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2027 Edition
Magic Circle firm Clifford Chance is among the largest law firms in the world, with global operations in 23 countries. It has offices in Frankfurt, Düsseldorf and Munich. The firm has a formidable practice across all sectors. Its standout capital markets practice includes Simon Reitz and Axel Wittmann. In a recent highlight the team advised GD Towers on its EUR 7.7 billion refinancing comprising the establishment of a new common terms financing platform and a record EUR 2.5 billion private placement. The project finance team includes highly regarded practitioner Florian Mahler, who advised Nofar Energy on the project financing of its first battery energy storage system in Germany, a deal that was shortlisted for Deal of the Year at the 2026 IFLR Europe Awards. The corporate team, led by Thomas Krecek, advised Helvetia Holding on its planned merger of equals with Baloise Holding, ultimately forming Helvetia Baloise Holding.

Key clients of the firm include GD Towers, Nofar Energy, Deutsche Bank, J.P. Morgan, MTU Aero Engines, Vantage Data Centers, Aeral Bank, Barclays Bank Ireland, Helvetia Holding, Helvetia Holding, and BNP Paribas.

Testimonials
‘We especially appreciate their teamwork approach, availability, and pragmatism.’ (M&A)
Schalast & Partner was established in 1995 and has offices in Frankfurt, Berlin, Düsseldorf, Hamburg and Stuttgart and is part of the Multilaw network. The firm is experienced in financial services regulation, banking, insurance, and M&A and is often noted for its work in with start-ups, on novel financing products and in the emerging digital finance space. This year, the Banking & Finance department, led by co-managing partner Andreas Walter, advised Raisin Bank on its regulatory assessment of European sustainability and ESG-related legislation and supervisory guidelines included in a regulatory review catalogue. The M&A team, led by managing partner Christoph Schalast, advised Beyond Capital Partner (BCP) on its acquisition of Sanitätshaus blu, requiring the coordination of corporate and real estate law expertise across multiple practice areas. Key M&A clients of the firm include Viessmann Generations Group, Mainova, Beyond Capital Partners, Faber-Castell, and Hannover Finanz. The Banking & Finance department advises DLT, Mondu, Fosun, Wayflyer, Morgan Stanley, and CRX Markets.

Testimonials

“Very active on thought leadership in the financial space and very active in the fintech sector; they are well-versed in working with start-ups and have been successful in areas such as blockchain, distributed ledger technology (DLT) and crypto-currency projects.” (Banking & Finance)

“They have a large team with a lot of dedicated regulatory lawyers and some very talented individuals.” (Financial Services Regulatory)

“Christoph Schalast is highly experienced; excellent rhetoric.”
Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom is an American multinational law firm founded in 1948 in New York. It is present in Germany with offices in Frankfurt and Munich. In Banking and Capital Markets, the firm advises on domestic and cross-border transaction, with a focus on structured finance, syndicated lending and debt restructuring, and equity capital markets work. In M&A and private equity, the firm has a strong international focus, advising private equity houses on their inbound buyouts in Germany, as well as pan-European transactions with a strong German component. The team also boasts substantial experience in significant transatlantic transactions involving major US corporates and investors. This year, the Capital Markets and M&A teams, led by Holger Hofmeister and Stephen Hutter, advised CureVac in its all-stock acquisition by BioNTech that valued CureVac at approximately USD 1.25 billion. The Private Equity team, led by Jan Bauer in Frankfurt, advised BlackRock as part of a consortium of investors led by Allianz, in the acquisition of Viridium Group, a transaction that was shortlisted as a Deal of the Year in the 2026 IFLR Europe Awards. Key clients of the firm include BlackRock, CureVac, Paypal, The Middleby Corporation, Qatar Investment Authority, Kulczyk Investments, HSBC, Jefferies, Wells Fargo Bank, Citibank, Hillenbrand, AGRAVIS Raiffeisen, and Energy Infrastructure Partners.
Debevoise & Plimpton
5 practice areas
View profile
Germany
Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson
4 practice areas
View profile
Germany
Arnold & Porter
3 practice areas
View profile
Germany
King & Wood Mallesons
9 practice areas
View profile
Germany
A&O Shearman - Germany View profile
Germany
Hermann
3 practice areas
View profile
Germany
Leonhardt
2 practice areas
View profile
Germany
Magnusson View profile
Germany
Reed Smith View profile
Germany
Rödl & Partner View profile
Germany
Beiten Burkhardt
1 practice area
View profile
Germany
Hasch & Partner View profile
Germany
Brehm & v Moers View profile
Germany
Brödermann & Jahn View profile
Germany
WilmerHale View profile
Germany
ZIRNGIBL View profile
Germany
Squire Patton Boggs
1 practice area
View profile
Germany
Baum Financial Services Law Team View profile
Germany
BBORS Kreuznacht View profile
Germany
Becker Büttner Held View profile
Germany
756 results756 results
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Deal Highlights
1,539 results1,539 results
Deal Name Deal Date Firm Name Jurisdiction Deal Type Lawyer Names Client Names Client Role
va-Q-tec AG - M&A
2022-12-09
Hogan Lovells Cadwalader
Germany
M&A
Christian Schröder, Eva-Christina Sommer, Heiko Gemmel, Julian Urban, Leon Lindemann, Martin Sura, Michael Schlitt, Philipp Reckers, Sebastian Biller, Sebastian Faust, Simona Gradišek, Vanessa Rinus
va-Q-tec AG
Target
British American Tobacco plc - M&A
2022-10-05
Hogan Lovells Cadwalader
Germany
M&A
Andreas Thun, Annika Ullmann, Christiane Alpers, Johannes Adam, Jorg Schickert, Justus Frank, Martin Pflueger, Martin Schunke, Nikolas Zirngibl, Sebastian Eisenberge, Tina Welter-Birk
British American Tobacco plc
Buyer
FSN Capital Partners AS - M&A
2023-01-05
GLNS
Germany
M&A
FSN Capital Partners AS
Buyer
Vectron Systems AG - M&A
2023-01-03
Heuking Kühn Lüer Wojtek
Germany
M&A
Bodo Dehne, Christoph Hexel, Dominik Eickemeier, Fabian Schmitz, Laura-Felicia Bokranz, Lutz Keppeler, Magdalena Koster, Meike Dresler-Lenz, Michael Neises, Peter Schaffler, Sarah Radon, Stefan Westerheide, Thorsten Kuthe
Vectron Systems AG
Buyer
Inflexion Private Equity Partners LLP - M&A
2023-01-09
Travers Smith
Germany
M&A
Daniel Prexler, Eric Van Winssen, James Jankowski, Jessica Baker, Katie O'Riordan, Kyle Rainsford, Shannon Anstee, Simon Skinner, Tom Hartwright
Inflexion Private Equity Partners LLP
Buyer
Proteros Biostructures GmbH - M&A
2023-01-09
Hengeler Mueller
Germany
M&A
Alf-Henrik Bischke, Anja Balitzki, Daniel Moritz, Hendrik Bockenheimer, Isabella Zimmerl, Jan Schülting, Johannes Jäkle, Lisa Schwarz, Markus Ernst, Matthias Rothkopf, Maximilian Mayer, Michael Mertel, Susanne Walzer, Tim Wurstlin, Wolfgang Kellenter
Proteros Biostructures GmbH
Target
Building Materials Europe BV - M&A
2023-01-11
Arqis
Germany
M&A
Anja Markworth, Berenike Gottwald, Carolin Schlutter, Christos Choudeloudis, Daniel Schlemann, Franziska Resch, Hannah Potter, Jasmin Stuckenbrock, Jens Knipping, Jorn-Christian Schulze, Kamil Flak, Marcus Nothhelfer, Martin Weingartner, Maximilian Backhaus, Maximilian Koch, Nora Meyer-Stratmann, Rolf Tichy, Sina Janke, Tim Bresemann, Tobias Neufeld, Ulrich Lienhard
Building Materials Europe BV
Buyer
blackned GmbH - M&A
2023-01-12
Arqis
Germany
M&A
Benjamin Bandur, Christoph Einem, Christoph Lutz, Franziska Resch, Friedrich Gebert, Jens Knipping, Marcus Nothhelfer, Mauritz von Einem, Nora Meyer-Stratmann, Ulrich Lienhard
blackned GmbH
Target
Morellato Group - M&A
2023-01-17
Hengeler Mueller
Germany
M&A
Andrea Schlaffge, Andreas Kaletsch, Anja Balitzki, Christian Voigt, Christoph Roth, Daniel Wiegand, Dirk Uwer, Dzmitry Krupadziorau, Florian Dendl, Gunther Wagner, Hans-Jorg Ziegenhain, Hendrik Bockenheimer, Henning Hilke, Jean Hartelt, Kim Weisser, Lena Bohringer, Marcel Preuss, Marco Maallem, Marina Kederoglu, Mathias Menzel, Matthias Rothkopf, Moritz Jacob, Sarah Milde, Sebastian Adam, Thomas Lang, Wolfgang Kellenter
Morellato Group
Buyer
Morellato Group - M&A
2023-01-17
Orsingher Ortu Avvocati Associati
Germany
M&A
Morellato Group
Buyer
Bantleon AG - M&A
2023-01-12
Willkie Farr & Gallagher
Germany
M&A
David Jansen, Michael Ilter
Bantleon AG
Buyer
Fluidra SA - M&A
2022-12-23
Baker McKenzie
Germany
M&A
Kathrin Weber, Silke Gantzckow, Ulrich Weidemann
Fluidra SA
Buyer
Warburg Invest AG - M&A
2023-01-12
CMS
Germany
M&A
Berrit Roth-Mingram, Daniel Voigt, Eckart Gottschalk, Frederike Volkmann, Hans Kiderlen, Heino Busching, Hendrik Hirsch, Hilke Herchen, Joachim Kaetzler, Laura Bungart, Olaf Thiessen, Paul Kintrup
Warburg Invest AG
Target
Sunlight Group - M&A
2022-05-17
CMS
Germany
M&A
Almuth Balsliemke, Eva Wolff, Huy Chi, Igor Stenzel, Lisa Spohnholtz, Mark Ziekman, Martin Cholewa, Martin Friedberg, Ralf Kurney, Robert Jong, Robin Sijbesma, Rolf Hempel, Siegfried Etzkorn, Sylle Schreyer-Bestmann, Tanja Graue
Sunlight Group
Buyer
Sunlight Group - M&A
2022-05-17
Bech-Bruun
Germany
M&A
Emil Steenberg, Niels Kornerup
Sunlight Group
Buyer
Norva24 AS - M&A
2022-10-04
White & Case
Germany
M&A
Alisa Preissler, Anders Westling, Bodo Bender, Justus Redeker, Paul Kohlhaas, Sebastian Wallin, Shoan Panahi, Thyl Hassler, Tomislav Vrabec
Norva24 AS
Buyer
Trane Technologies Plc - M&A
2022-08-30
Baker McKenzie
Germany
M&A
Alexander Ehrle, Anahita Thoms, Andrea Ziegler, Andreas Neumann, Anela Kapetanidis, Anika Vornwald, Chelsea Liang, Christian Reichel, Edo Berghuis, Felix Diehl, Felix Werner, Fiona Carlin, Florian Kastle, Hein Blaauwendraad, Holger Lutz, Jeneka Manoharan, Johannes Teichmann, Jonathan Steinvoort, Joost Lichtendahl, Julien Wang, Kimberley Bloemhard, Lei Ye, Lisa Weinert, Nadine Neumeier, Niklas Wielandt, Oliver Socher, Paul Goedvolk, Pauline Bakker, Philipp Thimm, Rebecca Romig, Rembert Niebel, Susanne Milne, Tobias Born, Ulrich Ellinghaus, Xi Chen, Zheng Lu, Zhenyu Ruan, Zimeng Cai
Trane Technologies Plc
Buyer
Indivumed GmbH - M&A
2023-01-25
Freshfields
Germany
M&A
Aleksandar Atanasov, Boris Dzida, Carsten Bork, Christoph Seibt, David Beutel, Joe Soltis, Moritz Lehmann, Natascha Doll, Panagiota Kavvada, Philipp Lehmann, Till Burmeister
Indivumed GmbH
Seller
Strava Inc. - M&A
2023-01-24
O'Melveny & Myers
Germany
M&A
Benjamin Finger, David Makarechian, Emma Drysdale, George Duncan, Sevda Staykova
Strava Inc.
Buyer
EnBW Energie Baden-Wurttemberg AG - M&A
2022-08-15
CMS
Germany
M&A
Anastasia Shelestova, Birgit Schlemmer, Carolin Armbruster, Dorothee Janzen, Hans Kiderlen, Jochen Lamb, Marielle Schuster, Miriam Bach, Ursula Steinkemper, Veronika Renczes
EnBW Energie Baden-Wurttemberg AG
Seller
55
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77
By Firm
173 results173 results
Firm Name Jurisdiction Total Deals Deals (Last 12 Months)
A&O Shearman
Germany
20
0
A&O Shearman - Germany
Germany
32
0
Addleshaw Goddard
1
0
AKD
Belgium
2
0
Alexander Koelle
Germany
1
0
AllBright Law Offices
1
0
Alston & Bird
1
0
ALTENBURG
Germany
6
0
Anderson Mori & Tomotsune
Japan
1
0
Arqis
Germany
27
0
Arthur Cox
Ireland
1
0
Ashurst Perkins Coie
Germany
11
0
Baker & Hostetler
1
0
Baker McKenzie
Germany
22
0
BarentsKrans
Netherlands
1
0
Barnes & Thornburg
1
0
Bech-Bruun
Denmark
1
0
Binder Grösswang
Austria
1
0
Bird & Bird
Germany
10
0
Blake Cassels & Graydon
1
0
1
of
9

Insights editorial only

From Germany to California, we round up key partner moves across private equity, secondaries, finance and venture capital
From UK private capital to Italian consolidation, tier changes demonstrate a more competitive regional cycle
The 2027 edition recognises 3,524 practices across 24 jurisdictions, with France, Germany and the UK driving much of the growth following the introduction of new tables
Eric Romba explains why digital finance regulation has become a live business priority – and why Fieldfisher is using it as a foundation in Berlin
We round up this week’s top moves in the finance, corporate, M&A and PE practices in the UK, France, the US and Germany
We round up this week’s lateral hires at leading firms across Germany, the US, UK and Brazil
New hires made in regulatory, corporate, M&A and finance practices at leading firms across the US and the UK, while German Hengeler Mueller elected two new managing partners
The finalists for the 28th annual Europe awards have been revealed, with the winners to be announced in London on June 11
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