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The Legal 500 Germany 2024: FGvW again leading law firm

We are delighted to have been recommended in the new edition of The Legal 500 Germany 2024 handbook in the eleven practice areas of labor and employment law, construction law (including dispute resolution), corporate law, healthcare, trade, distribution and logistics, information technology & digitalization, M&A (mid-sized deals), trademark law, environmental and planning law, insurance law (dispute resolution) and competition law. Of these, we were ranked as a top tier law firm in the three areas of healthcare, construction law and environmental and planning law. Tobias Lenz in insurance law (dispute resolution) and David Kipping LL.M. in trademark law are named as "Leading Names".

We were very pleased to receive references such as these:

"Good cooperation between the different legal areas and locations."

"Professional expertise in a wide range of legal fields, coupled with a strong client focus."

"Very to the point and strong client focus; understanding of the industry."

"Very strong knowledge of international contracts. Very flexible and client-oriented. Professionally excellent. Very pleasant contact person and strong negotiation skills."

"Very business-oriented and good at understanding the client's needs. The advantage of being able to communicate complex legal issues in English was a blessing."

Further lawyers are recommended in their practice areas, which can be found here.

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"Germany's Best Lawyers 2024" - FGvW recommended by "Best Lawyers"

Once a year, the US publisher "Best Lawyers" asks business lawyers for their recommendations from other law firms. We are pleased with the results again this year: 31 lawyers from our firm are among the "Best Lawyers" in Germany.

The recommendations are distributed among these practice areas: Advertising Law, Arbitration and Mediation, Competition/Antitrust Law, Construction Law, Corporate Governance and Compliance Practice, Corporate Law, Environmental Law, Food and Beverage Practice, Insurance Law, Intellectual Property Law, IT Law, Labor and Employment Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Product Liability Litigation, Public Law, Real Estate Law, Regulatory Practice, Restructuring and Insolvency Law.

For more information please read here.

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Friedrich Graf von Westphalen recommended again by The Legal 500 Germany 2023

We are pleased to be recommended in the new edition of The Legal 500 Germany 2023 handbook in the eleven practice areas of labor and employment law, health, corporate law, M&A, trademark law, competition law, trade, distribution and logistics, construction law, insurance law (dispute resolution), environmental and planning law and, for the first time, IT & digitalization.

Jörn Zons and Claudia Maaßen LL.M. are considered "Names of the Next Generation", "Leading Names" are again Tobias Lenz and David Kipping LL.M..

We also receive a mention in the new category "Firms to Watch":

"Friedrich Graf von Westphalen & Partner is particularly adept at advising private individuals with regard to inheritance law and succession planning, and shows proven expertise in advising church foundations in the area of foundation law."

We were also very pleased to receive references like these:

'From the client's point of view, a very salient point is the high professionalism of the colleagues as well as, at the same time, a very human and collegial closeness in the advice - the lawyers really take care of the facts, not just on a higher level.'

'In difficult processes, they are there to accompany and advise from the beginning to the end of the process.'

'First and foremost, very competent and knowledgeable legal counsel. Always available, highly responsive, very reliable!'

'Very broadly positioned labor, contract and business law firm, well organized, with international contacts, very capable of foreign languages. Besides, very nice people.'

To view the full article please read here.

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JUVE Handbook of German Commercial Law Firms 2022/2023 - FGvW is TOP-50 law firm

The JUVE Handbook of Commercial Law Firms in Germany 2022/2023 was published at the end of October.

As in previous years, Friedrich Graf von Westphalen & Partner has maintained its position among the TOP-50 law firms in Germany. The law firm is in an excellent 2nd place in the region of Baden-Württemberg (excluding Stuttgart). We also achieved a great advancement in the area of health care - here we are placed in the 4th group with 2 stars among the top 15 - 26 nationwide for advising hospitals, medical care centers and pharmacies!

We are particularly recommended in the areas of labor and employment lawcorporate lawhealthcareconflict resolutionM&Atrademarks and competitioninsurance contract law and distribution.

Our partners Annette BödekerMorton DouglasArnt GöppertAlexander HartmannNorbert HebeisEva KesslerSven KöhnenStefan LammelCarsten LaschetTobias LenzJan Henning MartensHendrik Thies and Mike Weitzel are highlighted as experts in their fields.

We are very pleased about this award!

Sabine Schröter

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"Germany's Best Lawyers 2023" - FGvW recommended by "Best Lawyers"

Once a year, the US publisher "Best Lawyers" asks business lawyers for their recommendations from other law firms. We are pleased with the results again this year: 30 lawyers from our firm are among the "Best Lawyers" in Germany.

The recommendations are distributed among these practice areas: Employment Law, Banking and Finance Law, Construction Law, Corporate Law, Intellectual Property Law, Commercial and Distribution Law, Real Estate Law, IT Law, Antitrust Law, Mergers & Acquisitions, Public Law, Planning Law, Product Liability Law, Restructuring & Insolvency, Arbitration, Environmental Law, Insurance Law, Advertising Law and Competition Law.

The "Lawyer of the Year" award went - for the 14th time in a row - to Tobias Lenz (Product Liability Law, Cologne).

To view all nominations please read here.

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The Legal 500 Germany 2022

The latest edition of the handbook for Germany 2022 has been published - and we are very pleased with the result: Friedrich Graf von Westphalen is recommended in the following ten areas:

  • Labor Law
  • Construction Law
  • Corporate Law
  • Health Care
  • Trade, Distribution and Logistics
  • Trademark Law
  • M&A (medium-sized deals)
  • Environmental and Planning Law
  • Insurance Law
  • Competition Law

Our strengths are described as follows:

"The team is always responsive and available at short notice. The quality of the legal advice is outstanding and takes into account our corporate interests."

"The relationship of trust and understanding of the company's interests is extremely good and very professional."

"Always fast, pragmatic, technically sound support."

"Competent, resilient, highly professional."

"Individualized support from partners (when required), costs nevertheless in line, especially in relation to performance and results."

"Interdisciplinary set-up; efficient, organized and goal-oriented approach; one to two central project contact persons to whom all topics can be placed. Then, internally, FGVW passes the issues to the appropriate specialist lawyers/clerks and coordinates them. Instead of dealing with 5 - 6 lawyers, one appreciates central contacts who communicate internally coordinated solutions."

Tobias Lenz ("Leading Name") and David Kipping ("Leading Name") are highlighted by name, as well as further lawyers in the individual consulting areas, described in detail here.

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"Germany's Best Lawyers 2022" - FGvW recommended by "Best Lawyers"

Once a year, the US publishing house "Best Lawyers" asks business lawyers about their recommendations of other law firms. The results are now available, and we are delighted with the result: 29 lawyers from our firm are among the "Best Lawyers" in Germany.

The recommendations are distributed among these specialist areas: Labor law, banking and finance law, construction law, company law, environmental law, intellectual property law, commercial and distribution law, real estate law, IT law, mergers & acquisitions, antitrust law, public law, planning law, product liability law, restructuring & insolvency, arbitration, insurance law, advertising law and competition law.

To view all nominations please read here.

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JUVE Handbook of Business Law Firms 2021/2022

To the point: Transaction-strong Mittelstand advisor which, after a respectable expansion course, is now intensifying cooperation between its four offices.

Analysis: FGvW scores with its broad-based transaction team at family-owned companies such as Cranach Pharma and Knauf Gips as well as international groups. It has long-standing client relationships with these companies. These often come from the healthcare sector, where the firm has built up special advisory expertise - in medical products law, with labor law advice to clinics and with sector-specific transactions. In this respect, the addition of an experienced M&A lawyer in Ffm., who was able to transfer transatlantic business from the U.S. pharmaceuticals sector to FGvW, and contacts in the venture capital scene on the West Coast made strategic sense. At the same time, she established initial contacts with the still young Berlin start-up team of her new firm, which also advises family offices such as Hamburg-based JP Beteiligungsgesellschaft.

The opening of the office in the capital has also proved invigorating in other respects: With the tax law expertise it has gained, FGvW can not only structure transactions accordingly, but also usefully complement its traditionally strong succession and private client advice in the Upper Rhine region. The real estate law work also benefited from this. The fact that FGvW is now active nationwide in the real estate field with a team of 20 is less prominent than its M&A practice, but this team, which has been continuously expanded in recent years and advises, for example, the project developer Beos and the US investor Fidelity, helps the firm to establish itself more firmly in the region at each of its four offices and now makes a noticeable contribution to the firm's total turnover.

Similar strategic expansion work is now becoming visible in the IP practice: here, a team in Frankfurt that arrived at the beginning of 2021, which maintains and defends brand catalogs, forms a supplement to the existing IP practice, which has been advising clients such as Alnatura and Wilkinson Sword for many years.

Recommended for: Labor law, corporate law, health, dispute resolution: product liability, M&A, trademark and competition law, insurance contract law, distribution law.

Client Testimonials: There is praise for different practices. The corporate lawyers, for example, are praised for "very good cooperation", their flexibility and competence, the labor lawyers for their "high level of competence", and the IP lawyers are appreciated for being "efficient, transparent, punctual" and "resourceful".

Perspective: After the firm has driven strong personnel growth with lateral hires and recently expanded its team by almost 20 lawyers, it is time for a phase of integration and repositioning in the market. The fact that FGvW, as a medium-sized firm, has for the first time hired a business development manager with experience in large law firms will not only relieve the longstanding management team of Barbara Mayer and Carsten Laschet.

International integration: Close cooperation with the Swiss partner law firm Kellerhals Carrard and with bpv Hügel in Austria. Cooperation law firms in Brussels, Alicante, Shanghai, Istanbul, São Paulo. Well maintained worldwide Network, especially for the health sector.

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The Legal 500 Germany 2021

The latest edition of the handbook for Germany 2021 has been published - and we are very pleased with the result: Friedrich Graf von Westphalen is recommended in the following ten areas:

Construction Law, Corporate Law, Health, Trade, Distribution and Logistics, Trademark and Competition Law, M&A - Medium-Sized Deals, Product Liability, Environmental and Planning Law, and Insurance Law. Our strengths are described as follows:

"(FGvW) has partners and staff who combine a high level of strategic understanding with in-depth knowledge of the relevant legal subject matter, resulting in very practical solutions and negotiation successes."

"The strengths are certainly the competence, professionalism and speed of response."

"Diverse areas of expertise; one contact person, this is a big plus and makes FGvW unique. Very good and comprehensive advice, goal-oriented, timely and on-time work. Very pleasant manners."

Tobias Lenz ("Leading Name") and David Kipping ("Next Generation Name") are highlighted by name, as well as further lawyers in the individual consulting areas - described in detail here

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JUVE Handbook Business Law Firms 2020/2021

Entrepreneurially oriented, transaction-strong Mittelstand consultant, who sets the course for further growth with the establishment of a notary's office in Frankfurt and the opening of an office in Berlin.

Recommended for: Employment; Corporate Law; Health; Conflict Resolution; M&A; Brands and Competition; Insurance Contract Law; Sales.

Analysis: As a full-service law firm with distinctive M&A expertise, a well-established international network and a pragmatic approach to advice, FGvW has long been firmly established with upper Mittelstand companies and family-owned businesses such as the Haufe Group, Hansgrohe or Festo. It also provides consulting services to a number of international companies. The firm is also a regular advisor to a number of international corporations, particularly in the healthcare sector, where the medical technology company Getinge Group or the spectacle lens manufacturer Essilor rely on the firm. The respected IP practice and participation in landmark proceedings play an important role here. For example, the pharmacy law expert Morton Douglas advocated for a mail-order pharmacy up to the Federal Supreme Court in order to have DocMorris' dispensing machines banned. But M&A expertise is also in demand: Schölly Fiberoptic, for example, was advised by FGvW on the entry of a US investor.

But time and again, the rather down-to-earth law firm also shows itself to be willing to expand. After the Cologne real estate team had already been expanded, FGvW opened a notary's office in Frankfurt with a real estate lawyer from Gerns & Partner in April 2020. In addition, the law firm brought on board an experienced labor lawyer there, who has extensive in-house experience.

However, the opening of the office in Berlin is likely to be more decisive: With this move, FGvW not only achieved a nationwide presence. With three partners of BRL Boege Rohde Luebbehuesen, who are well networked in the city, it gained transaction-savvy experts for corporate law, venture capital and tax law.

Perspective: From the new Berlin representative office, an axis was quickly formed to the Freiburg team, which is already familiar with start-up structures and regional economic development.This can be built on if the firm succeeds in extending this axis to the associated law firm Kellerhals Carrard and to the large start-up desk in Zurich, thereby also addressing international investors. Further potential lies in quickly linking the Berlin start-up consultancy with the disciplines of other locations, such as the highly regarded trademark or distribution law teams.

The addition of a tax lawyer in Berlin broadens the spectrum in the transaction business, be it M&A or real estate. Although the broadening of the practice entails the risk of losing some referral mandates from MDP companies, in the end the advantages should outweigh the disadvantages if the newly gained expertise can be put to broad use.

Clients' voices: Clients are positive about a remarkably large number of lawyers and fields of consultancy. "The most varied contractual matters in international business - all to our complete satisfaction", one of them summarizes. There is also praise for the "fair and transparent" billing.

Service: FGvW is approaching the digitization of its work processes carefully with the help of a newly hired IT expert. However, the consulting service itself remains unaffected by this.

Internat. integration: Close cooperation with the Swiss partner law firm Kellerhals Carrard and bpv Hügel in Austria. Cooperation law firms in Brussels, Alicante, Shanghai, Istanbul, São Paulo. Well maintained ww. network, especially for the health sector.

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JUVE Handbook Business Law Firms 2019/2020

FGvW has established itself as a consultant in the upper Mittelstand with distinctive M&A competence. In international deals and in the health sector, the firm even plays well above the Mittelstand league. This is demonstrated, for example, by the mandate of the French eyewear manufacturer Essilor (including Ray-Ban) to reorganize its companies in the German-speaking DACH region following the merger with the Italian Luxottica Group. The close involvement of the IP and IT lawyers in the transaction business, such as in advising the main shareholders of Abas Software, also attracts the attention of competitors.

Work in the healthcare sector has meanwhile developed into a showcase area. The trademark team is one of the key players when it comes to IP litigation in the industry, be it for a pharmacy chamber against DocMorris, or for regular client B. Braun and Wilkinson in a dispute against Procter & Gamble. FGvW advised the private equity investor Emeram Capital on the purchase of a provider of pharmacy software and accompanied the Aesculap joint venture Schölly Fiberoptic in a cross-border carve-out with subsequent sale in the USA. The industry specialists are recognized for the fact that even law firms without their own health lawyers regularly seek their help with transactions. While this expansion of competence was mainly driven by the Freiburg team, the Cologne office has been systematically strengthened in recent years with lateral entrants. After the additions in labor and real estate law, a public law team was recruited there.

Here, the two managing partners Carsten Laschet and Barbara Mayer have moved a great deal forward - even without a strongly influential style, which is not part of the self-image, especially since both partners with strong acquisition skills and their own consulting business have remained very visible. (…)

Strengths: High competence in cross-border M&A. Respected corporate law advice, also in the event of conflict. Many years of experience in trademark and competition law. Good networking in the healthcare and biotech industry. A considerable international network.

The Cologne lawyers are particularly respected in the fields of D&O and product liability cases (insurance contract law, trade and liability) as well as distribution law. However, the expansion of the practice, which was also built up with lateral entrants, is becoming more and more noticeable.

Focal points: Labor; corporate law, health; M&A; trademarks and competition; succession advice; construction law including litigation; trade and liability; insurance law; distribution law. Start-up desk; South America desk and advice on Iran business.

Recommended for: Labor; Corporate Law; Health; Trade & Liability; M&A; Trademarks & Competition; Insurance Contract Law; Distribution.

International Integration: Close cooperation with the Swiss partner firm Kellerhals Carrard and with bpv Hügel in Austria. Cooperation offices in Brussels, Alicante, Shanghai, Istanbul, São Paulo. In addition, a well-maintained worldwide network, especially for the health sector.

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"Germany's Best Lawyers 2020" - FGvW recommended by "Best Lawyers"

Once a year, the US publishing house "Best Lawyers" asks business lawyers about their recommendations from other law firms. The results are now available, and we are delighted with the result: 21 lawyers from our firm are among the "Best Lawyers" in Germany, including seven partners nominated for the first time.

The recommendations are distributed among these specialist areas: Labor law, banking and finance law, construction law, corporate law, intellectual property law, commercial and distribution law, real estate law, IT law, mergers & acquisitions, public law, planning law, product liability law, arbitration, insurance law and competition law.

For the first time, the following partners of our law firm have been admitted to the "Best Lawyers" circle:

Tom Erdt (real estate law), Frankfurt
Sabine Schröter (labor law), Frankfurt
Werner Bachmann (IT Law), Freiburg
Jan Henning Martens ( corporate law), Freiburg
Markus Beaumart (real estate law), Cologne
Ben P. Elsner ( banking and finance law), Cologne
Arnt Göppert ( mergers and acquisitions), Cologne

Once again, as in previous years, the following partners were also recommended:

Morton Douglas ( intellectual property, competition law), Freiburg
Christoph Fingerle (labor law), Freiburg
F. Christian Genzow (mergers and acquisitions, commercial and distribution law), Cologne
Andreas Imping ( labor law), Cologne
David Kipping ( intellectual property), Cologne
Olaf Konzak ( public law, planning law), Cologne
Carsten Laschet ( product liability law), Cologne
Tobias Lenz ( product liability law, corporate law and insurance law), Cologne
Gerhard Manz ( corporate law), Freiburg
Barbara Mayer ( corporate law ), Freiburg
Wolfgang Schmid ( intellectual property ), Freiburg
Uwe Steingröver (real estate law), Cologne
Friedrich Graf von Westphalen (arbitration proceedings), Cologne
Jörn Zons (building law), Cologne

This year, Olaf Konzak was also awarded the title "Lawyer of the Year for Planning Law" in North Rhine-Westphalia.

We are very pleased about this recognition. Best Lawyers is one of the leading international recommendation portals for lawyers in commercial law. The rankings only include lawyers who have been recommended by other professional colleagues already listed in an elaborate procedure. This ensures a high reliability of the recommendation lists. In Germany, the rankings have been published exclusively by Handelsblatt for many years.

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