Gleiss Lutz - The Who's Who Legal 100 2012

What is the Who's Who Legal 100?

Competition law is undoubtedly one of the firm’s strongest practice areas. It offers advice and representation across the spectrum of competition work, from merger control to damages actions. Gleiss Lutz has advised the European Commission on all of its settlement proceedings since 2010, and has a client list including Siemens, Robert Bosch and Ferrostaal. We list eight practitioners for their skills in this area. Stuttgart partner Rainer Bechtold is “one of the best merger-control lawyers in Germany”, according to one source, and has been involved in many of the most significant cases before for the Commission of the European Union. Munich-based Ingo Brinker is head of the firm’s competition group and has “phenomenal expertise” in compliance programmes. Wolfgang Bosch practises from the Frankfurt office and his recent work includes advising Garmin, a leading provider of mobile navigation solutions, on its acquisition of Navigon AG. Peers describe him as “a leading light” in German competition law practice. Brussels partner Ulrich Soltész represents German and foreign companies in front of the European Commission and is an “expert” on state aid.

Gleiss Lutz is a market leader in German employment law and has recently advised Hypo Real Estate in relation to potential claims against the former members of the management and supervisory board. The firm earns five listings in the management labour and employment chapter. Doris-Maria Schuster has extensive experience in cross-border litigation and is “highly skilled” in complex proceedings regarding industrial relations. Company pensions are a main focus for Martin Diller, whom sources described as “very knowledgeable and a pleasure to work with”. The “fantastic” Gerhard Röder’s practice focuses primarily on labour law in connection with corporate transactions and restructurings.

The firm’s corporate governance and M&A groups are closely linked and four lawyers earn a combined total of seven listings across these two chapters. Andreas Rittstieg represents institutional investors as well as large family-owned businesses, and he is often appointed as arbitrator in disputes related to M&A transactions or corporate litigation. Peers commend his “fierce intelligence and commercial acumen”, adding that “clients love him”. Christian Cascante heads the firm’s corporate/M&A practice and is considered to have “a gold-standard reputation”. He has particular experience in public takeovers, private equity matters and cross-border transactions. Gerhard Wegen advised jeans manufacturer Mustang on the sale of its company shares to a group of investors headed by private equity firm A-Capital and is “a first-rate transactional lawyer”. He also earns recognition in the arbitration chapter for his work both as an arbitrator and an attorney in national and ICC proceedings.

With listings in nine other chapters as diverse as real estate, tax, internet and environment, Gleiss Lutz is a first-class firm with exceptional capabilities.