Munich/photo: clipart.com 2012
Pinsent Masons is set to open its first continental European office in Munich after recruiting seven partners from three German firms.
The new office, which will be headed by von Boetticher Hasse Lohmann founding partner Ulrich Lohmann, will focus on corporate, information technology and dispute resolution.
Lohmann will be joined at Pinsents by fellow Boetticher partner Nina Leonard, alongside Eike Fietz and Joern Fingerhuth from German firm Luther and a trio of former Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr partners -- Florian von Baum, Rainer Kreifels and Manfred Schmid -- who are joining Pinsents from Munich technology boutique m law group.
The launch comes after Pinsents' merger with Scotland's McGrigors went live at the beginning of May. The newly combined firm's international priorities include expanding in Asia as well as a launch in France, with a possible venture in Turkey also under discussion.
Senior partner Chris Mullen said: "While we have been advising German clients and international businesses operating in Germany for many years, this new direction gives us the ability to provide advice on the ground to major German companies and also to service the cross-border needs of international companies operating from, or coming into, Germany."
The news comes after Pinsents confirmed it is set to cut around 40 back office jobs across the firm in light of the McGrigors merger. The redundancies are expected to be made in the firm's HR, IT, facilities and business development functions, with no fee-earner roles affected by the cuts.
