White & Case is shutting its Munich office after almost ten years after opening, offering its 11-lawyer team the opportunity to relocate to its larger Frankfurt base.
The team was notified at the end of last week (13 November) and a spokesperson at the firm confirmed that most were expected to take up the transfer option.
The office closure will affect partners Markus Langen and Tobias Freiherr von Tucher, five local partners and four associates.
The firm opened its doors in Munich in 2006, its fifth base in Germany alongside Berlin, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt and Hamburg. Its German practice is home to around 200 lawyers.
White & Case said in a statement: ‘We will continue to serve our clients in Germany from our offices in Berlin, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt and Hamburg and we have decided to focus on consolidating and strengthening our offering in these four locations.’
While the firm may be consolidating its German operations, expansion globally remains on the agenda, with the firm opening an office in Seoul earlier this summer with plans to relocate three partners and build on relationships with project finance clients.
In September, the firm also set up its first City white collar practice with the hire of white collar and securities litigation partner Jonathan Pickworth from Dechert, as it prepares itself for the next wave of regulatory and enforcement investigation work.
jaishree.kalia@legalease.co.uk
