IFLR is part of Legal Benchmarking Limited, 1-2 Paris Garden, London, SE1 8ND

Copyright © Legal Benchmarking Limited and its affiliated companies 2026

Accessibility | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Modern Slavery Statement


Key practice areas
Banking
Project finance
Capital markets : Debt
Capital markets : High yield
Capital markets : Equity
Capital markets : Structured finance and securitisation
Financial and corporate
Financial services regulatory
Private equity
Restructuring
M&A
Project development
Projects
Banking and finance
Firm overview

A&O Shearman is a financial and corporate powerhouse that has strong rankings across almost all our practice areas. Traditionally lender focused, A&O Shearman remains a go-to firm for banks in all manner of transactions. A member of the UK ‘magic circle’ the firm has 44 offices in 31 countries.

Address:
Bockenheimer Landstraße 2
60306
Frankfurt am Main
Tel:+49 69 26485000 Web Address:https://www.aoshearman.com/en
Rankings published in 2026
Banking and finance
Tier 2
35 firms ranked
View full list

Tier 1

Clifford Chance
12 practice areas
View full profile
Freshfields
13 practice areas
View profile
Hengeler Mueller
12 practice areas
View profile
Latham & Watkins
11 practice areas
View profile
Milbank
11 practice areas
View profile

Tier 2

A&O Shearman
14 practice areas
View full profile
Linklaters
13 practice areas
View profile

Tier 3

Ashurst Perkins Coie
9 practice areas
View profile
Gleiss Lutz
13 practice areas
View profile
Noerr
10 practice areas
View profile
White & Case
13 practice areas
View full profile

Tier 4

CMS Hasche Sigle
10 practice areas
View profile
Goodwin Procter
4 practice areas
View profile
Kirkland & Ellis
11 practice areas
View profile
Norton Rose Fulbright
7 practice areas
View profile
Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom
13 practice areas
View full profile
Willkie Farr & Gallagher
9 practice areas
View profile

Tier 5

Baker McKenzie
10 practice areas
View full profile
Bird & Bird
10 practice areas
View profile
Gütt Olk Feldhaus
5 practice areas
View profile
Heuking Kühn Lüer Wojtek
9 practice areas
View profile
King & Spalding
6 practice areas
View profile
Luther
4 practice areas
View profile
Mayer Brown
10 practice areas
View profile
McDermott Will & Schulte
12 practice areas
View profile
Taylor Wessing
7 practice areas
View profile
Weil Gotshal & Manges
9 practice areas
View profile

Notable

Astera Legal
3 practice areas
View profile
Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner
3 practice areas
View profile
LARK
18 practice areas
View profile
LSP | Lindemann Schwennicke & Partner
4 practice areas
View profile
Schalast & Partner (Schalast Law | Tax)
5 practice areas
View full profile
Sidley Austin
7 practice areas
View profile
Simmons & Simmons
5 practice areas
View profile
Sullivan & Cromwell
6 practice areas
View profile
Capital markets : Debt
Tier 3
20 firms ranked
View full list

Tier 1

Freshfields
13 practice areas
View profile
Hengeler Mueller
12 practice areas
View profile
Linklaters
13 practice areas
View profile

Tier 2

Clifford Chance
12 practice areas
View full profile
Latham & Watkins
11 practice areas
View profile
White & Case
13 practice areas
View full profile

Tier 3

A&O Shearman
14 practice areas
View full profile
Gleiss Lutz
13 practice areas
View profile
Hogan Lovells Cadwalader
11 practice areas
View profile
Noerr
10 practice areas
View profile
Sullivan & Cromwell
6 practice areas
View profile

Tier 4

Ashurst Perkins Coie
9 practice areas
View profile
Heuking Kühn Lüer Wojtek
9 practice areas
View profile
Mayer Brown
10 practice areas
View profile
Norton Rose Fulbright
7 practice areas
View profile
Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom
13 practice areas
View full profile

Tier 5

Kirkland & Ellis
11 practice areas
View profile
Milbank
11 practice areas
View profile

Notable

McDermott Will & Schulte
12 practice areas
View profile
Pinsent Masons
5 practice areas
View profile
Capital markets : Equity
Tier 3
25 firms ranked
View full list

Tier 1

Freshfields
13 practice areas
View profile
Hengeler Mueller
12 practice areas
View profile
Linklaters
13 practice areas
View profile
Sullivan & Cromwell
6 practice areas
View profile

Tier 2

Clifford Chance
12 practice areas
View full profile
White & Case
13 practice areas
View full profile

Tier 3

A&O Shearman
14 practice areas
View full profile
Gleiss Lutz
13 practice areas
View profile
Hogan Lovells Cadwalader
11 practice areas
View profile
Latham & Watkins
11 practice areas
View profile
Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom
13 practice areas
View full profile

Tier 4

Ashurst Perkins Coie
9 practice areas
View profile
CMS Hasche Sigle
10 practice areas
View profile
Milbank
11 practice areas
View profile
Noerr
10 practice areas
View profile

Tier 5

Norton Rose Fulbright
7 practice areas
View profile
Willkie Farr & Gallagher
9 practice areas
View profile

Notable

Baker McKenzie
10 practice areas
View full profile
DLA Piper
5 practice areas
View profile
Glade Michel Wirtz
4 practice areas
View profile
Heuking Kühn Lüer Wojtek
9 practice areas
View profile
Kirkland & Ellis
11 practice areas
View profile
Paul Hastings
10 practice areas
View profile
Pinsent Masons
5 practice areas
View profile
Taylor Wessing
7 practice areas
View profile
Capital markets : High yield
Tier 3
9 firms ranked
View full list

Tier 1

Latham & Watkins
11 practice areas
View profile

Tier 2

White & Case
13 practice areas
View full profile

Tier 3

A&O Shearman
14 practice areas
View full profile
Freshfields
13 practice areas
View profile
Gleiss Lutz
13 practice areas
View profile
Hengeler Mueller
12 practice areas
View profile
Linklaters
13 practice areas
View profile
Milbank
11 practice areas
View profile
Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom
13 practice areas
View full profile
Capital markets : Structured finance and securitisation
Tier 3
14 firms ranked
View full list

Tier 1

Clifford Chance
12 practice areas
View full profile
Hengeler Mueller
12 practice areas
View profile
Linklaters
13 practice areas
View profile

Tier 2

Freshfields
13 practice areas
View profile
Hogan Lovells Cadwalader
11 practice areas
View profile
White & Case
13 practice areas
View full profile

Tier 3

A&O Shearman
14 practice areas
View full profile
Ashurst Perkins Coie
9 practice areas
View profile
Baker McKenzie
10 practice areas
View full profile
Dentons
12 practice areas
View profile
Latham & Watkins
11 practice areas
View profile

Notable

Gleiss Lutz
13 practice areas
View profile
Mayer Brown
10 practice areas
View profile
Noerr
10 practice areas
View profile
Financial services regulatory
Tier 3
20 firms ranked
View full list

Tier 1

Freshfields
13 practice areas
View profile
Hengeler Mueller
12 practice areas
View profile
Linklaters
13 practice areas
View profile

Tier 2

Clifford Chance
12 practice areas
View full profile
Hogan Lovells Cadwalader
11 practice areas
View profile
Latham & Watkins
11 practice areas
View profile
White & Case
13 practice areas
View full profile

Tier 3

A&O Shearman
14 practice areas
View full profile
CMS Hasche Sigle
10 practice areas
View profile
Gleiss Lutz
13 practice areas
View profile
LSP | Lindemann Schwennicke & Partner
4 practice areas
View profile
PwC Legal
1 practice area
View full profile

Notable

Annerton
1 practice area
View profile
Bird & Bird
10 practice areas
View profile
Gunnercooke
1 practice area
View profile
Jones Day
5 practice areas
View profile
Mayer Brown
10 practice areas
View profile
McDermott Will & Schulte
12 practice areas
View profile
Noerr
10 practice areas
View profile
Schalast & Partner (Schalast Law | Tax)
5 practice areas
View full profile
M&A
Tier 3
56 firms ranked
View full list

Tier 1

Freshfields
13 practice areas
View profile
Hengeler Mueller
12 practice areas
View profile
Linklaters
13 practice areas
View profile

Tier 2

Clifford Chance
12 practice areas
View full profile
Gleiss Lutz
13 practice areas
View profile
Latham & Watkins
11 practice areas
View profile
Sullivan & Cromwell
6 practice areas
View profile

Tier 3

A&O Shearman
14 practice areas
View full profile
Kirkland & Ellis
11 practice areas
View profile
Milbank
11 practice areas
View profile
Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom
13 practice areas
View full profile
White & Case
13 practice areas
View full profile

Tier 4

Baker McKenzie
10 practice areas
View full profile
CMS Hasche Sigle
10 practice areas
View profile
Hogan Lovells Cadwalader
11 practice areas
View profile
McDermott Will & Schulte
12 practice areas
View profile
Noerr
10 practice areas
View profile
Weil Gotshal & Manges
9 practice areas
View profile

Tier 5

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton
10 practice areas
View full profile
DLA Piper
5 practice areas
View profile
Dentons
12 practice areas
View profile
Gibson Dunn & Crutcher
5 practice areas
View profile
Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer
3 practice areas
View profile
Heuking Kühn Lüer Wojtek
9 practice areas
View profile
Jones Day
5 practice areas
View profile
K&L Gates
2 practice areas
View profile
Mayer Brown
10 practice areas
View profile
Morgan Lewis & Bockius
1 practice area
View profile
Morrison & Foerster
2 practice areas
View profile
SZA Schilling Zutt & Anschütz
4 practice areas
View profile
Willkie Farr & Gallagher
9 practice areas
View profile

Tier 6

Ashurst Perkins Coie
9 practice areas
View profile
Berner Fleck Wettich
2 practice areas
View profile
Bird & Bird
10 practice areas
View profile
Eversheds Sutherland
1 practice area
View profile
GLNS
5 practice areas
View profile
Glade Michel Wirtz
4 practice areas
View profile
Gütt Olk Feldhaus
5 practice areas
View profile
Kallan
2 practice areas
View profile
King & Spalding
6 practice areas
View profile
Oppenhoff & Partner
6 practice areas
View profile
Paul Hastings
10 practice areas
View profile
Pinsent Masons
5 practice areas
View profile
Renzenbrink & Partner
2 practice areas
View profile
Schalast & Partner (Schalast Law | Tax)
5 practice areas
View full profile

Notable

ADVANT Beiten
1 practice area
View profile
Arqis
3 practice areas
View profile
Dechert
3 practice areas
View profile
Greenberg Traurig
3 practice areas
View profile
LARK
18 practice areas
View profile
Leo Schmidt-Hollburg Witte & Frank
2 practice areas
View profile
Norton Rose Fulbright
7 practice areas
View profile
Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe
1 practice area
View profile
POELLATH
4 practice areas
View profile
Taylor Wessing
7 practice areas
View profile
YPOG
3 practice areas
View profile
Private equity
Tier 3
36 firms ranked
View full list

Tier 1

Clifford Chance
12 practice areas
View full profile
Freshfields
13 practice areas
View profile
Hengeler Mueller
12 practice areas
View profile
Kirkland & Ellis
11 practice areas
View profile
Latham & Watkins
11 practice areas
View profile
Milbank
11 practice areas
View profile

Tier 2

Gleiss Lutz
13 practice areas
View profile
Linklaters
13 practice areas
View profile
POELLATH
4 practice areas
View profile
Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom
13 practice areas
View full profile
Weil Gotshal & Manges
9 practice areas
View profile

Tier 3

A&O Shearman
14 practice areas
View full profile
CMS Hasche Sigle
10 practice areas
View profile
Gibson Dunn & Crutcher
5 practice areas
View profile
Hogan Lovells Cadwalader
11 practice areas
View profile
White & Case
13 practice areas
View full profile
Willkie Farr & Gallagher
9 practice areas
View profile

Tier 4

Ashurst Perkins Coie
9 practice areas
View profile
Goodwin Procter
4 practice areas
View profile
Gütt Olk Feldhaus
5 practice areas
View profile
LUPP + PARTNER
1 practice area
View profile
McDermott Will & Schulte
12 practice areas
View profile
Noerr
10 practice areas
View profile
Paul Hastings
10 practice areas
View profile
Renzenbrink & Partner
2 practice areas
View profile
Sidley Austin
7 practice areas
View profile
YPOG
3 practice areas
View profile

Notable

Astera Legal
3 practice areas
View profile
Bird & Bird
10 practice areas
View profile
DLA Piper
5 practice areas
View profile
EY Law
4 practice areas
View profile
GLNS
5 practice areas
View profile
Greenberg Traurig
3 practice areas
View profile
Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer
3 practice areas
View profile
King & Spalding
6 practice areas
View profile
Mayer Brown
10 practice areas
View profile
Project development
Tier 3
13 firms ranked
View full list

Tier 1

Clifford Chance
12 practice areas
View full profile
Hogan Lovells Cadwalader
11 practice areas
View profile
White & Case
13 practice areas
View full profile

Tier 2

CMS Hasche Sigle
10 practice areas
View profile
Freshfields
13 practice areas
View profile
Norton Rose Fulbright
7 practice areas
View profile

Tier 3

A&O Shearman
14 practice areas
View full profile
Bird & Bird
10 practice areas
View profile
DLA Piper
5 practice areas
View profile
Dentons
12 practice areas
View profile
Gleiss Lutz
13 practice areas
View profile
Hengeler Mueller
12 practice areas
View profile
Heuking Kühn Lüer Wojtek
9 practice areas
View profile
Project finance
Tier 3
11 firms ranked
View full list

Tier 1

Clifford Chance
12 practice areas
View full profile
White & Case
13 practice areas
View full profile

Tier 2

Freshfields
13 practice areas
View profile
Hogan Lovells Cadwalader
11 practice areas
View profile
Norton Rose Fulbright
7 practice areas
View profile

Tier 3

A&O Shearman
14 practice areas
View full profile
CMS Hasche Sigle
10 practice areas
View profile
Gleiss Lutz
13 practice areas
View profile
Linklaters
13 practice areas
View profile
Watson Farley & Williams
5 practice areas
View profile

Notable

Bird & Bird
10 practice areas
View profile
Restructuring
Tier 2
26 firms ranked
View full list

Tier 1

Freshfields
13 practice areas
View profile
Kirkland & Ellis
11 practice areas
View profile

Tier 2

A&O Shearman
14 practice areas
View full profile
Clifford Chance
12 practice areas
View full profile
Dentons
12 practice areas
View profile
Gleiss Lutz
13 practice areas
View profile
Hengeler Mueller
12 practice areas
View profile
Linklaters
13 practice areas
View profile

Tier 3

CMS Hasche Sigle
10 practice areas
View profile
Görg
6 practice areas
View profile
Hogan Lovells Cadwalader
11 practice areas
View profile
Latham & Watkins
11 practice areas
View profile
Milbank
11 practice areas
View profile
Noerr
10 practice areas
View profile
White & Case
13 practice areas
View full profile
Willkie Farr & Gallagher
9 practice areas
View profile

Tier 4

Heuking Kühn Lüer Wojtek
9 practice areas
View profile
McDermott Will & Schulte
12 practice areas
View profile
Sidley Austin
7 practice areas
View profile
Weil Gotshal & Manges
9 practice areas
View profile
Wellensiek
3 practice areas
View profile

Notable

Ashurst Perkins Coie
9 practice areas
View profile
Glade Michel Wirtz
4 practice areas
View profile
Mayer Brown
10 practice areas
View profile
Schultze & Braun
3 practice areas
View profile
Taylor Wessing
7 practice areas
View profile
35 results35 results
2
of
2
Deal Highlights
20 results20 results
Deal Name Deal Date Firm Name Jurisdiction Deal Type Lawyer Names Client Names Client Role
EQT Corp - Bond Issue
2021-05-01
A&O Shearman
Germany
Bond issue
Morgan Stanley, BNP Paribas, Goldman Sachs, SEB - Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB, Nordea Bank Finland Oyj
Underwriter
Federal State of Saxony-Anhalt - Bond Issue
2021-02-01
A&O Shearman
Germany
Bond issue
Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Barclays, Deutsche Bank, BNP Paribas, Goldman Sachs, Landesbank Baden-Wuerttemberg - LBBW, Royal Bank of Scotland Group, Commerzbank, HSBC, Citigroup, NORD/LB, Morgan Stanley, UniCredit, DekaBank, DZ Bank
Underwriter
Volkswagen Group - Bond Issue
2021-05-01
A&O Shearman
Germany
Bond issue
Volkswagen Group
Issuer
NORD/LB - Bond Issue
2021-07-01
A&O Shearman
Germany
Bond issue
NORD/LB
Issuer
UniCredit - Bond Issue
2021-07-01
A&O Shearman
Germany
Bond issue
UniCredit
Issuer
Volkswagen Group - Bond Issue
2021-08-01
A&O Shearman
Germany
Bond issue
Volkswagen Group
Issuer
Volkswagen Group - Bond Issue
2021-01-01
A&O Shearman
Germany
Bond issue
Volkswagen Group
Issuer
Volkswagen Group - Bond Issue
2021-06-01
A&O Shearman
Germany
Bond issue
Volkswagen Group
Issuer
Cars Alliance Auto Loans Germany Master - Bond Issue
2021-01-01
A&O Shearman
Germany
Bond issue
Crédit Agricole, Société Générale
Underwriter
Bruin Sports Capital LLC - M&A
2021-03-22
A&O Shearman
Germany
M&A
Geoffrey Simpson
Bruin Sports Capital LLC
Buyer
Akasol AG - M&A
2021-02-15
A&O Shearman
Germany
M&A
Hartmut Krause, Maria Boerner, Michael Weiss, Tatiana Marzoli
Akasol AG
Seller
Goldman Sachs Private Equity Partners - M&A
2021-03-10
A&O Shearman
Germany
M&A
Goldman Sachs Private Equity Partners
Buyer
Advent International Corp. - M&A
2021-07-12
A&O Shearman
Germany
M&A
Alexander Wupper, Gordon Milne, Helge Schafer, Michiel Huizinga, Monika Przygoda
Advent International Corp.
Seller
Bridgepoint Advisers Group Ltd. - M&A
2021-10-19
A&O Shearman
Germany
M&A
Bridgepoint Advisers Group Ltd.
Buyer
Charterhouse Capital Partners LLP - M&A
2021-06-14
A&O Shearman
Germany
M&A
Charterhouse Capital Partners LLP
Buyer
PBD Germany Auto Loan 2021 UG - Bond Issue
2021-10-01
A&O Shearman
Germany
Bond issue
UniCredit
Underwriter
Bayer AG - M&A
2022-07-14
A&O Shearman
Germany
M&A
Bayer AG
Seller
W.A.G payment solutions plc - M&A
2022-10-03
A&O Shearman
Germany
M&A
Jana Chwaszcz, Michael Weiss, Prokop Verner, Veronika Gaile
W.A.G payment solutions plc
Buyer
Providence Equity Partners LLC - M&A
2023-07-10
A&O Shearman
Germany
M&A
Providence Equity Partners LLC
Buyer
Nimbus BV - M&A
2023-10-31
A&O Shearman
Germany
M&A
Nimbus BV
Seller
Tom Schoors will combine the new EU chair role with his post as Belgium managing partner, helping global clients to tap into the firm’s EU expertise across 16 offices
ESG
Lawyers at A&O Shearman and Vinson & Elkins say that judges are approaching statutory interpretation differently following Loper Bright, but they are still paying attention to government arguments
New hires were made across the finance practices in New York, San Francisco, London and Milan
M&A
Paolo Nastasi, managing partner for Italy, delves into Q1 market trends, deal structures and how the firm is driving growth at a practice level
Regulations must be effective, not excessive, says OCC chief Rodney Hood
M&A
As the European Commission seeks input on updating its 20-year-old merger rules, focusing on traditional competition metrics will no longer be enough, lawyers say
The UK managing partner reflects on her career and discusses the opportunities ahead for the firm, particularly in leveraged finance
Partner Tom Grant discusses the legal innovation behind the first Solvency II-compliant restricted tier 1 bond issuance in Portugal and how it can help the firm to win more work
Sponsored

Sponsored

  • IFLR1000
    Sponsored by Radu Tărăcilă Pădurari Retevoescu SCA (RTPR)
    RTPR has assisted the private equity fund MidEuropa on the sale of Regina Maria Group to Mehiläinen in the largest ever healthcare services transaction in Central Europe. Regina Maria Group is the leading integrated private healthcare network in Romania, offering a wide range of multi-specialty outpatient healthcare services and hospital services, serving over 2 million patients annually via its 300-unit network.
  • IFLR1000
    Sponsored by Radu Tărăcilă Pădurari Retevoescu SCA (RTPR)
    Bucharest, 21 January 2025: RTPR announces the promotion of Bogdan Cordos to Partner. He joins the team of 8 partners consisting of Costin Taracila, Victor Padurari, Alexandru Retevoescu, Mihai Ristici, Valentin Berea, Roxana Ionescu, Alina Stavaru and Cosmin Tilea.
  • IFLR1000
    Sponsored by Radu Tărăcilă Pădurari Retevoescu SCA (RTPR)
    RTPR has assisted the private equity fund MidEuropa and its (former) portfolio company, Profi Rom Food, on the closing of the sale of Profi to Ahold Delhaize in respect of Romanian law matters of the transaction. Profi is a leading traditional grocery retailer in Romania, having over 28,000 employees and a network of more than 1,750 stores, operated both directly and in partner system, with Profi Super, Profi City, Profi Go and Profi Loco as main formats.