Pinsent Masons bolsters Munich office with double hire

Both Michael and Tobias join from German law firm Arqis. Michael, who specialises in competition law, will provide advice to German speaking clients on a range of contentious and non-contentious matters and support the firm's multijurisdictional team on pan-European antitrust cases.

Tobias specialises in corporate work, primarily in the area of technology-focused private equity and venture capital, for which he has a strong reputation in the Munich market. His expertise will add to the existing corporate team and boost the firm's offering in the technology investment field.

The appointments follow the arrival of tax specialist Werner Geisselmeier at the firm in December.

Commenting on their arrivals, David Ryan, managing partner at Pinsent Masons said:

"Our Munich office continues to exceed all our expectations and we are delighted to add Michael and Tobias to our team. We remain committed to making strategic investments in order to grow our international business in-line with our sector-focused strategy."

Ulrich Lohmann, partner and head of Pinsent Masons' Munich office, said:

"We are delighted that Michael and Tobias have agreed to join Pinsent Masons. Their arrival will strengthen Pinsent Masons' reputation in the German market - in the technology sector in particular - and mark another step in our journey toward becoming a law firm of truly international reach."

Pinsent Masons has also revealed that it is launching a global task force to target global work from German businesses operating internationally. The firm, which opened in Munich two years ago, now has an extensive network of German-qualified lawyers operating throughout its international offices.

Lohmann said:

“Something that has become increasingly clear over the past two years is that we amassed a remarkable number of fully qualified German Rechtsanwälte who are also dual qualified in their 'host' country. This network is proving extremely popular among our client base in Germany, Austria and Switzerland who are increasingly seeking advice on global issues linked to export, supply, distribution and purchasing of goods. This has meant more work around the acquisition of undertakings, entering into joint-ventures and establishment of subsidiaries and branches throughout the world."

The task force is being led by Björn Gehle, Head of the German desk in Dubai, Carsten Rumberg, Head of the German desk in London, Ulrich Lohmann, Head of Munich Office, Christoph Maurer, Head of Paris Office, and Bernd Uwe-Stucken, Head of the German desk in Shanghai.