Our History
SZA Schilling, Zutt & Anschütz has been one of Germany's leading business law firms for 125 years.
SZA Schilling, Zutt & Anschütz origins go back to the year 1900. Since then, the firm and its lawyers have a reputation for outstanding client work as well as for contributing to the development of business law in Germany. The firm was shaped by personalities such as Karl Geiler, Heinrich Kronstein, Wolfgang Schilling, Jürg Zutt, and Klaus Anschütz, who in so doing also laid the foundation for the firm’s success. Their work defines the firm to this day.
Please explore the biographies of extraordinary individuals and milestones in our firm's history which reflect the political and economic developments and upheavals of the 20th and 21st centuries. The many cases handled by our firm’s lawyers over the years include landmark judicial proceedings and transactions that exemplify the types of economic and legal challenges that legal counsel must address in modern business law contexts.
1900
Establishment
On 1 November 1900, Ernst Bassermann and Anton Lindeck took up their joint practice at Carl-Theodor-Platz in Mannheim. Karl Geiler later joined the firm and, after the death of Ernst Bassermann and the withdrawal of Anton Lindeck, merged it with the law practice of Wilhelm Zutt and Wolfgang Schilling, which henceforth called itself “Geiler, Zutt & Schilling.”
Ernst Bassermann
Ernst Bassermann first made a name for himself as a criminal defense lawyer in the law firm of Franz Heinrich von Feder, who had defended the March 1848 revolutionary Karl Blind, among others. He also served on the supervisory boards of prominent German companies, such as Mannesmann and Nord-Deutsche Versicherungs-Gesellschaft. Bassermann was born into a family of highly respected businessmen in Baden-Palatinate and had strong connections in the financial sector.
Anton Lindeck
Anton Lindeck was born into a prominent Jewish family. His long-standing legal representation of Süddeutsche Disconto-Gesellschaft and membership on the regional committee of Deutsche Bank illustrate his deep involvement in business law. He also made important contributions to the legal profession as chairman of the Mannheim Bar Association and member of the board of the Baden Bar Association.
1905
The firm helps transform the German banking sector
The firm assisted in bringing about several of the profound changes that the German banking industry underwent in the early 20th century. One notable example is the firm’s role in the 1905 conversion of the banking house W. H. Ladenburg & Söhne into "Süddeutsche Disconto-Gesellschaft," which then subsequently merged with Deutsche Bank.
1909
Karl Geiler joins the firm
In 1909, Karl Geiler joined the firm, which he and Anton Lindeck then continued following Bassermann’s death in 1917. Even after the later merger with Zutt and Schilling, Karl Geiler remained actively involved in major matters.
Karl Geiler
Besides being a successful lawyer who handled many high-profile cases, Karl Geiler also co-founded the Mannheim School of Business and taught law at Heidelberg University until his removal from the Law Faculty by the Nazi regime. After the war, he returned to the university as a full professor and rector. His students included Fritz Bauer, who later became Attorney General of the State of Hesse and initiated the Auschwitz trials. Karl Geiler was appointed Minister President of the State of Hesse by the U.S. military government.
1925
Legal groundwork for the formation I.G. Farben
Legal advice leading to the 1925 formation of I.G. Farben was a key matter for the firm in this period. The merger of several leading chemical companies into a single globally operating group marked a turning point in the development of large-scale industrial structures in Germany and reflected the increasing economic concentration in the interwar period.
1926
Merger of Daimler and Benz – a historic step for the automobile industry
The merger of Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft with Benz & Cie. to form Daimler-Benz AG was a milestone in the history of the automotive industry. This merger of two long-established companies, on which our firm advised, underscores the importance of strategic partnerships for the development of corporations competing on a global scale in the early 20th century.
1928
Establishment of "Kronstein Zutt"
In 1928, another law firm was founded which, alongside the Bassermann-Lindeck-Geiler line, forms the second nucleus of today's law firm: Heinrich Kronstein, a long-standing legal and academic associate of Karl Geiler, joined with Wilhelm Zutt to practice law. The young firm’s accomplishments in this period included legal advice on reorganizing the German railway car industry.
Heinrich Kronstein
Heinrich Kronstein established himself as a prominent lawyer in the late 1920s. In 1935, he was forced out of his profession and emigrated to the United States with his family, where he worked in the U.S. Department of Justice, among others in its Antitrust Division, with a focus on the reconstruction of Europe. Starting in 1946, he taught at Georgetown University and later became a full professor of business law in Frankfurt.
Wilhelm Zutt
Wilhelm Zutt was initially in-house counsel to the Rheinische Creditbank before becoming a partner of Heinrich Kronstein and advising Jewish clients threatened by the Nazi regime. After the war, he was appointed to a position with responsibility for economic policy in the provincial government of Central Rhine-Saar. His clients inter alia included the psychoanalyst Alexander Mitscherlich.
1929
Acquisition of Adam Opel AG by General Motors
The acquisition of Adam Opel AG by General Motors started a new chapter in the history of the German automotive industry. Our firm helped devise the legal structure for this cross-border acquisition, which illustrates the increasing internationalization of industrial investment in the interwar period.
1933-1945
The law firm during the "Third Reich"
The discrimination and persecution of Jewish lawyers by the National Socialists constituted a rupture not just in the history of the Mannheim Bar.
As a member of a prominent local Jewish family, Heinrich Kronstein found himself compelled to emigrate to the United States in 1935. In the same year, his remaining partner, Wilhelm Zutt, teamed up with the then 27-year-old Wolfgang Schilling.
The partnership of Anton Lindeck and Karl Geiler also faced serious difficulties, as Lindeck was exposed to considerable discrimination as a "person of mixed Jewish race in the first degree." Some lawyers left the firm in 1934. Geiler initially remained at Lindeck's side. In 1937, they, too, parted ways, and Geiler merged what remained of the firm with Zutt and Schilling.
Wolfgang Schilling
Wolfgang Schilling became Wilhelm Zutt’s partner in 1935 and influenced both legal theory and the concrete practice of corporate and partnership law for decades to come. Wolfgang Schilling was one of the most respected business lawyers of his time. He used his expertise for the benefit of both large corporations and family-owned enterprises, advising many of the latter for decades. His relationship with Freudenberg was particularly close. Wolfgang Schilling agreed to continue the Hachenburg Commentary on the Limited Liability Companies Act (GmbHG) at the request of Max Hachenburg, contributed to the reform of limited liability company law, and served on the Business Law Commission of the German Federal Ministry of Justice. The University of Heidelberg appointed him honorary professor of corporate and business law. He held various executive positions and served on several supervisory boards.
Johanna Schilling, née Leonhardt
While Johanna Schilling passed the German bar examination in 1936, she was, like all women during the period of Nazi rule, prohibited from practicing law until after World War II broke out, when she was allowed to act as the so-called “wartime substitute” of her husband Wolfgang Schilling in his law firm. Once the war had ended, she became one of the first women to be admitted to the bar in Mannheim in 1945. In the years and decades that followed, Johanna Schilling attained prominence as an attorney litigating for the restitution of property expropriated ("Aryanized") by the Nazis.
Geiler, Zutt & Schilling
Following Lindeck’s departure, Karl Geiler, Wilhelm Zutt, and Wolfgang Schilling combined in 1937 to form the law firm "Geiler, Zutt & Schilling." Karl Geiler contributed both his experience and the high reputation he had earned as a partner in the law firm that Bassermann and Lindeck had founded. Immediately after the end of the National Socialist dictatorship, Anton Lindeck joined the firm and resumed the practice of law.
From 1945 on
Postwar Germany
The firm grew in size and attracted more and more prominent clients in the decades following the end of World War II.
Jürg Zutt
After completing his studies in Heidelberg and Munich, Jürg Zutt joined the law firm his father had helped establish and build up: Geiler, Zutt & Schilling. He successfully advised large corporations as well as family-owned enterprises and wealthy individuals. Besides corporate and partnership law, his areas of expertise included inheritance and intellectual property law. As a legal scholar, he distinguished himself above all with his contributions to the Hachenburg commentary on the Limited Liability Companies Act (GmbHG) and the Staub commentary on the Commercial Code (HGB). He was a highly esteemed lawyer with great personal authority and power of self-assertion. He also held various executive positions and served on supervisory boards.
1960s
Legal disputes within the Flick Group
In the late 1950s and 1960s, the firm represented Friedrich Flick in complex legal disputes with his son Otto-Ernst Flick. The litigation raised fundamental issues of corporate and inheritance law and exposed the challenges that internal family wealth allocation feuding posed for large business entities in the early years of Federal Republic of Germany.
Klaus Anschütz
Klaus Anschütz played a key role in shaping the firm from the 1960s until the year 2000 as one of its name partners. One of his principal areas of focus was advising large family-owned businesses, in which he sometimes also held executive positions and served on supervisory boards. In addition to his accomplishments in the fields of business law and industrial property rights, Klaus Anschütz achieved high standing as an antitrust lawyer. He built up a new antitrust law practice for the firm and established antitrust law as one of its core areas of practice to this day.
The 1970s
Tilman Schilling
Tilman Schilling, one of Wolfgang Schilling's sons, joined the firm in the 1970s. In over four decades of work as a prominent trial lawyer, he shaped the practice of patent litigation law before the patent law chamber of the Mannheim Regional Court and elsewhere. His personal modesty, the high demands he made on himself, and his thorough knowledge of the law made him a role model for many younger lawyers both inside and outside the firm. Due to his strong sense of professional independence, Tilman Schilling did not take part in the 2000 merger with Shearman & Sterling. He formed his own law firm, which, however, after his departure, then became the nucleus for the German branch of an international law firm.
The 1980s
German aerospace and defense consolidation
The 1980s were characterized on the one hand by diversification strategies and, on the other, by the emergence of the shareholder value concept. This led to a wave of major transactions that reshaped Germany’s corporate landscape. In many cases, Schilling, Zutt & Anschütz lawyers advised on them.
The management board of Daimler-Benz AG decided to broaden the company’s focus beyond automobile manufacturing and transform it into a technology group operating, among others, in the aerospace and defense sector.
Our firm closely advised Daimler-Benz throughout this process, from the acquisition of interests in Dornier, AEG and MTU to the ultimate 1989 consolidation of the holdings in this sector in a newly formed corporation, DASA (Deutsche Aerospace AG), thus creating Germany’s largest and most important aerospace company. The firm continued to provide legal advice for the development and expansion of DASA in the following years.
This included representing Daimler in numerous court and arbitration proceedings with minority shareholders of the acquired companies in light of Daimler’s industrial leadership.
Martin Winter
Martin Winter, whom Wolfgang Schilling had come to know and appreciate as Peter Ulmer's assistant at the University of Heidelberg, joined the firm in 1986 and was made a partner shortly thereafter. As the author of a widely respected dissertation on shareholder loyalty obligations under GmbH law, he established himself as an outstanding corporate lawyer. His legal advice guided clients through many important transactions. He at the same time served as the legal representative of the Permanent Deputation of the Conference of German Jurists and was a longstanding member of the Business Law Committee of the German Bar Association.
The early 1990s
Expansion
The firm expanded geographically as well in the early 1990s by opening new offices in Frankfurt am Main and Dresden.
In eastern Germany, the firm for many years advised the Treuhandanstalt or Public Trust Agency. This federal institution established under public law was charged with privatizing the state-owned enterprises of former East Germany in accordance with the principles of a social free-market economy. "Combines" had to be dismantled and enterprises had to be converted into stock corporations or other types of business associations under German federal law.
1998
Daimler/Chrysler merger – a transatlantic alliance
The firm played a central role in the merger of Daimler-Benz AG with Chrysler Corporation to form DaimlerChrysler AG. This transatlantic merger was one of the largest of its time and represented a significant step toward creating a globally operative automotive group with a transnational alignment.
2000
American intermezzo
In 2000, the firm merged with the U.S. law firm Shearman & Sterling LLP. This step was prompted by the collaboration with Shearman & Sterling in connection with the Daimler-Chrysler merger. However, integrating SZA’s partners, who had always been very independent and entrepreneurially minded, into a large American-style law firm proved difficult, and as a consequence SZA resumed its former name and became independent again in 2008.
From 2000 on
Consolidating the European aerospace and defense industry
Having already advised on the consolidation of German aerospace and defense activities that led to the creation of Deutsche Aerospace in 1989, the firm went on to play a key role in establishing a new pan-European aerospace group in 2000. This entity (initially EADS, now Airbus) brought together the aerospace and defense activities of DASA Aérospatiale-Matra and CASA. This marked a decisive step in European industrial cooperation that significantly strengthened Europe’s competitiveness by pooling its technological resources.
The firm thereafter advised Daimler for over a decade with regard to its stake in EADS. The equal ownership interest on the French side led to complex arrangements that required repeated adjustments to preserve Franco-German equilibrium. Our lawyers also advised on transactions such as the proposed merger with BAE Systems that would have significantly expanded Airbus’s defense operations but ultimately failed to garner majority support within the Franco-German consortium.
Peter Ulmer
Peter Ulmer joined the firm as Of Counsel in 2001 after his retirement. Prior to that, he had taught as a full professor of corporate and business association law for decades, most recently in Heidelberg, where he was rector from 1991 to 1997.
Peter Ulmer was one of the most respected experts on corporate and partnership law of his time. He edited and co-authored the comprehensive Hachenburg commentary on the Limited Liability Companies Act as well as other fundamental commentaries on the laws governing civil law partnerships and regulating general terms and conditions. He was highly regarded both as a legal scholar and as a practitioner, expert witness, and arbitrator. As a member of our firm, he continued to promote dialogue between legal scholars and practitioners. This is evidenced, among other things, by numerous symposiums sponsored by the Schilling Foundation in memory of Wolfgang Schilling, which Peter Ulmer organized. He was also a strategic advisor to our firm and chaired its supervisory board during the almost ten-year period in which the firm was organized as a stock corporation.
2000 / 2001
Unbundling “Deutschland AG”
During the period of alliance with Shearman & Sterling, partners of Schilling, Zutt & Anschütz played a key role in restructuring the banking and insurance sectors. This led to the unbundling of Allianz and Munich Reinsurance and the merger of Allianz and Dresdner Bank.
2002
Defending the independence of Axel Springer SE
The growing importance of online news formats from 2000 on put increasing pressure on the traditional business models of print media companies and triggered a trend toward consolidation in the press sector as well. In 2002, partners of Schilling, Zutt & Anschütz successfully prevented a competitor from acquiring a blocking minority in what is now Axel Springer SE. In this case, the defense against unwanted outside influence had a specific press law dimension: the preservation of independence and the maintenance of the existing journalistic orientation ("press law protection of editorial independence"). Thanks to a number of subsequent corporate law transactions, the client relationship continues to this day.
2003
Acquisition of Wella AG by Procter & Gamble
In 2003, the firm’s lawyers represented several family shareholder groups in the sale of the then publicly traded Wella AG to Procter & Gamble for a purchase price of EUR 6.6 billion. This was one of the first public takeovers under the new takeover law (WpÜG) that Germany introduced in 2002. These families continue to rely on the firm's Private Clients team today.
Uwe Hüffer
Uwe Hüffer joined the firm as a lawyer and Of Counsel in 2005 after his retirement. Prior to that, he taught at the universities of Saarland and Bochum and also served as a judge on the Higher Regional Court of Hamm in its 8th Civil Chamber, which decides matters of corporate and partnership law. With his leading commentary on the German Stock Corporation Act, which he founded and wrote over many editions, he had a lasting impact on the discussion of stock corporation law by legal scholars and practitioners.
He enthusiastically contributed to our internal analyses of complex corporate law issues, especially issues of stock corporation law. He also counseled clients directly as a lawyer, whereby his clients benefited in equal measure from his knowledge, his professional standing, and his power of self-assertion.
2005-2014
Mercedes-Benz's phased withdrawal from Airbus
Beginning in 2005, when Dieter Zetsche replaced Jürgen Schrempp on the board of management of DaimlerChrysler (now Mercedes-Benz Group), the firm provided legal services to Mercedes-Benz to assist it in reducing and ultimately disposing of its stake in EADS (now Airbus). The governments of both Germany and France closely monitored this process with a view to preserving the Franco-German equilibrium while at the same time ensuring that EADS, as an important defense contractor, was protected from the intrusion of unwelcome shareholders. Not until 2014 did the almost decade-long process – by which Mercedes-Benz withdrew completely from EADS and refocused itself on automobile manufacturing – come to an end.
2008-2010
Legal aftermath at Siemens
The so-called Siemens corruption affair became public starting in November 2006. Starting in the 1990s, Siemens employees were alleged to have set up "slush funds” and paid bribes totaling more than one billion euros. This was the largest corruption case in Germany’s post-war history. It opened up a whole new area of legal practice: compliance advisory services. It was also the first time that members of the board of management and supervisory board of a DAX-listed corporation were personally held liable under the so-called ARAG/Garmenbeck principles. The firm assisted the newly appointed management board of Siemens in addressing the legal consequences of the corruption affair, e.g. by evaluating damage claims against supervisory board members and assessing director & officer liability settlements.
2008
"Declaration of independence"
The Mannheim office of Shearman & Sterling LLP becomes independent once again, ending its American intermezzo. After all, independence has always been part of our DNA. As of 1 May 2008, the Mannheim office will once again do business as SZA Schilling, Zutt & Anschütz Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft. The firm will continue its great tradition, as all founding partners are former partners or lawyers of Schilling, Zutt & Anschütz.
2010
Frankfurt
In the summer of 2010, the firm again opened an office in Frankfurt am Main. As one of Europe's leading financial centers, Frankfurt is the ideal base for transactions and for advising on capital markets law and business law. The strategic decision to open the Frankfurt office went hand in hand with reviving the tax law practice – a step that paved the way for developing SZA tax law expertise at all of its current locations.
2002-2014
Kirch litigation and settlement with Rolf Breuer
Following the insolvency of the Kirch Group in 2002, media entrepreneur Leo Kirch and his heirs, as well as companies belonging to the Kirch Group, brought a series of actions against Deutsche Bank seeking billions of euros in damages and other relief (the Kirch litigation). The Munich-based media mogul alleged that Deutsche Bank and its former CEO, Dr. Rolf Breuer, were responsible for causing the insolvency of the Kirch Group. SZA Schilling, Zutt & Anschütz advised the supervisory board of Deutsche Bank in connection with the Kirch litigation and the settlement with the plaintiffs for a total of approximately EUR 925 million. In addition, the firm assisted the supervisory board of Deutsche Bank in assessing the Bank’s damage claims against Dr. Breuer, reviewing the director & officer liability settlement concluded with him, and evaluating the settlement reached with the D&O insurers.
2010-2024
Qimonda insolvency becomes one of the largest valuation disputes under stock corporation law
In 2006, Infineon contributed its memory chip business to Qimonda as a non-cash contribution. Qimonda subsequently became insolvent, one of the largest subsidiaries of a DAX-listed corporation ever to go bankrupt; over 10,000 jobs were lost in the process. After the commencement of insolvency proceedings, the insolvency administrator Dr. Jaffé brought an action against Infineon with SZA’s assistance on the grounds that Infineon had contributed its loss-making memory chip business at an inflated value. With billions in dispute and proceedings that lasted almost 15 years, this action constituted one of the largest valuation lawsuits in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany. Our firm is presently also representing the insolvency administrator in highly publicized court cases relating to the Wirecard insolvency.
From 2010 on
Legal counsel in turbulent times
The bankruptcy of the U.S. investment bank Lehman Brothers triggered severe disruptions in the global financial markets in the years 2007 to 2009 and ultimately precipitated a worldwide banking and financial crisis. Here as well, SZA Schilling, Zutt & Anschütz played a significant role in dealing with the aftermath in the following years.
Among other things, the firm provided legal advice to the supervisory board of Deutsche Bank on dealing with the international financial crisis.
SZA Schilling, Zutt & Anschütz also provided legal advice to the management board of BayernLB in its efforts to identify and enforce damages claims against former members of the board in connection with the acquisition of Hypo Alpe Adria Group AG.
Since 2013
Brussels
In fall 2013, SZA Schilling, Zutt & Anschütz opened its first international office in Brussels. By moving into the political center of the European Union, the firm specifically strengthened its expertise in antitrust and competition law. Proximity to the EU institutions enables the firm to closely monitor regulatory developments and represent clients’ interests directly at European level.
Restructuring of Antitrust Damages Law by the Federal Court of Justice in the Rail Cartel Litigation
The firm advises the Vossloh Group in its defense against damage claims brought by all major local public transport companies as follow-on lawsuits based on the railway track cartel matter. These proceedings are of fundamental, precedent-setting importance, as the Federal Court of Justice completely restructured the procedural and substantive principles of German antitrust damages law in their context. The so-called “Rail Cartel Decisions” of the Federal Court of Justice are one of the defining moments in the formulation of modern antitrust damages law.
From 2015 on
Counseling VW in connection with emissions issues
Volkswagen was accused of manipulating the emission levels of its vehicles in order to meet strict regulatory requirements. Criminal investigations ensued. A large number of actions were also brought before the civil courts, as hundreds of private investors, among others, were suing for damages. Billions were at stake. Our firm represented Volkswagen in defending against these investor lawsuits. To this day, we remain one of the leading law firms advising and representing issuers in defending against large-scale investor lawsuits.
Since 2019
Munich
The firm also established an office in Munich in the spring of 2019. The location was chosen in view of the firm’s strong client base in southern Germany and the economic significance of the region. The still young office has quickly established itself and is now regularly involved in major high-profile mandates.
From 2019 on
Restructuring the German energy sector - RWE, E.ON, Innogy
Beginning in 2019, the firm provided legal advice to the supervisory board of Innogy in connection with one of the largest German energy sector transformations to date. Numerous intra-group transactions, Innogy’s takeover through E.ON’s public takeover offer, the pre-arranged division of Innogy’s operations between RWE and E.ON, and a subsequent squeeze-out restructured the energy sector to consolidate energy generation under RWE and networks and distribution under E.ON.
2021
Advising Vitesco Technologies AG on its spin-off from Continental AG
Under the pressure of the international capital markets, an increasing number of listed companies began focusing on their core business and divesting non-core activities. Starting in the mid-2000s, this not only led to numerous M&A transactions and IPOs, but also to a wave of spin-offs. From the companies’ perspective, spin-offs have the advantage of being less dependent on overall market conditions. Lawyers from SZA Schilling, Zutt & Anschütz played a key role in this development. Most recently, this has included advising Vitesco Technologies AG, the powertrain division of the Continental Group, on its spin-off from Continental AG.
2022
War in Ukraine and energy crisis in Germany
Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. This set off an energy crisis, particularly in Germany, whose energy supply was heavily dependent on Russian gas, causing considerable disruption to the German economy and placing a high burden on German companies that is still being felt today. Lawyers from SZA Schilling Zutt & Anschütz played a key role in overcoming the energy crisis. For instance, SZA Schilling Zutt & Anschütz advised the supervisory board of Uniper SE on various government stabilization measures.
2024
ADNOC’s takeover offer for Covestro
Since the 2010s, foreign sovereign wealth funds have played an increasingly significant role in international financial markets. This is particularly true with respect to sovereign wealth funds based in the Arab region. While these funds initially focused mainly on strategic investments in the form of minority shareholdings, they are now increasingly pursuing majority stakes or even full acquisitions of listed companies. Lawyers from SZA Schilling Zutt & Anschütz have been involved in this development as well. The firm has advised the supervisory board of Covestro AG on the conclusion of an investment agreement with Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and on the public takeover offer by companies of the ADNOC Group, which values Covestro at EUR 11.7 billion.
Since 2024
Succession planning with foundation
Succession planning is becoming a key challenge for owner-managed companies and family-owned businesses in Germany. Almost half of all family-owned businesses will be handed over to the next generation in the coming years. Structures that rely on German foundations (Stiftungen) are gaining in importance as a succession planning solution. Foundations are, however, ownerless, and this fact harbors considerable potential for conflict, as is demonstrated by recent high-profile cases in which SZA Schilling, Zutt & Anschütz has advised clients and represented them in court. Since 2024, SZA Schilling, Zutt & Anschütz has provided comprehensive services to the Heinz Hermann Thiele Family Foundation, which was established after the death of its founder. In addition to ongoing advisory services, our firm's lawyers have helped defend against an administrative court action opposing the foundation’s recognition, and in the context of the multi billion euro acquisition of (indirect) majority stakes in Knorr Bremse AG and Vossloh AG.
2025
Shaping modern business law
In our 125th anniversary year, SZA Schilling, Zutt & Anschütz is a firm with 38 partners and more than 130 lawyers across offices in four cities. Since becoming independent again in 2008, the firm has grown steadily and continuously expanded the breadth and depth of its practice areas. This not only applies to its traditional core areas – such as employment and labor law, corporate law, M&A, litigation and dispute resolution, taxation, intellectual property, and antitrust law – but also to the development of new fields such as capital markets and financial law, real estate law, and insolvency law. Further strong growth impulses have come from advisory services for “Private Clients,” where the focus is on inheritance law, succession planning for family-owned businesses, and the law governing foundations. The firm’s strategy of sustained high-quality growth is implemented by supporting and encouraging the development of highly talented young lawyers with a view to their becoming partners of the firm. In certain cases, the firm has also taken on accomplished lawyers as lateral partners who strengthen existing practice areas and help establish and expand new ones.
Together, we develop solutions that combine an understanding of economic realities with an appreciation of legal process, principles, and theory. Our firm is regularly recognized by leading legal publications and international directories – an independent confirmation of our market position and legal excellence.
We have been thinking ahead of the curve for 125 years and will continue to shape the evolution of modern business law – because innovation is part of our tradition.