Six partners
The office will be staffed by six partners who have worked previously in the Frankfurt market: Dr Volker Balda (formerly with KPMG Law), Dr Markus J Friedl (formerly with Dechert), Ronald Meiβner (formerly with Oppenhoff & Partners), Dr Tobias Nuβ (formerly with Beiten Burkhardt), Dr Nils Rauer (formerly with Hogan Lovells), and insolvency expert Sven Schulte-Hillen who moves across from Dechert.
Launch
This is Pinsent Masons’ third launch in Germany in the last six years, following openings in Munich in 2012, and Düsseldorf in 2016.
Since establishing in Germany, Pinsent Masons has grown to a headcount in the country of 180, consisting of 38 partners and over 100 lawyers, and is ranked among the top 50 law firms in Germany.
The German offices have worked on big-ticket deals in the region, including advising tech unicorn fashion-start-up, About You, on a US$300-million funding deal.
Deals
Pinsent Masons also completed three Frankfurt Stock Exchange IPOs, and advised Redefine International on disposal of a German retail portfolio of 66 properties for €205 million.
Dublin-based technology, media and telecoms partner Andreas Carney said the move follows the addition of three new partners to the Dublin office shortly before Christmas.
“Through our work with colleagues in Munich and Dusseldorf, we know Germany offers excellent opportunities for Irish-based businesses, both as the largest economy within the EU bloc, and as a leader in the technology and manufacturing sectors,” he said.
Pinsent Masons is a global 100 law firm with 25 offices worldwide, specialising particularly in the energy, infrastructure, financial services, real estate, and advanced manufacturing and technology sectors.
International footprint
The firm employs over 3,000 people worldwide, including around 1,500 lawyers and more than 400 partners. The firm's international footprint crosses Asia Pacific, the Middle East, continental Europe, and Africa.
Senior partner Richard Foley said: "Our vision is to be recognised as an international market leader in the global sectors in which we operate, and our success in Germany over the last six years demonstrates that our clients value the sector specialism that we bring to the market.”