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Portrait ofMarkus M. Pfaff

Dr. Markus M. Pfaff

Partner
Rechtsanwalt

CMS Hasche Sigle
Neue Mainzer Straße 2–4
60311 Frankfurt
Germany
Languages German, English

Markus Pfaff specialises in finance transactions and restructuring, with a focus on acquisition and corporate finance as well as real estate and asset finance (aircrafts). He also advises on non-performing loan transactions, either acting for German and international banks or leasing companies and investors. Leading industry publications regularly recommend Markus for his expert know-how and the goal-oriented advice he provides.

After six years with Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in Duesseldorf, Frankfurt and New York, Markus joined CMS in 2009 as a partner.

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„Oft empfohlen“ für Bank- und Finanzrecht

JUVE Handbuch, 2023/2024

"Markus Pfaff is a strong lawyer for financings. He is knowledgeable and very service-oriented.", client

Chambers Europe, 2023

Listed as notable practitioner

Chambers Europe, 2023

Listed as leading individual

Chambers Europe, 2023

Listed for Real Estate

Deutschlands beste Anwälte 2023 – Handelsblatt in Kooperation mit Best Lawyers

Listed for Mergers and Acquisitions

Deutschlands beste Anwälte 2023 – Handelsblatt in Kooperation mit Best Lawyers

Listed for Banking and Finance

Deutschlands beste Anwälte 2023 – Handelsblatt in Kooperation mit Best Lawyers

Listed as notable practitioners

Chambers Global, 2023

"Markus Pfaff is an experienced practitioner with a particular focus on assisting lenders with acquisition finance and real estate finance."

Chambers Europe, 2021

"Markus Pfaff is praised by clients, who describe him as 'always constructive, always available and very quick to deliver,' while also being 'solution-oriented, with good negotiation skills'."

Chambers Europe, 2021

Listed as notable practitioner

Chambers Global, 2021

"conducts negotiations in a target-oriented manner", client

JUVE German Commercial Law Firms 2021 (GCLF)

"Recommended" for Bank Lending and Acquisition Finance

JUVE German Commercial Law Firms 2021 (GCLF)

Leading lawyer for banking and finance

Kanzleimonitor 2020, 2021

Listed as top 100 lawyer

Kanzleimonitor 2020, 2021

"well connected and a good adviser", client

Chambers Europe, 2022

Listed as Leading Individual

Chambers Europe, 2022

Listed as notable practitioner

Chambers Europe, 2022

Notable practitioners

Chambers Europe, 2022

"well connected and a good adviser", client

Chambers Global, 2022

Listed as Leading Individual

Chambers Global, 2022

Listed as notable practitioner

Chambers Global, 2022

"Recommended" for Bank Lending and Acquisition Finance

JUVE German Commercial Law Firms 2022 (GCLF)

"Dr. Markus Pfaff: fluent in negotiations, pragmatic, goal-oriented", client

The Legal 500 EMEA, 2022

Education

  • 2000 - 2001: Research assistant at the University of Heidelberg and PhD under the supervision of Prof. Dr. iur. Dres. h.c. Peter Hommelhoff at the university’s Institute of German and European Corporate and Business Law
  • 1998 - 2000: Trainee lawyer in the German federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate
  • 1993 - 1998: Law studies at the Universities of Saarbruecken, Lausanne an Heidelberg
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03/04/2024
Real estate finance law in Germany
A. Mortgages 1. Can Security be granted to a foreign lender? Yes. In general, there are no restrictions on the ownership of land or the taking and enforcing of security rights by a foreign party. 2...
04/03/2024
Aircraft finance and leasing in Germany
Information current as of February 2020 1. PROPOSED TRANSACTION STRUCTURE The Aircraft will be purchased by the Owner and leased on an operating lease basis to the Airline pursuant to the Lease. 2. SEARCHES...
28/02/2024
CMS advises Bruker on the multi-jur­is­dic­tion­al acquisition of ELITech,...
Frankfurt/Main – Bruker has agreed to acquire ELITechGroup, a provider of specialty in vitro diagnostic (IVD) systems, from TecFin S.à r.l., a controlled affiliate of PAI Partners, a pre-eminent private equity firm, for EUR 870 million in cash, excluding the carved out ELITech clinical chemistry business. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2024, subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions.A team of CMS Germany headed by lead partner Dr Hendrik Hirsch acted as lead transaction counsel on this landmark transaction for Bruker's MDx business covering all M&A aspects of the transaction, IVDR and other regulatory aspects, antitrust and FDI filings, the carve out of the clinical chemistry business and support on the employee consultation processes in France and the Netherlands. ELITechGroup, with over 500 employees and over 40 active patents, develops and commercializes innovative, proprietary molecular diagnostic (MDx) systems and assays, as well as niche biomedical systems and microbiology products. Its molecular diagnostic business accounts for the majority of the to-be-acquired revenues and provides the unique sample-to-answer (S2A) instruments InGenius® and Be-Genius® in the mid-to-high throughput MDx category with PCR diagnostic assays for infections and diseases. ELITechGroup, excluding the clinical chemistry business, achieved approximately EUR 150 million in revenues in 2023. ELITechGroup generates the majority of its revenues from Europe, with significant business also in North and Latin America. Its major R&D and production sites are in Italy, the United States, France and Germany. CMS Germany Dr Hendrik Hirsch, Partner, Co-Lead Dr Jacob Siebert, Partner, Co-Lead Dr Dirk Baukholt, Principal Counsel Dr Berrit Roth-Mingram, Counsel Dr Maximilian Stark, Senior Associate, all Corporate/M&A Dr Roland Wiring, Partner Lukas Burgdorff, Associate Noah Rodenkirchen, Associate, all Regulatory & Lifesciences Dr Thomas Hirse, Part­ner Se­basti­an Vautz, Senior Associate Lisa Dietrich, Associate, all IP Dr Michael Bauer, Partner Stefan Lehr, Partner Kai Neuhaus, Partner Moritz Pottek, Counsel Dr. Denis Schlimpert, Counsel Kirsten Baubkus-Gerard, Senior Associate David Rappenglück, As­so­ci­ate Be­ne­dikt Christian Voss, Associate, all Antitrust, Competition & Trade Dr Thomas de la Motte, Partner Dr Markus Pfaff, Partner Dr André Frischemeier, Partner Hatice Aykel, Counsel Alisa Brehm, Senior Associate Thomas Schaak, Senior Associate Dr Sait Dogan, Associate, all Banking & Finance  Dr André Lippert, Part­ner Con­stan­ze Schweidtmann, Associate, both Real Estate & Public Dr Boris Alles, Partner Dr Theresa Kipp, Senior Associate, both Labor, Employment & Pensions CMS France Benoît Gomel, Partner Vincent Desbenoit, Associate Dylan Allali, all Corporate/M&A Caroline Froger-Michon, Partner Aurélie Parchet, As­so­ci­ate Ca­m­ille Baumgarten, Associate Sophie Yin, all Em­ploy­ment Claire Vannini, Partner Eleni Moraïtou, Coun­sel Lilia-Ori­ana Dif, Associate Ariane Rolin, all Competition & EU  Jean-Bap­tiste Thiénot, Partner Anaïs Arnal, Associate, both Intellectual Property Laurine Mayer, Associate, TMC Alexandre Chazot, Counsel, Banking & Fin­ance  Thi­erry Granier, Partner Renaud Grob, Partner, both Tax Arnaud Valverde, Senior Associate, Real Estate Olivier Kuhn, Partner Cécile Rebiffé, Counsel Mylène Garrouste, all Dispute Res­ol­u­tion Kawthar Ben Khelil, Coun­sel Jean-Pierre Malili, Associate, both Public law/In­fra­struc­ture CMS Italy Massimo Trentino, Partner, Corporate/M&A Maria Letizia Patania, Partner, Lifescience & Healthcare Gian Marco Lettieri, Senior Associate, Employment & Pensions Giulio Poggioli, Counsel Valerio Giuseppe Daniele, As­so­ci­ate Francesca Durante, Junior As­so­ci­ate  Arianna Toccaceli, Junior Associate, all Banking & Finance CMS Luxembourg Gérard Maitrejean, Partner Miruna Poenaru, Coun­sel Max­imili­an Helfgen, Associate, all Corporate/M&A CMS UK Jack Letson, Partner Lindsay McAllister, Associate, both Corporate/M&A David Dennis, Partner, Commercial CMS Netherlands Pieter van Duijvenvoorde, Partner Robert Jong, both Corporate/M&A Nigel Henssen Fleur van Assendelft de Coningh, both Employment Edmon Oude Elferink, Partner Marijke van der Vossen, both Antitrust, Competition & Trade CMS Serbia Radivoje Petrikić, Partner Mila Drljević, both Corporate/M&A CMS Austria Dieter Zandler, Partner Vanessa Horaceck, both Competition & EU CMS Ukraine Maria Orlyk, Partner Diana Valyeyeva CMS Turkiye Döne Yalçın, Partner Arcan Kemahlı,  Sa­ba­hat­tin Öztemiz Taner ElmasPress Con­tact presse@cms-hs. com
11/01/2024
CMS advises Commerzbank on joint venture for digital payment solutions
Frankfurt am Main, Atlanta, - CMS, led by Dr. Tobias Grau and Dr. Florian Plagemann, has comprehensively advised Commerzbank on the formation of a joint venture with Global Payments, a leading global provider of financial technologies and software solutions (here). CMS regularly advises banks and payment service providers on M&A transactions and regulatory matters, including Commerzbank's repurchase of the installment loan business from BNP Paribas. CMS Germany Dr Tobias Grau, Partner, Co-Lead Dr Florian Plagemann, Partner, Co-Lead Birgit Schlemmer, Senior Associate Dr Kai Wallisch, Partner Dr Tobias Kilian, Of Counsel Dr Marcel Hagemann, Partner Dr Christian Zielonka, Principal Counsel Carmen Hübner, Senior Associate Dr Maximilian Stark, Senior Associate Dr Miriam Bach, As­so­ci­ate Kath­rin Dengel, Associate Gustav Isele, Associate, all Corporate/M&A Dr Markus M. Pfaff, Client Relationship Partner Moritz Gerstmayr, Coun­sel Char­lotte Salathé, Counsel  Marcel Moussaoui, Associate Mohal Jennifer Egzau, Associate, all Banking & Finance Philipp Lotze, Partner Dr Michael Kraus, Partner Dr Anna Lena Füllsack, Senior As­so­ci­ate Theresa Lenger, Senior Associate, all TMC Kai Neuhaus, Partner Dr Björn Herbers, Partner Moritz Pottek, Counsel, all Antitrust, Competition & Trade Jörg Schrade, Part­ner Chris­ti­an Linseisen, Senior Associate, both Tax Dr Oliver Simon, Partner Dr Michael Rein, Principal Counsel Dr Philipp Deuchler, Senior Associate, all Labor, Employment & Pensions Commerzbank AG (Legal) Dr Benedikt Leffers (Group Legal, Head of Corporate / Regulatory Law)  Lars Kauer (Group Legal, Senior Legal Counsel, Corporate / Regulatory Law)  Markus Vetter (Group Legal, General Counsel, Technology, Data & In­fra­struc­ture) Carina Erlenwein (Group Legal, Senior Legal Counsel, Sales, Account Management, Payment Trans­ac­tions) Press Con­tact presse@cms-hs. com
22/10/2023
ACC Annual Meeting 2023
Meet our experts at booth #712
17/02/2023
CMS advises DPE Deutsche Private Equity on sale of VTU Group to Altor Funds
Frankfurt/Main – Funds advised by DPE Deutsche Private Equity have sold the VTU Group to Altor Funds, with the VTU management team likewise selling its interest in the company. DPE is an independent...
11/11/2022
CMS advises managing partners, Arcus Capital and BE-Invest on sale of majority...
Cologne – The managing partners of the Lässig Group and private equity investors Arcus Capital and BE-Invest have sold a majority stake in the Baben­hausen-based Lässig Group to private equity firm...
03/11/2022
CMS advises shareholders M.M.Warburg & CO and LKH on sale of Warburg Hy­po­thek­en­bank...
Frankfurt/Main – The shareholders of M.M. Warburg & CO Hypothekenbank AG, namely M.M. Warburg & CO (AG & Co.) KGaA (60%) and Landeskranken­hil­fe V.V.a.G. (40%), have sold all their shares in Warburg...
23/10/2022
ACC Annual Meeting
CMS - Meet our experts at booth #233 More than 70 percent of the world’s purchasing power is located outside of the United States. So for US companies, establishing or growing their business and investments with their main trade partners – whether in the UK, the European Union, China, Africa or the Middle East – is essential for their success. However, doing business in diverse markets, each with its unique legal environment and ways of practicing law, requires specialist knowledge. Our more than 5,000 lawyers worldwide provide business-focused advice, whether in a single market or across multiple jurisdictions. Our focus is on building long-term partnerships to keep our clients ahead in their chosen markets. CMS is pleased to be sponsoring the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) Annual Meeting from 23 - 26 October in Las Vegas (NV). Below you can find an overview of our partners attending the ACC annual meeting, representing a range of jurisdictions, practice areas and sector specialisms . To arrange a meeting, please contact events@cmslegal. com or visit us at booth #233. CMS lawyers will be participating in the following panel dis­cus­sions:UK-based Partner and Head of the CMS Energy & Climate Change Group Munir Hassan -  “Are you an Energy Lawyer? How Energy touches Every Business”CMS Belgium Partner Sophie Berg -  “In­ter­pret­ing the EU Whistleblower Directive: Key Steps to Ensure Compliance”. For more information about the ACC Annual meeting and the programme, please visit their website here. To find out more about CMS, visit the About CMS section. For further information, please see our partners attending the conference in the gallery below and an overview of all our expertise areas.
18/10/2022
CMS advises bank consortium on EUR 140 million credit financing for IDT...
Frankfurt/Main – A bank consortium led by Commerzbank Ak­tiengesell­schaft and Deutsche Bank AG as coordinators and bookrunners is providing global pharmaceutical company IDT Biologika with credit financing...
06/09/2022
CMS advises Pinova Capital on acquisition of IREMA Group
Frankfurt/Main – Funds advised by PINOVA Capital GmbH acquired a majority shareholding in Pavelsbach-based IREMA-Filter GmbH on 31 August 2022. The family owners of the business and the management team...
29/04/2022
CMS advises Swiss electronics manufacturer Cicor on acquisition of SMT...
Frankfurt/Main – The Cicor Group (SIX Swiss Exchange: CICN), which is headquartered in Bronschhofen, Switzerland, has acquired SMT Elektronik GmbH of Dresden. The acquisition will enable Cicor to expand...