Accountancy firms continue to build their presence in the legal sector with KPMG Law the latest to boost its legal team by hiring two Berlin-based Taylor Wessing partners.
The duo, Mario Ohle and Burkhard Frisch, join the growing legal practice which has been up and running for nearly eight years and counts more than 240 lawyers across 16 offices in Germany.
Corporate specialist Frisch joined Taylor Wessing in 2007 from local independent firm Beiten Burkhardt as part of a quarter of hires designed to help rebuild its Berlin outpost. He focuses on M&A as well as corporate real estate and healthcare privatisations.
Ohle specialises in technology-related public procurement, complex IT projects and planned construction. He has set on a variety of company boards including Realtime Technology and Zanox.
The pair joined KPMG Law’s Berlin office at the start of August and both are tasked with driving future growth of its public sector and enterprises practice.
KMPG Law chief executive Manfred Kessler said: ‘We are delighted to have gained Mario Ohle and Dr. Burkhard Frisch two renowned lawyers who will help us to continue our successful growth in the public sector.’
KPMG’s UK division meanwhile has growth plans of its own after successfully obtaining a multi-disciplinary alternative business structure licence in October 2014, as the accountancy giant seeks to triple the size of its legal team over the next three years.
PwC Legal also expanded its German legal team this summer with the hire of Mayer Brown banking and finance partner Jorg Wulfken in Frankfurt as the firm looks to build a ‘sizeable’ financial services offering outside the US.
sarah.downey@legalease.co.uk