Berlin – Commercial law firm CMS Germany has appointed nine new partners as of the start of the new year. This will strengthen the partnership in the Employment, Restructuring & Insolvency, Dispute Resolution, Private Clients, Real Estate & Public, Corporate/M&A and Intellectual Property practice areas.
“2020 was a highly successful year for our firm despite the coronavirus pandemic. Our new partners made an important contribution by delivering innovative and forward-looking services backed by their outstanding expertise in the specific practice areas,” said Dr Hubertus Kolster, Managing Partner of CMS Germany. The appointment of the new partners sees the commercial law firm continuing its commitment to innovation, long-term promotion of young lawyers within the firm and building a strong team for the future. “Appointing these colleagues to our partnership is part of a generational change across the firm and at the individual CMS Germany locations. All the new partners have made a significant contribution to developing our business areas through their outstanding work. We are very optimistic about the future. These appointments are impressive evidence of a highly motivated and skilled generation taking on more responsibility,” added Kolster.
For the seventh year in succession, CMS also garnered first place in the latest “Kanzleimonitor” survey, which is conducted annually by the German Institute for Legal Departments and Corporate Lawyers (diruj). CMS continued to be the law firm most frequently recommended by heads of corporate legal departments in 2020. It also received special praise for the breadth of the services it offers. CMS ranked first on this score, with recommendations across 30 areas of law. “To come top for the seventh time in a row is an enormous vote of confidence from our clients. It demonstrates that our combination of real-world expertise and high quality, innovative services is much valued. It also shows that our strategy of providing innovative legal advice delivered by highly motivated lawyers is paying off. Our strong engagement with emerging issues and our proven international collaboration within the CMS organisation are likewise key pillars of our success,” commented Dr Hubertus Kolster.
The new partners at CMS Germany
Kira Falter (Labor, Employment and Pensions, Cologne) has been with CMS since 2013. She specialises in advising national and international companies on individual and collective employment law. Her key areas of expertise include all issues relating to legally compliant use of external personnel, including distinguishing between contracts for work/contracts for services and illegal temporary employment, and the hiring of freelancers.
Dr Maximilian Hacker (Restructuring & Insolvency, Düsseldorf) has worked at CMS since 2010. He has more than ten years’ experience in insolvency and financial restructuring and advises creditors, businesses and insolvency administrators. Specific examples include advising companies in self-administration and during distressed M&A transactions. Another focus is on enforcing and defending claims arising from contested transactions.
Julia Dönch (Intellectual Property, Stuttgart) worked at CMS until 2014 and is now returning to CMS as a partner. She specialises in IP advice around artificial intelligence (AI) and advises listed companies on licensing agreement projects and research and development alliances.
Amelie Schäfer (Labor, Employment and Pensions, Düsseldorf) joined CMS in 2013 and is the “Rising Star of the Year” in employment law, according to legal directory Juve. She advises on all areas of individual and collective employment law. In addition to advising on agile forms of work and organisation, another core activity is providing legal advice on HR and external staff compliance, in particular developing appropriate organisational structures and processes, including negotiating with the authorities.
Dr Tom Christopher Pröstler (Dispute Resolution, Berlin/Hong Kong) joined CMS in 2013. He works in international arbitration proceedings under all major codes of procedure, in particular the ICC, HKIAC, DIS and UNCITRAL arbitration rules. He has wide-ranging experience of major infrastructure and plant construction projects and of technology-related disputes.
Dr Alexandra Otto (Labor, Employment and Pensions, Cologne) started her career at CMS in 2008. She advises national and international companies on employment law, particularly on preparing and implementing restructurings, structuring business transfers and post-merger integration. She is also often instructed to provide strategic advice on co-determination and legal support for SE formation.
Dr Dirk Schauer (Private Clients, Stuttgart) joined CMS in 2012 and advises business owners and private individuals on national and international estate planning and corporate succession and on foundation law. His key activities include advising on corporate succession, the structuring and transfer of personal assets and designing foundation structures.
Dr Kai Wallisch (Corporate/M&A, Stuttgart) joined CMS in 2010 and specialises in M&A transactions and corporate law advice. His work focuses on advising international companies from the industrial and automotive sectors, in many cases US-based corporations. His clients rely on his expertise in global transactions and carve-outs in particular.
Dr Maximilian Koschker (Labor, Employment and Pensions, Stuttgart) joined CMS in 2011. He advises companies on all individual and collective employment law matters, especially in the context of the challenges posed by new work environments and increasing digitisation (World of Work 4.0). His clients frequently come from other countries within Europe and also beyond.
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