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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
1
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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
Clarion Partners Europe Ltd. - M&A
2023-07-12
Goodwin Procter
Germany
M&A
Clarion Partners Europe Ltd.
Buyer
atacama Software GmbH - M&A
2023-07-12
Pinsent Masons
Germany
M&A
atacama Software GmbH
Target
Shaftesbury Real Estate Investment 1 (Luxembourg) S.à r.l - M&A
2023-03-16
Hogan Lovells Cadwalader
Germany
M&A
Annika Lind, Florentine Gottwald, Heiko Gemmel, Hinrich Thieme, Judith Altenburg, Nico Neukam
Shaftesbury Real Estate Investment 1 (Luxembourg) S.à r.l
Seller
FREQUENTIS AG - M&A
2023-04-06
Reed Smith
Germany
M&A
Christian Schnurrer, Constantin Conrads, Michaela Westrup, Robert Werzlau, Sebastian Bitter
FREQUENTIS AG
Buyer
IN Groupe - M&A
2023-07-14
Heuking Kühn Lüer Wojtek
Germany
M&A
Arnold Büssemaker, Bettina Neheider, Bodo Dehne, Christoph Gringel, Fabian Gaffron, Helge-Torsten Woehlert, Karolina Badura, Katharina Prasuhn, Kerstin Deiters, Markus Rabe, Martin Strohmann, Reinhard Siegert, Ruth Schneider, Sarah Radon, Simon Pommer, Steffen Wilberg, Thomas Jansen
IN Groupe
Buyer
Paessler AG - M&A
2023-05-03
Rödl & Partner
Germany
M&A
Patrick Satzinger
Paessler AG
Buyer
Grabarz & Partner Werbeagentur GmbH - M&A
2023-07-06
Watson Farley & Williams
Germany
M&A
Moritz von Baumbach, Sebastian Olbertz, Torge Rademacher
Grabarz & Partner Werbeagentur GmbH
Target
HAWITA Group GmbH - M&A
2023-06-23
Heuking Kühn Lüer Wojtek
Germany
M&A
Johan Schneider, Katharina Waszczynski, Michael Droge
HAWITA Group GmbH
Target
Zensho Holdings Co. Ltd. - M&A
2023-06-09
Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu
Germany
M&A
Zensho Holdings Co. Ltd.
Buyer
DunoAir Windpark Planung GmbH - M&A
2023-04-26
Ashurst Perkins Coie
Germany
M&A
Benedikt von Schorlemer, Constanze Gotz, Holger Mlynek, Jan Ischreyt, Martina Rothe, Maximilian Uibeleisen, Simon Groneberg
DunoAir Windpark Planung GmbH
Target
Freudenberg Home and Cleaning Solutions - M&A
2023-07-11
Gleiss Lutz
Germany
M&A
Alexander Nagel, Doris-Maria Schuster, Franz Ferdinand Guggenmos, Ingo Brinker, Jacob von Andreae, Johann Wagner, Johannes Niewerth, Jonas Rybarz, Julian Glau, Lesley Milde, Manuel Klar, Marc Ruttloff, Matthias Boglmuller, Matthias Hahn, Matthias Werner, Paul Hentschel, Rainer Loges, Sebastian Girschick, Steffen Hein, Stephanie Dausinger, Theresa Trautmann, Theresa Uhlenhut
Freudenberg Home and Cleaning Solutions
Buyer
CBRE Investment Management - M&A
2023-05-04
Linklaters
Germany
M&A
CBRE Investment Management
Buyer
Qualitas Energy Private Equity SGEIC SA - M&A
2023-04-26
Dentons
Germany
M&A
Anna Gross, Annekathrin Markert, Axel Schlieter, Bernadette Baas, Birte Klasmeier, Bram Bloemers, Celine Brunnett, Daniel Neudecker, Dieuwke Kist, Esther Hazenoot, Eugenie Nunes, Franziska Dannhof, Frits Miedema, Gerard Koster, Holger Ellers, Ive Mulders, Jan Peelen, Jeroen Le Clercq, Johanne Boelhouwer, Joost Boon, Josef Hainz, Kevin Boekhout, Konrad Boning, Konstantin Ecker, Laura Appell, Marcel Janssen, Marie Laval, Marije Ozinga, Markus Diepold, Matthias Stelzer, Mehdi El Manouzi, Minh Riemann, Nick De Rooij, Nurelia Kather, Pia Dorfmueller, Sebastiaan Wijsman, Sophie Prosman, Thomas Dormer, Tim Heitling, Tjerk Bijlsma, Wesley Boldewijn, Wing Tang
Qualitas Energy Private Equity SGEIC SA
Buyer
Round Hill Capital LLC - M&A
2023-05-10
Dentons
Germany
M&A
Arndt Dobroschke, Axel Schlieter, Birte Klasmeier, Christoph Blotenberg, Laura Appell, Michael Bayliss, Sebastian Schmid
Round Hill Capital LLC
Buyer
Zensho Holdings Co. Ltd. - M&A
2023-06-09
Dentons
Germany
M&A
Adrian Sempf, Bernadette Baas, Bram Bloemers, Christof Kautzsch, Hauke Thieme, Holger Holkemeier, Jeannette Meyer, Jeroen Oversteeg, Josef Hainz, Marcus Roick, Markus Diepold, Maximilian Stanglmeier, Minh Riemann, Parsin Walsi, Philipp Hoffmann
Zensho Holdings Co. Ltd.
Buyer
Vonovia SE - M&A
2023-05-04
Dentons
Germany
M&A
Alexander Muehleisen, David Zafra Carollo, Elisa Kluge, Jessica Vorster, Lena von Schickfus und Neudorff, Rene Dubois
Vonovia SE
Seller
ZF Friedrichshafen AG - M&A
2023-07-13
Gütt Olk Feldhaus
Germany
M&A
Dominik Forstner, Marcel Schmidt, Sebastian Olk, Thomas Becker
ZF Friedrichshafen AG
Seller
ABB Ltd. - M&A
2023-06-13
CMS
Germany
M&A
Barbara Wossner, Christian Zielonka, Daniel Kaiser, Julia Dönch, Julian Siefermann, Kai Wallisch, Martin Cholewa, Martin Mohr, Maximilian Koschker, Michael Kraus, Rolf Hempel, Roman Seiler, Sebastian Schneider, Simon Kirchner
ABB Ltd.
Buyer
enercity AG - M&A
2023-05-23
Sullivan & Cromwell
Germany
M&A
Jannis Rink, Shajan Kreuter, Silke Jurczyga, York Schnorbus
enercity AG
Seller
RWE Offshore Wind GmbH - M&A
2023-05-25
Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe
Germany
M&A
Werner Brickwedde
RWE Offshore Wind GmbH
Buyer
65
of
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