey for clients in our core areas of expertise such as project finance, capital markets, general lending and M&A. Having someone of Charles’s caliber and experience to lead the team will ensure we get our new office off to the very best start possible.”

So as to meet demand for new infrastructure and to support the government’s privatization program it is estimated that private financing of USD50 billion will be required by 2015. Because of this, Turkey presents great domestic opportunities and opportunities for international debt and equity financings. Favorable changes to withholding tax laws on interest payments on bonds, along with a number of high profile international bond issues by Turkish banks into the U.S. under Rule 144A, on which Allen & Overy has advised (Akbank, İşbank, Garantibank, Turk Exim Bank), have also provided opportunities for the debt capital markets to open up to foreign investors.

The launch furthers Allen & Overy’s strategy of continuing to increase the volume of revenue it generates from high growth markets around the world.

Karen Lee, senior associate in Allen & Overy’s ICM practice in London, will also be moving to Istanbul to support the development of A&O’s capital markets practice in Turkey. Seyda Duman, a banking associate in London who is fluent in Turkish, will also be joining the team in Istanbul.

Allen & Overy is headquartered in London. The firm is a member of the UK’s Magic Circle of leading law firms, and is widely considered to be one of the world’s elite law firms, advising national and multinational corporations, financial institutions, and governments. Founded in 1930, Allen & Overy has become one of the largest law firms in the world, both by number of lawyers and revenue. With approximately 5,000 staff and 38 offices worldwide, the firm provides legal advice in Europe, the Americas, Asia, Australia, and the Middle East.

Squire Sanders Adds Pair of Attorneys to Frankfurt Office

rebneely — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 19:23:34 +0000

Law firm Squire, Sanders & Dempsey recently announced its expansion of its Frankfurt office with the appointment of intellectual property, commercial and regulatory lawyers Iliana and Philip Haleen as partner and of counsel, respectively. Both Iliana and Philip will join the global legal practice in January 2012.

Iliana Haleen, who currently heads the intellectual property practice at Bryan Cave in Hamburg, possesses over two decades of experience in international intellectual property protection. She manages the international portfolio of 1,500 trademarks registered in over 170 countries for a US-based consumer goods company, with an emphasis on multi-jurisdictional brand management. Iliana also has significant experience advising on all aspects of licensing, protection and the enforcement of intellectual property rights.

Philip Haleen is a US trained lawyer whose expertise includes antitrust and competition law, EU regulatory law, distribution law and international taxation, including transfer pricing and tax treaty work. He has practiced in Germany for nearly three decades. He both founded and managed the Frankfurt office of Faegre & Benson from 1991 until 2003.

In Frankfurt, Iliana and Philip will rejoin colleagues with whom they have previously worked; these include Horst Daniel, litigation partner and head of Faegre’s Frankfurt office from 2003 until 2009; Karl Walter, corporate partner; and Louis Wakatsuki, labor and employment counsel.

Established in 2006, Squire Sanders’ Frankfurt office has particular expertise in corporate, banking and financial services, arbitration, litigation, private equity, capital markets, labor law, and tax law. With the addition of the Haleens, that expertise will now include intellectual property law.

Thomas Busching, managing partner of the Frankfurt office, was quoted as saying in a press release at the firm’s website: “Iliana and Philip are widely respected lawyers and we see their appointments as key and a big step in developing and expanding our services in Frankfurt.”

Iliana and Philip will both join Squire Sanders’ Intellectual Property & Technology practice. In Europe, the team is made up of over twenty partners and fifty professionals focused on intellectual property law. These include trademark attorneys, as well as lawyers who specialize in all areas of IP law.

David Elkins, Intellectual Property & Technology Practice Group Leader was quoted as saying: “Iliana’s and Philip’s considerable experience and proven track record of servicing the needs of multinational clients will support the continued growth of our IP practice, both in Germany and on the global stage.”

Established in 1890, Squire, Sanders & Dempsey has lawyers in 36 offices and 17 countries around the world and now includes the nearly 500 lawyers from leading UK legal practice Hammonds. The firm also has strong working relationships with independent firms in Europe and the Middle East, as well as the Squire Sanders Legal Counsel Worldwide Network, which includes independent firms across Latin America. The firm advises a wide range of clients, from a diverse mix of clients, from Fortune 100 and FTSE 100 corporations to emerging companies and from individuals to local and national governments.

Bryan Cave Establishes Office in Frankfurt, Germany

rebneely — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 08:00:21 +0000

International law firm Bryan Cave LLP announced it has established an office in Frankfurt, Germany. Prominent attorneys Dr. Tobias Fenck and Dr. Veit Denzer will join the office as partners.

The expansion follows the firm’s successful launch of a Hamburg office in 2007, and is part of an overall strategic plan to grow the firm’s legal team in Germany over the next five years.

Denzer and Fenck focus on serving private equity clients, mezzanine funds and banks, and provide legal counsel mainly in the areas of corporate mergers and acquisitions, general corporate and finance. They will be fully integrated with the firm’s Hamburg office and will work closely with Bryan Cave lawyers all over the world. In this way, they can provide a wide range of legal counsel on matters including employment, general commercial, antitrust, litigation, technology and intellectual property.

Don G. Lents, chairman of Bryan Cave was quoted as saying in a press release at the firm’s website: “The importance of Germany to European corporate, finance and banking activity cannot be overstated and Frankfurt has long been a critical market for these practices. The addition of Tobias Fenck and Veit Denzer and the formal establishment of a Frankfurt office will offer our clients an integrated legal resource that is well positioned to capitalize on Germany’s substantial links to the finance and capital markets around the world.”

Dr. Denzer studied law and economics at the University of Bayreuth, University of Deusto in Bilbao, Spain and the Ludwig-Maximilian University of Munich. In 1999, he graduated from the University of Munich. He then earned his doctorate in law from Johannes-Gutenberg University, Mainz, in 2003. Dr. Denzer is fluent in Spanish and worked at a law firm in Santiago, Chile, before his clerkship.

Dr. Fenck studied law at the Universities of Trier, Muenster and Dresden, and received his law degree from the University of Muenster in 2000 and his doctorate from the University of Dresden in 2004.

Fred W. Bartelsmeyer, Bryan Cave’s European coordinator was quoted as saying: “The addition of this team in Germany is part of Bryan Cave’s continued strategy to grow our European presence. These two attorneys will play an important role in extending our existing financial markets practices in London and Paris.”

Michael Leue, managing partner of the firm’s Hamburg office was quoted as saying: “The overall strengthening of our German team will better enable Bryan Cave to serve clients of all sizes on both a regional and international level. Tobias and Veit’s experience working with private equity companies reinforces our existing capability and creates a strong foundation for future growth far beyond the financial sector.”

With over 1,000 lawyers and other professionals in 25 offices across the United States, the United Kingdom, Continental Europe and Asia, the firm of Bryan Cave LLP has a diversified international legal practice. It represents a broad range of business, financial, institutional and individual clients, including publicly held multinational corporations, large and mid-sized privately held companies, partnerships and emerging companies. The firm’s subsidiary, Bryan Cave International Consulting, provides trade and customs consultancy.

Quinn Emanuel Will Launch Moscow Office with Pair from Dechert

rebneely — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 08:00:19 +0000

Quinn Emanuel announced in recent days it will launch an office in Moscow with senior litigation partners Ivan Marisin and Vasily Kuznetsov. Both join from Dechert; both joined Dechert’s Moscow office last year from Clifford Chance. The announcement comes less than two months after announcing plans to open a new office in Washington, D.C.

Marisin is a senior figure in Clifford Chance’s CIS practice; he became head of the firm’s Moscow litigation and arbitration practice in 1992, and was named local managing partner in 2000.

High-profile cases in which he has been involved include representing Bank of New York Mellon on a $22.5bn (£19.7bn) claim brought by the Russian Government, which was settled in 2009.

Kuznetsov, a national partner at Dechert, joined Marisin’s team at Clifford Chance in 2002, and they jointly represented Russian uranium seller Tenex on a $1bn (£633m) arbitration in Stockholm in 2007.

Quinn Emanuel managing partner John Quinn was quoted as saying in the October 19th legalweek.com article, “Quinn Emanuel set for Moscow with hire of ex-CC duo from Dechert”: “We see Moscow as a key source of work for both our practices in London and the US and we are very excited that Ivan and Vasily have agreed to help us exploit the opportunities that Russia presents to the west. We are fundamentally a trial firm, and Ivan, who is widely acknowledged as one of the most experienced and toughest advocates in Russia, is a like-minded individual who we are confident will contribute to our brand and practice internationally.”

London co-managing partner Richard East was quoted as saying: “These are very senior, very credible litigators, and we look forward to working with them. We expect there to be a lot of interaction between the London and Moscow offices as there are significant client synergies.”

It opened its first overseas office, in Tokyo, in 2007, followed by the London location in 2008 and an office in Mannheim, Germany in 2010. Most recently, Quinn Emanuel opened its doors in D.C. after landing a trio of Alston & Bird partners who specialize in litigating intellectual property cases before the International Trade Commission.

Quinn Emanuel managing partner John Quinn was quoted as saying in the October 19th amlawdaily.com article, “Quinn Emanuel Taps Dechert Pair to Launch Russian Office”: “Representing Russians and those with Russian interests is a big practice in London. Having an office [in Moscow] will assist us in representing those clients and raising our profile in the business and legal community in Russia.”

Quinn was also quoted as saying in the amlawdaily.com article: “There are a lot of other American and British firms there, but more focused on deal work. We see a real opportunity there.”

Founded in 1986, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP is a 500 plus lawyer business litigation firm – the largest in the United States devoted exclusively to business litigation.

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati Announces Plans to Open Office in Brussels

rebneely — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 08:00:55 +0000

The law firm of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati announced in recent days that it will open an office in Brussels, Belgium.

Michael Rosenthal, who was formerly the managing partner of Hunton & Williams’ Brussels office, will lead the office. He will be joined by Gotz Drauz, the former Deputy Director-General for Competition at the European Commission, and former Hunton & Williams partner Paul McGeown, along with a counsel and three associates.

The team of attorneys combines private practice, industry, and high-level government experience. As well, it offers a broad spectrum of antitrust and competition services at the European Union and national levels in France, Germany, and the United Kingdom.

Chairman Larry Sonsini was quoted as saying in a press release at the firm’s website: “In recent years, the European Commission has become an increasingly important forum for our clients when it comes to antitrust review, particularly concerning mergers and acquisitions and global cartel investigations. Opening an office in Brussels, the seat of the European Commission, is a natural evolution of our mission to serve our clients as they seek to grow and compete on a global basis, and we are excited by the opportunities that it represents.”

CEO Steve Bochner was quoted as saying: “We couldn’t have asked for a finer team to lead our efforts in the European Union than Michael, Götz, and Paul. They are all highly accomplished attorneys whose talents and experience mesh extraordinarily well with the firm’s thriving M&A and antitrust practices. It is with great pride that we welcome them to the firm.”

Dr. Michael Rosenthal joins the firm from Hunton & Williams, where he successfully built that firm’s Brussels office and chaired the European arm of its competition practice. He advises clients on all aspects of EU and German competition law. He is also listed as a leading competition lawyer in the major legal directories, including Who’s Who of Competition Lawyers.

Named as an “elite” practitioner by Global Competition Review, Götz Drauz joins the firm from Shearman & Sterling. There, he practiced antitrust and competition law. Before that, he was a partner in Howrey’s Brussels office. Over the course of his career, he has represented companies in some of the biggest merger, conduct, and cartel investigations in Europe. Before entering private practice, Drauz served for 25 years at the European Commission.

Paul McGeown also joins from Hunton & Williams. He advises clients in a broad range of industries on all aspects of European competition law; he has particular expertise in complex merger cases, industrial partnerships, and State aid matters. He has significant experience representing clients before the EC and United Kingdom competition authorities. McGeown was formerly a partner at Linklaters and, earlier, an associate at Salans in Paris and Slaughter & May in Brussels and London. In addition, he served as in-house competition counsel at a major global engineering corporation.

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati’s antitrust team is uniquely positioned to assist clients on the most important bet-the-company matters as well as with regular counseling and compliance matters. With over 525 attorneys, the firm is recognized as the premier provider of legal services to technology, life sciences, and other growth enterprises worldwide.

Howrey Opening New Office in Germany

joshua — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 20:02:14 +0000

International firm Howrey is set to open a new office in Duesseldorf, Germany that will specialize in patent litigation, LegalWeek reports. The firm’s 18^th office is slated to open in September and will be led by Christoph Lenz, an IP attorney for Bardehle Pagenberg.

According to the report, Howrey will add an antitrust team to the office soon after its launch. The practice is currently conducted in Brussels, Paris, Madrid and London.

“Since we started our operations in Germany we have always kept in mind that Duesseldorf is a very important place and the number one place for patent litigation in the region,” Joachim Feldges, the managing partner of Howrey’s Munich office, told LegalWeek. “We have handled many cases there from our Munich office, so it made sense to now establish a proper presence there. Howrey will continue to expand its base in Europe in line with the firm’s focus and clients.”

The Deusseldorf office will be Howrey’s seventh in Europe, joining bases Amsterdam, Brussels, London, Madrid, Munich and Paris.

Laid Off Laywers Sue Clifford Chance

Erik Even — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 19:16:02 +0000

Two non-equity partners laid off from the Düsseldorf, Germany office of Clifford Chance are suing the firm over their termination.

The partners were fired as shareholders, but claim they were actually employees. The distinction is important under German law, as employees are very difficult to dismiss under the Unfair Dismissal Act.

If the suit is successful, then countless other former partners may run to the courts to sue their old firms.

Founded in 1975, Philadelphia’s Dechert LLP is an international law firm of more than 1,000 lawyers with top-ranked practices in corporate and securities, complex litigation, finance and real estate, and financial services and asset management

Bryan Cave Expands German Practice with Faegre & Benson Lawyers

Erik Even — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 18:25:07 +0000

Bryan Cave has brought on two lawyers for its Hamburg, Germany office.

Philip Haleen joins as of counsel from Faegre & Benson’s Frankfurt office. He focuses on international tax matters and franchise & distribution law. He got his JD from the University of Minnesota Law School.

Iliana Haleen joins as counsel, also from Faegre & Benson. She will be part of the intellectual property group. Haleen received her law degree from the St. Clement of Ohrid University of Sofia in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Bryan Cave LLP is an international law firm with twenty-five offices worldwide, headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. It specializes in corporate transactions and litigation representation. The firm has more than 1,200 lawyers in 25 offices around the world.

K&L Gates Poaches German Team from Freshfields

Erik Even — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 17:12:19 +0000

K&L Gates has snagged a four-lawyer team from the Berlin office of Freshfields.

Partner Ludwig Hausmann joins the Berlin office of K&L Gates, along with principal associate Annette Mutschler-Siebert, who joins as counsel. They bring along two associates.

K&L Gates’ German offices, in Berlin and Frankfurt, now have 45 lawyers.

K&L Gates LLP employs over 1900 attorneys worldwide, and is ranked as the 7th largest law firm in the world. It was formed in January 2007, by the merger of Pittsburgh-based Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Nicholson Graham with Seattle-based Preston Gates & Ellis, co-founded by William H. Gates, Sr.

Davis Polk to Shut Frankfurt Office

Erik Even — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 18:39:30 +0000

Davis Polk, home of stealth layoffs, will permanently close its office in Frankfurt, Germany in August.

The office’s long-time resident partner, Patrick Kenadjian, is retiring at the end of the year. His successor, Harald Halbhuber, has decided to leave the firm as well.

Much of the office’s work will be taken over by Davis Polk’s 31-lawyer London office.

Two associates and one counsel at the Frankfurt office have been offered other positions with the firm.

Davis Polk & Wardwell is an international law firm headquartered in New York. The firm employs more than 700 attorneys and is primarily known for its corporate, litigation and tax practices.

Gleiss Lutz Opens New Office with Baker & McKenzie Partner

Erik Even — Thu, 14 May 2009 18:14:36 +0000

Germany’s Gleiss Lutz will launch a new Dusseldorf office in August, headed by corporate partner Thomas Menke, last of Baker & McKenzie.

Menke handles international mergers & acquisitions and real estate transactions.

He will work with an unnamed associate, formerly of Freshfields’ Dusseldorf office.

Gleiss Lutz is a German law firm founded in Stuttgart in 1949 by Alfred Gleiss. It is one of the biggest independent full-service law firms in Germany, and advises companies and groups in Germany and abroad, as well as public authorities.

Norton Rose to Implement Hour Reductions

Erik Even — Sat, 09 May 2009 18:09:48 +0000

Most offices of London’s Norton Rose have approved a flexible hours scheme first announced in March.

The firm hopes to avoid redundancies by reducing hours. The scheme has been approved by 19 of the firm’s 21 international offices.

Norton Rose is still working to make the plan comply with the law in France and Germany.

London lawyers and staff were informed this week they will be the first affected.

The plan, under which Norton Rose employees, including partners, would choose between a four-day week, a paid sabbatical of four to 12 weeks, or both, is entirely voluntary.

The Norton Rose Group is a leading international law firm. It offers business law services from 21 offices across Europe, the Middle East and Asia. With around 1000 lawyers, its practice specializes in five key areas: corporate finance, financial institutions, energy and infrastructure, transport and technology.

Curtis Hires 5 Lawyers for Corporate Practice

Erik Even — Thu, 07 May 2009 16:45:32 +0000

New York’s Curtis has added five lawyers to the firm’s international corporate practice in Frankfurt, Germany.

Partners Christian Fingerhut, Jörn Hirschmann, and Markus Söhnchen join from the Frankfurt office of Munich-based law firm Sibeth, bringing along two associates.

Founded in New York City in 1830, Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP is an international law firm with 240 attorneys in 15 offices worldwide, plus a strategic alliance with a firm in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Taylor Wessing Deferring Start Dates

Erik Even — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 21:52:57 +0000

Anglo-German law firm Taylor Wessing is asking for voluntary deferrals from its September 2009 and September 2010 incoming associate classes.

The 750-attorney firm will pay a stipend of £7,500 ($10,872). Deferred trainees will not be required to accept public interest fellowships.

The firm is offering its employees two extra weeks off each year, in exchange for a 4% reduction in salary. Taylor Wessing also plans redundancies, voluntary and involuntary, and unpaid furloughs.

Taylor Wessing LLP is an international law firm established in 2002, following the merger of UK law firm Taylor Joynson Garrett and German law firm Wessing. The firm has 13 offices around the globe; in Berlin, Brussels, Cambridge, Dubai, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt am Main, Hamburg, London, Munich and Paris, as well as representative offices in Beijing, Shanghai and Alicante, Spain.

Dehnen Lawyers Opens Washington, DC Office

Erik Even — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 17:27:05 +0000

Dehnen Lawyers, a small boutique firm in Dusseldorf, Germany, has launched a new office in Washington, DC.

The firm, which has 10 lawyers in its Dusseldorf office, specializes in advising US clients on tax, legislative, and policy issues when working in Germany.

Chairman Peter Dehnen says he will spend one week a month in the Washington office. As business picks up, the office may expand to include one or two more lawyers.

Dehnen formerly worked at Arnold & Porter’s DC office.

Freshfields to Add 15 Lawyers to Munich Office

Erik Even — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 16:55:38 +0000

Freshfields will add at least 15 lawyers to its Munich office, including four partners who will relocate from Frankfurt.

Yorck Jetter, Matthias-Gabriel Kremer, Rick van Aerssen and Markus Fisseler will transfer to Munich at the start of the new financial year.

Senior associate Wessel Heukamp will be promoted to partner and join the office, bringing the total number of partners in the office to 13.

Teams of associates will be hired for each new partner, expanding lawyer count in the office by around 50%. The firm intends to hire locally in Munich, and move associates over from Frankfurt, which has 60 partners and over 500 total staff.

Freshfields’ also has offices in Cologne, Düsseldorf and Hamburg. The firm recently shut its office in Bratislava, Slovakia.

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP is the fourth largest law firm in the world by revenue, and a component of the UK’s Magic Circle of leading law firms

K&L Gates Opens Second Deutsche Office

Erik Even — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 20:00:42 +0000

K&L Gates, Pittsburgh’s largest law firm, has opened an office in Frankfurt, Germany, its 29th site and second in that country.

It has added partners Mathias Schulze Steinen and Frank Thomas, who previously were partners at Simmons & Simmons.

Combined with the Berlin office, which K&L Gates opened two years ago, the firm now has 40 lawyers in Germany. Nearly half focus on corporate law.

With over 1700 attorneys worldwide, K&L Gates is the 10th largest law firm in the world.