Pinsent Masons appoints Head of Germany

Thomas Peschke joined Pinsent Masons as a partner in the Düsseldorf office in 2017. In addition to his leadership role, he will continue to advise national and international clients – mainly in the retail and consumer goods sector – on M&A transactions, the establishment of joint ventures and corporate restructurings.

He takes over the role as Pinsent Masons Germany celebrates its tenth year in the region. Following a decade of rapid growth and expansion under Rainer’s leadership, Thomas will focus on harnessing innovation and entrepreneurialism within the team to further strengthen the firm's position in the German market.

Thomas Peschke, Head of Germany says: "I am looking forward to the opportunities ahead of us and thank my colleagues for their trust and support. After ten years in Germany, Pinsent Masons progresses from a development phase, to focusing on taking our sector-led strategy to its next level of development. The current climate presents us all with unprecedented challenges. With future-oriented and innovative solutions, our legal and industry-specific expertise supports our clients with their sustainable business strategies. Pinsent Masons places great focus on measuring itself in the areas of People & Development and ESG, and I remain equally committed to advancing our progress in these areas. "

Thomas succeeds Rainer Kreifels, who has led the German partnership since 2015. He continues: "On behalf of the entire partnership, I would like to thank Rainer Kreifels for his long-term commitment. Since the opening of the first German office in Munich in 2012, he has played a significant role in shaping our success in the region, first as COO and then as Head of Germany from 2015."

Rainer Kreifels will be continuing in his role as a Global Board member of Pinsent Masons and in addition will be the lead of its European and US network of alliance firms.

Rainer Kreifels says: "I would like to thank my German partners for placing their trust in me for so long. I wish Thomas Peschke every success for his new role. I look forward to the important tasks assigned to me within our global leadership team to engage with our European and global network and will also remain closely connected to the German practice."

Andrew Masraf, new Senior Partner of Pinsent Masons, comments: “Our presence in Germany has expanded rapidly over the last decade, becoming a valuable part of our global network in addition to developing a strong local presence in the region. I’d like to thank Rainer for his many years of excellent work as German COO and Head of Germany and welcome Thomas into the role as we move into the next phase of our growth strategy.”

Pinsent Masons Germany comprises of more than 35 partners and around 100 lawyers at its three offices in Düsseldorf, Frankfurt and Munich. The region experienced continued growth in FY22.

Pinsent Masons has advised on a number of high profile mandates in Germany in recent years. Earlier this year, the firm advised the City of Munich on its dispute against ‘Oktoberfest does Dubai’ and supported a US private equity consortium led by Pacific Media Group on its investment into 1. FC Kaiserslautern GmbH & Co. KGaA.