Energy: Further expansion at CMS Hasche Sigle

Düsseldorf – CMS Hasche Sigle is driving forward the planned expansion of its Energy prac-tice by making another lateral hire from law firm Clifford Chance. Dr Thomas Brunn will be joining the Düsseldorf office on 16 August 2013, where his role as partner will see him advis-ing chiefly on energy transactions. He will strengthen the existing Energy team at the location, working alongside Dr Friedrich von Burchard and Shaghayegh Smousavi, another lateral hire from Clifford Chance who started with CMS as partner on 15 July 2013.

"We are delighted to have Dr Thomas Brunn on board. He is an ideal addition to the firm's highly regarded Energy practice in a location which is of major importance for the sector," said Dr Hubertus Kolster, general managing partner of CMS Hasche Sigle. "He has valuable expertise in energy M&A, has been involved in many major deals and complements Shaghayegh Smousavi perfectly." Kolster added that this expansion of the team represents a significant strategic gain which highlights the strong appeal of the CMS Energy practice among lawyers. With more than 30 lawyers in Hamburg, Stuttgart, Cologne and Düsseldorf, the practice offers extensive advice from a single source.

"Energy M&A is a very important part of strengthening our Energy practice in Düsseldorf," said practice head Dr Christian Haellmigk. "We have made the right choice by hiring a recog-nised expert of this calibre. Together with Shaghayegh Smousavi, Dr Thomas Brunn has al-ready managed many transactions, especially in the regulated grid industry – they form a highly effective team."
Brunn (39) joined Clifford Chance in 2005 and worked in their New York and Düsseldorf offices, specialising in M&A and particularly in the energy market. In Düsseldorf he was part of the core team in the energy M&A group right from the start, advising buyers and sellers on bidding procedures for gas distribution networks and extremely high-voltage grids, on sales of stakes in power plants and on the acquisition of energy providers. Dr Thomas Brunn studied in Würzburg, Cologne, Poitiers (France) and New York; he holds a Diplôme Universitaire d'Etudes Juridiques Françaises, completed a Master of Laws degree and is licensed as a law-yer in New York. He was appointed Counsel in 2010.

"I'm very much looking forward to continuing working with my colleague Shaghayegh Smousavi and with Dr von Burchard," said Dr Thomas Brunn. "Especially in the dynamic energy sector, with its specific legal and economic framework, there is strong demand for specialised, innovative and individual advice. This demand will continue to grow – as a team we can harness new potential in this area."

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