JUVE Handbuch Wirtschaftskanzleien 2020/2021

JUVE-Verlag has published its “JUVE Handbuch Wirtschaftskanzleien” (JUVE Handbook Commercial Law Firms) for more than 20 years and it has become the reference work and benchmark for the assessment of the German legal market. Comprehensive and independent research on law firms, corporate management, government officials and members of the judiciary and scholarship establish the basis for the rankings of almost 800 law firms.

POELLATH has once again achieved top-tier rankings for the private equity, venture capital and succession/private clients/foundations with 8 “leading” advisors and a total of 22 listed partners.

The succession/private clients practice scored three “leading” advisors. The Berlin partner Andreas Richter was recommended as leading in two areas, first for his advice to entrepreneurs and wealthy private clients and again for his competence in all foundation-related matters. The Munich partner Stephan Viskorf is also one of the “leading” experts. Competitors attest to his “significant know-how in inheritance tax law” and founding partner Prof. Reinhard Pöllath is also included in the league of top experts. The firm has been a market leader for its succession and private clients and foundation advisory for many years and has also succeeded, thanks to the excellent relationships of Mr. Richter and Mr. Martin Liebernickel in the forefront, to build a “respectable” practice in Frankfurt. Mr. Liebernickel is known for his strengths in national and international inheritance law and his colleague Katharina Gollan is a “proven expert in foundation and non-profit law”; they both demonstrate the potential to establish themselves in the market alongside the leading partners. Matthias Bruse is “professionally strong, determined, but at the same time solution-oriented and fair” and is also a “frequently recommended” advisor in four different areas at once. He is known not just for his advice on succession and investments, but also for his competence in private equity, M&A and corporate law.

The “powerful” team – with partner Eva Nase, who advises in a “solution-oriented rather than a problem-oriented manner” with her “strong legal rationale” – has managed to develop the corporate law practice from a “support unit for the strong private equity and M&A teams into its own powerhouse”. In addition to advising family companies and advising on stock corporation and group law, public takeovers and corporate law proceedings, the focus is increasingly on advising international minority shareholders.

Eva Nase is also well-known for her private equity and M&A expertise. Clients attest to the fact that she “goes for the goal” and “keeps an eye on the client’s interests”.

The circle of “frequently recommended” experts also includes Michael Inhester, who is known for both his competence in corporate law and his expertise in private equity and M&A.

Supervision of transactions at POELLATH is not just limited to M&A, but also extends to venture capital exits, strategic M&A and advising managing directors and executive boards on sales of companies and management participation programs, for which the firm has an “almost unrivalled position” and an “excellent reputation”. Therefore, almost all advisors who are “frequently recommended” for M&A are also known for their expertise in private equity and/or venture capital, for which the firm receives an additional top-tier ranking and has three “leading” partners.

In addition to the „frequently recommended” advisors Matthias Bruse, Jens Hörmann, Michael Inhester, Otto Haberstock and Benedikt Hohaus, Andrea von Drygalski, Philipp von Braunschweig and Frank Thiäner are also listed as “leading” for their private equity expertise, along with Christian Tönies for his venture capital advice. He is “simply brilliant, calm, matter-of-fact, solution-oriented”. According to JUVE, there is almost no other law firm that serves the entire spectrum from early VC financing and fintech to healthcare investments and private equity deals on the threshold of the large-cap segment. This broad orientation and network, as well as a “solid client base”, also benefit the firm in times of economic collapse. The development of the antitrust law practice in Frankfurt through an associated partner [Daniel Wiedmann] has also caught the attention of the market.

Another of the firm’s foundations is advising on PE and VC fund structuring, for which the firm has an “excellent reputation”. Here, “almost no other competitor can hold a candle to the fund specialist”. The firm also has a “singular market position” for its advisory to funds on which public and private investors cooperate. The firm offers regulatory and tax advice on structuring, documentation, launching and closing of funds and supports investors in their capital investments. In addition to PE and VC funds, the firm also focuses on infrastructure and real estate.

The partners who are particularly “frequently recommended” include Andreas Rodin (“knows the German fund market and the pitfalls like no one else”), Amos Veith and Uwe Bärenz (“very experienced”).

The real estate team also has an “excellent reputation” with the “leading” partner Stefan Lebek, whom even competitors recommend as being “first class”. The repertoire includes project development with a focus on structuring, financing, acquisition and sales strategies, as well as “large and complex deals” that are “tailor-made” for the firm. The advice relates not merely to the real estate aspects, but often integrates financiers, corporate and particularly tax law experts. This close alliance between corporate and tax law is one of the strengths of the practice. Another step toward the enduring establishment of the practice is the appointment of an associated partner [Kim Delphine Geißler]. Stefan Lebek and Matthias Durst are both “frequently recommended”. Mr. Durst is praised as a “good negotiator” who “sets the right priorities”. He is considered “very reliable [and] extremely capable”. Both partners stand out for their “extensive experience”, are “practical” and are known in the market as “excellent attorneys with a very good understanding of economics”.