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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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38
Deal Highlights
1,539 results1,539 results
Deal Name Deal Date Firm Name Jurisdiction Deal Type Lawyer Names Client Names Client Role
FIELDS Group BV - M&A
2023-03-03
CMS
Germany
M&A
Andreas Grunert, Christian Haellmigk, Clemens Grossmayer, Gunther Hanslik, Karsten Heider, Maximilian Eitelbuss, Oliver Simon, Peter Ruby, Philipp Deuchler, Tobias Schneider
FIELDS Group BV
Buyer
Haufe Group - M&A
2023-02-27
CMS
Germany
M&A
Anna Fullsack, Charlotte-Sophie Unger, Friedrich von Spee, Jesko Nobiling, Jorg Zatzsch, Malte Grutzmacher, Mariya Ivanova, Martin Eichholz
Haufe Group
Seller
VillaCircle - M&A
2023-03-03
CMS
Germany
M&A
Friedrich von Spee, Jesko Nobiling, Jorg Zatzsch
VillaCircle
Target
Stadtwerke Frankfurt Holding GmbH - Joint venture
2022-02-24
Schalast & Partner (Schalast Law | Tax)
Germany
Joint venture
Christoph Schalast
Stadtwerke Frankfurt Holding GmbH
Joint venture partner
Pelion Green Future - M&A
2023-03-24
Sullivan & Cromwell
Germany
M&A
Carsten Berrar, Daniel Kornack, Florian Spaeth, Ozan Yildirim
Pelion Green Future
Seller
Tion Renewables AG - M&A
2023-03-24
Linklaters
Germany
M&A
Tion Renewables AG
Target
EQT AB - M&A
2023-03-24
Milbank
Germany
M&A
EQT AB
Buyer
A&O Fischer GmbH & Co. KG - M&A
2023-03-27
Osborne Clarke
Germany
M&A
Fabian Christoph, Flemming Moos, Jens Wrede, Lina Bocker, Louisa Hartig, Martin Soppe, Maximilian Klein, Patrick Seiler, Philine Topper, Philipp Stein, Sarah Grigo
A&O Fischer GmbH & Co. KG
Buyer
BayWa r.e. AG - M&A
2023-01-04
Cuatrecasas
Germany
M&A
Maria Igea, Ramon Gil
BayWa r.e. AG
Seller
Plenticon Group GmbH - M&A
2023-03-28
ALTENBURG
Germany
M&A
Andreas Ege, Charlotte Beck, Gero Thole, Henning Timm
Plenticon Group GmbH
Buyer
Plenticon Group GmbH - M&A
2023-03-28
Gütt Olk Feldhaus
Germany
M&A
Christopher Krappitz, Dominik Forstner, Isabelle Vrancken, Sebastian Olk, Thomas Becker, Tilmann Gutt
Plenticon Group GmbH
Buyer
Carlsquare GmbH - M&A
2023-04-04
Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton
Germany
M&A
Robert Kay, Stephanie Zeppa, Tiernan Still
Carlsquare GmbH
Target
Sonic Healthcare Ltd. - M&A
2023-04-03
Hengeler Mueller
Germany
M&A
Anton Petrov, Christoph Wilken, Gulsah Civelek, Hendrik Bockenheimer, Jan Bonhage, Kai-Steffen Scholz, Krzysztof Paluch, Marvin Vesper-Graske, Matthias Berberich, Maximilian Maucher, Sara Jungewelter, Sebastian Bauer, Sebastian Heinrichs, Siyuan Zhou, Stefan Kress, Theresa Scharff, Valerie Klos
Sonic Healthcare Ltd.
Buyer
Capital Clarity LLC - M&A
2023-04-04
Holland & Knight
Germany
M&A
Capital Clarity LLC
Buyer
Carlsquare GmbH - M&A
2023-04-04
Taylor Wessing
Germany
M&A
Carlsquare GmbH
Target
Seller Group - multiple shareholders - M&A
2023-01-11
McDermott Will & Schulte
Germany
M&A
Benjamin Maciejewski, Fabian Appadoo, Germar Enders, Marcus Fischer, Matthias Weingut, Nikolaus von Jacobs, Nina Siewert, Philipp Schauble, Robert Feind, Sebastian Gerstner
Seller Group - multiple shareholders
Seller
Sophora Unternehmerkapital GmbH - M&A
2023-04-07
Goodwin Procter
Germany
M&A
Daniel Wagner, Winfried Carli
Sophora Unternehmerkapital GmbH
Buyer
apoBank - M&A
2023-04-06
Hengeler Mueller
Germany
M&A
Carl-Philipp Eberlein, Christian Dankerl, Christian Moller, Jan Schülting, Thorsten Mager
apoBank
Seller
Diamond Foundry Inc. - M&A
2022-11-18
Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe
Germany
M&A
John Harrison
Diamond Foundry Inc.
Buyer
Daicel Corp. - M&A
2023-04-12
Gleiss Lutz
Germany
M&A
Alexander Nagel, Alexandra Brucher, Christopher Noll, Enno Burk, Florian Kienast, Ivana Robitzsch, Johann Wagner, Johannes Hertfelder, Josefine Chakrabarti, Michael Burian, Philip Niemann, Rhued Gaiser, Rut Steinhauser, Simon Wegmann, Sumiko Sato, Torsten Spiegel
Daicel Corp.
Seller
59
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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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Insights editorial only cont'd