German independent Noerr Stiefenhofer Lutz has bolstered its Frankfurt arm with the hire of former Dresdner Bank chief executive Bernd Fahrholz.

Fahrholz, who has served as CEO from 2000 to March 2003 and has served at the bank for more than 15 years, joined Noerr this week as an equity partner. The firm is the traditional referral ally of London’s Macfarlanes.