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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
Deutsche Telekom Capital Partners Management GmbH - M&A
2023-09-19
YPOG
Germany
M&A
Deutsche Telekom Capital Partners Management GmbH
Buyer
TSB Gaming Ltd. - M&A
2023-02-28
Baker McKenzie
Germany
M&A
Tino Marz
TSB Gaming Ltd.
Buyer
TALIS Management Holding GmbH - M&A
2023-09-07
Latham & Watkins
Germany
M&A
Leif Schrader
TALIS Management Holding GmbH
Seller
HES International BV - M&A
2023-09-21
Heuking Kühn Lüer Wojtek
Germany
M&A
Fabian Gaffron, Fabian Schmitz, Martin Imhof, Matthias Kuhn, Peter Vocke, Sebastian Pollmeier
HES International BV
Seller
adivo GmbH - M&A
2023-09-15
Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe
Germany
M&A
adivo GmbH
Target
SLMP LLC - M&A
2023-10-09
Oppenhoff & Partner
Germany
M&A
SLMP LLC
Buyer
Prime Footwear Investors AG - M&A
2023-10-06
Goodwin Procter
Germany
M&A
Bastian Schmack, Heiko Penndorf, Markus Käpplinger, Nadine Gommel, Robert Jochim, Stefan Riegger
Prime Footwear Investors AG
Buyer
Active Capital Co. BV - M&A
2023-09-26
Houthoff
Germany
M&A
Ageeth Panman, Jasmijn Harms
Active Capital Co. BV
Buyer
Active Capital Co. BV - M&A
2023-09-26
Arqis
Germany
M&A
Benjamin Bandur, Carolin Schlutter, Christof Schneider, Dennis Reisich, Johannes Landry, Marcus Nothhelfer, Mauritz von Einem, Nora Meyer-Stratmann
Active Capital Co. BV
Buyer
Presto AB - M&A
2023-08-02
White & Case
Germany
M&A
Alisa Preissler, Anders Westling, Andreas van den Eikel, Bodo Bender, Lisa Bar, Paul Kohlhaas, Sebastian Stutze, Sebastian Wallin, Shoan Panahi, Thilo Wienke
Presto AB
Buyer
Vacuumschmelze GmbH & Co. KG - M&A
2023-10-10
Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison
Germany
M&A
Vacuumschmelze GmbH & Co. KG
Target
Ara Partners Group - M&A
2023-10-10
Latham & Watkins
Germany
M&A
Ara Partners Group
Buyer
Vacuumschmelze GmbH & Co. KG - M&A
2023-10-10
Ashurst Perkins Coie
Germany
M&A
Vacuumschmelze GmbH & Co. KG
Target
Schaeffler AG - M&A
2023-10-09
Sullivan & Cromwell
Germany
M&A
Carsten Berrar, Frederick Eggert, Kolja Ortmann, Konstantin Technau, Lea Detambel, Michael Haase, Michael Rosenthal, Ozan Yildirim, Stephan Rauch
Schaeffler AG
Buyer
NOVEC BV - M&A
2023-10-11
Gleiss Lutz
Germany
M&A
Alexander Fritzsche, Alexander Nagel, Anke Siemer-Arcq, Aylin Hoffs, Birgit Colbus, Caroline Saalwächter-Hirsch, Christoph Meissner, Christoph Skoupil, Eva Reudelhuber, Florian Kienast, Hendrik Marchal, Jacob von Andreae, Jennifer Otten, Johann Wagner, Josefine Chakrabarti, Lars Kindler, Manuel Klar, Martin Gofferje, Maximilian Leisenheimer, Michael Gröber, Paul Hentschel, Philip Niemann, Pirmin Schreiner, Rut Steinhauser, Tim Weber, Vivien Etzkorn
NOVEC BV
Seller
Lonepike Beteiligungen GmbH - M&A
2023-10-03
Willkie Farr & Gallagher
Germany
M&A
Bettina Bokeloh, Johanna Thieme, Maximilian Schwab, Moritz Vettermann, Philip Thurmer, Wolfram Prusko, Wulf Kring
Lonepike Beteiligungen GmbH
Seller
Phoenix Tower International LLC - M&A
2023-10-11
CMS
Germany
M&A
Phoenix Tower International LLC
Buyer
Labquality Oy - M&A
2023-10-12
Heuking Kühn Lüer Wojtek
Germany
M&A
Andreas Walle, Caroline Frohnwieser, Catarina Seemann, Henrik Lay, Jorg Schewe, Julian Rosenfeld, Larissa Krebs, Lutz Keppeler, Michael Kuska, Sebastian Pollmeier, Simon Pommer, Theresa Arndt
Labquality Oy
Buyer
11880 Solutions AG - M&A
2023-08-30
Heuking Kühn Lüer Wojtek
Germany
M&A
Franziska Decker, Lena Pfeufer, Mirko Sickinger
11880 Solutions AG
Buyer
Partners Group AG - M&A
2023-06-21
Clifford Chance
Germany
M&A
Alexander Stemmler, Anselm Raddatz, Birte Huller, Bjorn Heinlein, Christopher Fischer, Cord von Mandelsloh, David Rahmel, Dimitri Slobodenjuk, Duy Huynh, Florian Mahler, Ines Keitel, Jana Landsittel, Joseph Saed, Katia Gauzes, Maik Simon, Marie Karle, Markus Stephanblome, Mathias Elspass, Meike Kirschner, Olaf Mertgen, Reinhard Scheer-Hennings, Simon Wattenberg, Stefan Sax, Thomas Conradi, Tobias Kamerling, Ulrich Pfeffer, Vera Burdenski, Zaid Mansour
Partners Group AG
Buyer
70
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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