Our services for German‑
speaking clients in the UK
Finance & investment
Maritime Energy Natural
resources
Transport Real estate ICT
Corporate Finance Tax Dispute resolution
Employment Regulatory
London New York Paris Hamburg
Munich Frankfurt
Milan Rome
Contents
01 Advising German‑speaking clients in the UK 02 WFW London Contacts 03 WFW Germany Contacts 04 Our global sectors 06 Our global services 08 Our offices01 ADVISING GERMAN‑SPEAKING CLIENTS IN THE UK
Advising German‑speaking
clients in the UK
On the ground in London The members of our German team in London are native or fluent German speakers with close ties to the region. As qualified solicitors in England and Wales, they have a particular expertise in general corporate/commercial, finance, energy (renewable and carbon‑based) and transport/maritime transactions, as well as natural resources work. Our network Our German team in London co‑ordinates specialist legal advice internally and also works hand in hand with our offices in Hamburg, Munich and Frankfurt. In addition, we maintain strong working relationships with leading law firms in Austria and Switzerland.Watson, Farley & Williams has always
valued its close links to German‑
speaking markets. With an experienced
and award‑winning team of over 50
lawyers and tax consultants in our
Hamburg, Munich and Frankfurt
offices, we have a strong presence in
Germany working on a broad range of
cross‑border and domestic
transactions.
Our German team in London further
strengthens the firm’s European
capability through its work for clients
based in Germany, Switzerland and
Austria on legal issues and
transactions in, or connected to, the
UK.
Our approach We know that solution‑driven and commercial legal support is essential to our clients, and we therefore strive to: offer effective legal advice in the context of UK‑inbound investments and English law matters generally; provide practical perspectives, expressed in clear language; and support clients through a sound understanding of the legal and business environment in German‑speaking markets. > > >02 WFW LONDON CONTACTS
WFW London contacts
Jan Mellmann Partner London +44 20 7814 8060 [email protected] Jan Mellmann has been a partner since 1996 and is the Head of the International Corporate Group. Jan’s practice is focused on domestic and cross‑border corporate finance and M&A work, with an emphasis on businesses operating in the energy, natural resources and transport sectors. He is a native German speaker. Recent transactions include advising a German developer on a residential real estate joint venture with a US fund, a Swiss private equity fund on its investment in a UK food manufacturer and a UK corporate finance house on investments in German wind farms. Heike Trischmann Associate London +44 20 7863 8973 [email protected] Heike Trischmann qualified as a solicitor in 2001 and joined the firm in 2010. Heike practises energy law with a particular focus on the oil and gas sector and also has experience on electricity and water projects. She is a native German speaker and has advised a listed German energy group on a variety of electricity market agreements. In addition, she has worked with the largest German oil and gas producer on a number of transactions involving UK offshore oil and gas assets.03 WFW GERMANY CONTACTS
WFW Germany contacts
Lothar Wegener Partner Hamburg +49 40 80 80 344 0 [email protected] Lothar Wegener joined Watson, Farley & Williams as a partner in 2006. Lothar qualified as a tax advisor (Steuerberater) in 1996. He specialises in mergers & acquisitions, private equity, real estate and closed‑end funds transactions.ʺThe firm capitalize[s]
on its global network.ʺ
Juve 2012ʺThe firm has really
made a name for
itself.ʺ
Juve 2012“This firm maintains
a stellar reputation in
shipping finance,
combining historic
strength of practice
with extensive
international
coverage.”
Chambers Global 2012“This firm is widely
acknowledged as a
leader in renewables.”
‑ Chambers Europe
2012
ʺGlobally strong
practice in the
renewable energies
sector and in the
maritime industry;
recommended private
equity practice.ʺ
‑ Juve 2012
Dr. Simon Preisenberger Partner Munich +49 89 23 708 6120 [email protected] Dr. Simon Preisenberger joined Watson, Farley & Williams as a partner in 2008 and is Head of our Munich office. Simon specialises in private equity, mergers & acquisitions and corporate law. He advises German and international private equity funds on transactions in the mid‑cap sector. Dr. Ivana Mikešić Partner Frankfurt +49 69 29 72 91 200 [email protected] Dr. Ivana Mikešić joined Watson, Farley & Williams in January 2013 and is Head of our Frankfurt office. Ivana is a regulatory specialist with particular experience in the energy, infrastructure and real estate sectors. She and her team deliver legal operational and strategic advice to developers, industrial players, institutional investors and governmental bodies.04 OUR GLOBAL SECTORS
Our global sectors
Finance & Investment Our expert maritime lawyers work in all the principal shipping markets and have extensive experience in the sector. Our global coverage and detailed knowledge of all the major markets, combined with our overall commercially focused approach ensures that we offer first‑class support to clients in the maritime industry. From our origins as a ship finance firm we quickly developed skills in a broad range of related areas. We advise on a wide variety of transactions ‑ from asset finance to project finance and corporate finance to insolvency. These strengths, coupled with in‑depth industry knowledge and solid experience, allow us to effectively act for all parties involved in an investment project. We provide high‑quality advice to international clients who are involved in the exploration, and production, finance, servicing and trading of natural resources and bulk goods worldwide. Our experience in the areas of mining & minerals, oil & gas and soft commodities spans more than 20 years. Energy Our in‑depth experience and strong relationships in the energy sector give us the commercial credibility to help our clients achieve their objectives. Our considerable experience sees us working with a large number of renewable energy clients coupled with a well‑established conventional power practice. Our team has advised on power generation transactions in almost every category. Natural Resources Maritime05 OUR GLOBAL SECTORS Lawyers in our transport team focus on corporate and finance law in relation to aircraft, rolling stock, ports and terminals. We provide highly effective advice as a result of our sector knowledge, finance and investment expertise and experience working on cross‑border transactions. Our specialist ICT lawyers work with a range of businesses, are always up‑ to‑date with innovation and regulation in the fast‑paced sector. We have a combination of technical excellence and commercial awareness that allows us to offer our clients practical solutions. An intimate knowledge of the financial markets, combined with property sector expertise, means we are well‑placed to help our clients. We have a substantial team of real estate specialists whose expertise ranges from commercial conveyancing to complex real estate finance and closed‑end fund transactions. The hotel and leisure market is also an area of strength. Real Estate ICT Transport
06 OUR GLOBAL SERVICES
Our global services
Corporate With a reputation for pragmatism, we proactively advise clients on sensitive and complex transactions. Our expertise covers corporate finance and securities transactions, mergers and acquisitions, private equity and venture capital, joint ventures and strategic alliances and commercial agreements. We regularly anticipate impending issues or opportunities from which clients could benefit. Finance The experience we have in finance work is both varied and in‑depth; our expert finance lawyers advise on asset, project, structured, commodity and export, and Islamic finance, as well as restructuring and workouts. Our experience and global coverage means we are able to offer high‑quality, insightful advice. Dispute Resolution We have an effective and commercially aware dispute resolution practice, whose aim is always to assist clients in resolving disputes quickly. Our lawyers work across many types of dispute resolution, from commercial and finance litigation to arbitration, insolvency, mediation and alternative dispute resolution (ADR).07 OUR GLOBAL SERVICES Employment Tax Our expertise includes leasing, private equity, mergers and acquisitions, and disputes. We are a leader in cross‑border techniques, which helps us to achieve clientsʹ business objectives. We value communicative relationships and find that the key to many of our successful transactions is early involvement. This helps us tailor our advice to individual client needs and potentially identify any opportunities for them. Regulatory Our skilled team advises on the complex laws governing competition and regulation across jurisdictions. The group has considerable experience of working with, and within, the EUʹs institutions. A particular strength lies in assisting clients in ensuring adherence to a combination of EU and national laws. We regularly provide clients with up‑to‑ date, clear and concise information on relevant matters. Our employment practice delivers a highly responsive, practical and commercial service. We are committed to offering bespoke services, and achieve this by taking the time to understand our clientsʹ businesses and cultures. We also keep them up‑to‑date with relevant changes in the law.
08 OUR OFFICES WORLDWIDE
Our offices worldwide
UK
London 15 Appold Street London EC2A 2HB Tel: +44 20 7814 8000 Fax: +44 20 7814 8141USA
New York 1133 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10036 Tel: +1 212 922 2200 Fax: +1 212 922 1512Germany
Hamburg Jungfernstieg 51 20354 Hamburg Tel: +49 40 800 084 0 Fax: +49 40 800 084 410 Munich Gewürzmühlstraße 11 80538 Munich Tel: +49 89 237086 0 Fax: +49 89 237086 222 Frankfurt Ulmenstraße 37‑39 60325 Frankfurt am Main Tel: +49 69 297 291 0 Fax: +49 69 770 75800France
Paris 26, avenue des Champs‑Elysées 75008 Paris Tel: +33 156 88 21 21 Fax: +33 156 88 21 20Italy
Rome Piazza Navona, 49 2nd Floor int 2/3 00186 Rome Tel: +39 06 68 40 581 Fax: +39 06 68 89 2717 Milan Piazza del Carmine 4 20121 Milan Tel: +39 02 721 70 71 Fax: +39 02 721 70 72009 OUR OFFICES WORLDWIDE