Hengeler Mueller - The Who's Who Legal 100 2012

What is the Who's Who Legal 100?

The firm earns 40 inclusions across 13 practice areas in this edition. Its strength in corporate financial work is exemplified by the fact that five chapters – banking, capital markets, competition, corporate governance and M&A – make up almost three-quarters of its listings.

An excellent understanding of antitrust issues is an essential part of advice on corporate transactions, and Hengeler Mueller has this in spades. Six practitioners are listed for their competition expertise. Alf-Henrik Bischke has recently advised Lekkerland on the competition issues of its sale of Convenience Concept to Valora and sources described his work as “consistently of the highest quality”. The “first-rate” Thorsten Mäger practises from the Düsseldorf office and is considered “fiercely intelligent” by respondents to our survey, while Frankfurt-based Horst Satzky “gives comprehensive, clear advice on the trickiest of matters”.

The corporate governance team is similarly strong and also boasts six listings. Rainer Krause is “hugely admired” by peers and Gerd Krieger earned votes for his “clear thinking” and “client-friendly manner”. Maximilian Schiessl has advised ThyssenKrupp on the proposed carve-out of its Stainless Global division and has “enviable” experience in this sector. His expertise extends to mergers and acquisitions and is additionally listed in the corresponding chapter of this book.

Four other lawyers are listed in the M&A chapter. Joachim Rosengarten advised M-real Oyi on the sale of its high-quality premium paper business to Hahnemühle Fine Art Group and is lauded as “a top quality transactional lawyer”. Oleg de Lousanoff and Christof Jäckle make “an excellent team” in the Frankfurt office, while Hans-Jörg Ziegenhain has “superior skills” in this sector.

Five lawyers earn recognition for their banking work. Former investment banker Johannes Tieves brings his “invaluable” industry expertise to his work, making him “first choice” for many clients. Recent work includes advising HeidelbergCement on the extension of a €3 billion cash and letter of credit facility provided by an international bank and advising a banking syndicate on a new loan agreement of €8 billion with automotive industry supplier Schaeffler. Stefan Krauss and Hendrik Haag are both listed in the banking and capital markets chapters. Peers commend their “exceptional legal knowledge” and “strategically brilliant” advice.

Also acknowledged for his capital markets capability is Torsten Busch, whose recent work includes advising Siemens on its issuance of US-dollar-denominated bonds with warrants. Thomas Cron is based in Frankfurt and conducts a wide range of finance-related work. “He will always go the extra mile for clients,” says one source, and is “an incredibly impressive attorney”. Reinhold Ernst is “extremely hard-working” and “a very bright guy”.

Additional members of the firm are listed in eight other chapters, demonstrating that although Hengeler Mueller is particularly renowned for corporate work, it is not content to allow its expertise to be confined to this sector. And with three new partners announced at the end of 2011, this star looks set to rise higher and higher.