FRESHFIELDS BRUCKHAUS DERINGER LLP
With over 2,400 lawyers in 27 offices around the globe, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP is a pre-eminent international law firm and is our global law firm of the year 2011. Freshfields was created after two mergers in 1999 and 2000 with German firms, establishing a strong position in the domestic market, and today the firm has more than 725 lawyers based in six offices in the country’s major business centres: Berlin, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Munich. The firm is committed to providing clients with innovative solutions of the highest quality and the success of this strategy is demonstrated by our research: the firm has 58 listings across 24 practice sectors, with particularly strong showings in the competition and corporate tax chapters.
Freshfields prides itself on its outstanding abilities in the competition field and in this chapter nine lawyers are selected giving it the largest contingent of any firm. Martin Klusmann is co-chair of the global antitrust, competition and trade practice group and is “highly praised” by peers for his work on mergers and national and international cartel cases. Burkhard Richter specialises in competition law aspects of disposals and merger control and antitrust law and his significant case work includes representing Bombardier on its acquisition of Adtranz. Gerhard Wiedemann is a “leading practitioner” in the field of competition law with particular expertise in the energy sector where he has experience in EC and German merger control, abuse control and vertical agreements.
The firm is significantly noted in our research for its corporate tax practice and eight lawyers are listed here. The “excellent” Stephan Eilers took over the role of executive partner in January 2011. A former global head of the firm’s international tax group, Eilers is well known in the sector. Jochen Lüdicke is also “highly recommended” in this section and is equally praised as one of three Freshfields lawyers in the aviation chapter.
Further recognition is earned in the capital markets chapter where three lawyers feature, including Andreas König, who is also recognised in the banking chapter. König is “vastly experienced” in equity capital market transactions and IPOs of both German and international companies.
In the M&A chapter, three lawyers are selected for inclusion. Among them, Axel Epe is known for his “astute mind” and “great technical ability”. Epe is further recognised for his work in the corporate governance sector where he is joined by two more of the firm’s “superb” names.
Freshfields receives further praise in the internet and e-commerce, life sciences and patents chapters with Peter Chrocziel recognised as a “leading lawyer” in all three. The dispute resolution team is also well recognised, with Rolf Trittmann being “highly noted” for his arbitration and commercial litigation expertise. In addition, Hans-Joachim Prieß is “a great name” in trade and customs and public procurement having represented numerous clients before the European courts and German procurement review bodies. Prieß leads the firm’s public procurement practice group.
The firm is recognised in more practice sectors than any other – a testament to the outstanding depth and breadth of knowledge that earns Freshfields its reputation as the leading international law firm in our research.
