Home / Europe / Germany / Corporate / M&A / Mergers & Acquisitions

Mergers & Acquisitions

Back to Corporate / M&A

Focused on M&A transactions

M&A transactions are the focus of CMS’s corporate law work. With around 180 lawyers, our firm offers M&A advice that combines solid legal expertise and experience with insider industry knowledge. 

Decades of leadership in M&A advice 

Backed by more than 1,000 lawyers worldwide, CMS advises leading companies on major – and mostly international – M&A transactions. Our Corporate/M&A practice has long held a leading position in the M&A league tables. We advise on more M&A transactions in Germany and Europe than any other law firm. This experience directly benefits you in your M&A process.

When you acquire a company or invest in one, our firm’s Corporate/M&A lawyers work seamlessly with experts from other areas both within Germany and internationally to deliver tailor-made M&A advice from a single source. 

We have M&A specialists covering the following areas:

Private M&A

  • Structuring the transaction
  • Transaction management
  • Negotiating non-disclosure agreements and letters of intent
  • Support in tender proceedings when reviewing a tender and on structuring the process
  • Support ahead of and during due diligence
  • Preparing the required contracts and resolutions
  • Contract negotiations
  • Contract management and transaction documentation
  • Preparation for signing and closing
  • Assistance with post-closing activity
  • Post Merger Integration (PMI)

Distressed M&A

  • Sale and purchase of distressed assets, NPL and distressed companies
  • Acquisition out of administration
  • Extracting value from distressed assets

Public M&A

  • Takeover offer
  • Acting in concert / insider trading / ad-hoc publicity
  • Control and profit transfer agreements
  • Squeeze-out
  • Delisting
  • Advising management and supervisory boards

M&A advice tailored to your sector and region 

Knowledge of current industry trends plays a key role in providing a realistic assessment of the potential and challenges of a transaction, planning it effectively and achieving a successful outcome. Our experience is apparent from our broad track record. We harness this experience in clusters of excellence that serve as think tanks and have a particular focus on the following sectors:

Demand for all-in-one solutions for cross-border M&A transactions continues to grow. The strong capabilities of the global CMS network enable us to handle cross-border M&A transactions smoothly and efficiently. 

CMS European M&A Study – benefit from our analysis of deal trends

CMS has been evaluating data from thousands of M&A transactions across Europe since 2007, which is distilled into the annual CMS European M&A Study. We analyse the key deal points of each of these M&A transactions and categorise them in terms of trends. We can produce a tailored analysis by individual country and/or by sector to meet your specific needs.

Want to find out more about our M&A expertise or receive a copy of our CMS European M&A Study 2022? Please just contact us.

"Strong stock corporation law practice, increasingly close ties to DAX companies."

JUVE German Commercial Law Firms 2019 (GCLF)

Germany M&A Legal Adviser of the Year

Mergermarket 2018

"A highly recommended M&A practice whose incomparably strong track record in mid-cap deals is hard to get around."

JUVE German Commercial Law Firms 2018 (GCLF)

Feed

11/01/2024
W&I insurance and taxes in Germany
In German M&A transactions with warranty and indemnity insurance (W&I insurance), special attention must be paid to tax issues due to reciprocal effects in the liability concept concerning the purchase...
21/12/2023
EU's Cross-Border Overhaul: Unveiling the Legal obligations and Initial...
Directive 2019 /2121 governing cross-border reorganisation operations (mergers, demergers, transfers of registered offices) was implemented during 2023 into the domestic laws of the various countries...
18/04/2023
Germany adopts proposal to give Federal Cartel Office more power to intervene...
On 5 April 2023, the German federal government adopted the proposal of the 11th amendment to the German Act for Restraints against Competition (GWB) and started the legislative procedure in the federal...
16/03/2023
Merger control review below filing thresholds – the ECJ Towercast judgment...
On 16 March 2023, the ECJ decided that a M&A transaction, which was not subject to ex-ante EU merger control, can be reviewed – from an ex post perspective – as to whether the acquirer (through the...
21/02/2023
UK regulator joins the global enforcement trend and warns employers to...
The overlap between employees’ rights and competition law has long been predicted by competition specialists. Cartel enforcement in labour market agreements became a fledgling activity of competition...
12/01/2023
German Ministry of Finance issues draft letter on the income tax treatment...
In November 2022, the German Ministry of Finance (BMF) issued a letter on the income tax treatment of profit participation rights and their classification as equity or debt, which is intended to provide...
23/12/2022
Securing energy supply in Germany: CMS advises German government on stabilising...
Hamburg/Brussels – The German government is set to support energy group Uniper, Germany’s biggest gas importer, with a stabilisation package worth EUR 33 billion and take a majority stake in Uniper...
17/10/2022
Boom & Gloom? CMS European M&A Outlook 2023
We are pleased to share with you the 2023 edition of the European M&A Outlook published by CMS in association with Mergermarket. The report offers a comprehensive assessment of dealmaking sentiment in...
04/08/2022
CMS Expert Guide to Cash Pooling
We are pleased to share with you the 5th Edition of the CMS Expert Guide to Cash Pooling. Cash pooling offers the advantage that the liquidity of a group can be concentrated (across borders) in one company...
15/07/2022
EU's General Court confirms Commission's new merger referral policy in...
Under Article 22 of the EU Merger Regulation (EUMR), national competition authorities have the possibility to request referral to the Commission of any merger, which does not meet the thresholds of the...
24/06/2022
Regulation on foreign subsidies is heading for the finish line - European...
Since 5 May 2022, EU trilogue negotiations have been underway on the first Regulation to limit the effect of subsidies from third countries to companies active in the EU. That an agreement will be reached...
23/05/2022
Ten key takeaways of the draft revision for the EU merger control procedure
Following its evaluation of procedural and jurisdictional aspects of EU merger control, on 6 May 2022 the European Commission published drafts for a revised Merger Implementing Regulation (including Form...