Chambers Europe 2014

Chambers Europe is one of the foremost guides in analysing the reputation and expertise of law firms and lawyers all over Europe.

In the 2014 edition, 17 partners are ranked in all of P+P's core practice areas, such as private equity, and including venture capital, investment funds, real estate, tax and corporate M&A.

P+P wins particular praise for its private equity and venture capital expertise. It has an "impressive track record in fund formation and venture capital transactions, as well as management equity programmes" and is "recognised for the consistent high quality of its advice, as well as its excellent network within the German private equity sector". Munich partners Christian Tönies ("widely acknowledged as one of the leading names in the German venture capital market") and Michael Inhester ("recognised in the market for his experience in buy-out and venture capital transactions") are highly recommended for their venture capital competence. On the private equity side, "excellent lawyer" Philipp von Braunschweig is highly recommended, as is the "outstanding" Benedikt Hohaus for his advice on management participation programmes. Andrea von Drygalsky is "well known for her strong relationships with mid-cap funds". Other recommended lawyers include Otto Haberstock and Matthias Bruse ("leading lawyer in PE and M&A", "technically excellent" and "certainly one of the best").

In the Corporate/M&A sector, P+P "enjoys an excellent reputation amongst German and international private equity clients" due to the efforts of Matthias Bruse ("capable, reliable, and an excellent negotiator") and Reinhard Pöllath ("remains one of the best-known lawyers in the German market"). The firm is "highly sought after" and "increasingly active advising on management participation schemes".

In investment funds, another core practice area, P+P focuses on private equity funds, fund formation and regulatory issues, as well as M&A projects. Clients appreciate that P+P is "really experienced and knowledgeable about the market", with Amos Veith praised for being "straightforward and polite", Patricia Volhard for her "excellent client service: She's available, to the point and easily summarises complex situations to provide pragmatic solutions" and Andreas Rodin for being especially "strong in investment tax law".

Andreas is also recommended in the tax area, where he is known as a "fund structuring specialist with a long-standing reputation". He is "very knowledgeable and very responsive". Other recommended lawyers include Richard Engl ("recognised for his long-standing experience in the market") and Michael Best whose key strength is his "willingness to give clear advice". His colleague Thomas Töben "earns particular praise for his real estate tax expertise" and is "highly regarded for his technical ability".

On the real estate side, Matthias Durst in particular has an "excellent reputation" amongst his peers. Clients enthuse about his "extensive technical skills and fantastic stamina... You can really liaise with him; he's reliable and into the details, so the negotiations we had with him were a great success".

Clients also appreciate Carsten Führling's "vast experience in real estate transactions" and Stefan Lebek is known as a "strong negotiator... very deal focused; he wants to make things happen". As a whole, the real estate team "does sophisticated work and has a number of strong individuals".