DLA Piper is to close its Berlin office as its sole partner moves, alongside an of counsel, to launch DWF‘s offering in the German capital.
Financial services partner Nina Siedler and real estate lawyer Irene Schmid will join DWF’s office alongside Wolfgang Richter, who joined DWF Germany following the firm’s 2016 merger with German commercial law firm BridgehouseLaw. He will head the new Berlin office as an executive partner alongside five other lawyers.
In a statement DWF said a Berlin office will strengthen the firm’s financial services, real estate and corporate/M&A service lines and enhance the firm’s existing capability in Germany where it already has offices in Cologne and Munich.
Andrew Leaitherland (pictured) managing partner and chief executive of DWF added: ‘Opening in Berlin presents a strategic opportunity in its own right, offering significant opportunities in the financial services and real estate markets, along with being a key piece of our wider international growth plans. Building our German presence, combined with our recent opening in Paris, allows us to really bed in our European offering and continuing extending our international links into key geographic markets globally, including the Middle East and Africa.’
A DLA Piper spokesperson said: ‘The firm’s German practice continues to strengthen and grow, however, it has become clear that there is no longer the client demand, and therefore the need, for us to have an office in Berlin. As a full service business law firm, we operate seamlessly across jurisdictions and borders and we will continue to service our clients from our four other German offices’
Just last week, Gowling WLG launched a second German outpost in Stuttgart, in addition to the firm’s existing office in Munich.
While Gowlings’ existing office in Munich focuses on IP and IT, the new office will focus on corporate law including capital markets.
kathryn.mccann@legalease.co.uk
