Clifford Chance
Clifford Chance is one of the top corporate law firms in Germany and internationally. We have numerous German and international clients and provide advisory services to corporations, investors, leading financial services providers and local authorities, public institutions and government departments.
Our Corporate practice in Germany is spread across offices in Frankfurt, Düsseldorf and Munich and comprises more than 140 lawyers with a wide range of specialties. We are also able to call on expert assistance from colleagues in our Banking & Capital Markets, Litigation, Real Estate and Tax practices. Clifford Chance offers seamless service throughout every stage of your transaction. Efficient project management ensures that work is carried out on time and on budget, that information flows are optimised and that you get the right people for your project.
The Clifford Chance Corporate practice provides advice in the following areas:
Antitrust
We frequently provide advice on merger control and the awarding of tenders in connection with major M&A and commercial deals. We also advise companies and public institutions on competition authority investigations regarding suspected anti-competitive practices or the abuse of a dominant market position and on state aid law. Our lawyers also represent clients in judicial proceedings before national and European courts.
Our team has also a longstanding expertise in advising clients on foreign direct investment (FDI) frameworks. We regularly act as global counsel to co-ordinate multi-jurisdictional FDI filings and have a successful track record of FDI filings with the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy.
Corporate law, Governance and Group Structuring
We advise companies and shareholders on group structuring, general meetings and issues relating to equity capital and internal financing. One of our main specialties is providing advice on corporate governance, compliance, compensation systems and liability issues.
Employment
Our employment law team advises both German and international companies on all aspects of collective and individual employment law, as well as on company pension schemes, negotiations with works councils and trades unions and litigation. They can also provide advice on corporate restructuring relating to outsourcing measures, M&As and other transactions.
Energy
Our Energy group is one of the leading practices of its kind in Germany and advises a number of well-known national and international corporations on all relevant civil, public regulatory and environmental law issues affecting every stage of energy provision – from generation to network regulation to sales and distribution. We also have energy M&A specialists who can advise on inter alia asset swaps and acquisitions and on energy-related projects (energy plants, gas towers, interconnector construction etc.).
Financial Institutions
Our team advises on M&As on the German market, cross-border deals, takeovers, squeeze-outs, restructuring measures, portfolio transfers and run-offs, as well as on the restructuring of insurance companies, compliance and risk management. Our expertise also covers the structuring of capital instruments and innovative financial products for banks and insurance companies. We also specialise in advising international insurance corporations looking to gain a foothold in the German market and in advising on outsourcing models for insurance companies.
Healthcare and Life Sciences
Our Healthcare, Life Sciences & Chemicals group combines Clifford Chance's sector expertise with the knowledge of our industry groups such as Commercial and Antitrust/Competition. This allows us to tailor our advice quickly and effectively to clients' specific needs. We can advise on entire product life-cycles in the given sector – from development to marketing to liability and sales.
IT, E-Business and E-Commerce
Our Communications, Media & Technology group has considerable experience in advising on technology transactions and issues, including outsourcing projects, classic IT law (e.g. software licensing and development agreements; sales, antitrust and competition law) and data protection.
Mergers & Acquisitions
We advise on national and international M&As in all industry sectors. This includes group restructuring, going public/dual track, going private/squeeze-outs, joint ventures, strategic alliances, as well as all commercial law aspects relating to M&As (public takeovers in particular) and privatisations. Our clients include domestic and international companies, investment and commercial banks, institutional investors and financial advisors, as well as local authorities and public institutions.
Private Equity
We have one of Germany's leading private equity practices. The team has advised numerous clients on legal and tax issues relating to buy-out deals over the past few years. Our lawyers also have considerable expertise as regards external financing, tax assessments and structuring, fund creation and structuring, regulatory and antitrust issues and full-service advice for portfolio companies and exit strategies.
Restructuring and Insolvency
We have a top team of lawyers, tax advisors and auditors combining commercial and legal expertise with many years' experience advising on restructuring issues. Our team advises companies, their owners and creditors on legal and financial aspects of corporate restructuring and on refinancing, corporate reorganisation, the purchase or sale of companies or divisions during or prior to insolvency and on cross-border insolvencies.
