Dr. Alena McCorkle represents German and international clients from a wide range of industries in complex and cross-border disputes, both in and out of court, as well as in arbitration proceedings. Dr. McCorkle handles a full spectrum of litigation and arbitration matters, including:
International disputes with a focus on cross-border discovery
Consumer litigation and mass actions
Complex commercial litigation and arbitration, including post-M&A disputes
Securities litigation
Constitutional complaints
Over the years, she has established trustful relationships with long-standing clients. International clients benefit from Dr. McCorkle’s strong intercultural skills, which she developed through her work on international matters as well as in the firm’s global recruiting and associates committees, during a client secondment in Milan, and during her legal training in Latham’s Chicago office. Since then, Dr. McCorkle has built strong ties into Latham’s US litigation practice.
Dr. McCorkle is a member of the firm’s Global Legal Professional & Paralegal Committee.
She maintains an active pro bono practice focused on enforcing the rights of persons with disabilities and fostering inclusion in education and society.
Standard commentaries on the German Code of Civil Procedure and the German Federal Court of Justice have cited her doctoral thesis on internet research that judges perform in civil litigation.
Latham & Watkins LLP
Lawyers
Dr. Alexander Lentz is a member of the corporate finance team focusing on capital market transactions, with particular expertise in high-yield bond offerings and leveraged finance deals.
In the last several years, Mr. Lentz has advised corporate (in various industries), sponsor, and investment banking clients on various high-yield bond, leveraged, and other financing transactions with particular focus on the DACH region.
Prior to joining the firm in 2010, Mr. Lentz was an associate for three years at another US law firm.
Mr. Lentz advises on:
Complex high-yield bond transactions (both under US and German law), including related liability management transactions
Commitment papers for bridge-to-bond financing transactions
P2P financing transactions
‘Cross-over’ bonds (e.g., in the real estate sector in the DACH region)
High-yield bond advise in restructuring context
Green bonds and sustainable finance
Dr. Alexander Stefan Rieger is widely recognized for advising clients on complex M&A transactions and projects in the international infrastructure and energy sector. The Legal 500 ranks him in 2022 and 2023 as one of the leading partners of the next generation for M&A in Germany. JUVE lists him as frequently recommended for M&A.
Mr. Rieger’s clients include leading infrastructure funds, pension funds, insurances, private equity investors, and corporates from around the globe.
By utilizing his background as a straight-forward infrastructure lawyer, Mr. Rieger adds value rarely available in the market at the interface between infrastructure and M&A. What Mr. Rieger does best: understanding complex industry specific issues and translating them into legal or commercial solutions.
In advising his clients, Mr. Rieger emphasizes practicality, striving to achieve his clients’ business objectives by leveraging his “perfect understanding of the market and related transaction dynamics” (The Legal 500 2023).
Hall of fame
Alexandra Hagelüken advises creditors and borrowers on complex national and cross-border financings, drawing on more than two decades of experience with German and English law transactions. Ms. Hagelüken formerly served as Co-Vice Chair of the firm’s Global Finance Department.
Ms. Hagelüken regularly advises on:
Acquisition financing transactions
Infrastructure financings
Financial restructurings
General corporate lending
She excels at establishing long-term relationships with clients who value her pragmatic and unflappable approach. With a keen knowledge of both the products and the players in the German market, she has become a trusted advisor for clients pursuing landmark and innovative deals.
Dr. Andreas Lönner is a counsel in the Hamburg office and practices in the Corporate Department.
Mr. Lönner specializes in mergers and acquisitions and general corporate advice. He has specific expertise in stock corporation and capital markets law as well as complex reorganizations.
Prior to joining Latham & Watkins, Mr. Lönner was an assistant to Prof. Dr. Gerald Spindler at the chair of corporate law at the University of Göttingen. During his practical legal training Mr. Lönner worked at a law firm in San Francisco.
Dr. Löhner represents clients in complex commercial disputes before German courts and international arbitral tribunals.
She guides market-leading companies and private equity funds through all aspects of bet-the-company litigation. Dr. Löhner counsels clients on:
Complex commercial disputes and mass actions
Post-M&A and shareholder litigation
Controversies involving cross-border components or multi-jurisdictional parallel proceedings
Dr. Löhner draws on extensive experience to help clients achieve optimal resolutions to their most challenging disputes. She regularly advocates for her clients in arbitration under DIS and ICC rules, and before trial and appellate courts across Germany. She is also well versed in amicable dispute resolution, including expert determination proceedings and mediation.
Ms. Löhner previously worked as an associate in the firm’s New York office and is admitted to practice law in Germany and New York. She is a member of the firm‘s global Ethics and Diversity Leadership Committees.
She maintains an active pro bono practice, including representing Ashoka and other non-profits in disputes and contract negotiations related to charitable projects around the globe.
Axel Schiemann is a financial regulatory partner who advises German and global clients on a full spectrum of domestic and cross-border regulatory issues and transactions in the financial sector. He is a member of the firm’s Financial Institutions Group.
Mr. Schiemann regularly advises on:
Prudential supervision of banks and investment firms (including CRR/CRDIV)
Securities related compliance (including MAR, MiFID/MiFID II)
Mergers and acquisitions in the financial industry
Issuance of regulatory capital instruments
Litigation in the financial sector
Regulatory enforcement and investigations
Bank recovery and resolution
Corporate governance and remuneration systems
IT/Outsourcing
Fintech and ICOs
Brexit-related issues
Prior to joining Latham, Mr. Schiemann served in different in-house roles in the financial industry.
Mr. Schiemann frequently writes and speaks on financial regulatory issues. For example, he is co-author of a commentary on Securities Compliance (Wertpapier-Compliance in der Praxis) and a commentary on the German Supervisory Act on Payment Services (ZAG - Kommentar zum Zahlungsdiensteaufsichtsgesetz).
Burc Hesse is Office Managing Partner of Latham & Watkins in Germany. He advises financial investors, focusing in particular on complex cross-border leveraged buyouts. He counsels private equity investors and their portfolio companies, both on the buy-side and the sell-side, on M&A transactions, including:
Cross-border and domestic transactions
LBOs/MBOs/MBIs
Minority investments
Co-investments
Share and asset deals
Mr. Hesse draws on more than 20 years of experience with private equity, through all phases of economic cycles. Leading legal publications including JUVE, Chambers, and IFLR regularly rank him highly, describing him as “an absolute dealmaker” and a skilled negotiator.
Dr. Carsten Loll, one of the leading German real estate lawyers, advises clients on complex real estate and private equity transactions.
Carsten Loll draws on extensive experience to guide private equity funds, institutional investors, and asset managers on their highest-value domestic and cross-border real estate matters, including:
Asset and share deals
Portfolio transactions across all asset classes, including office, retail, and logistics
Joint ventures and real estate M&A
He is a member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and a member of the Advisory Board Germany. From 2012 to 2018, he was Local Chair of the ULI in Munich and a member of the ULI Executive Committee Germany. He is also a member of the gif Gesellschaft für Immobilienwirtschaftliche Forschung e.V. / International Real Estate Society (IHRES), the German-British Lawyers Association and the German-American Lawyers Association.
Dr. Christian Jahn advises companies, private equity funds, debt funds, and banks on acquisition financings, corporate loans, and restructurings, including mid-cap and large-scale cross-border transactions.
He regularly advises German and international clients on:
Leveraged buyouts and other M&A transactions
Domestic and cross-border financings and restructurings
Syndicated corporate loans
Dr. Jahn brings a commercial pragmatism and complementary technical rigor to complex and cross-border matters. He leverages the firm’s global platform and efficiently manages teams in multiple jurisdictions to execute financings. Dr. Jahn has particular skill in handling China-related matters, as he studied Mandarin and Chinese law at Nanjing University.
Dr. Jahn frequently writes and speaks on finance and restructuring topics. He authored and co-edited the books ���Acquisition Finance Agreements in Germany” (Beck 2017) and “Akquisitionsfinanzierungen” (Beck 2019). He has also published several articles on Chinese law and is a member of the German-Chinese Lawyers’ Association (DCJV).
Christina Mann represents clients in complex cross-border transactions, particularly involving carve-outs and joint ventures.
Ms. Mann leverages extensive in-house experience and a sophisticated understanding of her clients’ commercial drivers to guide private equity funds and corporates on:
Carve-outs
Joint ventures and strategic partnerships
Mergers and acquisitions
She skillfully negotiates highly technical commercial documentation and contracts, forging collaboration that bridges cultural gaps and efficiently closes deals.
A recognized thought leader, Ms. Mann regularly writes and presents on transactional trends. She is also a member of the firm’s local Women Enriching Business (WEB) Committee.
Ms. Mann maintains an active pro bono practice, including joint venture work on behalf of a charity organization in Germany.
Before joining Latham, she worked for a global automotive supplier and another international law firm in Germany and New York.
Dr. Christoph Baus, a complex commercial trial lawyer, served as Global Vice Chair of the firm’s Litigation & Trial Department and currently serves as Regional Chair of the Litigation & Trial Department in continental Europe.
Mr. Baus represents clients at trial and in arbitration in a range of disputes, related to:
Complex commercial
Securities
Professional liability
Shareholders
M&A
Insolvency
Antitrust damages and abuse of dominance
Mr. Baus has unparalleled experience in courtrooms and has led some of the most complex and high-profile cases, including Germany’s largest mass securities litigation matter. He is regularly lauded by leading legal publications, including JUVE and Chambers Europe, and has been compared to Cicero and James Bond.
Christoph Engeler advises a full spectrum of healthcare and life sciences clients on corporate, transactional, and regulatory matters.
Mr. Engeler advises clients at all stages of the business or product lifecycle. He regularly advises on:
M&A transactions and restructurings
Privatizations and joint ventures
Regulatory matters across the full product lifecycle
Committed to the healthcare and life sciences industry, Mr. Engeler speaks the industry language of his clients, offering specialized and pragmatic solutions. He is regularly recognized in leading legal publications, including Chambers, JUVE, and LMG Life Sciences. Clients note “he is very quick at grasping industry-specific concepts covered in negotiations.” He regularly speaks at conferences, including Germany’s leading healthcare conference, Gesundheitswirtschaftskongress.
Cora Grannemann, a counsel in the Finance Department of Latham & Watkins' Frankfurt office, advises German and international clients on national and cross-border transactions, including leveraged buyouts, strategic acquisition, financial restructurings, and corporate lending within German and English law, helping clients to successfully address all aspects of their financing needs. She focuses on forward-looking leveraged buyouts and corporate finance transactions featuring complex and innovative structures, including bank/bond and covenant-lite.
Ms. Grannemann also lectures on "Introduction to English Law" at the Goethe University in Frankfurt.
Dr. Daniel Splittgerber represents clients in complex financial restructurings and distressed situations, with an emphasis on German and cross-border transactions.
Mr. Splittgerber advises on complex, cross-border distressed situations, including bank-bond restructurings. He regularly guides international and German clients through both in-court and out-of-court restructurings, rescue financings, and distressed acquisitions. His clients include:
Creditors
Companies and their management teams
Investors and shareholders
He leverages an extensive background in financial analysis and a strategic mind set to help clients stabilize distressed situations and optimize returns. Mr. Splittgerber establishes trusted relationships with clients to comprehensively understand their goals and effectively implement solutions to achieve them.
A recognized thought leader, Mr. Splittgerber regularly speaks at industry conferences and publishes on insolvency law and topical issues on the restructuring market. He also maintains an active pro bono practice, serves on the firm’s Pro Bono Committee, and is a board member of Pro Bono Deutschland e.V., which promotes pro bono legal advice for nonprofit and nongovernmental organizations and projects in Germany.
Before joining Latham, Mr. Splittgerber worked as an assistant lecturer at the University of Münster’s Institute for International Business Law. He obtained his doctorate with a thesis on enterprise groups’ treatment under German insolvency law, for which he earned the Harry-Westermann Award for outstanding dissertations.
Dr. Dirk Kocher advises corporations, private equity firms, and strategic investors on public transactions, restructurings, and shareholder issues.
Mr. Kocher advises clients on a full spectrum of transformative transactions, restructurings and high-stakes shareholder disputes related to German stock corporations. He regularly guides clients through:
Public M&A, taking private transactions, and PIPEs
Corporate and financial restructurings of public companies
Corporate governance, activism defense, and shareholder litigation
Drawing on an exceptional understanding of German stock corporation law, he regularly advises boards on complex transactions as well as compliance issues and shareholder disputes.
Mr. Kocher was a lecturer at Bucerius law school and currently serves there as chairman of the board of trustees of the Foundation of the Institute for Corporate and Capital Markets Law. He formerly served as vice chairman of the board of the Finnish-German Trade Association in Hamburg and regularly publishes and speaks on corporate and capital markets’ law issues.
Dr. Florian Dehmel is a counsel in the Executive Compensation, Employment & Benefits Practice in the Munich office of Latham & Watkins.
Dr. Dehmel focuses his practice on individual and collective employment relations. He advises German and international clients on employment law matters in the context of restructurings and downsizings, as well as M&A and private equity transactions.
He studied law in Bayreuth and Edinburgh. Before joining Latham, he worked in the employment departments of other renowned international commercial law firms and in a private equity company as head of employment.
Frank Grell helps clients navigate distressed situations related to restructuring or insolvency. He chairs the German Restructuring & Special Situations Practice and served as Local Department Chair of the German Finance Department. Mr. Grell has earned a strong reputation from clients and leading publications for his empathetic approach and ability to craft pragmatic and commercial solutions in high-pressure or crisis situations.
Mr. Grell advises:
Companies, management, and shareholders in a financial or operational crisis
Creditors in all phases of financial restructurings, including debt-equity swaps, share pledge enforcements, and insolvency plan proceedings
Investors on the acquisition of distressed companies and on restructuring, rescue financing, or refinancing transactions, including debt-equity swaps
Insolvency administrators on M&A, restructurings, or disputes
Complementing his transactional work, he also represents parties in claw-back and liability cases.
Mr. Grell is a board member of TMA Germany e.V. and of Norddeutsches Insolvenzforum e.V. (Insolvency Forum of Northern Germany).
He regularly speaks and writes about insolvency and restructuring matters.
Frank Bierwirth is a counsel in the Frankfurt office of Latham & Watkins. He has extensive experience advising on a variety of structured finance and debt capital markets matters including:
OTC derivatives
Structured notes
Securitization and covered bonds
Debt issuance programs
Bond and Schuldschein loan transactions
His regulatory practice includes financial services and securities, market infrastructure such as CCP clearing and trading systems, as well as investment funds and insurance regulatory law.
Gregory Walker is a member of the corporate finance team with a focus on capital market transactions and US securities law advice.
Mr. Walker advises a wide range of corporate sponsor and investment banking clients on a variety of equity and debt capital markets transactions, with a particular focus on issuer clients in the DACH region, including:
IPOs
Capital increases
Equity-linked transactions
Private placements
High-yield bond transactions (under New York and German law) and related liability management transactions
Investment grade debt offerings
Mr. Walker is a member of the New York and Frankfurt Bar Associations.
Dr. Heiko Gotsche, partner in the Düsseldorf office of Latham & Watkins, has considerable experience advising international clients on cross-border M&A transactions (both public and private) as well as on corporate law matters (including joint ventures, reorganizations, and carve-outs).
Heiko serves an international client base, including listed as well as family-owned companies, private equity investors, financial institutions, and high-net-worth individuals.
Leading legal publications rank him as frequently recommended lawyer for M&A.
He is a member of several associations, including the German Association for Corporate and Company Law (VGR).
Dr. Henning C. Schneider draws on 25 years of experience to help German and international clients navigate complex M&A/PE transactions and corporate matters. He previously served as the Global Co-Chair of the firm’s Healthcare and Life Sciences Industry Group, as well as the Chair of the firm’s Corporate Department in Germany.
Dr. Schneider advises major corporates and PE firms across industries, including healthcare, life sciences, energy, financial services, and real estate, on major public and private M&A/PE transactions, as well as on stock corporation law.
Based on his work on multi-billion Euro signature deals, Dr. Schneider has earned a reputation with clients as a skillful innovator, balancing both legal and commercial needs.
Leading legal publications, including Financial Times, JUVE, Chambers, and Handelsblatt repeatedly rank Dr. Schneider as a leading lawyer in both general M&A/PE and healthcare/life sciences.
He writes regularly on legal topics and has authored several legal handbooks, including a handbook on corporate law Münchener Handbuch Gesellschaftsrecht 2021, 5th edition, Grabitz/Hilf, Law of the European Union 2021, 72nd edition.
Dr. Schneider is a member of several boards, including Chair of the American Chamber of Commerce, North Germany. He is an alumnus of the Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes and a Knight of the Order of St. John.
Dr. Ingo Strauss, partner in the Düsseldorf office of Latham & Watkins, draws on more than 15 years of experience advising clients on cross-border and domestic M&A transactions, and corporate law matters.
Dr. Strauss advises German and international clients on M&A transactions, including public and private M&A, and private equity, as well as on corporate law and sports-related matters.
Leading legal publications, including JUVE and Chambers, rank him as a leading M&A lawyer, describing him as one of the most active transactional lawyers in Germany.
Dr. Ingo Strauss is a member of several associations, including the German Association for Corporate and Company Law (VGR).
Jan Penselin advises clients on the full spectrum of debt financings, particularly with a DACH region (Germany, Austria, or Switzerland) nexus.
Mr. Penselin leverages a breadth of global capital markets knowledge and local market expertise to advise corporates, sponsors, and investment banks on:
Complex high-yield bond transactions under US and German law
Crossover bonds
Commitment papers for bridge-to-bond financing transactions
Liability management transactions
Large corporate bonds
High yield bond advice in restructuring context
P2P financing transactions
Lending transactions
He understands the commercial factors that drive clients at every stage of their life cycle and devises business-focused corporate finance solutions that support their growth. Mr. Penselin unlocks Latham’s robust platform — especially through integration across the M&A, banking, and teams — to help clients achieve their objectives.
Mr. Penselin also helps clients navigate the intersection of capital markets and private capital, as product terms converge amid complex capital structures.
Prior to joining Latham, Mr. Penselin worked for leading law firms in Frankfurt and London for several years.
Dr. Jan Christoph Höft is a partner in the Düsseldorf office of Latham & Watkins and a member of the firm’s Antitrust & Competition Practice. He advises clients in all areas of EU and German competition law, representing them before the German Federal Cartel Office and the European Commission. In particular, Mr. Höft assists clients with merger control, cartel defense, and abuse of dominance matters, as well as complex antitrust litigation, including civil damages actions.
With almost 10 years‘ experience in competition law, Mr. Höft has developed strong expertise in the technology, media, and retail sectors. The breadth of his cartel experience includes successful settlement discussions with the German Federal Cartel Office and defense in court and in extrajudicial proceedings against subsequent civil damages actions, which to date form the largest ever civil damages litigation in Germany.* In the area of merger control, he has successfully represented a retailer contesting a ministerial approval of a planned merger in the German retail sector.*
Mr. Höft regularly writes on recent developments in competition law.
*Matter handled prior to joining the firm
Dr. Jana Dammann de Chapto advises international clients on merger control and foreign investment control.
Ms. Dammann de Chapto, as a key member of a client’s deal team, navigates the increasingly complex competition, merger control, and foreign investment control landscape in the EU and globally. She represents clients from a full spectrum of industries before the European Commission, national regulatory agencies, as well as before the German and European courts.
Her commercial work draws on her earlier scholarly work on merger control at the University of Hamburg, her PhD on comparative antitrust law, and her work at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law. She regularly writes and speaks on foreign investment topics.
Dr. Jana Dammann de Chapto advises international clients on merger control and foreign investment control. Dr. Dammann de Chapto, as a key member of a client’s deal team, navigates the increasingly complex competition, merger control, and foreign investment control landscape in the EU and globally. She represents clients from a full spectrum of industries before the European Commission, national regulatory agencies, as well as before the German and European Courts. Her commercial work draws on her earlier scholarly work on merger control at the University of Hamburg, her PhD on comparative antitrust law, and her work at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law. She regularly writes and speaks on foreign investment topics.
Joachim Grittmann is counsel in the Frankfurt office and practices in the firm’s Litigation & Trial Department. He has broad experience in administrative and regulatory law, including:
Public procurement law
State aid law
Compliance matters, e.g., data protection and export control
His practice involves all aspects of public law matters for a variety of public and non-public clients.
Mr. Grittmann is also a Master of Public Administration and an associate professor for public law at the University of Heidelberg.
John Wileur guides companies through complex EU antitrust proceedings and merger control matters.
Drawing on his experience in high-profile European competition matters, Mr. Wileur delivers creative and pragmatic solutions to clients. He represents multinational and European companies involved in a range of industries, from technology and live events to pharmaceuticals, transportation, and energy.
Mr. Wileur brings particular experience navigating prominent merger control and abuse of dominance matters. His work includes some of the largest and most complicated matters at the EU and national levels, including proceedings brought before the EU Courts in Luxembourg. Mr. Wileur also counsels clients on complex competition issues involving cartel investigations, distribution agreements, and State aid.
Mr. Wileur regularly speaks and writes on EU law topics, including as a lecturer at the University of Liège law school in Belgium. He has written on abuse of dominance and other competition law topics in a number of leading legal publications.
Mr. Wileur maintains an active pro bono practice. His work includes advising nonprofit organizations on EU and Belgian law issues. He is also a member of the firm’s Pro Bono and Recruiting Committees.
Leif Schrader advises private equity funds and other financial investors on domestic and cross-border M&A transactions and joint ventures.
Mr. Schrader counsels clients primarily on private equity transactions, including:
M&A transactions
Co-investments
Management participations
Joint ventures
Minority investments
Capital market transactions (IPOs)
Mr. Schrader draws on extensive experience handling transactions in a full spectrum of industries, including aerospace, technology, chemicals, and industrials. He is recognized as a notable dealmaker in IFLR1000 and JUVE. Given his sophisticated sense of what is at market, he develops pragmatic solutions to execute clients’ deals. Complementing his considerable transactional experience, he has served in-house as general counsel for an aerospace company in the Middle East.
Dr. Lucas Schweitzer is a counsel in the Corporate Department of Latham & Watkins' Düsseldorf office. He has considerable experience in handling domestic and cross-border M&A transactions as well as corporate law matters.
Mr. Schweitzer is particularly experienced in private and public M&A transactions as well as corporate law matters. He also regularly advises on reorganizations and aspects of capital markets law.
Prior to joining Latham, he worked for another major international law firm in the corporate/M&A departments in Düsseldorf and Hamburg.
Dr. Markus Krüger is a partner in the Corporate Department of the Frankfurt office and a core member of the Financial Institutions Industry Group. He joined the firm in November 2006 from another major international law firm. Mr. Krüger specializes in complex mergers and acquisitions, with a particular focus on private equity transactions and transactions in the financial industry. He also frequently advises clients in corporate restructurings and general corporate law matters and has significant expertise with bank regulatory and restructuring matters.
Mathias Fischer is counsel in the Frankfurt office and a member of the global Pro Bono Committee. Mr. Fischer practices in the Litigation & Trial Department. He has broad experience in advising and representing major domestic and international financial institutions and corporations in German and international litigation and arbitral proceedings.
Mr. Fischer is specialized on securities litigation, particularly on lawsuits under the German Capital Markets Model Case Law (KapMuG). Additionally, he regularly represents businesses with regard to professional liability and in corporate matters. Mr. Fischer is further specialized in appraisal proceedings.
Mr. Fischer is a co-founder and board member of Pro Bono Deutschland e.V., an association for the promotion of pro bono legal advice for non-profit and non-governmental organizations and projects in Germany.
Dr. Maximilian Platzer is a partner in Latham & Watkins' Frankfurt office and practices in the Corporate Department. He advises private equity investors and corporate entities on German and cross-border M&A transactions and public takeovers. His practice covers both the buy-side and sell-side of acquisitions as well as co-investments and management participations.
Prior to joining the firm in March 2017, Mr. Platzer was an associate for several years at another international law firm.
Widely recognized as one of Germany’s leading antitrust lawyers, Dr. Michael Esser advises clients on German and European competition matters ranging from complex merger clearances to global cartel investigations and litigation.
Mr. Esser draws on more than two decades of experience at the forefront of high-profile antitrust procedures to deliver favorable outcomes for prominent German, European, and international companies, with a focus on the technology, fintech, telecommunications, and e-commerce sectors. Regardless of the matter at hand, Mr. Esser harnesses his sophisticated technical knowledge and strong agency relationships to resolve issues involving antitrust enforcers and courts worldwide.
A sought-after writer on competition topics, Mr. Esser regularly contributes to prominent legal publications. His work includes serving as a co-editor of the antitrust journal Neue Zeitschrift für Kartellrecht (NZKart).
Hall of fame
Oliver Felsenstein, Global Chair of the Private Equity & Investment Funds Practice and a former member of the firm’s Executive Committee, helps private equity firms navigate every stage of the investment life cycle, from acquisition through exit.
Widely recognized among the world’s leading private equity lawyers, Mr. Felsenstein advises private equity firms on many of their largest and most complex transactions involving target companies in Germany and internationally. His several decades of experience span well more than 100 completed transactions exceeding €100 billion in value across a diverse range of industries, including technology, industrials, and healthcare.
A strong relationship builder and keen strategist, Mr. Felsenstein serves as a trusted advisor to many of the world’s most prominent private equity clients. He brings a commercial perspective to clients’ most significant business challenges and drives consensus in negotiations. Mr. Felsenstein regularly leads large, international Latham teams and acts as the primary liaison for clients throughout all phases of a transaction.
Mr. Felsenstein is a member of the curatorship of the Foundation Deutsche Sporthilfe, an organization supporting the German Olympic team.
Otto von Gruben advises German and international clients on complex M&A and real estate transactions, often in a cross-border context.
Drawing on his breadth of experience across a full spectrum of transactional matters, Mr. von Gruben serves a variety of public and private companies, including strategic investors, private equity, and sovereign wealth funds. His work covers a range of industries, with a particular focus on the real estate, automotive, and healthcare sectors.
Mr. von Gruben's practice includes:
Corporate real estate and real estate private equity transactions
Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and private equity transactions
Joint ventures
Distressed transactions
Mr. von Gruben combines a results-driven sensibility and a knowledge of the key market players to complete both German and cross-border deals efficiently. In particular, he frequently navigates clients’ most intricate transactions involving novel structures and complex international considerations.
Dr. Rainer Traugott advises German and international companies, private equity firms, and infrastructure investors on complex transactions and general corporate issues, often in a multijurisdictional context.
Drawing on more than 25 years of experience, Mr. Traugott delivers pragmatic and creative counsel to clients in a range of corporate matters. He handles both public and private transactions, including acquisitions, divestitures, public takeover offers, and mergers. Mr. Traugott also regularly advises executive and supervisory boards on critical corporate governance issues. His comprehensive corporate guidance extends to business transformations, including spin-offs, separations, and carve-outs.
Mr. Traugott harnesses his sophisticated understanding of the needs of corporate, private equity, and infrastructure clients to help parties negotiate successfully and execute transactions efficiently. A versatile practitioner, he advises on transactions across industries and jurisdictions. His distinguished deal work includes a number of precedent-setting matters involving novel structures.
Mr. Traugott previously served as Global Co-Chair of the Mergers & Acquisitions Practice and on the firm’s Strategic Client Committee.
Rainer Adlhart is a member of the corporate finance team, advising private equity sponsors, corporates, debt funds, and financial institutions on complex domestic and cross-border finance transactions, with particular expertise in US capital markets, private debt, and venture capital.
Mr. Adlhart advises on:
High-yield bond offerings
Private placements
Crossover and investment grade bond offerings
IPOs, SPAC transactions, and capital raisings
Restructurings
Tender offers, consent solicitations, and other liability management transactions
Mr. Adlhart also advises borrowers and lenders on syndicated credit, acquisition finance, direct lending, and leveraged finance transactions. He regularly acts for founders, high-growth companies, and investors in initial- through late-stage venture capital financings.
Before joining the firm, Mr. Adlhart worked at other international law firms in London and New York.
Mr. Adlhart is a member of the Munich Bar Association.
Hall of fame
Dr. Rüdiger Malaun, a highly regarded German capital markets lawyer and former Global Co-Chair of the firm’s Capital Markets Practice, advises clients on strategic financing transactions, with a particular focus on high-yield bond offerings and other debt instruments. He draws on more than 20 years of experience, handling a remarkable volume of the largest and most sophisticated offerings in Europe, among them more than 60 high-yield bond transactions.
Dr. Malaun has earned widespread recognition for his work. JUVE notes he is the “clear leader on high-yield bonds” who “plays in a league of his own” and Chambers interviewees describe him as “the biggest name for high-yield work in Germany” and “highly skilled, very effective and technically brilliant.”
Dr. Malaun advises corporates, sponsors, and investment banks on:
Complex high-yield bond transactions (both under US and German law), including related liability management transactions
Equity and equity-linked financings
Large corporate bonds
Commitment papers for bridge-to-bond financing transactions
P2P financing transactions
‘Cross-over’ bonds (e.g. in the real estate sector in the DACH Region)
High yield bond advise in restructuring context
Dr. Sebastian Pauls advises private equity clients on the full lifecycle of domestic and cross-border transactions.
Mr. Pauls advises German and international financial and strategic investors on private equity and M&A transactions across a wide range of industry sectors. He provides strategic and legal advice on buy-side and sell-side transactions, including:
Acquisitions and sales of mid-cap and large-cap companies
Management participation programs
Carve-outs
Minority investments / co-investments
Exit plans, and timetables
Given his extensive and complementary German and cross-border experience, he has a keen sense of trends in the private equity space.
Max Hauser advises German and international clients on a broad spectrum of antitrust matters under German and EU laws, in particular regarding:
Merger control clearances in Germany, the EU, and globally
Cartel and abuse of dominance investigations, as well as compliance programs and audits
Antitrust damages claims, representing both defendants and claimants
Mr. Hauser is recognized by Who’s Who Legal, JUVE and WirtschaftsWoche as a leading antitrust and competition lawyer. Sources describe that he “keeps calm in stressful situations and finds solutions extremely fast”, and is “always three steps ahead”. He excels at simplifying complex issues, especially in cross-border M&A situations, drawing on experience from more than a hundred merger control filings in various jurisdictions. Mr. Hauser advises clients from a wide range of industries, including financial services, private equity, automotive, food retailing, health care, information technology, and oil and gas.
Mr. Hauser regularly publishes articles on antitrust law issues, and has co-authored a cartel damages handbook. He is a co-founder and board member of the Competition Litigation Forum in Germany.
Mr. Hauser is a member of the firm’s Associates and Legal Professional & Paralegal Committees and a former member of the firm’s Recruiting Committee.
Sibylle Münch, a finance partner, advises German and international financial institutions, private equity funds, and companies in a wide range of industries on complex national and cross-border financings.
Ms. Münch provides strategic advice to efficiently execute transactions, which are often pioneering and innovative in the market. Specifically, she works with clients on:
Leveraged buyouts
Strategic acquisitions
Public-to-private transactions
Unitranche financing (with senior/super senior structures)
General corporate lending (including Schuldschein)
Financing advise in relation to restructuring scenarios
She draws on experience with all types of products and financings to provide a strategic view on the issues and advantages of each type of structure.
Stefan Süss is a partner in Latham & Watkins' Munich office. He served as Local Department Chair of the firm's German Tax Department.
He specializes in German and international tax law, focusing on tax-optimization of private equity and M&A transactions, and on structuring funds and financial instruments.
Mr. Süss is qualified as a certified tax advisor and is a member of the International Fiscal Association.
Stefan Patzer represents German and international clients in a wide range of complex and high-profile disputes, both in and out of court as well as in arbitration proceedings.
Mr. Patzer handles a variety of different litigation and arbitration matters, including:
Securities litigation and mass actions
Complex commercial litigation
Insolvency-related litigation
Competition and cartel damages claims
Insurance-related disputes
His focus industry sectors include automotive, energy & infrastructure, healthcare, and financial services.
Mr. Patzer draws on experience successfully handling hundreds of court hearings, including some of the largest and most complex mass litigations in Germany. He regularly speaks and writes on current legal issues for leading industry publications, including Börsen-Zeitung, Handelsblatt, and Legal Tribune Online (LTO).
Dr. Stefan Bartz is a counsel in Latham & Watkins' Frankfurt and Hamburg offices and a member of the firm's Litigation & Trial Department and the White Collar Defense & Investigations Practice.
Mr. Bartz has significant experience:
Conducting internal investigations
Representing clients before government enforcement agencies
Implementing and developing compliance management systems and risk mitigation measures
Conducting compliance due diligence in connection with M&A transactions
He primarily advises clients on internal investigations (white collar investigations) and preventive compliance matters. He regularly provides compliance support in private equity and M&A deals.
Dr. Bartz holds a PhD in criminal and data protection law and regularly publishes on white collar and enforcement issues, particularly with reference to US law.
Dr. Stephan Hufnagel advises public and private companies and financial investors on the full spectrum of complex transactions.
A versatile practitioner, Dr. Hufnagel leverages extensive experience guiding German and international companies, private equity sponsors, and infrastructure investors on:
Private and public transactions
Mergers and acquisitions
Auction sales and divestitures
Co-investments
Fund-to-fund transactions
He also advises clients with respect to corporate governance aspects.
Dr. Hufnagel regularly organizes and presents at the firm’s Private Equity and M&A Academies in Germany, and he has served on the firm’s Mentoring and Recruiting Committees.
Dr. Susan Kempe-Müller, partner in the Frankfurt office of Latham & Watkins, advises and represents clients in all areas of intellectual property law, with a particular emphasis on trademark, competition, employee invention, and copyright law.
Dr. Kempe-Müller has long-standing experience advising on transactions in the field of intellectual property and information technology.
She has particular expertise in drafting and negotiating complex national and cross-border contracts in the IP/IT area. She advises clients on:
License and service agreements
Research and development contracts
Software development and software transfer projects
Cooperation agreements
Outsourcing contracts
Dr. Kempe-Müller also represents companies in litigation and proceedings before trademark and patent offices.
Susanne Decker advises international private equity firms and their portfolio companies on multifaceted, cross-border M&A transactions.
Ms. Decker draws on more than two decades of experience at the forefront of high-profile mergers and acquisitions in Germany and Europe to advise clients on both the buy- and sell-sides. She regularly navigates nuanced deal structures in the M&A space, which are optimized from a tax perspective. Ms. Decker is particularly adept at counseling on management incentive programmes in connection with private equity transactions by combining strong negotiating skills and an ability to distill complex structures.
She also provides ongoing corporate law advice to companies, including portfolio companies of private equity firms. Additionally, she advises on complicated restructurings of groups of companies.
Sven Nickel is counsel in the Frankfurt office of Latham & Watkins and a member of the Real Estate Practice.
Mr. Nickel advises German and international investors, asset managers, and financial institutions on real estate transactions, project developments, joint ventures, commercial leases, and all types of asset management matters.
Prior to joining Latham, Mr. Nickel worked as an associate in another international law firm in the real estate department, in the Frankfurt office for seven years.
Thies Deike is a counsel in the firm’s Corporate Department. His practice focuses on information technology, outsourcing, telecommunications, e-commerce and digital media. Mr. Deike's expertise includes:
IT, outsourcing and other technology-related projects
Commercial transactions, including complex technology-related and general commercial contracts
Consumer protection law
Distribution systems
Intellectual property and licensing
Joint ventures and transitional service arrangements in the context of M&A, private equity and other transactions
He assists clients with drafting and negotiating related contracts and advises them on commercial, IT and IP matters in the context of M&A, PE and other transactions.
Thomas Vogel is a partner in the Paris and Frankfurt offices of Latham & Watkins. Mr. Vogel leads the Structured Finance and Derivatives Practices and the Fintech Industry Group in Paris. He is also a member of the Financial Regulatory Practice and the Global Digital Assets & Web3 Practice.
Mr. Vogel regularly acts for global financial services firms, investment managers, hedge and investment funds, sovereign funds, and UHNW individuals. He advises on structured finance transactions, alternative investment structures across asset classes including structured strategic equity solutions, structured fixed-income transactions (delivered in synthetic format through derivatives instruments or in funded format through debt securities), strategic contingent hedging transactions, regulatory capital and synthetic risk transfer transactions, NPL portfolio transfers, synthetic credit, fund, energy, catastrophe and longevity derivatives, structured repo, and stock-lending transactions.
Mr. Vogel also advises emerging companies, decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs), financial institutions, and investment managers on complex regulatory challenges in the development of bespoke financial crypto-asset and cryptocurrency technologies or DeFi market solutions including token sales, trading, refinancing, clearing, and settlement solutions on distributed ledger technology. He also advises clients on domestic and cross-border cutting-edge Fintech initiatives. He has also advised numerous corporates on innovative NFT and semi-NFT projects.
Mr. Vogel regularly advises clients on financial regulatory issues (including in the crypto space) and pre-contentious financial disputes in the context of mediation, arbitration and litigation procedures, as well as on internal derivatives compliance programs and derivatives clearing documentation.
Mr. Vogel has acquired years of transactional experience in New York, London, Hong Kong, and Tokyo both as a private practitioner (with a Magic Circle firm) and senior in-house counsel (with a leading US investment bank in New York). In recent years, he has represented clients in multi-billion dollar structured transactions in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.
Mr. Vogel is a member of the Frankfurt Bar Association.
Dr. Thomas Grützner, a compliance and litigation partner, represents corporate and financial institution clients on a variety of complex compliance and white collar crime matters and Human Rights as well as workplace-related investigations.
Dr. Grützner serves clients by:
Conducting internal investigations
Representing clients before government enforcement agencies
Managing crises
Implementing and developing compliance management systems and risk mitigation measures
Conducting compliance due diligence in connection with M&A transactions and supply chain aspects
He draws on experience investigating alleged misconduct in more than 30 countries, including Algeria, Bangladesh, Dubai, Indonesia, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, the UAE, and Vietnam. He has defended DAX30 companies across a full range of industries before domestic and international enforcement agencies.
Given his broad professional and academic experience, Mr. Grützner skillfully guides clients through the design and implementation of effective compliance management systems and compliance projects. Leading legal publications regularly recommend him.
He regularly writes on white collar and enforcement issues, and has authored several books, including a handbook on white collar and tax criminal law (Wirtschafts- und Steuerstrafrecht - Handbuch für die Unternehmenspraxis 2nd edition). He is a member of the ICC task force, Addressing Issues of Corruption in International Arbitration.
Thomas Weitkamp, a leading German finance lawyer, advises clients on complex domestic and cross-border finance and financial restructuring transactions. Mr. Weitkamp is admitted as a lawyer and solicitor (England and Wales).
Mr. Weitkamp advises private equity funds, debt funds, financial institutions, and corporate borrowers on complex financing structures, including:
Acquisition finance
Direct lending (including senior/super senior structures)
Public-to-private transactions
Leveraged buyouts
Infrastructure financing
Corporate financing
Restructurings
He draws on extensive experience with lenders and borrowers, including recently focusing on unitranche and other direct lending financings. Mr. Weitkamp balances excellent technical skills with a savvy commercial sense to help clients achieve their strategic objectives and ensure the success of their financing transactions.
Hall of fame
Tim Wybitul, a leading data privacy lawyer, advises German and global companies on complex data protection issues. He represents clients in data privacy litigation, internal investigations, and other data-related disputes.
Mr. Wybitul advises clients on complex, high-stakes data protection and privacy matters, including:
Data protection litigation, e.g. proceedings before courts concerning the application and implementation of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and other data protection laws
Successful defense against fines for alleged violations of the GDPR and other data protection regulations, including trial defense in the European Court of Justice (CJEU)
Respond to cybersecurity incidents, globally or limited to individual jurisdictions or areas
Communication and negotiations with data protection authorities, including settlements
Helping companies to resolve complex data privacy and cyber issues and to develop practical solutions
He serves as Chair of Latham's Data Privacy Committee. Latham’s GDPR civil damages table demonstrates Mr. Wybitul’s creative solutions-oriented approach within a dynamic regulatory environment, for which he has developed an excellent reputation in the market.
Mr. Wybitul combines an affinity for information technology with specific training to provide clients with practical, business-oriented strategies. He is a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP-E) and a certified specialist lawyer for German employment law. He has provided expert testimonies to the German Parliament (Deutscher Bundestag) regarding the development of German data protection laws.
Mr. Wybitul co-edits the German-language Data Privacy Law Journal (Zeitschrift für Datenschutz) published by Verlag C.H. Beck. He regularly publishes articles on data protection topics, both in leading German and English legal publications. His articles are cited by the European Court of Justice, German Federal Supreme Court, Federal Administrational Court, Federal Labor Court, and courts of appeal. He lectures on data protection at the Goethe University in Frankfurt.
Dr. Tobias Klass advises private equity funds, large and medium-sized companies and their shareholders, as well as real estate investment funds on the tax aspects of complex, often cross-border transactions.
Mr. Klass, as a key member of a client’s deal team, navigates the increasingly complex German and international tax law issues in domestic and cross-border transactions.
He focuses on the tax-optimization of private equity and M&A transactions as well as restructurings. He also advises on tax structures for inbound real estate investments.
Mr. Klass is qualified as a certified tax advisor and specialist tax lawyer. He is a member of the International Fiscal Association.
Dr. Tobias Leder is a partner in the Executive Compensation, Employment & Benefits Practice in the Munich office.
He focuses his practice on restructurings, reorganizations, as well as on relationships with works councils and trade unions. In addition, he regularly represents companies in litigation before labor and civil courts in Germany.
Prior to joining Latham & Watkins, he worked at Bucerius Law School in Hamburg (Lehrstuhl für Arbeits- und Sozialrecht) and at the University of Bonn (Institut für Arbeitsrecht und Recht der Sozialen Sicherheit) for several years.
Mr. Leder is a certified employment lawyer (Fachanwalt für Arbeitsrecht) and a member of the German Bar Association (DAV).
In addition to his legal practice, he is a regular author of articles on German, European, and international labor and employment law.
Dr. Torsten Volkholz advises German and global sponsors, borrowers, and lenders on domestic and cross-border finance, real estate, and restructuring matters.
He maintains long-standing relationships with clients on all sides of real estate transactions, advising on:
Real estate finance
Acquisition finance
Restructuring finance
Asset-based and general corporate lending
Mr. Volkholz also advises creditors and investors of distressed companies on corporate and real estate portfolio restructurings.
Drawing on his legal training in England, the US, and Germany, and his previous work in a commercial bank and as an assistant lecturer at the University of Kiel and at Bucerius Law School, he provides clients with a comprehensive perspective on their matters.
Mr. Volkholz also advises clients on a range of matters related to the law pertaining to German foundations.
Dr. Ulf Kieker is a partner in the Munich office of Latham & Watkins, practicing in the firm’s Tax Department.
Mr. Kieker advises on national and international tax law. He focuses on German and cross-border private equity and M&A transactions, as well as restructuring mandates, including the respective financing via credit facilities or bonds and the structuring of management equity programs.
Dr. Ulrich Klockenbrink is a partner in Latham's German Finance Department and a member of the Restructuring & Special Situations Practice. Dr. Klockenbrink has more than 13 years experience in navigating clients through complex restructuring, distressed M&A, and enforcement situations, both in-court and out-of-court. He is well-regarded for his empathetic approach and his great sense for pragmatic solutions.
He advises investors, shareholders, lenders, lender groups, steering committees, insolvency administrators, and distressed companies in:
Restructuring
Insolvency
Financing matters
He has authored numerous articles on restructuring, insolvency, and distressed investment topics.
Dr. Klockenbrink is a member of TMA Germany e.V. and of the German-American Lawyers Association (DAJV).
His background as a paratrooper and as an experienced restructuring lawyer position Dr. Klockenbrink as the go-to person in any type of stressful restructuring situation.
Verena Seevers advises clients on the German and international tax aspects of a full range of corporate and finance transactions, both domestic and cross-border.
Ms. Seevers solves clients’ tax issues related to:
Private equity transactions
Mergers and acquisitions
Real estate transactions
Financings and restructurings
Multi-jurisdictional tax planning
She also advises on post-transaction tax issues related to tax audit and enforcement proceedings.
Ms. Seevers brings a commercial sensibility drawn from extensive transactional experience. She provides effective answers to the myriad tax questions that arise, especially in the context of complex and deadline-driven transactions.
Before joining the firm in 2013, Ms. Seevers was an associate in a Big Four accounting firm’s tax department. She studied in Hamburg and London, focusing from the outset on tax law.
Dr. Wolf-Tassilo Böhm advises market-leading companies and private equity funds on EU data privacy and cybersecurity, particularly relating to business models in the digital economy.
Mr. Böhm leverages a deep understanding of digital business models across industries to guide clients on:
Data protection aspects of corporate transactions
Counseling and strategic advice on products; international data transfers; and telecommunications data protection and ePrivacy laws
Defense against EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) damages claims and other data protection related civil litigation
Cybersecurity and cyber incident response
He forges close relationships with companies to help them invest in digital business models and protect their assets. When data privacy is business-critical to a matter, he identifies potential issues, quantifies risk, and devises strategies that allow clients to achieve their commercial objectives.
Mr. Böhm is a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP-EU/GDPR) and regularly writes and speaks on data privacy topics. He serves on the firm’s Data Privacy and Security Committees.
He maintains an active pro bono practice and advises on data privacy for nonprofit organizations.