Leading German independent Hengeler Mueller has hired Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer corporate partner Hans-Joerg Ziegenhain to bolster its Munich office.

M&A practitioner Ziegenhain, a partner at Freshfields since 2001, is the firm’s first lateral hire in Munich and becomes the fourth partner in the office. He will focus on the firm’s core practice areas in Munich: corporate, M&A, private equity, banking and securities.