Berlin – Dr Martin Vorsmann is set to become the new Managing Partner of international commercial law firm CMS Germany. The corporate law expert will take over the position from his predecessor, Dr Hubertus Kolster, with effect from 1 July 2022. At the end of his third term and after more than eleven years in the role, the present incumbent has been elected as the firm’s Senior Partner. Kolster will replace Cornelius Brandi, who is retiring from the firm on age grounds after 23 years as Managing Partner and then Senior Partner.
Born in 1971, Dr Martin Vorsmann is a lawyer and partner in the Corporate/M&A practice at CMS’s Cologne office. The partnership elected Vorsmann as its new Managing Partner at the annual partner meeting last year. Vorsmann began his work as a lawyer at CMS in 2001; he has been a partner in the firm since 2010.
Dr Hubertus Kolster has been Managing Partner of Germany’s largest commercial law firm since 2011. His term in office saw the firm continuing its success, with CMS Germany becoming firmly established in the top tier of commercial law firms. The firm’s excellent market position was expanded and strengthened, with many high-calibre clients and instructions being acquired. This led to significant growth across all areas. Kolster’s period in office was marked by a substantial rise in total fee income and in the number of major clients, together with increasing profitability. The income generated by CMS Germany doubled under Kolster’s tenure to more than EUR 400 million in the last year for which figures are available. Income per fee earner also rose sharply. Both metrics are a reflection of the enhanced quality of the business and its success during Kolster’s time at the helm.
In addition to further international expansion, Kolster’s forward-looking management stance included a strong commitment to digital transformation and innovation. Increasing digitisation has led to major changes in the legal market and in the legal working environment. Thanks to systematic change processes that reflect digital transformation, plus successful engagement with emerging areas of legal advice, CMS is now a law firm with viable long-term structures. Rather than just reacting to innovative developments, it is actively involved in shaping them. Examples include the firm’s award-winning legal IT product for risk assessment around using external personnel, which was launched in 2015 and set a new benchmark for legal tech in Germany.
CMS also strengthened its commitment around sustainability, both internally and in the services it provides to clients. CMS started bringing together existing initiatives into a comprehensive, firm-wide sustainability management system in 2020. Initial milestones include the adoption of a Sustainability Charter, Environmental Policy, Supplier Code and Purchasing Policy. As an innovative commercial law firm, CMS has embedded environmental, social and governance factors (ESG) into its strategy, positioning and actions, recognising them as among the most defining and challenging issues of our time.
Dr Martin Vorsmann, Managing Partner-elect of CMS in Germany, commented on his plans: “CMS is extremely well positioned in the market. Our aim must be to further extend our strong position in the legal services market. CMS’s strength lies in our high-quality real-world advice, which is tailored to clients’ specific needs and backed by technical excellence, delivered against the backdrop of an international environment that poses new legal and strategic challenges. As a driver of innovation, we not only anticipate the future, we also actively help to shape it. That successful strategy will be retained.” Another important issue for Vorsmann going forward is that the CMS partnership’s work should be fully integrated. “CMS has accomplished a lot in recent years. The firm will also continue working on adapting structurally to the challenges of an evolving legal market. Accordingly, the practice areas, key accounts and industry expertise will play a greater role in how we manage our operational business. This will enable us to achieve greater integration and meet the demands of our clients even better,” explained Vorsmann.
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