16th edition of CMS European M&A Study is available now

Court proceedings clearly often cost a lot of time, money and internal resources, as well as damaging ongoing business relationships. So are there any alternatives? Mediation and arbitration proceedings offer a little-known but efficient option, which Claus Thiery and Sandra Renschke present in our new Litigation Matters podcast. Appearing as a guest is Dr Ulrich Hagel, CEO of EUCON, the European Institute for Conflict Management. As a recognised mediation body, EUCON provides a way of handling commercial disputes. Dr Ulrich Hagel reports at first hand on how me­di­ation/ar­bit­ra­tion proceedings work, what advantages they offer and what the differences are between them and other types of proceedings.

Hamburg – Unitank group, an international service provider for petroleum products and operator of six large oil tanks at five locations in Germany and abroad, has entered into a facilities agreement with a total volume of EUR 157 million to refinance an existing financing. The lenders include Helaba Landesbank Hessen-Thürin­gen, National Australia Bank Limited and Scotiabank.A CMS team lead by the partners Dr Marc Riede and Dr Thomas de la Motte provided comprehensive legal advice to the banking consortium on the drafting and negotiation of the financing documentation involving several jurisdictions. Glas SAS and Global Loan Agency Services GmbH acted as security agent or facility agent respectively. The financial advisor in the transaction was Rothschild & Co. CMS Germany Dr Marc Riede, Lead Partner Dr Thomas de la Motte, Lead Partner Nicolai Bischof, Senior Associate Kai Lüdiger, Associate Marcel Müller, Associate, all Banking & Finance CMS Belgium Benoît Vandervelde, Partner Florence Berchem, Associate, both Banking & Finance CMS Luxembourg Vivian Walry, Part­ner Char­lotte Demeuldre, Counsel Suzanne Chibane, Managing Associate, all Banking & Finance CMS UK Hugo Coetzee, Partner Oliver Brown, both Banking & FinancePress Con­tact presse@cms-hs. com

Frankfurt/Main – Consulting firms SIRIUS Consulting & Training, Acuroc Solutions and IQ Solutions have joined forces and will operate as members of the COHEMI Group going forward. The newly formed group will focus on IT, process and organisational consulting services. The aim is to jointly leverage the growth opportunities in the market and create economies of scale at group level. The planned growth will be supported by an investment from Silver Investment Partners (SIP), an independent equity finance investor specialising in medium-sized companies. The existing management of all three companies will remain both operationally and financially involved.A CMS team headed by lead partner Dr Peter Polke advised SIP on all legal aspects of acquisitions made in connection with structuring and expanding the majority stake in the COHEMI Group. Dr Peter Polke previously advised SIP during his time at King & Wood Mallesons. The private equity specialist moved from KWM to CMS with effect from 1 January 2024 and is now reinforcing the private equity practice at CMS. Based in Königstein im Taunus, SIP is an independent equity finance investor for medium-sized companies in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. As an entrepreneurial, experienced and trusted partner, Silver Investment Partners takes majority and minority stakes in companies with revenues of between EUR 5 and 100 million, with a focus on companies in the EUR 10 to 50 million range. The COHEMI Group comprises SIRIUS Consulting & Training GmbH, Acuroc Solutions GmbH and IQ Solutions GmbH. Their operational businesses currently employ almost 100 consultants across four locations in Germany, with the headquarters in Frankfurt am Main. The consulting group’s main focus at present is on IT governance, IT project management, (IT) service management, change management, asset strategy & performance management, data management and software asset and license management. The group intends to steadily expand its portfolio by pursuing a long-term buy-and-build strategy. CMS Germany Dr Peter Polke, Lead Partner Dr Dirk Baukholt, Principal Counsel Hanno Brandt, Senior Associate Julian Buhr, Legal Coordinator, all Corporate/M&A Carsten Domke, Partner Jonas Hötzel, Associate, both Labor, Employment & Pensions Philipp Lotze, Partner Theresa Lenger, Senior Associate, both IP/IT Stefan Lehr, Partner, RegulatoryPress Con­tact presse@cms-hs. com

The EU’s AI Regulation aims to promote the introduction of human-centred and trustworthy artificial intelligence in Europe. But what is the content of this much-discussed new framework and what is its purpose? What implications does it have for employers and for the use of AI within companies? Will the goal of the legislation actually be achieved or is the opposite likely to be the case? In a new "Employment law made simple" podcast, Dr Inka Knappertsbusch and Patricia Jares address these questions and many other interesting issues. Have a listen.