Home / People / Klaus Jäger
Portrait ofKlaus Jäger

Klaus Jäger

Partner
Rechtsanwalt

CMS Hasche Sigle
Kranhaus 1
Im Zollhafen 18
50678 Cologne
Germany
Languages German, English, French

Klaus Jäger has more than 25 years of experience in advising on domestic and cross-border M&A, private equity and joint venture transactions as well as other forms of cooperation. He is highly regarded for his long-standing experience and expertise in the efficient coordination of large (international) teams. In major rankings, Klaus is regularly named as one of Germany’s leading corporate/M&A lawyers. Heading the firm’s M&A – TMC cluster, he has also special expertise in the technology, media and communication sector. He advises selected start-ups through the CMS equIP programme.

Klaus joined CMS in 2002 and was made partner in 2003. Prior to that, he, among others, headed the M&A department of Arthur Andersen in Paris with responsibility for the firm’s global expansion.

more less

Listed for Mergers and Acquisitions

Deutschlands beste Anwälte 2024 – Handelsblatt in Kooperation mit Best Lawyers

„Oft empfohlen“ für Private Equity und Venture Capital

JUVE Handbuch, 2023/2024

„Oft empfohlen“ für M&A

JUVE Handbuch, 2023/2024

„kompetent, angenehm u. pragmatisch“, Wettbewerber

JUVE Handbuch, 2023/2024

„guter M&A-Anwalt, jetzt sieht man ihn öfter bei PE-Mandanten“, Wettbewerber

JUVE Handbuch, 2023/2024

"experienced, pleasant deal manager", competitor"

JUVE German Commercial Law Firms 2022 (GCLF)

"Recommended" for M&A

JUVE German Commercial Law Firms 2020-2022 (GCLF)

Recommended

JUVE German Commercial Law Firms 2019 (GCLF)

"More than other leading competitors, CMS earns kudos for its work on international joint ventures, especially Cologne partner Klaus Jäger."

JUVE German Commercial Law Firms 2018 (GCLF)

"pleasant to work with, the firm network also works well", client

JUVE German Commercial Law Firms 2018 (GCLF)

"very cooperative", client

JUVE German Commercial Law Firms 2017 (GCLF)

"very competent and pleasant negotiating partner", competitor

JUVE German Commercial Law Firms 2015 (GCLF)

"competent, professional, efficient and pragmatic", client

JUVE German Commercial Law Firms 2014 (GCLF)

"unbelievably high work ethic", client

JUVE German Commercial Law Firms 2014 (GCLF)

"proof positive that CMS boasts preeminent rainmakers in its ranks"

JUVE German Commercial Law Firms 2012 (GCLF)

"pleasant and constructive", competitor

JUVE German Commercial Law Firms 2010 (GCLF)

"coordinates well in Germany and abroad", client

JUVE German Commercial Law Firms 2007 (GCLF)

Relevant experience

  • CMS is supporting NORD Holding around its comprehensive ESG initiative. A CMS team headed by lead partner Klaus Jäger advised NORD Holding on its investment in ESG software pioneer VERSO.
  • Kansai Helios on acquisition of all the shares in CWS Lackfabrik GmbH (CWS), a specialist in powder coatings and synthetic resins. The deal included the group companies in Germany, the US, Denmark and Poland. An international CMS team headed by lead partners Dr Richard Mayer-Uellner and Klaus Jäger, together with partner firms in the US and Denmark, conducted extensive due diligence in Germany, the US, Poland and Denmark. They also negotiated the complex set of agreements and advised on the competition law aspects of the transaction.
  • NORD Holding on expanding the Public Cloud Group by acquiring SAP specialist LNW-Soft.
  • NORD Holding on sale of the Bock Group to Danish company Danfoss Group. An international CMS team headed by Klaus Jäger and Dirk Baukholt provided NORD Holding with legal advice on this complex transaction, which spanned eight jurisdictions.
  • Webasto Roof & Components SE on the indirect acquisition of all the shares in Carlex Glass Luxembourg S.A. by purchasing all the shares in Dutch company ACR II Glass Holding B.V. The legal advice on this cross-border deal involved a number of different jurisdictions and included preparation and negotiation of the share purchase agreement, along with various ancillary agreements, and support for antitrust proceedings.
  • NORD Holding | On the sale of its shares in RUF Group (Rastatt-based leading German supplier of high-quality upholstered and box spring beds) to investment firm Waterland Private Equity
  • Barkey | Sale to US company Azenta, Inc (purchase price approx. EUR 80 million)
  • International consulting firm (4,200+ employees) | Sale to a competitor (purchase price more than EUR 1.2 billion)
  • GloryFeel | Sale to Bayer AG
  • NORD Holding | On M&A transactions with an overall volume of more thanEUR 1 billion
  • NORD Holding | On the creation of multi-public cloud group through investment in three public cloud providers
  • Swiss firm Designwerk Technologies AG | On the sale to Volvo Group
  • NORD Holding | On the acquisition of compressor manufacturer Bock
  • Discovery | On the agreement to take over the TV channel TELE 5 and a long-term content agreement with LEONINE
  • NORD Holding | On the acquisition of online bedroom furniture portal Bruno Interior GmbH by RUF Group
  • Mindcurv Group GmbH shareholders | On the investment by GENUI Partners and PRIMEPULSE
  • Carglass Group | On the acquisition of A.T.U's vehicle glass business and the joint venture between Carglass and A.T.U
  • One Square Advisors | On the acquisition of the Neue Halberg Guss GmbH business operations, a Prevent Group company
  • NORD Holding | On the acquisition of Parador GmbH from Hüls Group and subsequent sale to the listed Indian group CK Birla
  • RAG-Stiftung Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH | On the acquisition of the Masco Group in Italy
  • Apollo Tyres Holdings (Singapore) Pte. Ltd | On the acquisition of reifen.com GmbH shares
  • Advising on the joint venture between AXA Gruppe und Compugroup Medical AG (CGM) to establish and develop an e-health platform
more less

Publications

  • Verkäufergarantien bei NPL-Transaktionen, ZBB Report 2005, p. 207 f
more less

Lectures list

  • Papers on: Private equity/ venture capital; transactions; outsourcing; financing of small and medium-sized companies; cross-border company purchases
more less

Education

  • Trainee lawyer at Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court including international stints in San Francisco and New York
  • Law studies in Trier and Cologne
more less

Feed

14/02/2024
CMS advises automotive supplier Webasto on sale of charging business to...
Cologne – Webasto, a leading global automotive supplier headquartered in Stockdorf near Munich, has sold a majority stake in its charging solutions business. The business includes charging cables, mobile chargers and wallboxes. The German company is one of the 100 largest suppliers to the automotive sector worldwide and will remain invested in the division as a minority shareholder. It intends to focus on its core business segments going forward. In 2022, Webasto took the strategic decision to seek an investor for the charging solutions business. The buyer is private equity firm Transom Capital Group, based in Los Angeles, USA. The two companies signed a purchase agreement on 7 February 2024. Further details of the transaction were not disclosed.A CMS team headed by lead partner Klaus Jäger advised Webasto on all legal aspects of the sale. The German CMS team worked closely with CMS teams from Mexico City and Beijing, as well as US law firms Miller & Martin PLLC and Locke Lord LLP. The sales process was highly complex, partly due to the fact that prior to the sale the unit in question needed to be restructured by taking appropriate action across a number of different jurisdictions. Webasto has relied on the expertise of CMS in the past, most recently when acquiring all the shares in Luxembourg company Carlex Glass. Established in 1901, automotive supplier Webasto focuses on roof systems and on vehicle electrification in its development, manufacturing and sales operations. The product range includes openable and fixed roofs, electric high-voltage heaters and batteries and thermo management solutions. Webasto’s customers range from manufacturers of passenger cars, commercial vehicles and boats to dealers and end customers. In 2022, the group generated sales of over EUR 4 billion and employed some 16,800 people across more than 50 locations worldwide. CMS Germany Klaus Jäger, Lead Part­ner Anna-Lena Löcherbach, Counsel Philipp Knopp, Senior As­so­ci­ate Domin­ic Zimmer, Associate Nina Fink, Associate, all Corporate/M&A Dr Angela Emmert, Partner Lennard Martin Lürwer, Counsel Marcel Heinen, Senior Associate, all Labor, Employment & Pensions Dr Sebastian Cording, Partner Lars Howe, Associate Dr Markus Kaulartz, Partner Dr Reemt Matthiesen, Partner, all TMC Dr Alexandra Schluck-Amend, Partner Manuel Nann, Senior As­so­ci­ate  Fran­ziska Fuchs, Senior Associate, all Restructuring and Insolvency Lars Eckhoff, Partner Dr Philipp Rohdenburg, Counsel, both Commercial Dr Dirk Smielick, Principal Counsel, Intellectual Property Dr Christian Scherer, Partner, Real Estate & Public Barbara Bayer, Counsel, Banking, Finance & Insurance Moritz Pottek, Counsel, Antitrust, Competition & Trade Dr Arne Burmester, Principal Counsel Conrad Gräwe, Legal Coordinator Romy Rosenhahn, Legal Co­ordin­at­or Stephanie Schulz, Legal Coordinator Shae Lynn Washington, Legal Co­ordin­at­or Tag­rid Chahrour, Senior Legal Specialist Anke Clippingdale, Senior Legal Specialist Lisa Mattmann, Senior Legal Specialist Sarah Przybylski, Senior Legal Specialist Edris Trabzadah, Senior Legal Specialist Faraz Ahmad, Legal Specialist Jule Marie Holz, Legal Specialist Sofia Schreiner, Legal Spe­cial­ist Al­ex­an­der Stadahl, Legal Specialist, all Smart Operations CMS China Dr Falk Lichtenstein, Partner, Corporate/M&A CMS Mexico Giancarlo Schievenini, Partner, Corporate/M&A MILLER & MARTIN PLLC, Attorneys at Law, Atlanta, USA Mike Marshall, Partner Joe De Lisle, Partner Locke Lord LLP, Boston, USA Jonathan Young, PartnerPress Con­tact presse@cms-hs. com   
14/02/2024
CMS advises paint and coatings producer KANSAI HELIOS on the acquisition...
Cologne – KANSAI HELIOS has acquired the entire industrial coatings business of GREBE Holding, based in Weilburg in Hessen, Germany, which operates under the name WEILBURGER Coatings. WEILBURGER Coatings is a well-known manufacturer of industrial coatings and comprises of WEILBURGER Coatings GmbH in Weilburg and WEILBURGER Asia Limited in Hong Kong. The share purchase agreement was signed on February 9, 2024. With the acquisition, KANSAI HELIOS intends to significantly expand its strategic position as a system supplier and manufacturer of industrial coatings and extend its geographical presence internationally. The company will also gain additional expertise, distribution channels, production and storage capacities. The parties involved have agreed not to disclose further details of the transaction. An international CMS team headed by Lead Partner Klaus Jäger and Christoph Schröer provided KANSAI HELIOS with comprehensive legal advice on the acquisition. The complexity of the transaction is characterized in particular by the size of the acquired Weilburger Coatings Group, which, in addition to the German companies, includes subsidiaries in Brazil, China, France, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Turkey and the USA. In addition to the actual purchase agreements in Germany and Hong Kong, CMS drafted and negotiated numerous other contracts. In addition to CMS teams in Brazil, China, Hong Kong, Italy, Turkey, France, Serbia, Austria and the United Kingdom, the law firms MILLER & MARTIN PLLC from the USA and Vaish Associates Advocates from India also provided support. KANSAI HELIOS regularly relies on the expertise of CMS, most recently in connection with the acquisition of all shares in CWS Lackfabrik GmbH (CWS), which specializes in powder coatings and synthetic resins, including the group companies in Germany, the USA, Denmark and Poland. KANSAI HELIOS, headquartered in Vienna, is part of the Japanese KANSAI PAINT Group. The company has a history of more than 170 years and is one of the major global players in the paints and coatings market. KANSAI HELIOS designs, produces and distributes industrial coating solutions, bleaching and cleaning chemicals, materials for sticking and sealing, high-quality resins, architectural paints and refinishing coatings throughout Europe and beyond. WEILBURGER Coatings was founded in 1900 at its current headquarters in Weilburg and has group companies in Germany, Italy, France, Turkey, the USA, Brazil, India and China. With around 600 employees at seven production sites and several sales offices, the company is active worldwide and generates a turnover of around 150 million euros. CMS Germany Klaus Jäger, Lead Partner Dr Kai Wallisch, Part­ner Chris­toph Schröer, Senior Associate Dr Katharina Kapp, Associate Dr Henrik Meurer, As­so­ci­ate Domin­ic Zimmer, As­so­ci­ate Kath­rin Dengel, Associate, all Corporate/M&A Dr Björn Herbers, Partner Moritz Pottek, Counsel Dr Denis Schlimpert, Counsel Kirsten Baubkus-Gerard, Senior Associate Dr Robert Bodewig, Senior Associate David Rappenglück, Associate, all Antitrust, Competition & Trade Dr Dirk Smielick, Principal Counsel Claudia Böhmer, Counsel, both IP Dr Angela Emmert, Partner Dr Andreas Hofelich, Partner Dr Mario Brungs, Counsel Lennard Martin Lürwer, Counsel Marcel Heinen, Senior Associate, all Labor, Employment & Pensions Michael Kamps, Partner Thorsten Hemme, Principal Counsel Dr Arne Schmieke, Senior Associate, all TMC Dr Martin Friedberg, Partner, Tax law Dr André Lippert, Partner Maike Füchtmann, Senior Associate, both Real Estate & Public Dorothée Janzen, Partner Dr Philipp Rohdenburg, Counsel, both Com­mer­cial Birgit Wagner, Legal Manager Conrad Gräwe, Legal Co­ordin­at­or Steven Washington, Legal Coordinator Anke Clippingdale, Senior Legal Specialist Edris Trabzadah, Senior Legal Specialist Faraz Ahmad, Legal Specialist Sofia Schreiner, Legal Spe­cial­ist Al­ex­an­der Stadahl, Legal Specialist, all Smart Operations CMS Beijing Falk Licht­en­stein Roxy Meng CMS Milan Daniela Murer Alessandra Cuni CMS Rome Fabrizio Spagnolo CMS Istanbul Döne Yalçın Merve Akkuş CMS Paris Thomas Hains Marion Berberian CMS Belgrade Srđan Janković  CMS Vienna Dr Dieter Zandler CMS London Russell Hoare Melanie Lane Focaccia Amaral L S Advogados, Brazil in association with CMS Renata Homem de Melo Fontes Carla Anastácio Lau, Horton & Wise LLP, Hong Kong in association with CMS Shirley Lau Albert Jok MILLER & MARTIN PLLC, USA Joe DeLisle Vaish Associates Advocates, India Shrinivas SankaranPress Con­tact presse@cms-hs. com
01/08/2023
CMS advises SHG Pur-Profile shareholders on sale of majority stake to Waldegg...
Cologne – The shareholders of SHG Pur-Profile GmbH, a leading manufacturer of warning and protective profiles based in Eitorf, have sold a majority shareholding to Waldegg Equity, a private equity firm...
12/01/2023
CMS advises Kapital 1852 on majority investment in SPRiNTUS
Cologne – Kapital 1852 SCS SICAV-SIF Equity Invest IV MidCapPlus, a fund managed by private equity firm Kapital 1852 Beratungs GmbH, has acquired a majority stake in SPRiNTUS GmbH. Based in Welzheim...
07/12/2022
Start of comprehensive ESG initiative: CMS advises NORD Holding on investment...
Cologne – NORD Holding, a leading German private equity and asset management company, is embracing the mega topic of ESG and setting priorities accordingly, both internally and on the portfolio side...
01/12/2022
Expansion of market position: International CMS team advises Kansai Helios...
Cologne – Global paint and coatings producer Kansai Helios has acquired all the shares in CWS Lackfabrik GmbH (CWS), a specialist in powder coatings and synthetic resins. The deal includes the group...
23/11/2022
Expansion strategy: CMS advises NORD Holding on expanding Public Cloud...
Cologne – The Public Cloud Group has expanded its portfolio of services by acquiring Erding-based SAP specialist LNW-Soft. The acquisition will enable the multi-cloud service provider to migrate its...
10/10/2022
International transaction: CMS advises NORD Holding on sale of Bock Group...
Cologne – NORD Holding Un­ternehmens­beteili­gungs­gesell­schaft mbH has sold the Bock Group, a global heating and cooling company which is based in Frickenhausen (Baden-Württem­berg). The buyer is the Danfoss...
16/09/2022
CMS advises international automotive supplier Webasto on acquisition of...
Cologne – Webasto Roof & Components SE, a global automotive supplier based in Stockdorf near Munich, has indirectly acquired all the shares in Carlex Glass Luxembourg S.A. by purchasing all the shares...
08/09/2022
Titans of Tech Presentation
In this event we will reveal the key findings of GP Bullhound's annual Titans of Tech report, charting the growth trends of Europe’s tech ecosystem, as well as highlight the companies that are demonstrating...
02/09/2022
CMS advises One Square Advisors on acquisition of Deutsche Lichtmiete Group
Cologne – A company held by One Square Advisors, DLM Deutsche Leuchtmittel GmbH, has acquired the Deutsche Lichtmiete Group, thereby ensuring that the group’s business operations can continue.A decision...
23/06/2022
CMS advises shareholders of Barkey Holding on takeover by Azenta Life Sciences
Cologne - The US company Azenta, Inc., listed on Nasdaq has taken over the medical technology company Barkey, based in Leopoldshöhe (North Rhine-West­phalia), including all its subsidiaries. The purchase...