Hogan and Hartson's Berlin office is to divide into two, with 18 partners moving away to set up their own organization rather than join the combined Hogan Lovells.The fresh firm, Raue, will formally launch on May 1,which is the same day that the Hogan Lovells merger is set to go live.
The firm, that will be managed by energy and regulatory partner Christian Von Hammerstein, will consist of the 18 partners as well as 22 other lawyers. It will offer legal advice in the energy, real estate, media and telecommunications, life sciences health care,art ,entertainment sectors, with the lawyers offering tax, business, authoritarian, employment, real estate, intellectual property as well as lawsuit advice.
Von Hammerstein stated that for the past weeks and months the clear message was obtained from the market that the customers would like to work in close partnership with an alert, mediocre firm.Though it was not an effortless decision, ultimately the major factor was to keep together the excellent team and to continue in flourishing collaboration with each other as well as the clients in an autonomous, entrepreneurial group.
The divide will create the Hogan Lovells with more than 350 lawyers practising in five cities in Germany - Berlin, Duesseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Munich. Christoph Wagner will be the workplace managing partner of the Berlin office, following Gernod Meinel, who has decided to join the fresh firm rather than take up a position on the board of Hogan Lovells.Wagner stated that as a strong Berlin office with a important transaction-focused media and telecoms, real estate and rivalry practice, it is highly hopeful to contribute to place Hogan Lovells as a chief German law firm and as top ten law firm worldwide.
