ADVANT's advisory services covered the German and Italian aspects of the cross-border transaction, which was primarily conducted in Germany and involved numerous other jurisdictions in the EU, as well as the USA, Central America, and Asia. ADVANT was retained on the recommendation of the US law firm Winston Taylor. Winston Taylor advised JLL Partners as lead counsel on the US legal aspects of the transaction.

JLL Partners is a US-based private equity firm headquartered in New York and invests in businesses in sectors including healthcare, business services, and industrials.

Life Couriers Group is an internationally operating specialist for time- and temperature-critical logistics solutions for the healthcare and life sciences industries, headquartered in Munich. The group is particularly active in the areas of radiopharmaceuticals, life sciences, stem cell transport, direct supply to patients, pharmaceutical and emergency logistics, and has an international presence in the USA, Europe, Central America and Asia.

With this acquisition, JLL Partners intends to support Life Couriers' next phase of growth. The focus will be on further international expansion and the development of its services for time-critical healthcare logistics.

Advisors to JLL Partners:

ADVANT Beiten: Christian von Wistinghausen, Tassilo Klesen (both lead counsel), Dominik Moser (all Corporate/M&A), Danah El Ismail (Corporate/M&A & Real Estate, all Berlin), Insa Müller-Trucksaess (Corporate/M&A, Munich), Lelu Li (Corporate/M&A, Beijing), Christoph Schmitt, Nadejda Kysel, Jessica Schneeberger, Juliane Schöttler (all Banking/Finance/Restructuring, Frankfurt), Virginia Mäurer, Mark Zimmer, Katharina Furtmayr (all Employment Law, Munich), Christian Döpke (IP, Digital & Data, Düsseldorf), Philipp Hohmann (Commercial, Düsseldorf), Oliver Korte (Commercial, Hamburg), Jochen Pörtge, Kristin Trittermann (both Compliance, Düsseldorf), Silke Dulle (Health Care, Berlin), Christoph Heinrich, Cathleen Laitenberger (both Antitrust), Katrin Lüdtke (Public Sector, all Munich), Markus Linnartz (Tax, Düsseldorf)

ADVANT Nctm: Michele Motta, Mario Giambò, Benedetta Ripa, Federico Cirillo (all Corporate/M&A, Milan)

Press contact
Frauke Reuther
Manager Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

With Dr Gökçe Uzar Schüller on board, ADVANT Beiten gains a renowned expert in resolving complex commercial law disputes. She advises national and international companies on litigation and arbitration proceedings, as well as on the development and implementation of litigation strategies. In addition, she advises companies and investors on cross-border M&A transactions, particularly in the context of German-Turkish business relations.

Before joining ADVANT Beiten, Dr Gökçe Uzar Schüller had worked at Graf von Westphalen for 14 years. There, she set up the Turkey Desk and most recently headed it as an associate partner. In this role, she advised companies and investors on a wide range of complex national and international mandates. She has extensive experience in conducting international arbitration proceedings and has been an active member of the German Arbitration Institute (DIS) and other national and international professional bodies for many years.

With the appointment of Dr Gökçe Uzar Schüller, ADVANT Beiten is further strengthening its advisory expertise in cross-border disputes and international arbitration proceedings. At the same time, the law firm is expanding its range of services for internationally active companies and investors, as well as for clients with links to Turkey – a growth market of great significance to German companies and investors, as well as to other international markets. Dr Gökçe Uzar Schüller’s expertise complements the firm’s international focus and the close collaboration within the ADVANT Alliance.

"In Dr Gökçe Uzar Schüller, we are gaining an outstanding individual for our partnership. She combines outstanding expertise in the field of conflict resolution with many years’ experience in international arbitration and cross-border disputes. Her international profile and her particular expertise in German-Turkish business relations will further strengthen our advisory competence and offer our clients significant added value. We are delighted to welcome her as an equity partner at ADVANT Beiten," says Dr Guido Krüger, Managing Partner at ADVANT Beiten.

Dr Gökçe Uzar Schüller explains: "ADVANT Beiten combines excellent commercial law advice with a strong international focus. I was particularly impressed by the close collaboration within the ADVANT Alliance and the firm’s entrepreneurial approach. German-Turkish business relations are gaining further momentum, particularly at this time – whether in M&A transactions, joint ventures or dispute resolution. I look forward to contributing my experience in this field, working alongside my new colleagues to establish a dedicated point of contact for clients with links to Turkey, and supporting them as they navigate their increasingly complex cross-border challenges."

With the appointment of Dr Gökçe Uzar Schüller, ADVANT Beiten is consistently pursuing its strategic growth path. The targeted expansion of the partnership in key areas of commercial law underscores the firm’s commitment to supporting clients with excellent specialist expertise and advice backed by a Europe-wide network across the ADVANT Alliance.

Founded in 2013 and headquartered in Saarbrücken, Germany, tec4U-Solutions GmbH develops software solutions and data services for material and product compliance management. Through its "DataCross" platform, the company supports manufacturers, distributors and importers in complying with international regulatory requirements, including REACH, PFAS and the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR).

Banyan Software is a global acquirer of specialized software businesses pursuing a long-term buy-and-hold strategy. With the acquisition, the company further strengthens its presence in the European vertical market software sector. tec4U-Solutions GmbH will continue to operate independently from its Saarbrücken headquarters.

ADVANT Beiten regularly advises Banyan Software on acquisitions in the German-speaking region and continues to support the company in executing its long-term growth strategy. This latest mandate highlights the firm's extensive expertise in cross-border M&A transactions in the technology sector and its longstanding experience in advising international software and technology companies.

Advisors to Banyan Software:
ADVANT Beiten: Christian Burmeister (Berlin and Freiburg, lead, Corporate/ M&A), Damien Heinrich (Freiburg, Corporate/M&A), Mathias Zimmer-Goertz, Christian Döpke (both Dusseldorf, IP/IT), Michael Riedel (Berlin, Employment Law).

Public Relations
Frauke Reuther
Manager Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

In early 2025, KARL MAYER announced its strategic decision to focus on its core business areas of Warp Knitting, Warp Preparation and Technical Textiles. As part of this realignment, the flat knitting machine business operating under the STOLL brand was discontinued and the production site in Reutlingen was closed in October 2025.

The agreement now signed provides for the transfer of selected assets to the CIXING Group. The scope of the transaction includes, in particular, the STOLL brand, selected materials and inventories, as well as certain technological assets. Completion of the transaction remains subject to customary closing conditions.

STOLL, defined by German engineering excellence and over a century of continuous innovation, stands for first-class knitting technology. In industrial applications, STOLL machines go far beyond the fashion sector: they are used for a wide range of purposes, such as manufacturing car seat covers, medical bandages, high-performance uppers for sports shoes, and even 3D fiber composites for the aerospace industry. Currently, around 130,000 modern STOLL flat knitting machines are in use worldwide.

As an industry leader with annual revenue of approximately EUR 290 million, Cixing possesses strong industrial manufacturing capabilities, a robust supply chain, and an extensive sales network within the global computerized flat knitting machine sector. The acquisition aims to leverage Cixing’s industrial resources to drive new growth for STOLL, revitalize business operations in Europe and China, and ensure that customers worldwide regain access to high-quality, competitive knitting solutions. This acquisition marks a pivotal milestone in Cixing’s international growth strategy and is expected to fundamentally transform the global supply chain landscape for knitting machines and high-quality textiles. 

ADVANT Beiten advised the CIXING Group on all legal aspects of the asset deal. The transaction once again highlights ADVANT Beiten’s strong expertise in German - Chinese investments and cross-border M&A transactions. An international team worked closely across offices and jurisdictions to efficiently coordinate and implement the legal requirements of the transaction in Germany and China.

Advisors to CIXING Group:
ADVANT Beiten: Dr Barbara Mayer (Freiburg), Christian Burmeister (Berlin and Freiburg, both lead), Dr Christian von Wistinghausen (Berlin), Damien Heinrich (Freiburg), Susanne Rademacher, Lelu Li (both Beijing, all Corporate/M&A), Heiko Wunderlich (Tax, Munich).

Public Relations
Frauke Reuther
Manager Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

As part of the funding round, Isar Aerospace secured funding of up to EUR 270 million. In particular, the funding is intended to support the expansion of production capacities and the further scaling of launch vehicle production. The aim is to set up highly automated series production with a capacity of up to 40 Spectrum launch vehicles per year. In addition, the funding strengthens the development of independent European launch capacities for government and commercial satellite missions.

The capital increase was driven by strong interest from international investors. Previous funding rounds have already been supported by the NATO Innovation Fund, Eldridge Industries and Porsche SE, among others.

Island Green Capital (IGC) is a discrete, inflection focused venture capital firm that invests broadly across focus sectors for the US and Allied Nations. These include Aerospace & Defense, AI, Specialty Manufacturing & Robotics, Financial Services, and Software. With a flexible investment approach, IGC evaluates companies from Series A through pre-IPO.  Aside from being true partners at the board and company level, IGC helps with the less visible but often critical work such as structuring non-dilutive debt, employee liquidity programs, and resolving cap table complexity. With its commitment to Isar Aerospace, its first in Germany, IGC underlines its interest in European technology leaders and the increasing importance of the space industry as a key sector for economic and geopolitical sovereignty.

ADVANT Beiten advised Island Green Capital on all legal aspects of the transaction, including the negotiation and review of the relevant transaction documentation as well as the structuring and implementation of the investment. The retention was based on the recommendation of the US law firm Massumi + Consoli, with which ADVANT Beiten advised on the transaction in close coordination. The successful cooperation underlines the law firm's international network as well as its special expertise in complex cross-border venture capital and growth funding. At the same time, the retention confirms ADVANT Beiten's strong position in advising international investors on investments in German and European technology companies, especially in innovation-driven industries of the future such as SpaceTech, DeepTech and DefenceTech.

Advisors to Island Green Capital:

ADVANT Beiten: Dr Dominik Moser, Tassilo Klesen (both Venture Capital/Private Equity, Berlin), Dr Marion Frotscher (Taxes, Hamburg).

Public Relations

Frauke Reuther
Manager Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

The transaction involved the acquisition of essentially all of Sympatex Technologies GmbH’s assets, in particular its trademark rights and other key intangible assets. With this acquisition, Pidigi ensures the continuation of the day-to-day operations of the long-established trademark Sympatex.

ADVANT Beiten provided Pidigi with comprehensive advice on all legal aspects of the transaction, including the structuring and execution of the asset deal, as well as matters relating to corporate law, intellectual property law and labour & employment law.

Advice on the Italian legal aspects was provided by Stefano Dindo, a lawyer at the law firm Dindo, Zorzi e Associati in Verona which referred the matter to ADVANT Beiten.

Since 1986, Sympatex Technologies GmbH has been developing innovative, PFAS-free membrane technologies for functional clothing, footwear, protective clothing and technical applications. Pidigi S.p.A. has been operating internationally since 1953 as a supplier of materials to the footwear, leather goods and sportswear industries.

Advisor to Pidigi S.p.A.:
ADVANT Beiten: Matthias W. Stecher (in charge, IP/IT), Virginia Mäurer, Maike Pflästerer (both Labour & Employment), Christoph Heinrich (Antitrust), Tanja Hogh Holub and Christian Hess (both IP/IT), Mario Weichel (Corporate/M&A).

Dindo, Zorzi e Associati: Stefano Dindo

Public Relations
Frauke Reuther
Manager Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

spectrumK is a service provider specialising in the healthcare sector and a contractual partner of statutory health insurance funds. The company develops and organises healthcare delivery and contractual models in various areas of healthcare and supports health insurance companies in particular in realising cost-effectiveness and healthcare delivery potential. The areas of activity include contract management for pharmaceuticals, medical aids, and other service areas of the healthcare sector.

The tender for exclusive rebate agreements for interchangeable biologics now being conducted by spectrumK is the first procedure of its kind in Germany. Contracts were awarded for a large part of the active ingredients tendered and the agreements were implemented on time. The participating health insurance companies thus benefit from cost-effectiveness potential that can be realised at an early stage, while the awarded manufacturers receive planning security for production and supply chains.

The start of the agreements comes in a phase of intensive health policy discussions about the future design of biologics rebate agreements. The Federal Ministry of Health recently spoke out in favour of stopping ongoing tenders without a contract award and reviewing agreements that have already been concluded. However, the agreements concluded by spectrumK were concluded on the basis of the legal situation in force at the time of the tender and the contract award.

According to ADVANT Beiten's legal assessment, there are currently good reasons to assume that the agreements that have already been validly concluded and started since 1 June 2026 will continue to exist. The agreements are based on a completed tender process and establish rights and obligations for the companies involved. The manufacturers have assumed supply obligations and aligned their production and logistics processes with the start of the agreement. In addition, wholesalers, pharmacies and other market participants were involved in the implementation on time and the necessary adjustments were made in the relevant systems.

Against this background, a subsequent reversal would not only raise complex legal issues but would also entail considerable practical challenges for the market players involved. Legal certainty and reliability are essential prerequisites for investments, supply commitments and a stable healthcare delivery, especially in the highly regulated healthcare market.

In addition, the agreements that have now been started can provide important insights for the political and regulatory discussion about the future design of biologics rebate agreements. The practical implementation offers the opportunity to gain experience with regard to cost-effectiveness, security of supply and market conduct and thus to create a reliable basis for future legislative decisions.

ADVANT Beiten has many years of experience in advising companies and institutions in the healthcare sector as well as in public procurement and healthcare law. The law firm regularly advises on complex tendering and contractual models at the interface of regulation, competition and healthcare.

Advisors to spectrumK:
ADVANT Beiten: Dr Silke Dulle, Christian Hipp, Max Stanko (all Berlin).

Public Relations
Frauke Reuther
Manager Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

The DGQ is a leading German professional association for quality management and quality assurance. Since its foundation, it has been committed to developing and promoting quality expertise in business, public administration and society. The DGQ’s key areas of focus include continuing professional development, personal certification, professional exchange, and the promotion of modern management systems and sustainable organisational development.

DQS stands for the German Society for the Certification of Management Systems. The organisation was founded in 1985 by DGQ, DIN and other German industry associations, and is now an international provider of certification, auditing and business assurance services, with clients in more than 60 countries. DQS supports companies across all sectors with regulatory requirements, quality standards, and ESG and compliance issues.

Montagu is an international private equity investor specialising in the healthcare, financial services, technology and industrial sectors. The firm supports its portfolio companies in achieving sustainable growth, realising operational potential and strengthening their market position over the long term. Montagu’s investment is intended to support DQS through its next phase of growth. In particular, the firm plans to invest in digitalisation, international expansion and the broadening of its service offering in the areas of digital trust, medical devices and ESG. With extensive industry experience and a clear focus on value creation, Montagu is one of the established investors in the European mid-market segment.

ADVANT Beiten comprehensively advised DGQ on all legal aspects of the transaction.

Advisors to Deutsche Gesellschaft für Qualität e.V. (DGQ):
ADVANT Beiten: Dr Christof Aha, Mark Thönißen (both Corporate/M&A, Frankfurt), Prof. Dr Christian Heinichen (Antitrust), Dr Markus Ley (Corporate/M&A, both Munich).

Advisors to DQS Holding:
act legal: Christoph O. Breithaupt, Julia Rosigkeit, Sandra Ryssok, Christoph Tornau 
Houlihan Lokey as M&A Berater: Christian Keller, Kevin Rogstad, Alexander van Aubel, Jack de Laney

Advisors to UL Solutions:
Eversheds Sutherland: Anthony Cross, Dr Johannes Pfeiffer 

Advisors to DIN e.V.: 
PwC Legal: Thomas Moritz, Alexander Friedheim

Advisor to VDMA e.V.:
LPA Law: Dr Leif Gösta Gerling 

Advisor to ZVEI e.V.:
Baker Tilly: Jens Suhrbier

Advisor to SPECTARIS e.V.:
Grothmann Geiser: Frank Geiser

Advisor to HDB e.V.:
Inhouse: Dr Henning Koewius

Advisor to Montagu: 
Linklaters: Dr Ralph Drebes, Dr Christian Hundeshagen, Dr Johannes Porsch, Anna Tamara Castaner Coll

Media Contact
Frauke Reuther
Manager Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

Dr Christof Aha
Lawyer
ADVANT Beiten 
+49 69 756095-451
christof.aha@advant-beiten.com

Klinikum Westbrandenburg – with its two paediatric and adolescent clinics in Potsdam and Brandenburg an der Havel – was transferred back to its two shareholders, Klinikum Ernst von Bergmann and Universitätsklinikum Brandenburg an der Havel, following a demerger carried out under the law governing corporate conversions. The Potsdam site will now become part of the Klinikum Ernst von Bergmann whilst the Brandenburg an der Havel site will continue to operate as part of the Universitätsklinikum Brandenburg an der Havel.

The Ernst-von-Bergmann Group with more than 4,500 employees is currently undergoing a comprehensive reorganisation process. The current integration at the Klinikum Ernst von Bergmann in Potsdam will establish clear and sustainable structures for paediatrics and adolescent medicine whilst strengthening collaboration between the specialist departments.

ADVANT Beiten has provided comprehensive advisory services to the Klinikum Ernst von Bergmann regarding its restructuring, most recently in connection with the sale of its majority stake in Lausitz Klinik Forst GmbH.

Advisors to Klinikum Ernst von Bergmann: 
ADVANT Beiten: Dr Karl-Dieter Müller (Berlin, in charge), Benjamin Knorr, Robert Schmid, Dr Thomas Jilg (all Corporate/M&A, Berlin), Dr Silke Dulle (Medical Law), Dr Dietmar Müller-Boruttau, Wolf J. Reuter, Dr Martin Kalf (all Labour & Employment, Berlin), Helmut König (Tax, Dusseldorf)

Media Contact
Frauke Reuther
Manager Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

Klinikum Ernst von Bergmann has sold its majority stake in Lausitz Klinik Forst GmbH to the Foundation Stiftung Evangelische Diakonissenhaus Berlin Teltow Lehnin as part of a structured bidding process.

Advisors to Klinikum Ernst von Bergmann:

ADVANT Beiten: Dr Karl-Dieter Müller (Berlin, in charge), Robert Schmid, Benjamin Knorr, Dr Thomas Jilg (all Corporate/M&A, Berlin), Dr Silke Dulle (Medical Law, Berlin), Helmut König (Tax, Dusseldorf), Christoph Heinrich (Antitrust, Munich)

Media Contact
Frauke Reuther
Manager Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

Dr. Karl-Dieter Müller
Lawyer, Tax Consultant
ADVANT Beiten 
+49 30 26471-262
Karl-Dieter.Mueller@advant-beiten.com

Founded in 2025 by Philipp Engelkamp and Andrew Welling and headquartered in Munich, the company is developing a novel, next generation drilling system for accessing deep geothermal resources. The company’s objective is to make geothermal energy more accessible, affordable and safer as a reliable renewable energy source.

The funds raised will be used primarily to further develop the technology, expand the team, launch initial pilot projects and prepare for market entry.

ADVANT Beiten provided Telura with comprehensive advice on the structuring and execution of the funding round.

Advisors to Telura:
ADVANT Beiten: Christian Burmeister (in charge, Corporate/M&A, Freiburg and Berlin), Julius Bauer (Corporate/M&A, Freiburg)

Media Contact
Frauke Reuther
Manager Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

Wienerberger, headquartered in Vienna, is a globally active producer of pipe systems, façade materials, roofing materials, wall-building materials, pavers and solar systems. With this transaction, Wienerberger continues its international growth strategy and supplements its product portfolio. 

The Italcer Group is a globally active manufacturer of premium ceramic products with production sites in Italy and Spain. The company employs nearly 1,200 people and generated revenues of approximately EUR 350 million in 2025. In a first step, Wienerberger will acquire 50 percent plus one share from the sellers. A call option to acquire the remaining shares is scheduled for the first half of 2027.

The merger control aspects of the transaction are led by ADVANT Beiten partners Uwe Wellmann and Christoph Heinrich, who jointly oversee the German merger control proceedings. In addition to the filing with the German Federal Cartel Office (Bundeskartellamt), they are coordinating the parallel filing in Austria in close cooperation with E+H (Vienna). 

The M&A workstream is led by an E+H team headed by partner Josef Schmidt and associate Alina Holzer. ADVANT Nctm partners Matteo Trapani and Filippo Ughi are responsible for the Italian aspects of the transaction and, together with a multidisciplinary team, provide comprehensive advice on Italian law. Cuatrecasas advices in Spain. Legance represents the sell-side. 

ADVANT regularly advises Wienerberger AG on strategic transactions. These include, among others, the largest acquisition in the company’s history to date – the acquisition of significant business operations of the French Terreal Group, which substantially strengthened Wienerberger’s position in the roofing and solar solutions sector. By once again advising on a cross-border transaction, ADVANT underscores its integrated European platform and the close cooperation of its teams in complex M&A and merger control mandates.

Advisor Wienerberger AG:

ADVANT Beiten: Uwe Wellmann (Berlin) and Christoph Heinrich (both lead partner), Dr Cathleen Laitenberger (both Munich, all Antitrust).

ADVANT Nctm: Matteo Trapani und Filippo Ughi (both lead partner), Stefano Casamassima, Marianna Loprevite und Giacomo Zagaria (all Milan, all Corporate/M&A).

Public Relations
Frauke Reuther
Manager Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

Uwe Wellmann
Rechtsanwalt
ADVANT Beiten 
+49 30 26471-243
Uwe.Wellmann@advant-beiten.com

Banyan Software was founded in 2016 and regularly acquires growing software companies with the aim of developing them over the long term as part of a buy-and-hold strategy. Banyan Software has locations in Canada, the United Kingdom and the DACH region. 

Gini was founded in 2011 and has established itself over more than a decade as a trusted provider of document and payment AI platforms. Among other things, its solutions simplify invoice payments, automate data capture and are firmly anchored in the work processes of leading financial institutions. Under Banyan's new ownership, Gini will continue to expand its market presence, particularly in the banking sector, private health insurance and e-commerce. 

Following the transaction, the company's location and product development will continue.

ADVANT Beiten regularly advises Banyan Software on the implementation of its growth strategy in the DACH region, most recently in June 2025 on the acquisition of star/trac.

Advisor Banyan Software:

ADVANT Beiten: Christian Burmeister (Lead), Damien Heinrich, Julius Bauer (all Corporate/M&A), Heiko Wunderlich, Fabian Moser (both Tax), Mathias Zimmer-Goertz, Christian Döpke (both IP/IT), Michael Riedel (Employment Law).

Public Relations
Frauke Reuther
Manager Communications
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

TriSol GmbH specialises in the development of grid-connected battery storage systems and has a portfolio of six BESS projects with a total capacity of 185 MW. The portfolio consists of an operational standalone BESS project and 5 projects in advanced stage of development and are designed to make a significant contribution to grid stability and the integration of renewable energies in Germany.

The transaction strengthens BESST Energy's position in the European market for large-volume energy storage. 

Advisor to BESST Energy:
ADVANT Beiten: Dr Christof Aha and Mark Thönissen (both Corporate/M&A, Frankfurt).

Advisor PowerGen:
LPA Law: Oliver Kirfel, Dr Bernd Spieth (both Corporate/M&A, Munich).

Public Relations
Frauke Reuther
Manager Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

ProMach is a leading international platform in the field of packaging and processing technologies.

DFT is an established provider of innovative solutions in the field of sterilization, pasteurization and other thermal processes for the food and beverage industry. With the acquisition of DFT, ProMach is continuing its growth strategy in Europe.

The international cooperation within the ADVANT alliance played a central role in this transaction: our Italian alliance partner ADVANT Nctm has been advising ProMach in Italy for many years.

ADVANT Beiten entered into the mandate in close coordination with the US law firm Thompson Hine, which regularly advises ProMach on legal matters in the United States.

Advisors to ProMach:
ADVANT Beiten: Prof Dr Hans-Josef Vogel (Dusseldorf), Roy Naor (Frankfurt, both Corporate/M&A, lead partners), Dr Andreas Imping, Anna Kubitz (both Labour Law), Mathias Zimmer-Goertz, Christian Döpke (both IP/IT), Sarah Peters, Simon Litterst (both Corporate/M&A, all Dusseldorf), Christopher Harten (Dispute Resolution, Hamburg), Marcus Mische, Markus Linnartz (both Tax), Thomas Herten (Real Estate, all Dusseldorf), Katrin Lüdtke (Public Sector, Munich).

Public Relations
Frauke Reuther
Manager Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

The ADVANT team headed by Dr Christof Aha had already advised LUEHR FILTER GmbH in 2021 on the sale of its 50% stake in EWK Umwelttechnik GmbH to the Swedish Valmet Group.

LUEHR FILTER GmbH has been successfully operating in the field of air and gas purification for 85 years and specialises in dry flue gas cleaning systems in particular.As a third-generation family-run business, it combines flexibility with technical expertise and, with more than 300 employees and a large number of references, is now a globally respected partner for gas purification systems in almost all branches of industry.

MARTIN GmbH für Umwelt- und Energietechnik is one of the world's leading suppliers of thermal waste treatment plants. Following the integration of LAB SA in 2022, the MARTIN Group is gaining another renowned supplier with the acquisition of LUEHR, consolidating its role as an innovative full-service provider in the field of flue gas cleaning.
 

Advisor to LUEHR Filter GmbH:
ADVANT Beiten: Dr Christof Aha, Dr Markus Ley (both lead), Mark Thönißen (all Corporate/M&A) and Christoph Heinrich (Antitrust Law).

Advisor to MARTIN GmbH:
Rödl & Partner: Patrick Satzinger and Frederic Wolff

PR
Frauke Reuther
Manager Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

The Büter Group comprises German and Dutch (production) companies and is one of Europe's leading companies in the hydraulics industry. Founded in 1965, the family-owned company is headquartered in Emmen (NL) and has production facilities in Haren and Meppen (DE). It employs around 550 people. Over the past six decades, the family-owned company has developed numerous patents and utility models in cylinder and lifting technology and is now one of the technological market leaders in the industry.

NPM Capital, part of the family-owned SHV Group, is an investment partner based in the Benelux countries that focuses on long-term partnerships with family-owned and entrepreneurially managed companies. As part of the transaction, NPM Capital is acquiring the entire group of companies, including the two German subsidiaries Büter Hebetechnik GmbH and Büter Maschinenfabrik GmbH.

By joining forces with NPM Capital, Büter Group is well positioned to accelerate its growth strategy and continue to invest in technological innovation and international expansion. Under the new ownership, Büter Group will continue to operate independently.

Regarding the sale of the Dutch entities, the international law firm Houthoff acted on ADVANT Beiten's recommendation. Taurus Corporate was involved as an M&A advisor. The acquisition is still subject to the usual regulatory and antitrust approvals. The parties have agreed not to disclose the transaction volume. 

Advisors to the shareholders of Büter Group:
ADVANT Beiten: Dr Guido Krüger (Corporate Succession/Taxes), Prof Dr Hans-Josef Vogel (M&A, both lead partners), Julian Krause (Corporate Succession/M&A), Dr Magdalena Rindermann-Haugwitz (Corporate/M&A), Volker Küpper (Taxes), Thomas Herten (Real Estate), Dr Andreas Imping, Anna Kubitz (both Labour Law, all Dusseldorf), Christoph Heinrich (Antitrust Law, Munich) and Maximilian Steffen (Taxes, Hamburg).

PR
Frauke Reuther
Manager Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

ADVANT Beiten's interdisciplinary team supported Zoot throughout the entire acquisition process - from the legal and tax due diligence to the structuring and negotiation of the transaction agreements through to the successful closing.

Zoot Sports was founded in 1983 in Kona, Hawaii - the birthplace of the Iron Man triathlon. The company specializes in innovative clothing, shoes and equipment for triathletes and endurance athletes and is one of the world's leading brands in this segment. Zoot stands for technical precision, high quality and athlete orientation and sells its products in over 25 countries. Since 2023, Zoot has been part of the Italian MVC Group, an international sporting goods company based in Italy.

Tailwind Brands is a company based in Bönen, which specializes in the distribution and brand management of premium sports and lifestyle brands. The company has an established distribution network in the DACH region as well as long-standing partnerships with leading sports retailers and online platforms. Tailwind has made a name for itself as a competent partner for the development and expansion of international brands in the European market.

With the acquisition of Tailwind Brands, Zoot Sports is laying the foundation for accelerated expansion in Europe. The combination of Zoot's international brand strength with Tailwind's regional market and sales expertise offers considerable growth potential in the coming years.

Advisor Zoot Sports:
ADVANT Beiten: Dr Markus Ley (Corporate/M&A, Munich), Dr. Erik Schmid, Virginia Mäurer (both Employment Law, Munich), Susanne Klein, Jason Komninos (both IP/IT, Frankfurt), Markus Linnartz (Tax, Dusseldorf), Petra Fendt (Banking & Finance, Munich), Anja Fischer (Real Estate, Munich).

Public Relations
Frauke Reuther
Communications Manager
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

In addition, six colleagues were elected Local Partners and nine colleagues were elected Salary Partners. The newly elected partners are from all six German offices of the law firm, working in seven different areas of competence.

Dr Florian Weichselgärtner handles a large number of liability cases every year, both in the area of manager liability and the liability of lawyers, tax advisors, insolvency administrators, corporate and restructuring advisors and auditors. His area of activity further comprises advice to companies on the processing of liability cases and compliance violations. The interdisciplinary advisory service of ADVANT Beiten enables Dr Florian Weichselgärtner to comprehensively handle the often complex liability cases across all legal areas (tax law, criminal law, labour law, capital market law, insolvency law, etc.). Due to his many years of advisory practice, he has proven experience both in conducting and defending actions for damages as well as in out-of-court dispute resolution.

These are our new Local Partners in alphabetical order:

• Sascha Opheys (Public Sector, Dusseldorf)
• Max Stanko (Public Sector, Berlin)
• Dr Philipp Sahm (Corporate/M&A, Frankfurt)
• Haide Spanier (Banking, Finance & Restructuring, Frankfurt)
• Mark Thönißen (Corporate/M&A, Frankfurt)
• Dr Mark Zimmer (Labour Law, Munich)

Our newly elected Salary Partners are listed in alphabetical order:

• Regina Dietel (Labour Law, Munich)
• Gamze Dogan (Tax Law, Dusseldorf)
• Verena Nader (Real Estate, Munich)
• Dr Christian Osbahr (Corporate/M&A, Freiburg)
• Robert Schmid (Corporate/M&A, Berlin)
• Simon Schuler (Corporate/M&A, Freiburg)
• Etienne Sprösser (Corporate/M&A, Freiburg)
• Maximilian Steffen (Tax Law, Hamburg)
• Ulrike Stöhr (Tax Law, Munich)

"The appointment of our new partners shows how closely we work together across offices and between our practice groups - supported by diverse industry expertise," explains Dr Guido Krüger, Managing Partner of ADVANT Beiten, adding: "The fact that we have had successful elections at all three seniority levels underlines the continuous development of outstanding talent in our firm. Accompanying our colleagues on their path to partnership is one of our central tasks."

ADVANT Beiten also continues to follow its strategy of targeted growth by lateral hires in selected areas. The following Local and Salary Partners reinforced the firm last year:

• Tanja Ehls (SP, Public Sector, Frankfurt)
• Julian Gruß (SP, Real Estate, Dusseldorf)
• Peter Meisenbacher (SP, Public Sector, Freiburg)
• Ansgar Messow (LP, Real Estate, Dusseldorf)
• Johannes Voß-Lünemann (SP, Public Sector, Berlin)

PR
Frauke Reuther
Manager Communication
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

Dr Dominik Moser specialises in national and international corporate transactions, particularly in the areas of M&A, private equity, joint ventures and venture capital, with a particular focus on the IT, technology, biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. Beyond that, he has extensive experience in the area of search fund transactions. Dominik Moser also regularly advises on general company law (in particular limited liability company and stock corporation law), corporate governance, compliance, and national and international transformation processes. In addition to his legal training in Germany, Spain, England (Oxford) and Singapore, he also holds a degree in business administration.

"The Corporate/M&A practice, with a particular focus on private equity, is a key growth area for our firm. In Dominik Moser, we are not only gaining an outstanding lawyer, but also a strong entrepreneurial personality. His in-depth industry knowledge and strategic vision are an excellent addition to our partnership," says Dr Guido Krüger, Managing Partner of ADVANT Beiten.

As recently as early September, ADVANT Beiten expanded its visibility on the European market and its advisory services for cross-border transactions by opening a new office in London with Sebastian Diehl. The addition of Dominik Moser is a further step in the consistent implementation of ADVANT Beiten's growth strategy, namely to invest specifically in future-oriented areas of consulting and to strengthen the partnership with proven market personalities.

Dominik Moser on his transfer: "I am looking forward to further expanding the M&A practice, with a particular focus on private equity and search fund transactions, and to working with my colleagues to deepen ADVANT Beiten's international advisory services. In my view, the excellent professional environment and broad expertise offer an ideal starting point for these goals."

PR

Frauke Reuther
Manager Communication
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

machn GmbH sees itself as an innovation hub and is firmly anchored in the Freiburg start-up scene. In July 2025, the company was awarded the Freiburger Innovationpreis for the "Freiburger Bierle" - a recognition that underlines the company's contribution to promoting entrepreneurial innovation and regional economic development.

machn GmbH's range of services is primarily aimed at established companies and supports them in developing and implementing strategic objectives, in organisational, technological and cultural transformation processes as well as in identifying and validating new business models. In addition, the company advises in the area of company succession and accompanies transition and succession processes.

Advisors to Leonard Sportleder/machn GmbH:
ADVANT Beiten: Dr Barbara Mayer (Lead Partner) and Julius Bauer (both Corporate/M&A, Freiburg).

Media Contact
Frauke Reuther
Manager Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 57
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

Dr Barbara Mayer
Rechtsanwältin
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (761) 150984 - 14
barbara.mayer@advant-beiten.com

As part of the restructuring, the company structure was streamlined through a total of four mergers. In doing so, Medizinisches Versorgungszentrum (MVZ) was merged with Poliklinik Ernst von Bergmann GmbH. On the other hand, Innovation-Transfer-Gesellschaft mbH, Diagnostik GmbH and Servicegesellschaft were directly incorporated into Klinikum Ernst von Bergmann gGmbH. Thus, Ernst-von-Bergmann-Gruppe has successfully reduced the number of its subsidiaries from 15 subsidiaries to eleven strong units. 

Ernst-von-Bergmann-Gruppe with more than 4,500 employees is currently undergoing a comprehensive reorganisation process. The corporate restructuring in the form of the mergers carried out is a fundamental component in this context to simplify the structures, to organise processes more efficiently and to strengthen the ability of Ernst-von-Bergmann-Gruppe to act in the increasingly complex health market.

Advisors to Klinikum Ernst von Bergmann gGmbH:

ADVANT Beiten: Dr Karl-Dieter Müller (Lead Partner), Benjamin Knorr, Robert Schmid, Dr Thomas Jilg (all Corporate/M&A, Berlin), Dr Silke Dulle (Medical Law), Wolf J. Reuter, Dr Martin Kalf, Marie von Hammerstein, Lisa Brix (all Labour Law, Berlin), Helmut König (Tax, Dusseldorf).

Media Contact
Frauke Reuther
Manager Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

As early as in June 2024, ADVANT Beiten has provided comprehensive legal advice to the two shareholders Stefan Brückner and Andreas Ebner on successfully completing the two transactions in their home region South Baden. As part of a succession plan, the entrepreneur duo was able to take over the two companies FREMA and Schwörer und Offenburger. By merging the two companies, the two shareholders would like to use synergies and standardise processes to position themselves for the future. The trademarks FREMA and Schwörer und Offenburger continue to exist as protected trademarks under the newly renamed ZABYX GmbH & Co. KG.

The two now merged companies have been operating in the area of mechanical engineering, special machine construction, plant construction and toolmaking for several decades. The two trademarks continue to complement each other ideally in terms of process technologies, the resources at two independently operating production plants, but also in the necessary experience to meet customer requirements in a targeted manner. ZABYX stands for more than 60 years of experience, reliability and origin.

Advisors to Shareholders:
ADVANT Beiten: Dr Barbara Mayer (Lead Partner) and Dr Christian Osbahr (both Corporate/M&A, Freiburg).

Notary: Dr Johannes Weber, Freiburg

Media Contact
Frauke Reuther
Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

Dr Barbara Mayer
Lawyer
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (761) 15 09 84 - 14
barbara.mayer@advant-beiten.com

Sebastian Diehl joins from Standard Chartered Bank in London where he led the legal coverage on multiple of the group’s M&A and venture capital transactions, including in Europe, Asia and North America. Prior to Standard Chartered, Sebastian Diehl spent several years in the London office of a leading German law firm, most recently as Associated Partner. There he regularly advised strategic clients and financial investors on cross-border M&A projects and PE/VC transactions with a focus on Germany.

With London, ADVANT Beiten is opening its tenth office and its fourth international presence outside of Germany. The new office will be based in Mayfair within the premises of its alliance partner ADVANT Nctm, whose London office has been established since 2008. With this expansion, the firm strengthens its visibility on the European market, expands its advisory services for cross-border transactions and further intensifies the co-operation within the alliance. A cross-practice team of ADVANT Beiten partners will be regularly present in London.

"In Sebastian Diehl, we have found an experienced partner for our new location who has an excellent network. Specialising in cross-border transactions and private equity, he brings in many years of experience in all areas of transaction advisory services and will work closely with our teams in Germany and worldwide," comments Dr Guido Krüger, Managing Partner of ADVANT Beiten.

"London is one of the world's leading financial and economic centres with a broad infrastructure for capital markets, asset management and private equity," says Dr Barbara Mayer, member of the Steering Committee at ADVANT Beiten, adding: "The city connects entrepreneurs, fund managers, banks and institutional investors. Together with our local colleagues from ADVANT Nctm and the addition of Sebastian Diehl, we are further expanding our transaction-orientated advisory services."

With London as one of the most active cross-border transaction markets in Europe, the city plays a key role in many German investments – particularly in the upper German SME segment which is facing the challenge of company succession. ADVANT Beiten is taking account of this multifaceted market environment with the opening of the new office – both locally and across borders. 

For more information, see our Spotlight London.

Public Relations
Frauke Reuther
Communications Manager
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

Yancoal International Holding Co., Ltd. acquires 51 percent of the shares in CFH GmbH within the scope of the transaction. The parties have agreed not to disclose the transaction volume.

The globally operating CFH Group of Companies bundles under its umbrella a number of subsidiaries and holding companies, all specialising in engineering services enabling innovative solutions related to the topic of air at the workplace. 

Yancoal International Holding Co., Ltd. brings comprehensive experience in global resource allocation and industrial cooperation. The stake of Yancoal International Holding Co., Ltd. represents an important milestone in the international growth strategy of CFH Group of Companies. The partnership opens up new opportunities for technological innovation, global market presence and sustainable development. New standards in developing intelligent ventilation and environmental technologies are defined together - in particular for applications in mining, tunnelling and industry. 

The international team of ADVANT Beiten headed by Dr Martin Rappert (Dusseldorf) and Susanne Rademacher (Beijing) regularly advises companies on investments and business activities in Europe and the People's Republic of China.

Advisors to CFH GmbH: 
ADVANT Beiten: Dr Martin Rappert, Nico Frielinghaus, Prof Dr Hans-Josef Vogel, Dr Winfried Richardt, Sarah Heinrichs, Simon Litterst (all Dusseldorf), Susanne Rademacher (Beijing, all Corporate/M&A), Christian Döpke, Mathias Zimmer-Goertz (Data Protection/IP, Dusseldorf), Christoph Heinrich (Antitrust, Munich), Dr Christian von Wistinghausen (Foreign Trade Law, Berlin), Thomas Herten (Real Estate, Dusseldorf), Vasily Ermolin (Sanctions, Moscow).

Media Contact
Frauke Reuther
Manager Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

Through a media investment in the low single-digit million range, the investment arm of ProSiebenSat.1 for early-stage start-ups is participating in the striving start-up vivido. The first TV spot will be broadcast on ProSiebenSat.1 stations and platforms at the start of the campaign in October. As part of a long-term media partnership, an extensive TV and digital campaign will increase brand awareness and advertising recall for the start-up and positively boost the company's brand image.

vivido travel GmbH is a technology-based tour operator for experience-oriented travel. The team around the founders Tobias Boese and Karl B. Bock, both experienced in the tourism industry, has set itself the task of bundling special experiences into travel packages and making them available to book online within minutes. A team of travel professionals makes a suitable selection of flights and accommodation in advance which match the respective experience and can be individually configured on the start-up's website. The carefully tailored experience trips are rounded off with additional experiences that can be integrated into the itinerary. The range of short trips is organised thematically and offers a wide variety of experiences.

Advisor to vivido Travel GmbH:
ADVANT Beiten: Prof. Dr Hans-Josef Vogel and Sarah Heinrichs (both Corporate/M&A, Dusseldorf)

Advisor to SevenAccelerator:
P+P Pöllath + Partners Rechtsanwälte und Steuerberater mbB

Public Relations
Frauke Reuther
Communications Manager
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

Laumann Group, a family-owned group with headquarters in Sendenhorst in the Northwest of Germany, is a leading provider of building-related product solutions and IT-services. The Group's range of services extends from PVC profiles for windows and doors ("VEKA" and "GEALAN"), aluminium profiles, PVC panel and façade solutions to surface technology and IT consulting. It generates annual sales of EUR 1.6 billion.

Epwin Group is listed on the London Stock Exchange and generates annual sales of over EUR 380 million. The company is a leading British manufacturer of PVC and aluminium profiles for windows and doors, finished windows and doors, façade systems, decking and GRP building products. Apart from that, Epwin Group is also active in the trading and recycling of building materials.

The merger control workstream of the transaction is being led by ADVANT Beiten Partner Christoph Heinrich who is coordinating the proceedings with the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in collaboration with Euclid Law (London). ADVANT Beiten is also advising on the future integration of the target business into Laumann Group.

ADVANT Beiten regularly advises Laumann Group and its subsidiaries, such as on the acquisition of the aluminium system manufacturer Procural in 2023 and the façade specialist Vinylit in 2021.

Advisors to Laumann Group:
ADVANT Beiten: Christoph Heinrich (Munich, Antitrust Law), Dr Guido Krüger (Dusseldorf, Tax Law), Dr Christian Ulrich Wolf (Hamburg, Corporate Law)
Euclid Law: Oliver Bretz, Becket McGrath (both London, Antitrust Law)
Osborne Clarke: Jonathan King, Ed Nisbeth, Stuart Miller, Oliver Woods, Tim Rouse, Dominic Ross (all London, Corporate & Finance), Olexiy Oleshchuk (Munich, Finance)
Inhouse: Björn Baltes, Raphael Nießen

Advisors to Epwin Group: 
Eversheds Sutherland UK (Corporate)

Public Relations
Frauke Reuther
Communications Manager
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

Christoph Heinrich
Rechtsanwalt 
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (89) 35065 - 1332
Christoph.Heinrich@advant-beiten.com

ApoBank and the AXA Insurance Group have been cooperating in the sale of financial and insurance products for more than 25 years. Both companies now want to bundle the sales activities of their mobile sales companies apoFinanz and Deutsche Ärzte Finanz more closely. 

As part of the restructuring, apoFinanz will be merged with Deutsche Ärzte Finanz. At the same time, apoBank acquires additional shares in Deutsche Ärzte Finanz. The merger creates the largest financial sales organisation for academic health professionals in Germany. With around 500 independent financial advisors, the new company will serve more than 320,000 customers. The merger will be completed in August 2025. A cross-office team from ADVANT Beiten is providing apoBank with comprehensive legal advice.

With more than half a million customers and total assets of around EUR 52 billion, apoBank is the largest cooperative retail bank in Germany and the number one financial services provider in the healthcare sector. Its customers are primarily members of the healthcare professions, their professional organisations and associations, healthcare facilities and companies in the healthcare market.

With the reorganisation of their joint sales subsidiaries, the partners want to combine the strengths of the companies and use the synergies for additional growth. 

Advisors to apoBank: 

ADVANT Beiten: Heinrich Meyer, Rainer Süßmann (both lead partners in charge, Banking/Finance, Frankfurt), Dr Christian Ulrich Wolf, Maren Dedert (both Corporate/M&A, Hamburg), Christoph Heinrich, Prof Dr Christian Heinichen (both Antitrust Law, Munich), Oliver Korte, Christopher D. Harten (both Commercial, Hamburg), Dr Thomas Drosdeck, Dr Gerald Müller-Machwirth (both Labour Law), Susanne Klein, Lennart Kriebel and Daniel Trunk (all IT- and Data protection Law, all Frankfurt)

Advisor to AXA: Hengeler Mueller

Public Relations
Frauke Reuther
Communications Manager
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

Heinrich Meyer
Rechtsanwalt 
ADVANT Beiten
Phone: +49 69 756095-414
heinrich.meyer@advant-beiten.com

Lysine is an essential amino acid that is used in the pharmaceutical, food and animal feed industries. Lysine is a key ingredient for health and food security in the EU, as it is used in many medicines (painkillers, parenteral nutrition, perfusion) and is contained in all modern animal feed for livestock farming. The essential amino acids produced in the EU through fermentation reduce the European Union's dependence on imports and reliance on imported soya meal.

Protecting the EU lysine industry from dumped and injurious imports of lysine from China is imperative to prevent the EU from becoming completely dependent on imports of this and other essential amino acids by fermentation. Lysine of Chinese origin is sold at high dumping margins, causing serious injury to the EU industry.

Eurolysine also contributes to the achievement of environmental targets, as the carbon footprint of lysine produced in the EU is at least five times lower than that of lysine produced in China.

Several EU Member States have requested that lysine be categorised as a critical chemical under the EU Critical Chemicals Act.

The product concerned is imports of lysine and its esters, salts thereof and feed additives, consisting of 68 % or more but not more than 80 % by weight of lysine sulphate and not more than 32 % by weight of other components such as carbohydrates and other amino acids, on the anhydrous basis. 

The process underlines ADVANT Beiten's successful trade practice. Only recently, in January 2025 that Prof. Dr Rainer Bierwagen's team achieved the imposition of definitive anti-dumping duties in favour of the European erythritol industry.

Advisors to the European lysine industry:

ADVANT Beiten: Prof Dr Rainer Bierwagen (lead), Gábor Báthory, Christian Hipp, Dr Dietmar O. Reich.

Source EU: 

Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1330 of 10 July 2025 imposing a definitive anti-dumping duty and collecting definitively the provisional duty imposed on imports of lysine originating in the People's Republic of China
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/74 of 13 January 2025 imposing a provisional anti-dumping duty on imports of lysine originating in the People's Republic of China; OJ L of 15 January 2025;
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2732 of 24 October 2024 making imports of lysine originating in the People's Republic of China subject to registration; OJ L of 25 October 2024; 
Notice of initiation of an anti-dumping proceeding concerning imports of lysine originating in the People's Republic of China; OJ C of 23 May 2024 (C/2024/3392).

Press contact
Mrs Frauke Reuther
Communications
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

Mindfactory, based in Wilhelmshaven, was founded in 1996 and has since become one of the largest online retailers for gaming and hardware components. The company has more than 100,000 items in its product range and receives over 4 million visitors to its website every month.

The media company heise is part of the internationally active heise group based in Hanover. The current acquisition expands heise's existing portfolio, which includes the areas of IT knowledge (c't, heise online), online marketing (heise regioconcept) and price comparison (guenstiger.de and Geizhals), to include hardware trading. All employees and customer relationships will be taken over by heise and the site in Wilhelmshaven will be fully retained.

The cross-location team of ADVANT Beiten represented heise in the merger control proceedings before the German Federal Cartel Office. The authorities have yet to decide on the merger.

ADVANT Beiten regularly advises the heise group on antitrust law, most recently in 2023 on the investment in "gewusst-wo".

Advisors to heise: 
ADVANT Beiten: Uwe Wellmann (Berlin), Christoph Heinrich (Munich, both Antitrust Law).

Public Relations
Frauke Reuther
Manager Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

Uwe Wellmann
Rechtsanwalt 
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (30) 26471 – 243
Uwe.Wellmann@advant-beiten.com

Banyan Software was founded in 2016 and regularly acquires growing software companies with the aim of developing them over the long term as part of a buy-and-hold strategy. Banyan Software has offices in Canada, the UK and the DACH region.

Headquartered in Munich, Germany, star/trac is specialised in optimizing complex yard management operations. Its innovative solutions significantly enhance operational efficiency, reduce truck waiting times, and ensure compliance with the stringent safety and regulatory standards.

ADVANT Beiten advises Banyan Software regularly on the implementation of its growth strategy in the DACH region, most recently in January 2025 on the acquisition of FoxInsights.

Advisor Banyan Software:
ADVANT Beiten: Christian Burmeister (Lead), Damien Heinrich, Julius Bauer (all Corporate/M&A), Heiko Wunderlich, Fabian Buker (both Tax), Mathias Zimmer-Goertz, Christian Döpke (both IP/IT), Lelu Li (FDI), Alexander Grässel (Labor & Employment Law).

Public Relations
Frauke Reuther
Manager Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

MFP is a major Irish supplier of pipe solutions which previously belonged to the Irish Grafton Group plc. In 2024, MFP generated sales of around EUR 25 million with drainage, gutter and cable protection systems. In future, their production will be bundled at the Wienerberger site in Cork to ensure greater efficiency and sustainability and to achieve attractive synergy effects. With this transaction, Wienerberger AG, which is listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange, is further pursuing its growth strategy and recognising the significant growth potential in the construction sector in Ireland.

ADVANT regularly advises Wienerberger AG, for instance on its largest acquisition in the company's history, the purchase of key business areas of the French Terreal Group last year.

Advisor to Wienerberger AG:
ADVANT Beiten: Uwe Wellmann (Berlin), Christoph Heinrich (Munich, both Antitrust Law).
William Fry (Ireland) – Irish Antitrust Law
Eversheds Sutherland (Ireland) – Corporate/M&A

Public Relations
Frauke Reuther
Communications Manager
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

Moosmann GmbH & Co. KG based in Ravensburg is a family-run company with a focus on sustainable logistics solutions and customised packaging systems for industry and trade. The Moosmann Group is pursuing a long-term growth strategy through targeted investments in innovative technologies.

Verpackungs- u. Lagertechnik Ulm GmbH is an established provider of modular storage, transport and order picking systems for industry, trade and logistics providers. The company based in Ulm has a strong market presence in the DACH region and is well known for its solutions for increasing efficiency in intralogistics. The integration into the Moosmann Group opens up new development prospects for both companies - particularly in the areas of digitalization, automation and sustainable material development.

Advisors to Moosmann GmbH & Co. KG:
ADVANT Beiten: Gerhard Manz (Freiburg), Christian Burmeister (Freiburg and Berlin, both lead partners in charge), Dr Christian Osbahr (Freiburg, all Corporate/M&A).

Public Relations

Frauke Reuther
Manager Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

CATT operates its first plant outside China in Arnstadt, Thuringia. With 1,700 employees, the plant is the largest foreign subsidiary of the battery manufacturer. Existing customers in Germany include companies such as BMW and Mercedes-Benz. In addition to the site in Germany, the expansion plans focus in particular on the sites in Hungary and Spain.

CATL has made a profit of approx. 4.6 billion dollars with the stock exchange listing in Hong Kong. The final price per share was set at 263 Hong Kong dollars, this corresponds to the maximum offer price. The scope of CATL's transaction could increase to 5.3 billion dollars, if a so-called greenshoe option results in the sale of a further 17.7 million shares. The fresh capital will be used in particular to finance CATL's further expansion into Europe. 

CATL Advisor - as a German Legal Counsel:

ADVANT Beiten: Dr Dirk Tuttlies (in charge; Capital Market Law), Dr Christian von Wistinghausen (in charge; Due Diligence), Tassilo Klesen, Danah El-Ismail, Simone Schmatz, Christian Burmeister, Lelu Li, Damien Heinrich, Robert Schmid (all Corporate/M&A), Katrin Lüdtke, Korbinian Goll (Public Law).

Public Relations

Frauke Reuther
Communications Manager
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

The new exemptions of the EU Prospectus Regulation, which has been amended since 4 December 2024, were applied for the first time in the admission to trading on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange: The admission of the new shares of Philomaxcap AG was completed without the publication of a prospectus only with the filing and publication of an 11-page admission document. (In accordance with Article 1(5), subparagraph 1(ba) and subparagraph 3 of Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 as amended by Regulation (EU) 2024/2809 and Annex IX). 

In this context, the team led by the two partners Dr Dirk Tuttlies and Rainer Süßmann examined in particular the question of whether shares from a non-cash capital increase, i.e. a contribution in kind, could possibly be classified as a public exchange offer. In addition, the filing of the admission document, which replaces the previously customary prospectus, had to be coordinated with BaFin, the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority and the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. For both institutions, the application of the now valid exemptions of the EU Prospectus Regulation was the first case of application.

The listing of the new shares on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange was preceded by a successful capital increase with the acquisition of GenH2Corp. This strategic measure led to an increase in share capital from EUR 17 million to over EUR 110 million and was made possible by the issue of around 93 million new shares.

Philomaxcap AG, domiciled in Munich, is a holding company focussing on the hydrogen industry which offers services for existing and future investments. The admission of the new shares from the previous acquisition of GenH2Corp, a US company specialising in liquid hydrogen technology and equipment, ideally complements Philomaxcap's portfolio.

Advisor to Philomaxcap AG on Admission of the New Shares:

ADVANT Beiten: Dr Dirk Tuttlies (Munich), Rainer Süßmann (Frankfurt, both Banking/ Capital Markets)

Public Relations
Frauke Reuther
Manager Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

Naxnova is a global design and technology company providing new generation solutions to global Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) in the automotive, consumer durables & appliances industries in India. Naxnova provides a diverse product range of integrated surface augmentation solutions that includes decals, flexible 3D badges, overlays, smart surfaces and electronic solutions.
HS Products Engineering specializes in premium aesthetics for the luxury automotive sector and stands for innovation, quality and precision. The company has established partnerships with some of the world's most prestigious luxury brands, including Rolls Royce, Bentley, Porsche, Audi and BMW.

The acquisition strengthens Naxnova's product portfolio by combining HSP's expertise in high-end aesthetics with Naxnova's global reach and technological innovations in printed electronics.
Naxnova's growth trajectory continues with this majority stake: the acquisition is the latest in a series of strategic acquisitions to expand its global presence and continuously develop its product portfolio.

Advisor Naxnova:
ADVANT Beiten: Gerhard Manz (Freiburg, Lead), Christian Burmeister (Co-Lead, Freiburg/Berlin), Dr Christian Osbahr, Damien Heinrich (all Freiburg, all Corporate/M&A).

Public Relations
Frauke Reuther
Manager Communications
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

With its SolarMe electricity brand, Solarimo offers tenant electricity solutions for the housing industry. With this transaction, 300 photovoltaic systems with an installed capacity totalling 10.3 megawatts are to be transferred to Einhundert's operations by the end of the year. The systems are expected to supply more than 10,000 tenants across Germany with locally generated solar power. This is expected to save around 4,000 tonnes of CO2 per year.

ENGIE Deutschland GmbH is committed to accelerating the transition to a carbon-neutral economy. In Germany, the company plans, builds, operates and markets wind, photovoltaic and hydropower plants as well as pump storage and battery storage systems. Engie trades in electricity and gas and supplies end customers with energy.

The transaction was led by Dr Barbara Mayer, Christian Burmeister and Peter Meisenbacher at ADVANT Beiten. 

Einhundert Energie GmbH has been supporting real estate companies in the electrification and decarbonisation of their building portfolios since 2017. The Cologne-based company enables housing companies and their tenants to participate in the energy transition. The aim is to use 100 per cent CO2-neutral energy from local PV systems.

Consultant Solarimo:

ADVANT Beiten: Dr Barbara Mayer (Corporate/M&A, Freiburg), Christian Burmeister (Corporate/M&A, Freiburg/Berlin), Peter Meisenbacher (Public Sector/Energy, Freiburg/Berlin, all lead partners), Dr Erik Schmid, Alexander Gräßel (Labour Law, Munich/Freiburg).

Consutant Einhundert Energie:

Noerr: Dr Christoph Thiermann, Dr Christian Haagen (Munich/London)

Public Relations

Frauke Reuther
Manager Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

Dr Barbara Mayer
Rechtsanwältin
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (761) 15 09 84 - 14
Barbara.Mayer@advant-beiten.com

Christian Burmeister
Rechtsanwalt
+49 (761) 15 09 84 - 18
Christian.Burmeister@advant-beiten.com

The acquired portfolio consists of three ready-to-build solar projects. The first project is located in Saarland, the second is an innovative Agri-PV project in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and finally another Agri-PV initiative in Lower Saxony. These projects are expected to be completed between mid and late 2025.

The ADVANT Beiten team, led by Dr. Christof Aha, regularly advises Trinasolar.

Trinasolar ISBU is the project development arm of Trinasolar and specializes in the development, engineering, procurement, construction, operation and maintenance as well as asset management of solar and battery storage projects worldwide.

Emeren Group is a global developer and operator of solar projects. The shares of Emeren Group Ltd. are listed on the NYSE.

Trinasolar France and Emerem Group have already worked together successfully in the past. With this strategic transaction, Trinasolar strengthens its commitment to expanding renewable energy solutions and promoting sustainable developments across Europe.

Advisor Trinasolar:
ADVANT Beiten: Dr Christof Aha (lead), Mark Thönißen, Felix Busold (all Corporate/M&A), Leopold Linden (Real Estate, all Frankfurt), Katrin Lüdtke (Public Law, Munich).
Inhouse Trinasolar: Esther Muñoz Contreras (Rome)

Advisor Emerem Group:
BNK: Dr. Florian Brahms, Désirée Oberpichler (both Hamburg)
Inhouse Emerem Group: Manuel Ales, Teresa Cera Mora (both Madrid)

Press contact
Frauke Reuther
Communications Manager
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

Banyan Software was founded in 2016 and regularly acquires growing software companies with the aim of developing them over the long term as part of a buy-and-hold strategy. Banyan Software has offices in Canada, the UK and the DACH region.

FoxInsights, headquartered in Munich, is a spin-off of one of the Top3 Innovation Labs (EnBW Innovation) in Germany. The company offers IoT-based remote tank monitoring solutions. Through digitalisation and data analytics, FoxInsights optimises the sales and ordering process as well as supply chains in the energy, mobility and recycling sectors.

Advisor Banyan Software:
ADVANT Beiten: Christian Burmeister (Lead), Damien Heinrich (both Corporate/M&A), Dr Christian von Wistinghausen, Lelu Li (both Investment Control), Heiko Wunderlich, Fabian Buker (both Tax), Mathias Zimmer-Goertz, Christian Döpke (both IP/IT), Dr Erik Schmid, Alexander Grässel (both Labor & Employment Law).

Public Relations
Frauke Reuther
Manager Communications
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

Dennis Hillemann, a licensed administrative law specialist, advises enterprises and public entities on administrative law, particularly on administrative procedural law and the law on subsidies – to a large part on state aid COVID temporary programmes - and represents clients before administrative courts.
At present, the trio mainly provides legal advice to tax advisors and companies throughout Germany regarding applications for aid temporary programmes as well as in objection proceedings and court proceedings.

Another key area of the team is advice to companies and universities on applications for subsidies and a use of subsidies which is compliant with state aid law. Johannes Voß-Lünemann additionally advises on procurement law issues, for example providing support regarding tenders under national and EU procurement law, both for supplies and services and for construction services.

"ADVANT Beiten has been one of the leading players when it comes to scalable and technology-supported legal services for many years now. In combination with his long years of experience and expertise in administrative and procurement law, Dennis Hillemann and his team complement our practice ideally. We are very much looking forward to the cooperation across locations," comments Dr Guido Krüger, Managing Partner of ADVANT Beiten.

Dennis Hillemann comments: "Joining ADVANT Beiten is the ideal next step for us. The multidisciplinary structure of the law firm with strong teams at all important locations in Germany enables us to provide our clients with even more comprehensive advice. In particular, the close integration of the various specialist areas and the technological orientation of ADVANT Beiten offer optimal conditions for the support of complex public law assignments. With the firm's broad network and established legal tech expertise, we can provide our services even more efficiently throughout Germany, particularly with regard to state aid COVID temporary programmes. The cooperation across the offices in Hamburg, Frankfurt and Berlin enables us to be close to our clients, while at the same time making ADVANT Beiten's entire range of expertise available to them.”

Public Relations
Frauke Reuther
Manager Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

Dr Philipp Pröbsting is a licensed building and architects' law specialist and, together with his team, specialises in advising on major projects in the fields of building construction, infrastructure and industry construction (nationally and internationally). He has been advising on project developments (including land issues and asset management), complex industrial construction projects and infrastructure measures for more than 16 years.

The team is committed to an integrated and comprehensive advisory approach with interdisciplinary teams that think through and support the project from the early initiation phase to the operational or production phase. The team provides support in the initiation of projects, contracts and legal project management. Its clients include companies from the industrial sector, energy suppliers, construction companies and the public sector.

"With Dr Philipp Pröbsting's team, we are significantly strengthening our expertise in the real estate and construction sector and further expanding important interfaces, among others the public sector and regulated industries," comments Dr Guido Krüger, Managing Partner of ADVANT Beiten, adding: “We are delighted to have gained an excellent expert with proven industry expertise in Philipp Pröbsting.”

Dr Philipp Pröbsting comments: "We are very much looking forward to the new challenges at ADVANT Beiten. We are convinced that our advisory approach fits perfectly with the existing competencies, structures and advisors and that together we will boost the Real Estate practice and sector group in Dusseldorf, throughout Germany and internationally."
ADVANT Beiten's Real Estate team of more than 50 advises on all planning and construction law issues across all offices. Clients include federal, state and local authorities, private investors and property developers, building owners and architects as well as banks and investment companies in all phases of their projects. The team combines real estate core competencies with broad legal, commercial and tax law expertise.

Public Relations
Frauke Reuther
Manager Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

HECHT Contactlinsen GmbH is the leading manufacturer of custom-made rigid contact lenses in Germany. The company was founded in 1978 and has subsidiaries in Germany, Switzerland and Spain. The company has won multiple awards for its reliability, quality and manufacturing processes.

Novum Capital invests in small and medium-sized companies with annual revenues of up to EUR 200 million on behalf of German and international pension funds, private pension schemes, and endowments. Novum Capital helps its portfolio companies to improve their market position, increase their profitability, enhance the benefits of their business models for society – and increase the value of the companies.

In addition to the comprehensive legal advice provided by ADVANT Beiten under lead partner Gerhard Manz, the law firm Esche Schümann Commichau advised the sellers on tax matters. Löbbecke & Cie. GmbH assisted the seller in the transaction as M&A advisor.

Advisor HECHT Contactlinsen GmbH:

ADVANT Beiten: Gerhard Manz (lead partner), Dr Barbara Mayer, Stephan Strubinger, Damien Heinrich, Dr Christian Osbahr (all Corporate/M&A, Freiburg), Prof Rainer Bierwagen (Brussels), Marcus Mische (Tax) and Dr Andreas Imping (Employment Law, both Dusseldorf).

Media Contact
Frauke Reuther
Manager Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

Gerhard Manz
Rechtsanwalt
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (761) 15 09 84 - 11
gerhard.manz@advant-beiten.com

In addition, six colleagues were elected Local Partners and two colleagues were elected Salary Partners. The newly elected partners are from all four German offices of the law firm, working in six different areas of competence.

Dr Moritz Handrup is specialised in the restructuring and corporate rescue of companies. In addition, Dr Handrup advises and represents his clients out of court and in court, in arbitration and mediation proceedings. Key issues are asserting, or defending against, claims arising from the contest of transactions in insolvency proceedings and claims for directors' and officers' liability, as well as other insolvency-specific questions. He provides legal advice and represents insolvency administrators, creditors and other parties involved in corporate insolvencies.

Dr Moritz Jenne advises national and international clients as well as owner-managed companies on all issues of corporate law, corporate and commercial litigation and compliance. He has extensive expertise in representing clients in complex (shareholder) disputes, attending general meetings and advising corporate bodies on liability issues and management duties in sensitive situations.

These are our new Local Partners in alphabetical order:

• Thomas Herten (Real Estate, Dusseldorf)
• Katrin Lüdtke (Public Sector, Munich)
• Katharina Mayerbacher (IP/IT/Media, Munich)
• Maik Benedikt Merkens (Corporate/M&A, Frankfurt)
• Maike Pflästerer (Labour & Employment, Frankfurt)
• Christopher Theis (Public Sector, Frankfurt)

Lennart Kriebel (IP/IT/Media, Frankfurt) and Virginia Mäurer (Labour & Employment, Munich) were elected as salary partners.

"The partner appointments reflect our cross-location and cross-practice group work, which is substantiated by a high degree of different industry expertise," comments Dr Guido Krüger, Managing Partner of ADVANT Beiten, adding: “The successful elections across all three seniority levels reflect the development of first-class talent in our ranks. We see leading our colleagues to partnership as one of our most important tasks.”

ADVANT Beiten also continues to follow its strategy of targeted growth by lateral hires in selected areas. The following Local and Salary Partners reinforced the firm last year:

• Dr Malaika Ahlers (LP, Public Sector, Berlin)
• Dr Andreas Imping (LP, Labour & Employment, Dusseldorf)
• Dr Nadejda Kysel (LP, Banking & Finance, Frankfurt)
• Julian Niederlein (SP, Tax law, Hamburg)
• Dr Theofanis Tacou (SP, Labour & Employment, Hamburg)

Public Relations
Frauke Reuther
Manager Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

Roularta Media Group N.V., founded in 1954, is a listed media company domiciled in Roeselare, Belgium. Roularta Media Deutschland publishes magazines targeting women and over-50s, fiscal and financial advice magazines as well as the history magazine G/Geschichte. The company employs a total of some 1,200 staff members.

With the acquisition, Herder expands its history segment, taking over the renowned history titles "G/Geschichte" and "G/Geschichte Portait". At the same time, the publishing house enhances the synergy between the magazine and book segments. History is a highly promising area for the publishing house. With the newly won titles and alongside the history titles and magazines of wbg, Herder is now able to serve the history market very comprehensively. Only in January 2024, Herder ‑ also assisted by ADVANT Beiten ‑ took over essential parts of the publishing house Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft (wbg), already then expanding its presence on the historical specialist book and the special interest magazine markets.

In 2023, the publishing house celebrated its 225^th anniversary of its first Herder book of 1798. Today Herder publishes around 350 titles per year and is responsible for more than a dozen magazines. The books focus on politics & history, society, theology, religion, education and lifestyle. The publisher is Manuel Herder in the sixth generation; the publishing house is managed by the two managing directors Simon Biallowons and Philipp Lindinger.

Our team led by Dr Barbara Mayer has advised the publishing group Herder and the publishing family for many years, most recently on a number of acquisitions serving to boost digitalisation within the traditional publishing group.

Advisors to Herder GmbH:

ADVANT Beiten: Dr Barbara Mayer (lead partner), Lisa Werle (both Freiburg), Christian Burmeister (Freiburg and Berlin, all Corporate/M&A).

Media Contact
Frauke Reuther
Manager Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com 

Dr Barbara Mayer
Rechtsanwältin
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (761) 15 09 84 - 14
barbara.mayer@advant-beiten.com 

Amphenol is one of the world’s largest designers, manufacturers and marketers of connectors and interconnect systems, antennas solutions, sensors and high-speed cable.

Luetze International Group is active worldwide and consists of various companies in a holding structure. The group of companies has a tradition of over 60 years in automation and is one of the leading companies in the industry today. Luetze Group offers innovative solutions in the areas of highly flexible cables, cable assemblies, interfaces, power supply and monitoring as well as control cabinet wiring.

Luetze Group's range of services complements Amphenol's portfolio in various segments of the fast-growing electronics market and underlines Amphenol's future-oriented, cross-border positioning.

In this transaction, ADVANT partner firm ADVANT Altana advised on French law, Fox Williams advised on UK law, Havel & Partners advised on Czech law, Kellerhals Carrard advised on Swiss law and E+H advised on Austrian law.

ADVANT regularly advises Amphenol on European M&A projects, most recently ADVANT Altana and ADVANT Beiten jointly advised Amphenol on the acquisition of the CMR Group based in France.

Advisor Amphenol Corporation: ADVANT Beiten: Dr Christian von Wistinghausen, Tassilo Klesen (both lead partners in charge), Olga Prokopyeva (all Corporate/M&A, Berlin), Susanne Rademacher, Lelu Li, Kelly Tang, Dr Jenna Wang-Metzner (all Corporate/M&A, Beijing), Michael Riedel (Labour & Employment, Berlin), Carsten Pütger, Danah El-Ismail (both Real Estate, Berlin), Mathias Zimmer-Goertz, Christian Döpke (both IP/IT/Media, Dusseldorf), Uwe Wellmann (Antitrust Law, Berlin), Christoph Heinrich (Antitrust Law, Munich), Dr Marion Frotscher and Simon Bauer (both Tax, Hamburg).

Advisor Sellers of Luetze Group: Heuking Kühn Lüer Wojtek: Dr. Rainer Herschlein, LL.M., Dr. Emanuel Teichmann (both Corporate/M&A, Stuttgart), Dr. Stefan Bretthauer, Jia-Xi Liu (both Antitrust Law, Hamburg).

Public Relations
Frauke Reuther
Manager Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

Dr Joachim Reichenberger, LL.M. has many years of experience in advising on cross-border structures and advises his clients on all questions of tax and corporate social security law. As a special focus of his work, he advises in 
particular on the interface between (wage) tax law and labour and (company) social security law, for which he can rely on his ten years of professional experience as a civil servant at the German Pension Insurance (Deutsche 
Rentenversicherung). A further focus of his work is on providing support in the context of restructurings. Here, in particular, he provides tax and social security law advice on socially responsible staff reduction measures, in which he supports companies in the optimisation of social plans and their subsequent implementation. Moreover, Joachim Reichenberger advises wealthy private individuals (HNWI and UHNWI), including numerous well-known professional athletes, on tax, social security and labour law issues, in particular in the context of moving to or from Germany.

Miriam Misterek advises national and international clients on all issues related to individual and collective labour law as well as on in and out-of-court dispute resolution. She also focuses on tax and social security law advice on socially responsible staff reduction measures.

Alexandra Möller advises on cross-border structuring and on all issues relating to tax and corporate social security law. As a special focus of her work, she advises in particular on the interface between (wage) tax law and labour and (company) social security law. A further focus of her work is on restructuring, in particular advising on socially responsible staff reduction measures, in which she assists companies in the optimisation of social plans and their subsequent implementation. In addition, she provides legal advice to wealthy private individuals.

'We are pleased to have Joachim Reichenberger, another very experienced colleague, on board with his team. His tax expertise, particularly at the interface with social security law with a focus on restructuring, fits perfectly into our cross-location and cross-practice group advisory portfolio,’ comments Dr Guido Krüger, Managing Partner of ADVANT Beiten and adds: ’The expertise of Joachim Reichenberger and his team also complements us excellently in the area of private clients.’

Dr Joachim Reichenberger on his decision: ‘ADVANT Beiten is one of the leading names in the field of tax law and, with its focus, is the ideal platform for us to provide interdisciplinary and cross-border advice. We are very much looking forward to working with our new colleagues and becoming part of this team.’ After ADVANT Beiten strengthened its tax department at the Hamburg office in March of this year with a three-person team led by partner Martin Seevers from EY Law, Heiko Wunderlich joined the Munich office in August. The present arrival of Mr Reichenberger is already the third addition at equity partner level this year 
and underlines the importance of the tax practice group for the firm.

Public Relations
Frauke Reuther
Manager Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

Dusseldorf-based Flamonitec is a global leader in the development, manufacture and sale of flame monitoring systems and other combustion technology components as well as the development and marketing of environmental technology and processes, particularly in the fields of control, regulation, sensor technology and image processing. The company has an international customer base. The solutions developed by Flamonitec in more than fifty years in the business are protected by numerous patents.

Alder is an investment fund based in Stockholm, Sweden, aiming to ensure the sustainable, long-term development of technology and service companies. Flamonitec is the first acquisition in a consolidation initiative by Alder within advanced measurement and monitoring technology, especially for the combustion industry.

The sales process was structured and organised by the M&A consulting firm Mayland AG of Dusseldorf.

Advisor to Flamonitec | BFI Automation Mindermann GmbH:
ADVANT Beiten: Dr Christof Aha, Maik Merkens (both Lead Partners), Mark Thönißen, Felix Busold (all Corporate/M&A, Frankfurt), Leopold Linden (Real Estate, Frankfurt), Christian Hipp (Public Law, Berlin). 
CMS Wistrand: Sascha Schäferdiek, Louise Berlin

Advisor to Alder AB:
White & Case: Dr Matthias Kiesewetter, Dr Maximilian Eichhorn, Isak Brunecevic, Andreas Lexhag, Dr Nico Frehse

Media Contact
Frauke Reuther
Manager Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

Dr Christof Aha
Rechtsanwalt
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 756095 - 451

Peter Meisenbacher will join ADVANT Beiten as a Salary Partner at the Freiburg office on 15 September this year and will work closely with his Berlin energy law colleagues in the Public Sector practice group. At the same time, there will be close cooperation with the Freiburg partners who advise clients from the energy sector in commercial and corporate law as well as in M&A transactions (most recently at ADVANT Beiten and ADVANT Nctm advise BKW on expansion of its interest in HelveticWind). Freiburg has traditionally been a strong centre in the field of renewable energies, particularly thanks to the Fraunhofer Institute ISE and INTERSOLAR / The smarter E Europe, Europe's largest trade fair alliance for the energy industry, which is co-organised by the Freiburg Economic Development Agency and has been legally supported by ADVANT-Beiten for many years. In this environment, Peter Meisenbacher's expertise in energy law is a valuable addition. 

Peter Meisenbacher (37) advises comprehensively on renewable energy law with a focus on civil law at the interface with energy law. Due to his many years of experience in the field of renewable energies, he advises project developers, investors and banks as well as local authorities and municipal utilities throughout Germany and internationally on the realisation of energy projects. One of his main focuses is the realisation of photovoltaic projects. Before joining Sterr-Kölln & Partner, Peter Meisenbacher worked for several years at Becker Büttner Held, where he worked together with Dr Malaika Ahlers and advised companies on all issues they face as consumers, electricity and heat suppliers or network operators.

‘The energy sector represents a particular focus at ADVANT Beiten. Our interdisciplinary, cross-office team is growing continuously so that we are optimally positioned for the constant change that the industry is undergoing,' explains Dr Malaika Ahlers and adds: ’We are pleased to have won another very experienced expert in Peter Meisenbacher, whose expertise, primarily in the important renewable energies segment, is an ideal fit for us: a perfect match. 

Dr Jan Barth, head of the Freiburg office, is pleased about the expansion of his expertise: 'We started in 2022 as a pure corporate/M&A office and are constantly expanding our range of advice, first with employment law and now with public law and energy law.'

Public Relations
Frauke Reuther
Manager Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

The i8, with its timber hybrid construction and LEED Platinum certification, PV system and façade made from recycled aluminium, and more such features, has been designed with sustainable construction in mind.

Advisor to the Interhyp Group:
ADVANT Beiten: Anja Fischer (Real Estate, Munich), Dr Christoph Schmitt (Banking & Finance) and Volker Szpak (Tax, both Frankfurt):

Advisor to R&S Immobilienmanagement:
Noerr: Annette Pospich, Dr Antonio DiMieri (both Real Estate) and Steffen Arlich (Tax, all Munich).

The deal was arranged by BNP Paribas Real Estate GmbH, Christoph Bayreuther.

Media Contact
Frauke Reuther
Manager Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

The deal involves that the Herder start-up KITALINO acquires Kidling, an administrative software for nurseries. Kidling offers a digital solution for nursery management and parent communication. Through this acquisition, Herder becomes a comprehensive software provider for nurseries with its subsidiary KITALINO and Kidling.

Kitalino GmbH and Verlag Herder are part of the Herder publishing group. One of the main topics of the publishing house is education. Herder offers a large range of books on the subject, eight scientific journals, special issues and digital products. Kitalino GmbH, a subsidiary of the Herder group, is leading in the field of digital support for educational processes in nurseries. The company specialises in the creation and implementation of Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions that are specifically tailored to the structure and quality requirements of the workflow in nurseries. Their main product is the KITALINO software as a platform to enable digital development documentation and communication in compliance with data protection requirements. 

Kidling, an enterprise of Quintic Digital GmbH, offers a comprehensive nursery software to make everyday life easier for professionals, parents and children. Both the browser and the app solution help to actively plan the week, document the children's development and optimise communication between nursery and parents. Digitalising these processes means that nursery professionals can work more efficiently and focus on what is actually important: the education and care of children.

The ADVANT Beiten team headed by Dr Barbara Mayer regularly provides legal advice to the Herder publishing group, most recently on the acquisition of essential parts of the publishing house Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft (wbg).

Advisor to the Herder publishing group:
ADVANT Beiten: Dr Barbara Mayer and Lisa Werle (both Corporate/M&A, Freiburg), Dr Erik Schmid (Labour Law, Munich).

Media Contact
Frauke Reuther
Manager Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

Dr Barbara Mayer
Rechtsanwältin
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (761) 15 09 84 – 14 | +49 (173) 3169669 
barbara.mayer@advant-beiten.com

 

The transaction was backed by Keensight Capital, one of the leading private equity managers for Europe-wide growth buyout investments. The parties have agreed not to disclose the transaction volume.

Fischer Information Technology has focused on expertise in the development of reliable software for the efficient management, organisation and distribution of technical documentation and product information since its foundation in 1985. The company has played a key role in shaping the European market for technical documentation software.

Quanos was formed by software experts for after-sales, service and technical documentation, optimised by AI capabilities. The company offers innovative, successful and reliable technology to more than 1,200 customers worldwide.

The acquisition of Fischer IT strengthens Quanos' market presence and increases the customer base to 1,400 customers worldwide. This enables Quanos to offer a wide product portfolio that delivers significant added value to the joint customer base. In addition, Fischer IT's proven technical expertise will further enhance Quanos' innovative potential.

Advisor to Fischer Information Technology GmbH: 
ADVANT Beiten: Gerhard Manz, Dr Christian Osbahr (both Corporate/M&A, Freiburg), Dr Birgit Münchbach und Dr Holger Weimann (both IP/IT, Munich)

Advisor to Quanos Group GmbH:
Renzenbrink & Partner: Team Dr Ulf Renzenbrink

Media Contact
Frauke Reuther
Manager Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

Gerhard Manz
Rechtsanwalt
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (761) 15 09 84 - 11
gerhard.manz@advant-beiten.com

BKW will hold a 60 percent majority interest in the joint venture, EKZ (Elektrizitätswerke des Kantons Zürich) will hold the remaining 40 percent. This leaves two of originally five companies invested in HelveticWind.

BKW already runs the wind farms in Germany and Italy as a service provider and therefore knows them inside out. With the increase of its interest, BKW can expand the existing portfolio of renewable energy generation plants in its core markets. Trough its majority investment, BKW is advancing the energy transition and aims to have a CO2-neutral energy business by 2040.

The BKW Group employs some 12,000 people. The company's portfolio ranges from planning and consulting in engineering for energy, infrastructure and environmental projects to integrated offerings in the field of building technology and construction, to service and maintenance of energy, telecommunications, transport and water networks.

Contact with BKW was established via the Swiss law firm Kellerhals Carrard, with which ADVANT has worked closely for many years both in Germany and in Italy. Kellerhals Carrard is the largest Swiss business law firm with more than 300 layers.

Advisor to BKW:

ADVANT Beiten:
Dr Barbara Mayer, Christian Burmeister (both Corporate/M&A, Freiburg) for German law.

ADVANT Nctm:
Jacopo Arnaboldi, Giuliano Proietto (Milan) for Italian law.

Kellerhals Carrard (Lead Counsel):
Dr Beat Brechbühl, Dr Patric Brand, Dr Marc Hanslin, Daniel Emch, Marius Gröteke, Sarah Schneider, Aljoscha Zalad and Carla Hartmann (Bern and Basel)

MEDIA CONTACT
Frauke Reuther
Manager Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

Dr Barbara Mayer
Rechtsanwältin
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (761) 15 09 84 - 14
barbara.mayer@advant-beiten.com

In addition to other investors and business angels, the existing investor Tech-Vision Fonds (TVF) and the Belgian family office Nomainvest were involved as new co-investors. The venture capital fund TVF, based in Aachen, specialises in companies in the medical technology sector, among others, and has been providing CUREosity with significant support since 2021. ADVANT Beiten already provided CUREosity with comprehensive advice during the financing round at that time.

Caesar van Heyningen, Thomas Saur and Stefan Arand head the Scale Up, founded in 2019, which develops innovative therapy software using virtual reality (VR) goggles. The VR therapy system was launched in February 2021. CE-certified as a medical device, the CUREO software combines years of therapy experience with neuroscientific findings, gamification, and smart technologies. CUREO supports cognitive and motor (especially upper limb) rehabilitation and is thus suitable for patients with neurological or motor impairments. In addition to multisensory training units, the software also offers therapy exercises for hand rehabilitation, attention training and neuroregulation. In varied, playful VR environments, patients' motivation, and willingness to engage in therapy are encouraged. The distraction created by VR also helps to reduce pain.

Since the market launch of CUREO, the software-as-a-service company has grown rapidly and is now being used in almost 200 therapeutic facilities. The newly acquired capital will be used, among other things, to further expand CUREO's market leadership in the field of VR therapy.
The completed financing round gives the innovative company financial independence and enables it to operate sustainably - especially in the current challenging market conditions.

Advisor to CUREosity GmbH: 
ADVANT Beiten: Dr Sebastian Weller, Markus Schönherr, Sarah Heinrichs, Simon Litterst (all Corporate/M&A/Venture Capital, Dusseldorf).
    
Advisor to TVF:
Forvis Mazars: Dr Philipp Wüllrich (Lead partner) and Yannik Metz (both Corporate/M&A/Venture Capital, Cologne), Florian Helbig (IP/IT/Data Protection, Leipzig).
    
Public Relations
Frauke Reuther
Manager Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

Dr Sebastian Weller
Lawyer
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (211) 51 89 89 - 134
sebastian.weller@advant-beiten.com
 

TETEC AG, which specialises in regenerative medicine, had been integrated into the international medical technology group B. Braun through the surgical division Aesculap, based in Tuttlingen, Germany. In future, Aesculap will strategically focus even more strongly on innovative medical technology relating to surgical processes in the operating room, which means that the regenerative medicine business segment no longer fits into the medical technology group's portfolio.

In the United States, B. Braun has partnered with Octane Medical for more than ten years. With the completion of the transaction, the Canadian specialist for regenerative medicine has taken over TETEC completely, including the approximately 160 highly specialised employees at the site in Reutlingen, Germany.

Octane is a global group of companies headquartered in Ontario, Canada, with subsidiaries in the United States and Europe, specialising in innovative processes, biomaterials and bioreactors for regenerative medicine. Part of the group are Octane Clinical Systems, Octane Orthobiologics, Octane Exo, Octane Biotech and Octane Biotherapeutics (BioTx).

B. Braun is one of the world's leading medical technology companies. With over 60,000 employees, B. Braun is a reliable partner that develops intelligent solutions and sets pioneering standards to accelerate progress in healthcare.

Advisors to Aesculap AG:
ADVANT Beiten: Dr Sebastian Weller (lead partner), Nico Frielinghaus, Dr Winfried Richardt, Markus Schönherr, Sarah Heinrichs, Simon Litterst (all Corporate/M&A), Christian Schenk, Markus Linnartz (both Tax), Thomas Herten (Real Estate), Christian Döpke (Data Protection Law, all Dusseldorf), Dr Erik Schmid (Labour Law), Christoph Heinrich (Antitrust Law, both Munich), Rainer Süßmann (Banking & Finance, Frankfurt), Dr Christian von Wistinghausen, Lelu Li (both Foreign Trade Law, Berlin).

Advisor to Octane Medical:
Osborne Clarke

Media Contact
Frauke Reuther
Manager Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

Dr Sebastian Weller
Rechtsanwalt
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (211) 51 89 89 - 134
sebastian.weller@advant-beiten.com

Heiko Wunderlich advises companies and private individuals on tax structuring as well as tax procedural and litigation law. His work includes tax advice on succession planning and estate planning for entrepreneurs and private 
individuals as well as company acquisitions, reorganisations and financing. He also advises on international tax law and has special expertise in the media and entertainment sector. Heiko Wunderlich is a tax and inheritance law specialist, a certified corporate succession consultant (zentUma) and a certified executor (AGT).

‘With Heiko Wunderlich, we are very pleased to have won another very experienced and established expert in the market, whose tax expertise, particularly in the areas of succession, restructuring and transactions, is an excellent addition to our advisory portfolio, both at our Munich office and throughout the firm,’ comments Dr Guido Krüger, Managing Partner of ADVANT Beiten.

Heiko Wunderlich comments: 'ADVANT Beiten covers the entire service portfolio in the areas of tax, succession planning and estate planning and thus offers me and my clients an ideal platform. I am very much looking forward to becoming part of the interdisciplinary team of lawyers, tax advisors, auditors and financial experts and to being able to provide client- and future-orientated advice both nationally and internationally.’ 

Heiko Wunderlich is regularly recommended by leading legal handbooks, including The Legal 500 Germany and Handelsblatt in co-operation with Best Lawyers.

In March of this year, ADVANT Beiten strengthened its tax practice in Hamburg with a three-man team led by Partner Martin Seevers from EY Law. 

Public Relations
Frauke Reuther
Manager Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com
 

The COMEM Group has been supporting its customers throughout the entire life cycle of a transformer for more than 60 years. The company combines its experience in the manufacture and supply of various transformer accessories with innovative services for transformer manufacturers, service organisations and end users.

Weidmann Technologies Deutschland GmbH, a member of Weidmann Group, has been a leading developer of fibre optic temperature measurement systems for 25 years. Standard products and products for special applications are offered based on technological expertise in the development and manufacture of complete systems.

The addition of OPTOCON to COMEM's portfolio is an important step towards the company's growth and expansion strategy. The acquisition not only expands the product portfolio but also enables the company to gain a foothold in the field of sensors and optical systems.

Advisor to COMEM S.p.A.:
ADVANT Beiten: Tassilo Klesen (lead partner in charge), Lelu Li (both Corporate/M&A), Michael Riedel (Labour Law, all Berlin)

Advisor to Weidmann Holding AG:
CMS Hasche Sigle: Hendrik Hirsch, Maxine Notstain (both Corporate/M&A)

Public Relations
Frauke Reuther
Manager Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

The team headed by the Hamburg lawyer and tax advisor is particularly well connected in the financial sector and specialises in representing corporate interests in tax disputes and criminal proceedings as well as vis-à-vis supervisory authorities. It works for several financial institutions in the investigation and defence of cum/ex and cum/cum transactions, regularly advising on tax compliance and tax transparency matters as well as the associated regulatory questions. Internal investigations regarding other criminal offences as well as compliance matters in the context of money laundering prevention and sanctions compliance are also key advisory areas. All lawyers in the team are qualified as Certified AML & Fraud Officers.

Martin Seevers, LL.M. Tax (USA) (55) specialises on preventing, supporting and resolving tax conflicts in the financial sector at the interface of law, tax, compliance and anti-financial crime. He particularly advises on tax and corporate criminal law, anti-financial crime and financial sanctions as well as related compliance issues and internal investigations. He represents companies and individuals in criminal and administrative fine proceedings in and out of court, as well as vis-à-vis financial and other authorities (e.g. BaFin).

Julian Niederlein (36), a licensed tax law specialist, advises particularly on preventing and avoiding conflicts at the interface of tax criminal law and the law of administrative offences. He further specialises on the representation of companies and private individuals in tax dispute and tax procedural law.

Guido Storck, LL.M. Corporate Criminal Law (42) advises banks, insurances and companies on all questions of tax and corporate criminal law, as well as on any related issues that may arise.

"The complexity and increasing regulation of our globalised, digitalised business life mean that private individuals and companies can find themselves facing claims under criminal or administrative proceedings at any time," says Dr Guido Krüger, Co-Managing Partner of ADVANT Beiten, adding: "We are delighted to have Martin Seevers and his team on board as highly experienced experts who are established in the market and can provide comprehensive advice to both companies and private individuals in all areas of corporate and tax criminal law. With the new team in Hamburg, we complement our advisory portfolio perfectly and strengthen our cross-location team across various seniority levels."

Martin Seevers comments: "ADVANT Beiten, with an excellently positioned tax team, a high effectiveness in dispute resolution, corporate criminal law & compliance, as well as a proven track record in legal tech, provides an ideal platform for our tax and corporate criminal law practice. It allows us to not only provide legal advice on comprehensive internal investigations with an international dimension as well as complex compliance matters but also assist our clients with the implementation of necessary compliance measures, from a single source. I am very much looking forward to this new challenge."

Media Contact
Frauke Reuther
Manager Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

CAS, based in Aosta (Italy), is a 70% subsidiary of Walsin Lihwa Corporation (Walsin) from Taiwan. The strategic acquisition strengthens CAS' position in Europe as a single-source provider of stainless steel and nickel alloy solutions and reinforces Walsin's strategy to expand into high-value, fast-growing market segments. The transaction is subject to the approval of the relevant regulatory authorities.

The ADVANT law firms advised Cogne Acciai Speciali under the leadership of Italian partner Vittorio Noseda comprehensively across multiple jurisdictions and locations. ADVANT Beiten, led by partners Dr Christian von Wistinghausen, Dr Marion Frotscher and Tassilo Klesen, advised on all matters of German law.

CAS is an international group of companies and has production facilities on three continents as well as sales offices in all economically important regions of the world. CAS processes austenites, martensites, ferrites, duplex and duplex materials through to nickel-based alloys for the automotive industry, the energy industry, in particular the oil and gas industry, medical technology, the food industry, chemical and plant engineering and general mechanical engi-neering.

MST joined Salzgitter AG in 2000 together with Mannesmannröhren-Werke. The MST company and its subsidiaries have around 1,000 employees world-wide, 260 of whom work at the two German sites in Remscheid and Mülheim in North Rhine-Westphalia. There are further sites in France, Italy and the USA. MST supplies leading global companies in the energy, aerospace, chemical, petrochemical and other markets that require pipe solutions that can withstand extreme pressure and temperature conditions.

CAS offers MST and the employees in the new organisation an outstanding entrepreneurial future. MST will benefit directly from the material supplies from CAS and will therefore be even better equipped to face the competition. At the same time, CAS will be able to utilize its melting capacities and expand its product portfolio along the value chain. The inclusion of MST in the Walsin/CAS family completes the strategy of forming a vertically integrated steel company.

The CAS parent company Walsin was founded in 1966 and has been listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange since 1972. Walsin is an industrial conglomerate operating in the wire and cable, stainless steel and renewable energy sectors. With more than 40 production and sales locations in China, Europe, Southeast Asia and the USA, Walsin products are used in the aerospace, oil and gas, new energy, automotive, industrial and consumer goods industries. Walsin's headquarters are located in Taipei, Taiwan.

Advisor Cogne Acciai Speciali:
 

ADVANT Nctm: Vittorio Noseda (lead partner in charge), Lucilla Casati, Martina da Re (all Corporate/M&A), Francesco Mazzocchi (Antitrust department).

ADVANT Beiten: Dr Christian von Wistinghausen, Tassilo Klesen (both lead partners in charge), Christian Burmeister, Lelu Li, Olga Prokopyeva, Dr Eva Kreibohm, Damien Heinrich (all Corporate/M&A), Danah El-Ismail (Real Estate), Dr Marion Frotscher, Simon Bauer (both Tax), Christian Frederik Döpke, Mathias Zimmer-Goertz (both IP/IT/Media), Michael Riedel (Labour Law), Katrin Lüdtke (Public Law).

ADVANT Altana: Bruno Nogueiro (lead partner in charge), Arthur Boutemy, Théodore Sabot (all Corporate/M&A).

Public Relations ADVANT Beiten
 

Frauke Reuther
 

Manager Kommunikation
 

ADVANT Beiten
 

+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
 

frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

The Series B venture capital financing totalling USD 129 million is led by US investor Piva Capital with additional international participation from HG Ventures, TDK Ventures, Copec WIND Ventures, RockCreek, Emerald and Samsung Ventures as well as increased support from existing investors including ENGIE New Ventures, Safran Corporate Ventures and Honda.

INERATEC, which was founded in Karlsruhe in 2016, will use the capital to further accelerate the commercialisation of CO2-neutral e-fuels. Specifically, INERATEC plans to convert 1 GW of renewable energy into 165,000 tons of sustainable e-fuels by 2030, thus initiating the next era of mobility.

The ENGIE Group is listed on Paris and Brussels stock exchange. Its venture capital fund ENGIE New Ventures makes minority investments in innovative start-ups that bring strategic value to the Group, with a specific focus on future disruptive technologies. Since 2014, it has invested in over 50 solutions in the cleantech sector. ENGIE New Ventures has already invested in INERATEC as lead investor in 2022 as part of a Series A financing; also with legal support from the lead partner Christian Burmeister.

Advisor to ENGIE New Ventures:
ADVANT Beiten: Christian Burmeister (lead partner, Freiburg/Berlin) and Damien Heinrich (Freiburg, both Corporate/M&A).

Public Relations
Frauke Reuther
Manager Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

The property at Thomas-Wimmer-Ring is located in the heart of Munich, a stone's throw away from the Viktualienmarkt, directly on Isartor-Platz. The Optima-Aegidius group of companies, a family business, refurbished the building from the 1980s after acquiring it together with a Munich family office, while retaining its striking design.

Advisor to Consulate General of the Republic of Lithuania:
ADVANT Beiten: Anja Fischer (Real Estate, Munich), Dr. Dietmar O. Reich (Corporate law, international public law and consular relations, Hamburg/Brussels), Volker Szpak (Tax, Frankfurt).

Public Relations
Frauke Reuther
Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

Anja Fischer
Rechtsanwältin
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (89) 35065 – 1205
Anja.Fischer@advant-beiten.com

The portfolio consists of five operational wind farms with a total of 38.4 MW (in Oedelum, Quelkhorn, Mariengarten, Münster and Frielendorf Süd) as well as a wind project with a planned commissioning in the third quarter of next year with 18 MW (Feldatal).

In the context of the transaction, Verbund AG was advised by an M&A team from ADVANT Beiten specialising in renewable energies. The transaction experts led by partner Dr Christof Aha had already advised Verbund AG on the acquisition of an 86 MW wind portfolio in Rhineland-Palatinate. 

ADVANT Beiten's M&A Renewable team advises national and international investors on the development, operation, acquisition and sale of large wind farms, solar parks and geothermal projects. To this end, the team works across borders with the law firms of the European ADVANT network.

Advisors to VERBUND AG: 
ADVANT Beiten: Dr Christoph Aha (Lead Partner in charge), Mark Thönißen, Felix Busold, Maik Benedikt Merkens (all Corporate/M&A, Frankfurt), Dr Jochen Reuter, Leopold Linden (both Real Estate, Frankfurt), Katrin Lüdtke (Public Law, Munich)

Inhouse: Dr Patrick Prusa (Verbund AG, Vienna)

Advisor to IMPAX: Taylor Wessing

Public Relations
Frauke Reuther
Manager Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

Dr Christof Aha
Lawyer 
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 756095 - 451
Christof.Aha@advant-beiten.com

Located at Lake Starnberg in southern Bavaria, Mauermann has around 60 employees. The company is GMP certified as contract manufacturer for the manufacturing and packaging of solid dosage forms. Founded in 1938, the family enterprise has been working with Wörwag for more than 45 years.

Wörwag Pharma, with its headquarters in Böblingen, is able to enhance its production capacities with the takeover. The factory at Lake Starnberg is the second own production facility of Wörwag Pharma. Wörwag Pharma Operations in Lodz, Poland, is the first own production facility. It was acquired in 2021 and was able to deliver goods for the first time in the past year. The share of products from the company's own production is growing continuously.

Wörwag sells prescription drugs as well as OTC preparations and food supplements. The company has established itself with products in therapeutic areas such as diabetes and associated diseases, neurological diseases, musculoskeletal disorders and diseases of the immune system. In 2022, the company achieved sales of EUR 291 million. The number of employees grew by 200 to 1,400 in the past year.

Founded in 1971, the manufacturer has been represented in Hungary, Russia, Romania, Bulgaria and other Eastern European countries since 1993. The products are also offered in Latin America and Asia.

ADVANT Beiten has been advising Wörwag Pharma regularly on transactions.

Advisors to Wörwag Pharma GmbH & Co. KG:
ADVANT Beiten: Dr Barbara Mayer (Freiburg), Christian Burmeister (Freiburg and Berlin, both lead partners in charge), Dr Moritz Handrup (Banking & Finance, Frankfurt), Damien Heinrich and Lisa Werle (Corporate/M&A, Freiburg).

Media Contact
Frauke Reuther
Manager Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

Barbara Mayer
Rechtsanwältin
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (761) 150984 - 14
Barbara.Mayer@advant-beiten.com

Oliver Korte (50) specialises in national and international commercial and distribution law. He is very experienced in drafting contracts governing the sale or purchase of goods. He has particular expertise on issues arising in connection with the termination of commercial agency or authorised dealer agreements, especially on the compensation claim and the entitlement to termination. Oliver Korte frequently represents his clients before state courts or arbitration tribunals. He also regularly acts as an arbitrator in commercial and distribution disputes. Many of his clients are active in wholesale and foreign trade, with further sector focuses in the areas of food and medical products.

"With Oliver Korte, we are adding a highly experienced colleague who is well established in the market, with proven expertise and an excellent network," says Dr Christian Ulrich Wolf, head of ADVANT Beiten's Hamburg office, adding: "Trade and distribution are firmly anchored in the Hanseatic city. With Mr Korte, we are sharpening our profile in this area in particular."

Oliver Korte comments on his move: "ADVANT Beiten stands for high quality advice and a consistent course of internationalisation. Both these aspects, but also the momentum shown in many discussions with my future colleagues, convinced me. I am very much looking forward to working together."

Mr Korte is regularly recommended by the leading legal handbooks, including being listed as a recommended lawyer in the categories of

• Commercial Contracts (Chambers Europe 2023),
• Arbitration/Dispute Resolution (Best Lawyers/Handelsblatt)
• Distribution Systems (JUVE Handbuch 2023)
• Commercial and Distribution Law: Trade, Distribution and Logistics (Legal 500)

of the respective current editions.

Public Relations
Frauke Reuther
Manager Communications
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
Frauke.Reuther@advant-beiten.com

Roy Naor provides legal advice to national and international investors and corporations. His area of expertise ranges from incorporation of companies to joint venture agreements and M&A transactions. Roy Naor is admitted to practice law both in Germany and in New York. As a special focus of his work, he advises clients from the United States and Israel as they seek to expand their activities in the German market. His industry focus is on the sectors tech and mobility.

"We are pleased to have gained Roy Naor, an up-and-coming talent, for our law firm," comments Philipp Cotta, Managing Partner of ADVANT Beiten, adding: "The Corporate/M&A practice plays a central role in the strategy of our law firm, nationally and internationally. Also in view of our alliance, Roy Naor will be an immense asset. With his professional background, his network and long years of experience in advising clients in German, English and Hebrew, he is a perfect match for our firm, further advancing our internationalisation."

Roy Naor comments: "I am looking forward to the new challenge, and especially to working with Altana in France and Nctm in Italy. The US strategy initiated by all three firms is an excellent fit for my business model. I am looking forward to working nationally and internationally together with my colleagues."

This is the second year that the US publisher Best Lawyers lists Roy Naor among the 'Ones to Watch Germany'. The Corporate/M&A practice group of ADVANT Beiten has 60 fee-earners across all locations, 19 of which are equity partners.

Media Contact
Frauke Reuther
Communications
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
Frauke.Reuther@advant-beiten.com

Philipp Cotta
Managing Partner
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (89) 3 50 65 – 1342
Philipp.Cotta@advant-beiten.com

With Spandau Pumpen, SKF disposes of extremely competitive screw-type and seal-less coolant pumps with a valuable customer base mainly in the European market. Through the acquisition, EBARA aims to enter the global market for machine tools and filter systems and will expand its portfolio by providing new products and services.

EBARA will take over the customer base and certain assets of Spandau Pumpen, will relocate the production to one of its plants in Italy and will work on the expansion of its business. EBARA Corporation has committed itself to achieve several UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in order to create added business value and to reinforce its reputation as an excellent global player.

The global development of new markets through acquisitions and integration of value-added products are a central element of EBARA's strategy. Further investments are planned in the field of M&A.

Advisor to EBARA Pumps Europe:
ADVANT Beiten: Dr Markus Ley and Moritz Kopp (both in charge, Corporate/M&A), Christian Hess (IP/IT), Dr Erik Schmid, Regina Dietel (both Labour Law), Christoph Heinrich, Cathleen Laitenberger (both Antitrust Law) and Maximilian Matusewicz (Corporate/M&A, all Munich).

Public Relations
Frauke Reuther
Communication
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

Dr Markus Ley
Rechtsanwalt (Lawyer)
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (89) 3 50 65 - 1211
markus.ley@advant-beiten.com

Under the term EdTech, innovative and technology-oriented companies and start-ups offer application-oriented solutions, services and products in the field of learning and education applications. Tomorrow University of Applied Sciences is committed to enabling learners to develop cutting-edge skills in the fields of sustainability, entrepreneurship and technology.

In the past years, Educapital has made investments in twenty innovative European companies. In 2022, the second fund was raised with the aim of supporting future European EdTech leaders. With USD 200 million in assets under management, Educapital is now the largest European fund specialising in EdTech and the future of work. In addition, Educapital is also the first independent venture capital company founded by two women.

The global EdTech market is expected to grow at an annual rate of 16.5 percent until 2030, reaching a value of USD 404 billion by 2025, documenting the growing interest in new technologies and online education.

Advisor Educapital

ADVANT Beiten: Dr Barbara Mayer (Corporate/M&A, Freiburg), Christian Burmeister (both lead partner, Corporate/M&A, Freiburg/Berlin).

Public Relations

Frauke Reuther
Manager Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

Dr Barbara Mayer
Lawyer
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (761) 15 09 84 - 14
Barbara.Mayer@advant-beiten.com

As one of the leading German games publishers, astragon Entertainment strengthens the development of its own simulation brands with the acquisition. astragon gains an experienced and reliable partner in Independent Arts, thus enabling it to continue the development of existing and new working simulation titles as well as to diversify the portfolio of own productions across various platforms.

Independent Arts, located in Hamm, Germany, has developed commercial video games since 1990, which makes it one of the oldest and most traditional German development studios. The studio with 39 employees has decades of experience and expertise through its own development projects and porting, as well as a strong creative contribution and an excellent management. Independent Arts welcomes an even closer cooperation and the opportunity to expand personnel and structure of the studio as a part of astragon in order to implement more projects and business strategies in the future.

Advisors to astragon:
ADVANT Beiten: Dr Andreas Lober (IT/IP/Media), Dr Guido Ruegenberg (Corporate/M&A, both in charge), Lennart Kriebel (IT/IP/Media), Dr Gerald Müller-Machwirth (Labour Law, all Frankfurt).

Media Contact
Frauke Reuther
Manager Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

Dr Guido Ruegenberg
Rechtsanwalt
ADVANT Beiten
+49 69 756095-393
guido.ruegenberg@advant-beiten.com

Dr Andreas Lober
Rechtsanwalt
ADVANT Beiten
+49 69 756095-582
andreas.lober@advant-beiten.com

For Laumann Group, the acquisition marks the entry into the aluminium segment. Ponzio will be positioned as an independent business unit within Laumann Group. The goal of this integration is for Laumann Group and Ponzio Polska to jointly continue Ponzio Polska's growth path in the existing markets and beyond.

Ponzio Polska is a leading manufacturer of aluminium profile systems for the building industry with a strong footprint in Poland and other major European markets. The company employs over 300 people.

Laumann Group, a family-owned group with headquarters in Sendenhorst in the Northwest of Germany, is a leading provider of building-related product solutions and IT-services. The company employs over 7,200 employees in over 50 locations on four continents with an annual revenue of approximately EUR 1.9bn.

ADVANT Beiten had already advised Laumann Group on the acquisition of Vinylit Fassaden GmbH in 2021. Laumann Group also includes VEKA AG, a long-standing client of the law firm.

Advisors to Laumann:
ADVANT Beiten: Christoph Heinrich, Cathleen Laitenberger (both Antitrust Law, Munich), Dr Sebastian Weller, Nico Frielinghaus (both M&A/Corporate, Dusseldorf).
Other advisors: JDP (Poland), Sorainen (Lithuania)

Media Contact
Frauke Reuther
Manager Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

Christoph Heinrich
Rechtsanwalt
ADVANT Beiten
+49 89 35065-1342
Christoph.Heinrich@advant-beiten.com

The railway depot is centrally located in the Ruhr metropolis, is developed with listed buildings and has two sidings to the network of Deutsche Bahn. It is therefore attractive for commercial development and the RVR had several direct enquiries. The sale was concluded in a competition-like, transparent selection procedure which had been advertised EU-wide. Award criteria were defined in the course of the tender.

The multinational group CAF is a leading provider in the railway sector and has acquired the property in its entirety in order to develop it for its own purposes as of 2023. At the site in Gelsenkirchen, CAF will be servicing in the near future its modern, battery-powered regional train sets for local transport in the region for the first time which will replace old diesel vehicles.

ADVANT Beiten designed and advised on the state aid and real estate law part of the transaction and the Europe-wide selection procedure and conducted the sales negotiations with the bidders.

Advisor to RVR:
ADVANT Beiten: Dr Dietmar O. Reich (Hamburg/Brussels), Christian Hipp (Berlin, both State Aid Law), Dr Klaus Kemen (Berlin, Real Estate).

Media Contact
Frauke Reuther
Manager Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

Dr Klaus Kemen
Rechtsanwalt
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (30) 26 471 - 133
klaus.kemen@advant-beiten.com

Amphenol is one of the world's largest suppliers of high-tech connection, sensor and antenna solutions used across across sectors including automotive, broadband communications, commercial aviation and aerospace, industry, information technology and data communications.

CMR operates in 12 countries and employs more than 1,000 people worldwide. For many years, CMR Group has built up a strong international presence and a solid customer portfolio of leading companies.

In recent years, CMR Group, supported by LBO France, has diversified its business, and completed several acquisitions, including Costronic, specializing in renewable energies, and Procaly Group, specializing in the railway sector.

The ADVANT Beiten team led by partners Dr Christian von Wistinghausen and Susanne Rademacher advised on all German and Chinese legal aspects of the transaction and also coordinated the legal aspects relating to India and the UK.

ADVANT Beiten has been advising Amphenol regularly on M&A transactions in Germany for several years. The success of this cross-border transaction is the result of the excellent cooperation of ADVANT's cross-border teams and an expression of the strong alliance.

Advisors to Amphenol:
ADVANT Beiten: Dr Christian von Wistinghausen, Tassilo Klesen (both Berlin), Susanne Rademacher (Beijing, all Corporate/M&A), Uwe Wellmann (Berlin), Christoph Heinrich (Munich, both Antitrust) for the German and Chinese legal aspects of the transaction

ADVANT Altana: Jean-Nicolas Soret (Lead Partner), Fabien Pouchot, Eléonore Vucher-Bondet and Léonie Bontoux (all Corporate/M&A), Mickaël d'Allende, Laura Beserman and Kevin Bellolo (all Employment), Louis des Cars (Public), Jean-Guy de Ruffray, Camille Raclet (both IP/IT)

Advisor to LBO France:
JEANTET: Philippe Matignon, David Hallel, Henriette Barrois and Gabriel di Chiara

Media Contact
Frauke Reuther
Manager Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

Dr Christian von Wistinghausen
Rechtsanwalt (Lawyer)
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (30) 26471 – 350
christian.wistinghausen@advant-beiten.com

Based on proprietary platform technologies, Ethris has been developing mRNA therapeutics for diseases with inadequate treatment and for regenerative medicine for more than 10 years. The biotechnology company develops highly effective mRNA-based drugs for administration directly into the upper and lower respiratory tract and by intra-muscular injection.

Cipla is India's third-largest pharmaceutical company and South Africa's third-largest generic drug manufacturer. It has a particular focus on drugs and therapies for respiratory diseases. Cipla became internationally known for its production of low-cost HIV medicines. Founded in 1935, Cipla employs about 23,000 people.

ADVANT Beiten has a strong positioning in the healthcare sector and in advising international clients on investments in the German market.

Advisor Cipla Ltd.:
ADVANT Beiten: Christian Hipp (Antitrust), Benjamin Knorr (Corporate/M&A and Tax, both leading advisors, Berlin), Dr Dietmar O. Reich (Antitrust, Hamburg and Brussels), Wolf J. Reuter (Employment, Berlin), Robert Schmid(Corporate/M&A, Berlin), Dr Christian Ulrich Wolf (Corporate/M&A, Hamburg), Christian Hess (IP/IT, Munich).

Advisor Ethris GmbH:
m law group. Munich

Media Contact
Frauke Reuther
Manager Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

Benjamin Knorr
Rechtsanwalt
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (30) 26471 – 262
benjamin.knorr@advant-beiten.com

The Terreal businesses to be acquired by Wienerberger are expected to generate revenues of EUR 740 million and a run-rate EBITDA of approx. EUR 100 million in 2022. The enterprise value of the respective Terreal businesses amounts to EUR 600 million, subject to customary adjustments. The acquisition agreement was signed at the end of December, marking the start of the exclusive negotiation phase. The closing is expected to occur in the course of 2023.

The merger control part of the transaction is led by ADVANT Beiten partners Uwe Wellmann and Christoph Heinrich who are jointly responsible for German merger control and coordinate a team of law firms in various jurisdictions. Cross-border merger control advice is provided in cooperation with, inter alia, ADVANT Altana in France, Binder Grösswang in Austria, Woźniak Legal in Poland and Radovanović Stojanović & Partners in Southeastern Europe.

The M&A work stream was led by E+H (Vienna, Graz). ADVANT Beiten partner Dr. Mario Weichel took over its German part and together with a multidisciplinary team performed the legal due diligence on the Creaton business. ADVANT Altana was responsible for the French due diligence.

Advisers to Wienerberger:
ADVANT Beiten: Uwe Wellmann (Berlin) and Christoph Heinrich (both lead partners, both Competition law), Dr Mario Weichel, Maximilian Matusewicz (both Corporate/M&A), Cathleen Laitenberger (Competition Law), Anja Fischer (Real Estate), Katrin Lüdtke and Philipp Früh (both Public Law), Christian Hess (IP), Michael Ziegler and Petra Fendt (Finance), Chiara Peterhammer (Commercial, all Munich), Nima Valadkhani (Commercial), Wolf J. Reuter (Employment Law) and Dr Ariane Loof (Data Protection, all Berlin).

Media Contact
Frauke Reuther
Manager Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

Uwe Wellmann
Lawyer
ADVANT Beiten
+49 30 26471-243
uwe.wellmann@advant-beiten.com

Pörtge has worked at Pinsent Masons before joining ADVANT Beiten as Equity Partner.

Jochen Pörtge advises his clients on issues of criminal compliance and risk and crisis management including corporate defense, particularly on measures to avoid corruption, money laundering prevention and on tax crime matters. He is considered a proven expert in advising on preventive compliance and regularly accompanies internal investigations. He has many years of expertise in the energy, healthcare and financial services sectors. Prior to joining Pinsent Mason in 2018, Jochen Pörtge has worked with the Clifford Chance criminal law team for eight years.

"We are pleased to have gained Jochen Pörtge, a recognised and established expert in the market, for our firm," says Philipp Cotta, Managing Partner of ADVANT Beiten, adding: "The areas Compliance and White Collar Crime are essential components of our full service advisory approach on a national and international level. In Jochen Pörtge, we have found an excellent partner who, with his professional and personal background, is a perfect match for us, and whose expertise will help us expand this area again."

Jochen Pörtge comments: "I am delighted to be able to integrate my key advisory areas corporate defence, criminal compliance and internal investigations strongly into the firm at ADVANT Beiten. Both nationally and internationally, ADVANT Beiten offers an ideal platform to develop existing and new business."

Media Contact
Frauke Reuther
Manager Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
Frauke.Reuther@advant-beiten.com

Philipp Cotta
Managing Partner
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (89) 3 50 65 – 1342
Philipp.Cotta@advant-beiten.com

In the course of the completed transaction, the managing partner Sigrid Schmidt sold her shares. Her long-time co-managing director Heribert Rottler continues to hold an interest in the company and remains managing director. The purchaser will, in addition to capital, bring extensive know-how for further growth into the partnership. The parties agreed not to disclose the transaction volume.

Schmidt + Bartl GmbH ("S&B") was founded in Villingen-Schwenningen, Germany in 1985 and has been dedicated in the distribution of semi-finished plastic products, plastic piping systems and elastomers for almost 30 years. Furthermore, S&B has been active in the production of small volume technical plastic and elastomer parts for more than 15 years. The company generates an annual revenue of more than EUR 20m.

Together with VR Equitypartner and UnternehmensGut, the (partial) succession is supposed to be ensured and the successful growth strategy continued. In addition to broadening the customer base from the chemical industry, food technology, renewable energies, pharmaceutical industry, mechanical engineering, medical and cleanroom technology and semiconductor technology, also the range of products and production capacity is to be further expanded.

Advisors to Schmidt + Bartl GmbH:
ADVANT Beiten: Dr Barbara Mayer (Freiburg), Christian Burmeister (Freiburg/Berlin), Simon Schuler (Freiburg, alle Corporate / M&A).

Dr Barbara Mayer joined ADVANT Beiten in summer - together with a large team of renowned corporate/M&A experts led by Gerhard Manz and Dr Jan Barth - and opened the firm’s new office in Freiburg, Germany.

At the most recent practice group meeting, the firm’s corporate partners set the course for the future. After a successful year in 2022, Mayer and Vogel will deepen the cooperation across locations and practice groups, while Dr von Wistinghausen will push international cooperation and joint client acquisition at an ADVANT level.

"I’ve been impressed by what I’ve experienced at ADVANT Beiten over the last few months. Cooperation between colleagues, both nationally and internationally, is great. Everyone is highly motivated; it's a pleasure to become more involved and vigorously advance the practice group," explains Dr Mayer.

Prof. Vogel adds: "I’m looking forward to continuing the work with Barbara Mayer that I had the pleasure of starting with Christian von Wistinghausen. Thanks to her many years of experience as managing partner of another German law firm, Barbara brings new ideas and perspectives to the table. We are confident that we will make the practice group even more powerful and successful in 2023."

ADVANT brings together 110 professionals in a joint M&A Practice and 156 professionals in a joint Corporate & Commercial practice. On an international level, ADVANT practice groups operate jointly and are led by coordinators from the national practice groups in Germany, France and Italy.

Dr Kathrin Bürger, Dr Silke Dulle, Christina Kamppeter, Susanne Klein, Dr Ralf Hafner, Dr Georg Tolksdorf and Dr Sebastian Weller represent five different legal areas and are spread across five locations.

• Dr Kathrin Bürger (Labour Law, Frankfurt and München), Licensed Specialist for Labour Law, advises particularly on collective labour law issues. She assists companies with collective bargaining changes and (in-house) collective bargaining negotiations as well as strike preparation measures. Beyond that, Dr Bürger advises companies on the negotiation with works councils, also as a part of conciliation boards, as well as on all kinds of individual labour law issues.
• Dr Silke Dulle (Corporate/M&A, Berlin), Licensed Specialist for Medical Law, provides legal advice to clients of the healthcare sector, especially in the area of hospitals and health insurance companies. Her legal consultancy covers hospital law, social security and pharmaceutical law, procurement law and corporate law.
• Christina Kamppeter (Labour Law, Munich), Licensed Specialist for Labour Law, advises national and international companies on all aspects of individual and collective labour law, in particular regarding negotiations with works councils and trade unions. One focus of her work is on providing labour law advice on restructurings.
• Susanne Klein (IP/IT/Media, Frankfurt), Licensed Specialist for Information Technology Law, is a renowned expert in data protection law. In addition, she advises her national and international clients in IT and copyright law.
• Dr Ralf Hafner (Litigation & Dispute Resolution, Munich), advises his national and international clients in complex international disputes on dispute resolution out of court and represents them in arbitration and state court proceedings.
• Dr Georg Tolksdorf (Assets/Succession/Foundations, Hamburg) provides legal advice in the area of inheritance and foundation law as well as (tax-optimized) succession planning for private individuals and (family-owned) companies. Another focus of his work is on the execution of (corporate) wills.
• Dr Sebastian Weller (Corporate/M&A, Dusseldorf) focuses on Corporate/M&A as well as Private Equity/Venture Capital, particularly providing legal advice for take-overs, participations and restructuring projects. He provides support on all issues relating to corporate and transformation law as well as corporate compliance.

In addition to the seven new Equity Partners, the following Salary Partners have been appointed Local Partners:

• Dr Anne Dziuba, Labour Law, Munich
• Dr Daniel Fischer, Real Estate, Frankfurt
• Dr Christina Hackbarth, IP/IT/Media, Munich
• Christian Hipp, Antitrust Law, Berlin
• Tanja Hogh Holub, IP/IT/Media, Munich
• Sylvia Jenoh, Tax, Frankfurt
• Dr Klaus Kemen, Real Estate, Berlin
• Dr Markus Ley, Corporate/M&A, Berlin
• Jörn Manhart, Labour Law, Dusseldorf
• Carsten Pütger, Corporate/M&A, Dusseldorf
• Dr Jochen Reuter, Real Estate, Frankfurt
• Dr Winfried Richardt, Corporate/M&A, Dusseldorf
• Dr Florian Weichselgärtner, Dispute Resolution, Munich
• Mathias Zimmer-Goertz, IP/IT/Media, Dusseldorf

Furthermore, the following colleagues successfully continue their career path and have been appointed from  Senior Associates to Salary Partners:

• Annalena Benz, Real Estate, Munich
• Jens Ledermann, Tax, Frankfurt
• Dr Martina Schlamp, Labour Law, Munich

Beyond growth from its own ranks, ADVANT Beiten also continues its course of targeted growth with lateral hires in selected areas and confirms the salary partnership of the following colleagues:

• Christian Burmeister, Corporate/M&A, Freiburg/Berlin
• Dr Moritz Jenne, Corporate/M&A, Freiburg
• Dr Sebastian Kroll, Labour Law, Munich
• Markus P. Linnartz, Tax, Dusseldorf
• Dr Ariane Loof, Labour Law, Berlin
• Dr Michael Matthiessen, Labour Law, Berlin
• Dr Birgit Münchbach, Corporate/M&A, Freiburg
• Kristin Müller-Nedebock, Tax, Hamburg

"All seniority levels are of central importance for the future of our law firm. We are therefore all the more pleased to be able to accompany so many colleagues of different seniority levels, legal areas and locations on their career paths, comments Philipp Cotta, Managing Partner of ADVANT Beiten, and adds: Our modified career track offers all colleagues even more flexibility in their individual career planning and allows us to emphasise our professional expertise across the different levels even more clearly to our clients."

Congratulations to all elected and confirmed partners.

Christian von Buddenbrock and Jörn Manhart, both partners at the international law firm ADVANT Beiten, have been advising Uniper on the concept of the pure defined contribution scheme since 2019, drafted all the necessary contractual texts, from the employer's draft collective agreement to the pension plan, and supported Uniper in the collective bargaining negotiations. In addition, ADVANT Beiten was involved in the BaFin approval process for Uniper and in coordination with Metzler Sozialpartner Pensionsfonds AG. In September 2022, the Metzler rBZ 1 pension plan of the Uniper social partner model was the first in Germany to receive the BaFin clearance certificate in accordance with its application.

The pure defined contribution scheme was initiated by the then Federal Minister of Labour, Andrea Nahles, and anchored in 2017 in the Act on the Improvement of Occupational Pension Provision (BetrAVG). The instrument is intended to allow employers to issue pension commitments that are guaranteed and thus risk-free in the long term. As a counterbalance to the lack of a guarantee component, the law orders mandatory participation of the social partners in the implementation and management of the pension scheme. However, the considerable legal ambiguities, political restraint on the part of the social partners and questions of competence between collective bargaining and supervisory law have since made it difficult to set up pure defined contribution schemes.

The social partner model is aimed at employees of the Uniper companies who fall within the pay scale group in Germany. It also offers the possibility for other collective agreements to join the pension scheme. 

Media Contact
Markus Bauer
Rechtsanwalt (Lawyer)
Head of Marketing Labour Law
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (89) 350 65 - 1104
markus.bauer@advant-beiten.com

Christian Freiherr von Buddenbrock
Rechtsanwalt (Lawyer)
ADVANT Beiten
+49-211-518989 - 190
christian.vonbuddenbrock@advant-beiten.com

Jörn Manhart
Rechtsanwalt (Lawyer)
ADVANT Beiten
+49-211-518989 - 190
joern.manhart@advant-beiten.com

The Kupferzell battery storage facility is the first of the so-called "grid booster" projects with which the German transmission grid operators intend to counteract overloads in the transmission grid to ensure a stable and permanent power supply.

Advisor to TransnetBW GmbH:
ADVANT Beiten: Dr Christian Ulrich Wolf (Project Agreements, Hamburg); Stephan Rechten; Max Stanko (both Procurement Law, both Berlin); Maren Dedert (Project Agreements, Hamburg) and Sebastian Berg (Energy Law, Berlin).

Inhouse Legal: Sonja Köhler; Dr Uwe-Michael Voigt; Dr Sascha Pelka

Media Contact
Frauke Reuther
Manager Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

Dr Christian Ulrich Wolf
Lawyer 
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (40) 68 87 45 - 124
ChristianUlrich.Wolf@advant-beiten.com

Ariana Loof will work in the team of Dr Thomas Puffe and Dr Thomas Barthel. She specializes in collective labour law and in data protection law, particularly in data protection law for employees. Before her time at KPMG, she worked for the law firm Dentons.

"We are very pleased that we were able to win over an experienced lawyer in Dr Loof, who besides her focus on classic labour law possesses extensive expertise in data protection law, particularly in data protection for employees," emphasizes Markus Künzel, Partner and head of the labour law practice group at ADVANT Beiten. "This area is becoming increasingly important in practice. Therefore, we are very happy that this allows us to perfect our line up not only at the Berlin office but also throughout Germany," the lawyer continues.

The Berlin labour law practice recently already reinforced itself at partner level with Dr Michael Matthiessen, see our Press release dated 4 July 2022.

Media Contact
Markus Künzel
Head of the Labour & Employment Law practice group
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (89) 350 65 - 1130
markus.kuenzel@advant-beiten.com

Markus Bauer
Rechtsanwalt (Lawyer)
Head of Marketing Labour Law
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (89) 350 65 - 1104
markus.bauer@advant-beiten.com

The transaction is structured as a share deal whereby Aurelius will acquire the specific legal entities, i.e. Sappi Stockstadt GmbH, Sappi Maastricht Real Estate B.V. (including its subsidiary Sappi Maastricht B.V.), Sappi Finland I Oy and Sappi Finland Operations Oy, which own and control the assets and liabilities of the individual mills.

The enterprise value of the transaction amounts to approximately EUR 272 million and the consideration consists of cash proceeds and retained receivables as well as retained liabilities. The transaction is expected to close in Q1 2023, subject to various standard suspensive conditions.

Sappi is a global leader in dissolving pulp and paper-based solutions, headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa. It has over 12,000 employees, manufacturing facilities in ten countries spanning over three continents and customers in over 150 countries worldwide.

Advisors to Sappi Limited:

Advant Beiten: Dr Christoph Schmitt (Lead Partner; Banking & Finance) and Dr Markus Ley (Lead Partner, Corporate Law); Dr Mario Weichel and Maximilian Matusewicz (both Corporate Law); Dr Gerald Müller-Machwirth and Maike Pflästerer (both Employment Law); Katrin Lüdtke and Philipp Früh (both Public Law); Anja Fischer (Real Estate); Susanne Klein (IT Law and Data Protection) as well as Christoph Heinrich, Dr Christian Heinichen and Cathleen Laitenberger (all Antitrust and Competition Law).

Stibbe is advising on the Dutch law aspects and Fondia is advising on the Finnish law aspects of the transaction.

Media Contact
Frauke Reuther
Manager Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
Frauke.Reuther@advant-beiten.com

Markus Ley
Rechtsanwalt
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (89) 35 0 65 - 1211
Markus.Ley@advant-beiten.com

Hedwell, headquartered in Germany, is an international consulting and software development company that supports insurance groups and companies primarily in the financial services industry with their digital and business transformation. Hedwell was founded in Munich in June 2020 and has since opened offices in Serbia, Singapore and India.

SAP Fioneer emerged from SAP, one of the market leaders in company application software, and is also headquartered in Germany, in Walldorf/Baden-Württemberg. With a global network, SAP Fioneer operates in 14 countries in Europe, North and Latin America, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region.

RSP advised on the Serbian aspects of the transaction.

Advisors to the Hedwell Group:

ADVANT Beiten: Dr Mario Weichel (lead partner/Corporate M&A/Munich), Dr Markus Ley (Corporate M&A/Munich).

RSP: Saša Stojanović, Nikola Cincović, Đorđe Vićić, Luka Radojević, Živko Kovačević, Irina Petrović.

Media Contact

Frauke Reuther
Manager Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
Tel.: +49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
Mail: Frauke.Reuther@advant-beiten.com

Dr Mario Weichel
Rechtsanwalt
ADVANT Beiten
Tel.: +49 (89) 35065 - 1301
Mail: Mario.Weichel@advant-beiten.com

Since launching in September 2021, ADVANT has carved out a unique place in the legal landscape of Europe, offering a seamless client experience and a distinctive advantage to clients seeking to expand into, or within, continental Europe.

In just its first year, ADVANT has successfully launched a range of initiatives in support of the association and its member firms, including:

• Establishing 13 active cross-firm Practice Groups to foster collaboration, share knowledge and legal insights, and coordinate international event, marketing and business development activity
• The first-ever ADVANT-wide professionals meeting (ADVANT Live), bringing nearly 600 delegates to Berlin for practice group planning sessions and relationship-building activities
• An ADVANT-wide secondment program (‘Your Road to Europe’) giving associates and legal professionals the opportunity for career and professional development in one of seven locations across Europe
• Sponsorship or joint attendance at a number of major events, conferences and forums around the world, including IBA, ABA, ACC Europe, INTA and the Games Law Summit

In recognition of its success to date, ADVANT has also been shortlisted for International Firm of the Year at the 2022 Legal Business Awards. The winner will be announced in a gala ceremony in London on 27 September.

Philipp Cotta, Managing Partner of ADVANT Beiten and member of the ADVANT Steering Group, said:

“Reflecting on the last twelve months, it is clear we have made enormous progress towards building the foundations of our long-term collaboration and in pursuit of our vision of becoming one of Europe’s top legal advisors. We continue to go from strength to strength as an association, united by our vision for the future of ADVANT and our common values.”

The facts of the case are as follows: The employers jointly run an inpatient residential facility. As of 2017, they have negotiated with the works council on the conclusion of a so-called company agreement (an agreement between employer and works council) for recording of working time. At the end of May 2018, they decided not to introduce any electronic time recording in the company. The negotiations were broken off. With the present proceedings, the works council wants it to be established that a co-determination right for the proactive introduction of an electronic time recording exists for the works council. The works council considers that the employees may also have an interest in the introduction of an electronic time recording, precisely where the exact recording of working time and overtime is concerned. The employers, on the other hand, are of the opinion that the co-determination right of the works council for the introduction of technical monitoring equipment pursuant to Sec. 87 (1) No. 6 of the German Works Constitution Act is a mere right of defence for the protection of personal rights of the employees. Accordingly, the works council may not proactively demand the introduction of such equipment.

"Should the Federal Labour Court decide in favour of the works council, the Federal Labour Court would give up its longstanding case law. Since the court has refused such a right of initiative in a relevant decision from the year 1989", explains Lipinski. "A change of case law would have far-reaching consequences for the industrial constitution law and business practice. Since the works council could also demand, for instance, the use of other IT systems or software previously not used with the employer, such as Windows 365, MS-Teams, Zoom etc. from the employer in case of affirmation of such a right of initiative. In the absence of an agreement with the employer, a conciliation committee ('arbitration board' with employers' and employees' representatives under the guidance of a neutral chairperson) would have to be convened which may also decide against the will of the employer", according to Lipinski. "The extremely high practical relevance also arises from the fact that the technical equipment - pursuant to the previous decisions of the Federal Labour Court - must only be suitable for behaviour control, even if this is provably not the purpose of the employer. In this case, the co-determination of the works council is already to be affirmed according to the Federal Labour Court, thus, the scope of application of the provision concerned is tremendous", the lawyer continues.

"European factors" might also play a role for the decision to be taken on 13 September 2022. The European Court of Justice (ECJ) had decided in 2019 (C-55/18 – CCOO) that the German legislator must adopt a provision under EU law which obliges employers to establish a system, by which the daily working time performed by each employee can be measured. Despite a declaration of intent in the coalition agreement of the governing parties in the past year, the German legislator could not agree on a provision. "It is presumed in part that the Federal Labour Court could take its decision in the light of this case law of the ECJ. From the substantive point of view, however, it is about something different (not about the obligation of the German legislator to adopt a provision for recording of working time, but about the question whether the works council may enforce an electronic time recording in the company). Should the Federal Labour Court, however, agree with the works council, the Federal Labour Court would de facto convert the works council into a kind of 'company police" which - instead of the legislator who has not yet taken action - may force the employer to introduce a comprehensive electronic time recording", explains Lipinski. "This has to be refused, as it is unequivocally and quite clearly specified by the legislator according to the present German Working Hours Act that only the working time exceeding eight hours per day has to be recorded by the employer. If one would like to regulate this differently, the legislator is demanded and not the Federal Labour Court as a court which only has to apply existing laws or interpret unclear provisions. In addition, the ECJ does not demand any technical or electronic time recording. A technical equipment is, however, a prerequisite for the existence of a co-determination right, with which we are dealing here", according to Lipinski. We sincerely hope that the Federal Labour Court, therefore, maintains its previous case law which refuses a right of initiative with convincing arguments and that - as intended by the separation of powers - the legislator adopts a provision".

Lipinski even goes one step further: "It would be best if the German legislator would carry out a comprehensive reform of the laws on working hours. Since in the light of mobile office, working from home, flexible working hours etc. the existing laws on working hours often no longer correspond to the practical reality of life of the parties to an employment agreement. Most urgently, the legislator should strengthen the flexibility in the employment relationship by abolishing the limit of 8 hours work per day and by introducing maximum working hours per week instead", concludes the lawyer.

Dr Wolfgang Lipinski is a Labour Law Specialist and a Partner at ADVANT Beiten. He will be pleased to be at your disposal for interviews.

To facilitate readability, this document does not use the masculine and feminine forms of language at the same time. The generic masculine is used, whereby all genders are equally referred to.

Media Contact

Dr. Wolfgang Lipinski
Labour Law Specialist
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (89) 350 65 - 1133
wolfgang.lipinski@advant-beiten.com 

Markus Bauer
Head of Marketing (Labour & Employment Law practice group)
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (89) 350 65 - 1104
markus.bauer@advant-beiten.com

Both objects are in central locations and are leased to German grocery retailer REWE on a long-term basis.

Glenrock International Limited is a Guernsey-based real estate investment business that focuses on property investments in Europe. Glenrock has been investing in commercial, industrial, and retail properties in Europe since 2014, partnering with institutions, high-net-worth individuals, and family offices.

Volker Szpak has been providing legal and tax advice to Glenrock International's German real estate portfolio since 2014, and already provided legal and tax advice on the purchase of the two grocery retail markets back in 2015.

Adviser to Glenrock International:
ADVANT Beiten: Volker Szpak (Corporate / M&A and Tax).

Media Contact
Frauke Reuther
Manager Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

Volker Szpak
Lawyer and Tax Advisor
ADVANT Beiten
+49 69 756095-471
Volker.Szpak@advant-beiten.com

ENVIRIA is an innovative all-in-one provider, offering modern PV plants installed on commercial rooftops and on large open spaces. In 2021, ENVIRIA was awarded the Hessian Founders' Award.

The ADVANT Beiten team headed by Partner Dr Christof Aha regularly advises innovative developers of renewable energy projects on project developments, joint ventures as well as project purchases and sales.

Advisor ENVIRIA:
ADVANT Beiten: Dr. Christof Aha, Mark Thönißen, Felix Busold, LL.M (all Corporate/M&A, Frankfurt am Main) - together with Andreas Bodensohn, Capcora, als M&A advisor.
Inhouse: Sindy Küllig

Advisor Q ENERGY:
Eversheds Sutherland: Dr. Martin Weitenberg, Joel-Fiete Feld
Inhouse: Christoph Jourdan

Media Contact
Frauke Reuther
Manager Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

Dr. Christof Aha
Rechtsanwalt
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 451
christof.aha@advant-beiten.com

Dr Michael Matthiessen joined the Berlin labour law team as a Partner on 01 March 2022. He is a labour law specialist and has been a lecturer at the University of Greifswald since 2009. His area of expertise includes the out-of-court advice and representation of employers in individual and collective law disputes. He focuses on the areas of drafting employment agreements, termination and time limitation of employment relationships as well as works constitution. He regularly advises companies in the sectors of health, banking and automotive retail.

The labour law division in Munich is also welcoming a renowned addition to the team. Dr Sebastian Kroll will be joining the practice group there as a partner on 01 September 2022. He also is a labour law specialist. He focuses on collective labour law, the assistance with restructuring (including the negotiations concerning volunteer programmes, reconciliation of interests and social plans), assignment of external staff as well as legal representation, in particular in dismissal protection lawsuits. He regularly advises companies, predominantly in the sectors of marketing and advertising, mechanical and plant engineering, health, insurance and publishing, as well as employers in the public sector.

"We are pleased that with the two new additions we were able to gain two colleagues who are highly respected and established in the market," says Markus Künzel, Head of the Practice Group Labour and Employment Law in ADVANT Beiten's Munich office, adding, "Both have many years of industry expertise that fits perfectly into our existing advisory portfolio; and they excellently complement our team of cooperating experts across offices - both professionally and personally."

Media Contact

Markus Bauer
Head of Marketing (Labour & Employment Law practice group)
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (89) 350 65 - 1104
markus.bauer@advant-beiten.com

Markus Künzel
Head of the Labour & Employment Law practice group
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (89) 350 65 - 1130
markus.kuenzel@advant-beiten.com

The ADVANT Beiten team around lead partner Dr Sebastian Weller provided full support for the complex transaction across practice groups and offices: from the preparation and structuring of the transaction (including due diligence), to the negotiation, implementation and closing of the transaction including antitrust notification.

Medline is a leading global healthcare company that manufactures and distributes high-quality medical and surgical products. Medline Europe was founded in 2011 and operates branches, as well as production and distribution centres throughout Europe.

Asid Bonz is a leading supplier to clinics and hospitals in Germany, offering high-quality products for surgery, anaesthesia, ward care and urology. Asid Bonz was founded in 1811 and is known worldwide for having developed the first anaesthetic ether. In 2021, Asid Bonz achieved a turnover of more than 30 million euros and supplied more than 1,100 hospitals in Germany.

With similar business models and excellent customer service, the two companies are an excellent strategic fit. In the future, Medline will make the Asid Bonz brand available to its broad European customer base outside of Germany. Within Germany, Asid Bonz sales representatives will have access to selected Medline products to further expand their partnership with customers.

Advisor to Medline International B.V.:
ADVANT Beiten: Dr Sebastian Weller (Corporate/M&A, in charge), Nico Frielinghaus (Corporate/M&A), Dr Tassilo Klesen (Corporate/Commercial), Markus Schönherr (Corporate/M&aA), Dr Patrick Hübner (Investment Control), Peter Weck (Labour Law), Dr Andrea Pomana (Antitrust), Christoph Heinrich (Antitrust), Marco Mirceta (Antitrust), Mathias Zimmer-Goertz (IP), Christian Döpke (Data Protection), Dr Marion Frotscher (Tax), Simon Bauer (Tax), Katrin Lüdtke (Public Law), Sascha Opheys (Subsidies).

Advisor to Medi-Globe Europe:
White & Case: Dr Stefan Koch, lead partner

Media Contact
Frauke Reuther
Manager Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
Frauke.Reuther@advant-beiten.com

Dr Sebastian Weller
Lawyer
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (211) 51 89 89 - 134
Sebastian.Weller@advant-beiten.com

New initiative offers career and professional development opportunities in seven European locations

MILAN, MUNICH and PARIS (16 May 2022) – ADVANT, a leading European law firm association, has launched a new secondment program for its associates and legal professionals.

The new secondment program – Your Road to Europe – has been designed to provide enhanced career and professional development opportunities on an international scale for the ADVANT team, which is among the key strategic priorities of the association. As part of the initiative, associates from the member firms can apply for placements lasting between three weeks and three months in one of seven locations across the international footprint of ADVANT member firms. The available locations currently include Berlin, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Milan, Munich, Paris and Rome. Secondments will be considered on a rolling basis, with candidates selected based on their motivations and ambitions, seniority, English proficiency and department approval.

This new secondment program is the latest of a series of major initiatives to be developed since the launch of the association, which was first announced in September 2021. ADVANT is a European law firm association between three leading independent firms: ADVANT Altana (France), ADVANT Beiten (Germany), and ADVANT Nctm (Italy). Altogether, the association has a combined team of more than 140 equity partners and more than 600 legal and tax professionals, and is uniquely positioned to support clients seeking to expand into, or within, continental Europe.

Dr Hans-Josef Vogel, Partner of ADVANT Beiten and one of the coordinators of the initiative, said:

“The launch of our new secondment program represents the fulfilment of one of our key priorities for ADVANT, namely to make available exciting professional and personal development opportunities for our team. The competition for legal talent is fierce and it is increasingly important that our professionals have the opportunity to expand their horizons and experiences, as well as get to know their colleagues and peers at other ADVANT member firms. Taken together, our association represents a truly attractive and multinational work environment for lawyers and professionals that embrace the diversity of Europe, and this new program will help ensure we offer a truly market-leading work experience for the industry’s best, brightest and most ambitious.”

Dr Barbara Mayer, awarded "Leading Consultant in Baden-Wuerttemberg" by the industry magazine JUVE, and Dr Jan Barth join ADVANT Beiten as Equity Partners. Gerhard Manz, also a "Leading Advisor in BadenWuerttemberg" comes as Of Counsel.

In total, the team setting up the Freiburg office consists of ten professionals of various seniority levels, the former Head of BD & Marketing of FGvW and Support Staff. The team has notable strength in the area of Corporate / M&A and is an excellent addition to ADVANT Beiten's existing practice group. In particular, their longstanding experience in cross-border transactions and in corporate law advice fit perfectly into the strategy of ADVANT.

In the medium term, the office is to be expanded into a full-service unit including labour law and IP.

"Our strength in Corporate / M&A represents a perfect strategic fit", explains Dr Barbara Mayer and adds: "On a national level, the Lake Constance region in particular offers considerable growth potential, which we would like to exploit together with ADVANT Beiten's Munich and Frankfurt offices. And we see a very interesting perspective in the joint expansion of the international ADVANT alliance."

Philipp Cotta, Managing Partner of ADVANT Beiten, comments: "Baden-Wuerttemberg has been part of our growth strategy for some time now. We are all the more pleased to have gained a team with excellent professional quality and outstanding reputation in Dr Barbara Mayer, Dr Jan Barth and Gerhard Manz. Thus, we are starting out with a leading market position in the highly attractive economic region in the southwest."

Media Contact
Frauke Reuther
Manager Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

Philipp Cotta
Managing Partner
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (89) 35065 - 1342
Philipp.Cotta@advant-beiten.com

Gábor Báthory has extensive experience in advising international clients and strengthens the valuable cross-border expertise of ADVANT Beiten. Dr. Dietmar O. Reich, Head of the Brussels office, comments: "We are delighted to welcome an extraordinarily experienced colleague in Brussels!"

Gábor Báthory advises in particular on EU internal market law, EU and international trade law and EU competition law. He has wide-ranging experience in assisting clients in litigation before the EU Courts and in representing clients before EU institutions. He regularly represents large companies in the retail, chemical, aviation and automotive industries. Mr Báthory also has more than 10 years of experience in EU trade law. His expertise includes assisting clients regarding regulatory investigations and represents them before the European Commission and the EU Courts, as well as in customs matters involving national customs authorities and OLAF.

The lawyers in ADVANT Beiten's Brussels office have advised clients in European law matters over three decades. In particular, our experts advise on cartels and merger control, joint ventures and public procurement procedures across borders. We counsel clients from a wide range of industries, including automotive, steel, chemical, pharmaceutical and food, as well as energy, environment and waste management, research and development, aviation, transport, media and sports.

Media Contact
Frauke Reuther
Manager Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

Dr. Dietmar O. Reich
Rechtsanwalt
ADVANT Beiten
+32 2 639 0000
Dietmar.Reich@advant-beiten.com

The takeover bid was preceded by a share purchase of Genius with the principal shareholder of Your Family Entertainment AG, F&M Film- und Medien Beteiligungs-GmbH with registered seat in Vienna. Its sole shareholder is Dr. Stefan Piëch, great-grandson of Ferdinand Porsche, the founder of Porsche. The takeover takes place in several stages, i.e. the principal shareholder and Genius are at first bound by a shareholders' agreement so that there is an acquisition of control. Genius itself then has acquired a portion of the shares of F&M Film- und Medien Beteiligungs-GmbH. Genius does not exclude that it will in future increase the holding by means of another public offering.

Advisor to Genius Brands International Inc.:
ADVANT Beiten: Dr. Dirk Tuttlies (Banking & Finance, Munich); Rainer Süßmann (Banking & Finance, Frankfurt).

Press Contact
Frauke Reuther
Communications Manager
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

Dr. Dirk Tuttlies
Rechtsanwalt (Lawyer)
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (89) 3 50 65 - 1241
dirk.tuttlies@advant-beiten.com

Advisors to PL-Immo-Verwaltungs GmbH: 
ADVANT Beiten: Florian Baumann (in charge, Real Estate), Katrin Lüdtke (Public Sector, both Munich).

Media Contact
Frauke Reuther
Manager Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

Florian Baumann
Lawyer
ADVANT Beiten
+49 89 35065 - 1436
Florian.Baumann@advant-beiten.com

In the judgement, the 20th Civil Chamber of the Regional Court of Bonn agreed with the defendant's argument that a withdrawal from the contract could not be made without first setting a deadline.

The defendant supplier had participated in the open-house procedure of the Federal Ministry of Health for the procurement of protective equipment in the corona pandemic and delivered 2 million protective masks. According to the opinion of the 20th Civil Chamber of the Regional Court of Bonn, the defendant is entitled to the purchase price for all protective masks. According to the court, it was irrelevant whether the protective masks were defective, as the defendant was entitled to subsequent performance. However, the plaintiff had not set the defendant such a deadline for subsequent performance, so that it could not subsequently withdraw from the purchase contract for the protective equipment. Furthermore, the plaintiff could also not invoke a transaction for delivery by a fixed date. In return, according to the opinion of the 20th Civil Chamber of the Regional Court of Bonn, the defendant is entitled to the outstanding part of the purchase price, which was asserted by way of counterclaim by the defendant.

The clear ruling of the Bonn Regional Court should also strengthen the position of the other suppliers in the open house proceedings, whose claims are still pending before the Bonn Regional Court. ADVANT Beiten represents a large number of medium-sized companies in the enforcement of claims against the Federal Republic of Germany arising from contracts for protective equipment.

Advisor to Supplier:
ADVANT Beiten: Moritz Kopp (in charge, Munich), Juliane Schöttler (Frankfurt), Dr. Philipp Sahm (Frankfurt), Alexander Braun (Munich), (all Commercial/Litigation).

Media Contact
Frauke Reuther
Manager Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

Moritz Kopp
Lawyer
ADVANT Beiten
+49 89 35065-1303
Moritz.Kopp@advant-beiten.com

ADVANT Beiten has originally advised Paca Puratos on the acquisition of shares and on a planned investment of/in frizle fresh foods beraten. In the course of the transaction, however, frizle fresh foods AG, which specialises in innovative food products, had to file for insolvency. The ADVANT Beiten team around lead partner Prof. Dr. Hans-Josef Vogel subsequently changed strategy and advised their client on the acquisition of the full business operations from the insolvency administrator.

Fresh spaetzle dough in a bag - the founders of frizle fresh foods launched this business idea in 2015. Even though it failed to land a deal in the well-known TV series "Die Höhle der Löwen", the start-up received a lot of media attention and was quickly representedin many retail chains with its product. This was followed by a number of other fresh, liquid doughs and products that were not yet established in the German market.

PACA, founded in 1934, is leading the Israeli fresh yeast market for more than 40 years. Owner of “Shimrit” a famous Israeli baking goods brand, well known for successful commercial products such as fresh yeast, yeast flours, margarine, naturina, fresh pastry dough bases and fresh batters. PACA is co-owned by Puratos and the Sommerfeld Family. With the acquisition of frizle fresh foods, the company expands its product portfolio of innovative food products and continues their business operations.

Advisors to Paca Puratos:
ADVANT Beiten: Prof. Dr Hans-Josef Vogel (Head, Corporate/M&A), Wilken Beckering (Insolvenzy Law), Dr Winfried Richardt (Corporate/M&A), Mathias Zimmer-Goertz, Christian Döpke (both IP), Thomas Herten (Real Estate), Doreen Methfessel and PeterWeck (both Labour Law, all Dusseldorf).

Insolvency Administrator frizle fresh foods:
Law Firm Rochade Anwälte (Mannheim)

Media Contact
Frauke Reuther
Manager Communications
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

Prof. Dr Hans-Josef Vogel 
Lawyer
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (211) 51 89 89 - 0
Hans-Josef.Vogel@advant-beiten.com

Founded in 2014, the Berlin-based start-up JUNIQE specialises in prints and posters by artists and is excellently positioned in the market. Since its foundation, JUNIQE has received more than 20 million euros in capital from shareholders, including well-known names such as Vorwerk Ventures, High-Tech Gründerfonds and the Cewe Foundation. The founders of JUNIQE leave the operational management but remain closely associated with the company in an advisory capacity. The JUNIQE location in Berlin and the brand will be retained. The number of MYPOSTER employees increases by 70 to 350 with the takeover.

MYPOSTER was founded in 2011 and has experienced rapid growth in recent years. The MYPOSTER group includes the brands myposter, Kartenliebe, ArtPhotoLimited and its own production company Printhouse. The takeover of JUNIQE is MYPOSTER's largest acquisition to date and represents a milestone for the company. MYPOSTER will further develop JUNIQE's business model strategically and innovatively and thus expand it into an even stronger provider in European e-commerce.

Advisors to MYPOSTER:
ADVANT Beiten: Dr Sebastian Weller (in charge, Corporate/M&A/Venture Capital, Dusseldorf), Dr Martin Rappert, Dr Julia Offermanns, Nico Frielinghaus, Dr Winfried Richardt, Markus Schönherr (all Corporate/M&A, alle Dusseldorf), Tassilo Klesen (Corporate/Commercial, Berlin), Wilken Beckering (Corporate/Commercial, Dusseldorf), Lelu Li (Commercial, Berlin), Thomas Herten (Real Estate, Dusseldorf), Peter Weck (Labour Law, Dusseldorf), Christoph Heinrich (Antitrust, Munich), Mathias Zimmer-Goertz (IP, Dusseldorf), Christian Döpke (Data protection, Dusseldorf), Helmut König (Tax, Dusseldorf), Jan Christian Mohrmann (Tax, Frankfurt), Dennis Grimmer, Vivienne Sulek (both Financial Due Diligence, both Dusseldorf).

Advisors to JUNIQE: Osborne Clarke (Nicolas Gabrysch, Alexandra Nautsch)

Media Contact
Frauke Reuther
Manager Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

Dr. Sebastian Weller
Lawyer
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (211) 51 89 89 -134
Sebastian.Weller@advant-beiten.com

WPG is a leading provider of advanced mission-critical drive systems and services for off-highway and industrial applications, headquartered in Lohmar near Cologne, Germany. WPG is represented in 75 countries with components and drive systems for agricultural, industrial, construction and mining machinery and employs more than 2,200 people worldwide. 

The merger of Comer Industries, listed on the Borsa Italiana, with WPG will create one of the world's largest suppliers of drive solutions in the agricultural sector, with an expected combined turnover of one billion euros in 2021.

ADVANT Beiten supported the transaction, which was completed in December 2021, in particular by carrying out legal due diligence, conducting a clearing procedure under the German Foreign Trade and Payments Regulation (Außenwirtschaftsverordnung) and assisting with German and Russian antitrust clearance.

Adviser to Comer Industries: 
ADVANT Beiten: Dr Christian von Wistinghausen (Lead Partner in charge), Tassilo Klesen, Dr Patrick A. Hübner, Lelu Li, Olga Prokopyeva (all Corporate / M&A, Berlin), Dr Klaus Kemen, Robin Maletz (both Real Estate, Berlin), Katrin Lüdtke, (Public Sector, Munich), Michael Ziegler, Petra Fendt (both Banking/Finance & Capital Markets, Munich), Christoph Heinrich, Cathleen Laitenberger (both Antitrust Law, Munich), Uwe Wellmann (Antitrust Law, Berlin), Susanne Klein (IP/IT, Frankfurt), Dr Nicole Hirschvogel (IP/IT, Munich), Julia Alexandra Schütte (Employment & Labour, Berlin), Christian Freiherr von Buddenbrock (Employment & Labour, Dusseldorf), Julia Meler (Employment & Labour, Munich).

ADVANT Beiten, Moscow (Russia) (for regulatory clearances under Russian law): Vasily Ermolin

ADVANT Nctm, Milan (Italy), NOBILI RTZ Legal

Adviser to WPG: Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP, Milan (Italy)

Media Contact
Frauke Reuther
Manager Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

Dr. Christian von Wistinghausen
Lawyer
ADVANT Beiten
Tel.: +49 30 26471-351
Christian.Wistinghausen@advant-beiten.com

For the Frankfurt office, Dr Gerald Müller-Machwirth from the area of Labour & Employment Law is elected Senior Salary. Another eight lawyers were appointed as Salary Partners. 

"With the appointments at all three partner levels we are once again establishing various areas of competence in combination with the long-standing experience of senior members across the various offices and we are pleased that we were able to accompany the appointed colleagues on their career path to becoming partners", comments Philipp Cotta, Managing Partner of ADVANT BEITEN, and adds: "The successful partner elections reflect the excellent work of all appointees and are an important step with a view to securing our firm's future. 

Dr Stefan Lochner advises in particular on all aspects of individual and collective labour law, for instance, negotiating management board, managing director and employment agreements, conducting termination disputes, establishing and implementing restructuring concepts, in negotiations on the conclusion of reconciliation of interests and social plans, in negotiations of collective agreements, as well as on all kinds of legal disputes under works constitution law. 

Moritz Kopp particularly advises on issues relating to limited liability companies and joint-stock companies, general contract law and private international law. His area of activity comprises advising on M&A-transactions, reorganisation, commercial law matters 
as well as related litigation, arbitration and mediation. 

In addition to the two Equity Partners and one Senior Salary Partner, these are the newly elected Salary Partners: 

• Sebastian Berg (Public Sector, Berlin) 
• Dr Patrick Hübner (Corporate/M&A, Berlin) 
• Elisabeth Miesen (Labour & Employment, Munich) 
• Dr David Moll (IP/IT/Media, Munich) 
• Dr Olga Morasch (Labour & Employment, Munich) 
• Sonja Müller (Labour & Employment, Munich) 
• Dr Philipp Sahm (Corporate/M&A, Frankfurt) 
• Mark Thönißen (Corporate/M&A, Frankfurt) 

"It is one of our central tasks to guide our lawyers to becoming a partner", says Philipp Cotta. "We are looking forward to the continued successful development of many outstanding colleagues in the next few years." 

The following lateral hires have strengthened ADVANT Beiten as Salary Partners in the past year: 

• Michael Riedel (Labour & Employment, Berlin) 
• Dr Georg Tolksdorf (Assets/ Succession/ Foundations, Hamburg) 

Media Contact 
Frauke Reuther 
Manager Kommunikation 
ADVANT Beiten 
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570 
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com 

Philipp Cotta 
Managing Partner 
ADVANT Beiten 
+49 (89) 3 50 65 - 1342 
philipp.cotta@advant-beiten.com

MOBILIZE Power Solutions accelerates the electrification of mobility. The cooperation with GP JOULE CONNECT aims to increase the offer of turnkey charging solutions in Germany, Austria and Switzerland - especially for commercial fleet operators. Under the company name Elto DACH GmbH, the newly founded joint venture based in Hamburg will implement joint projects of the partners in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

GP JOULE CONNECT, a member of the GP JOULE Group, is a leading systems house for new mobility based on renewable energies, registered in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein.

Advisors to Renault MOBILIZE / Elto Holding:
ADVANT Beiten: Tassilo Klesen (lead partner), Dr Christian von Wistinghausen and Dr Patrick Hübner (all Corporate/M&A, Berlin).

Advisors to GP JOULE CONNECT:
Dr Torsten Rosenboom and Nicolas Persch (Watson Farley Williams)

Media Contact

Frauke Reuther
Manager Kommunikation
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (69) 75 60 95 - 570
frauke.reuther@advant-beiten.com

Tassilo Klesen
Rechtsanwalt
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (30) - 2 64 71 - 351
tassilo.klesen@advant-beiten.com

The Employer trades in sewing machines and accessories. He operates a branch where the Employee has been working as a marginal part-time worker (geringfügig Beschäftigte) in sales since October 2019. The branch was closed during the month of April 2020 by general order of the city of B. dated 23 March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. If this had not been the case, the Employee would have worked earning a net remuneration of EUR 432.00. The Employee claimed this amount as so-called remuneration in the case of default in acceptance (Annahmeverzugslohn). She is of the opinion that the closure of a branch by official order due to the coronavirus pandemic constitutes a case where the Employer must bear the operational risk.

The lower courts have granted the claim. They argued that the provisions regarding remuneration in the case of default in acceptance referred to all circumstances where the Employer was not able to provide the necessary work equipment either for factual or legal reasons. Pursuant to Sec. 615 sentence 3 of the German Civil Code (BGB) the Employee may demand the agreed remuneration for the services not rendered as the result of the "default" without being obliged to provide cure if the Employer is in default in accepting the services. A default is defined as the Employer not accepting the work performance offered to them. Making an offer is not required, for example, if the Employer closes a shop due to an official order. The courts also argued that the general order of the city of B. had only banned opening retailers to the public. Thus, it would have indeed been possible to assign other reasonable tasks to the Employee. The courts believed that this situation came close to the general commercial risk borne by the Employer.

"Whenever it is not possible for the employer to respond to business closures with shorttime work (Kurzarbeit), it needs to be determined who will bear the risk regarding remuneration," says Dr Wolfgang Lipinski, a licensed labour law specialist, Partner and practice group head at the international corporate law firm ADVANT Beiten. "This is true, for example, for all marginally-employed workers like in this case. As they are not subject to social security contributions, they may not be paid short-time allowance (Kurzarbeitergeld)," the lawyer continues. "Should the Federal Labour Court negate the realisation of general life risks in this case, it thus takes the side of the employees and imposes the risk regarding remuneration on the employers as part of their business risk. 

This means that entrepreneurs should take special precautions for future cases of business closures due to the coronavirus pandemic. Provisions set forth in employment or collective agreements could avoid such costs for continued remuneration in the future. However, these stipulations need to be laid down meticulously so that they may later be upheld by a court of law," Lipinski emphasises.

Dr Wolfgang Lipinski is a Labour Law Specialist and a Partner at ADVANT Beiten. He is the head of the Labour & Employment Law practice group comprising approx. 65 lawyers and available for interviews and guest contributions.
 
Contact
Dr Wolfgang Lipinski
Phone: +49 89 35 065-1133
Email: Wolfgang.Lipinski@avant-beiten.com

Public Relations (Labour & Employment Law)
Markus Bauer
Phone: +49 89 35 065-1104
Email: Markus.Bauer@advant-beiten.com

Ferronordic intends to expand its service network in Germany and has been continuously advised by ADVANT Beiten on German M&A transactions since entering the German market (2019/2020), most recently on the acquisition of Thomas Nutzfahrzeuge GmbH in Limburg a.d. Lahn and TCR Truck Center Rhön GmbH in Künzell (Fulda). With the acquisition of Truckservice Bergstraße, Ferronordic gains another strategic position in an important part of Hesse.

Truckservice Bergstraße GmbH & Co KG operates a workshop for service and repairs of Volvo and Renault trucks. In addition, the company also operates a smaller business for truck rental and the sale of used trucks. Truckservice Bergstraße is also a service partner for Volvo Penta. The workshop is conveniently located in Lorsch, Hesse, 60 km south of Frankfurt.

Advisor Ferronordic:

ADVANT Beiten: Tassilo Klesen (in charge), Dr Patrick Alois Hübner, Lelu Li (all Corporate/M&A), Robin Maletz (Real Estate, all Berlin).

Contact

Tassilo Klesen
Rechtsanwalt
ADVANT Beiten
Tel.: +49 (30) 26471-351
E-Mail: Tassilo.Klesen@advant-beiten.com

"Congratulations to our interdisciplinary team around the trio in charge - Michaela Felisiak, Martina Schlamp and Markus Schulz - on this great success! Being nominated was already a great recognition, and having won the award fills us with pride and joy", says Philipp Cotta, Managing Partner of the law firm ADVANT Beiten.

The PMN Management Awards have honoured innovations in management and business services by commercial law firms and multidisciplinary law firms from Germany, Austria and Switzerland since 2009. There are Awards in seven categories. In addition to domain categories such as Communications, Legal Tech, Human Resources and Business Development, young, unusual law firm start-ups are honoured in the Newcomers category. An experienced and independent jury discusses all entries and selects the winners.

The laudatio at the award ceremony commented: "For companies, it is a bureaucratic nuisance: the A1 certificate. Since 2019, it has to be issued to employees when they travel to another EU country on business. It gets even more complicated when your own people travel or are posted for longer periods. Many HR departments are taking stabs in the dark - quick, expert and cost-effective advice is needed.This is where Beiten Burkhardt comes in with its digital tool "BBGO" to help companies with postings abroad in a clear and legally secure manner. (...) BBGO helps create templates. They offer HR departments (...) security for postings abroad. For the HR manager, the formerly complex task becomes a matter of a mouse click."

Media Contact

Dr Martina Schlamp
Lawyer
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (89) 35065 – 1127
Martina.Schlamp@advant-beiten.com

Markus Bauer
Head of Labour Law Marketing (Practice Group Labour and Employment Law)
ADVANT Beiten
+49 (89) 35065 – 1104
Markus.Bauer@advant-beiten.com

ADVANT established to become a leading legal advisor for clients expanding into or within Europe

MILAN, MUNICH and PARIS (15 September 2021) – Three leading European law firms today announced the launch of a new law firm association – ADVANT – which is uniquely positioned to support clients seeking to expand into, or within, continental Europe.

ADVANT has been established by three independent business law firms: Altana (France), Beiten Burkhardt (Germany), and Nctm (Italy). The members of ADVANT are well-established and highly regarded firms in their respective jurisdictions, and together have significant expertise across a number of distinct practice areas and industry sectors.

As well as collectively supporting major international clients moving into or expanding within Europe, ADVANT firms will also continue to support their national clients with their needs in their respective jurisdictions and internationally. All firms will remain independent legal entities but are incorporating the ADVANT name into their respective brands going forward.

With combined revenues of €216m (2020) and combined team of more than 600 professionals, including more than 140 equity partners, ADVANT is already one of Europe’s largest legal advisors. It currently has a presence in 13 locations across Europe (Berlin, Brussels, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, London, Milan, Munich, Paris, Rome) and around the world (Beijing, Moscow, Shanghai).

ADVANT is structured as a Swiss Verein, and will be governed by a Board comprised of two representatives from each member firm. The association will be actively recruiting new members in additional key European markets over the years ahead, as it pursues a growth strategy to become a leading European legal advisor.

Philipp Cotta, managing partner of ADVANT Beiten, said:

“Our firms have known one another and worked together for many years now, and over that time it became clear that our values and vision for the future were very much aligned. We believe that we are stronger together, and offer a unique proposition to the market which will enable us to become a top European player.”

Jean-Nicolas Soret, representing the partners of ADVANT Altana, added:

“There is a distinctive opportunity in the legal market for an advisor that combines best-of-breed local expertise and relationships with international reach, but very much focused at a European level. This is the gap that ADVANT fills, offering clients a new perspective and a distinctive advantage as they seek to enter or expand within Europe.”

Paolo Montironi, senior partner of ADVANT Nctm, commented:

“Moving forward together provides a platform for all of us to continue to grow and expand in the years to come. For clients, the result will be true advantage by having seamless access to market-leading specialists in each jurisdiction, and by working with a legal advisor that is focused specifically on Europe. For our respective teams, the association will represent an attractive, multinational work environment for lawyers that embrace the diversity of Europe, creating new opportunities for professional development, collaboration and personal growth. It’s a win-win.”

***

About ADVANT

ADVANT is a European law firm association which is uniquely positioned to give clients the advantage as they navigate the complex and nuanced legal and commercial landscape of Europe.

ADVANT member firms are leading legal advisors in their respective jurisdictions.

ADVANT is one of the largest European legal advisors. Its combined team is comprised of more than 600 professionals, including more than 140 equity partners, in 13 locations across Europe and beyond.

The association was established in 2021 by three founding member firms – Altana in France, Beiten Burkhardt in Germany, and Nctm in Italy.

For more information, please visit advantlaw.com.

ADVANT MEMBER FIRMS

• Founded in 2009, ADVANT Altana is an independent law firm with 85 lawyers, and is one of the leading business law firms in France.
• Founded in 1990, ADVANT Beiten is an independent law firm with about 260 lawyers, tax advisers and accountants, and is one of the leading commercial law firms in Germany.
• Founded in 2000, ADVANT Nctm is an independent law firm with 262 lawyers and tax advisors, and is one of the leading commercial law firms in Italy.

Media Contacts
Scott Addison / Ryan McSharry, Infinite Global
+44 (0)7532 363 868 / +44 (0)7860 534 141
advant@infiniteglobal.com

Founded in Hamburg in 2020, the software company develops a deep tech platform for AI-based entertainment. Oxolo GmbH sees itself as a pioneer in areas such as natural language processing (NLP), computer vision and speech recognition and uses these technologies in particular to develop chatbot avatars that imitate human communication in a deceptively real way and are intended to embody specific people.

The company was founded by Heiko Hubertz, who has already launched two extremely successful entertainment companies, Bigpoint and Whow Games, among others.

Advisor to Oxolo GmbH

BEITEN BURKHARDT: Dr Andreas Lober (lead partner), Susanne Klein, Wojtek Ropel and Lennart Kriebel (all IT/IP/Media, Frankfurt), Dr Christian Kalusa (Corporate, Munich), Dr Marion Frotscher and Simon Bauer (Tax, both Hamburg).

Contact

Dr Andreas Lober
Tel.: +49 69 75 60 95 – 582
E-mail: Andreas.Lober@bblaw.com

As a result, the Association of Substitute Health Insurance Funds concluded a trustee agreement with the insolvency administrator of the pharmacy billing service provider AvP. According to this agreement, the six substitute health insurance funds (TK, Barmer, DAK-Gesundheit, KKH, hkk and HEK) will pay outstanding claims for remuneration from pharmacies into the account of a neutral trustee (hww) until the pharmacies have clarified the controversial legal situation with the AvP insolvency administrator.

To explain this:

The insolvency administrator assumes that the pharmacies' claims that he has not released are part of the AvP's insolvency estate. Some of the affected pharmacies and their representatives do not fully share that legal opinion. The substitute health insurance funds had made extensive payments on account to AvP up to and including August 2020 for receivables from prescriptions that were assigned to AvP for billing. As a consequence of the insolvency, however, these monies were no longer paid to the pharmacies.

vdek points out that the substitute health insurance funds are not allowed to make direct payments to the pharmacies due to the insolvency proceedings that have been opened. The pharmacies can thus only resolve their possible claims with the insolvency administrator.

Overall, vdek assumes that the amounts still outstanding - especially for the public pharmacies - are significantly lower than the invoice amounts originally demanded by the pharmacies. The reason for this is the advance payments already made to AvP before the opening of insolvency.

AvP operated one of the largest pharmacy billing centres in Germany with about 3,500 customers and an annual billing volume of about EUR 7 billion. After filing for insolvency on 16 September 2020, it successively discontinued its business operations.

Advisors to vdek:

Inhouse:
Dr Björn Diering (vdek/Berlin)

BEITEN BURKHARDT:
Dr Silke Dulle (Social Security ad Medical Law, Berlin), Frank R. Primozic (Insolvency Law, Frankfurt, both lead partners in charge), Christian Hipp, Robert Schmid (both Social Security and Medical Law, Berlin), Dr Moritz Handrup, Lutz Bachmann and Joel F. Schaaf (all Insolvency Law, Frankfurt). Dr Susanne Klein (Frankfurt) supported the team in all data protection law issues.

Contact
Dr Silke Dulle
Phone: +49 30 26 471 - 155
E-mail: Silke.Dulle@bblaw.com

Public Relations
Frauke Reuther
Phone: +49 69 75 60 95 - 570
E-mail: Frauke.Reuther@bblaw.com

Vinylit Fassaden GmbH has been part of the Laumann Group since 1 July 2021. VEKA AG is one of the world's leading manufacturers of high-quality plastic profile systems for windows and doors, among other things, as well as plastic panels, employs a total of more than 6,200 people, and generates annual sales of more than EUR 1.1 billion. The family managed firm is headquarterd in Sendenhorst, in north-western Germany.

Vinylit is a specialist in facades and cladding from Kassel with around 60 employees and produces facade elements from recycled or recyclable plastic granulate. Through the merger, Vinylit strengthens its production capacities and its international distribution network. For VEKA AG, the transaction is a further focused step in the expansion of the group of companies, combining extrusion know-how with sustainable and high-growth products.

Advisor to Laumann group of companies

BEITEN BURKHARDT: Nico Frielinghaus, (in charge/M&A/Corporate Law), Dr Sebastian Weller (M&A/Corporate Law), Markus Schönherr (Corporate Law/Operational), Peter Weck (Labour Law & Employment Law), Mathias Zimmer-Goertz (IT/IP), Christian Frederick Döpke (IT/IP), Sascha Opheys (Public Law), Thomas Herten (Real Estate Law, all Dusseldorf), Christoph Heinrich (Antitrust, Munich).

CONTACT
Nico Frielinghaus
Phone: +49 211 518989 – 170
E-mail: Nico.Frielinghaus@bblaw.com

PUBLIC RELATIONS
Frauke Reuther
Phone: +49 69 75 60 95 – 570
E-mail: Frauke.Reuther@bblaw.com

Information about BEITEN BURKHARDT

• BEITEN BURKHARDT is an independent international commercial law firm with a focused range of services and some 270 lawyers working in eight locations.
• Through our long-established offices in Germany, Brussels, China and Russia we advise large and mid-sized companies and corporate groups from various industries, banks and financial institutions as well as the public sector.

EWK Umwelttechnik's range of emission control technologies includes electrostatic precipitators, wet absorbers, catalytic systems, and heat recovery systems, as well as wastewater treatment products. The company serves multiple customer segments, including wood-based panel board, glass, mineral wool, and steel industries. Founded in 1868 and headquartered in Kaiserslautern, Germany, the company employs around 50 employees. 

VALMET is the world's leading developer and supplier of process technologies, automation, and services for the pulp, paper, and energy industries, with 14,000 professionals worldwide and 2020 net sales of around EUR 3.7bn. VALMET is headquartered in Espoo, Finland. Its shares are listed on Nasdaq Helsinki. 

Tightening emission regulations and the need for sustainable technologies are increasing global demand for air purification solutions in all industries. Both VALMET and EWK have a long history in this area. 

Advisors to EWK Umwelttechnik GmbH:

BEITEN BURKHARDT: Dr Christof Aha (in charge), Mark Thönißen (both Corporate/M&A, Frankfurt), Lukas Vienenkötter (Tax, Hamburg), Christoph Heinrich (Antitrust Law, Munich).

Advisors to VALMET:

HENGELER MUELLER: Dr Joachim Rosengarten (in charge), Dr Casper Conzen (both Corporate/M&A, Frankfurt).

CONTACT
Dr Christof Aha
Phone: +49 69 75 60 95 – 451
E-mail:    Christof.Aha@bblaw.com

Trayport Limited is a wholly-owned subsidiary of TMX Group Limited (TMX Group). The acquisition of Tradesignal is another milestone in Trayport's growth strategy. Both companies have worked together in the past. Tradesignal develops software solutions for rule-based energy trading and technical chart analysis. The Bremen-based company thus strengthens Trayport's ambitions to further establish automated trading strategies in the markets. 

Advisor to Trayport Limited:

BEITEN BURKHARDT: Dr Guido Ruegenberg (Corporate/M&A), Dr Andreas Lober (IP/IT/Media, both in charge), Dr Gerald Müller-Machwirth (Labour Law), André Suttorp (Tax), Rainer Süßmann (Finance/Regulatory, all Frankfurt am Main) and Christoph Heinrich (Regulatory, Munich).

Advisor to Shareholders of Tradesignal GmbH: Arne Bruhns (BDO, Oldenburg)

CONTACT
Dr Guido Ruegenberg
Phone: +49 69 75 60 95 – 393
E-mail: Guido.Ruegenberg@bblaw.com

The DHV is an employee association organized in the Christian Trade Union Federation of Germany (Christlicher Gewerkschaftsbund - CGB). After its foundation in 1893, it was re-established in 1950 as the Union of Merchants' Assistants. According to its Statutes in force in 1972, it saw itself as a trade union of employees* in commerce, industry, and the private and public service sectors, and since 2002 as a trade union of employees in sectors characterized by commercial and administrative professions. As a result of multiple, in part ineffective amendments to the Statutes, its most recent claimed jurisdiction extends to employees in various sectors, including private banks and building societies, retail stores, inland wholesale, rescue services, Arbeiterwohlfahrt (Workers' Welfare Association), Deutsches Rotes Kreuz (German Red Cross), the meat industry, tour operators, and IT service companies for tax consultants, auditors, and attorneys.

The applicants (IG Metall, ver.di, NGG, among others) claim that the DHV lacks the necessary power and capacity to be an employee association with collective bargaining capacity. According to the Statutes, the scope of organization (=responsibility) extends to approximately 11.4 million employment relationships. However, a maximum of 10,000 members can be assumed, resulting in a degree of organization of less than 0.1%. The DHV countered, among other things, that its organizational area covered only about 7.01 million employment relationships, but that it had far more than 10,000 members; at the end of December 2014, there were 75,065 members. Its organizational efficiency could be concluded from its long-standing participation in the collective bargaining process. In addition, it had to be taken into account that its collective bargaining capacity had already been unsuccessfully challenged in two labor court proceedings in 1956 and 1997. The present application is precluded by the res judicata effect of these previous decisions. Nothing else follows from amendments to the Statutes that have been made in the meantime.

The proceedings by which the applicants would like to have the collective bargaining incapacity of DHV established were already the subject of the decision of the BAG of 26 June 2018 (Case Number: 1 ABR 37/16). The court had overturned the decision of the Regional Labor Court (LAG) rejecting the application and referred the case back to the latter. The LAG had wrongly assumed a lowering of the requirements for the enforcement and performance of the DHV with regard to the Minimum Wage Act and the Collective Bargaining Unity Act. DHV could not base its social power on its long-standing participation in the bargaining process. In some cases, it had concluded collective bargaining agreements outside its organizational area and, moreover, in changing areas of responsibility. On the basis of the previous findings, the BAG had not been able to reach a final decision on the request for a declaratory judgment and had therefore referred the matter back for further clarification of the facts - in particular with regard to the number of members of the DHV and the related degrees of organization. Following a new hearing of the parties involved, the LAG then determined that DHV had not had collective bargaining capacity since 21 April 2015. The DHV is defending itself against this.

"As DHV has jeopardized the protection afforded by the legal force of previous decisions regarding its collective bargaining ability by amending its Statutes and thus extending its collective bargaining competence, it is more likely that DHV will ultimately lose the proceedings," said Dr Wolfgang Lipinski, labor law specialist at the Munich office of BEITEN BURKHARDT Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft. "Decisive for practice, however, will also be the cut-off date on which collective bargaining capacity no longer existed. But even if this date is fixed, a number of further questions arise. This concerns, among other things, relevant employment contracts with regard to the past, but also for the future: What applies now? It should be noted here that each case may be different. Regardless of the outcome of the proceedings, employers would be well advised to have the relevant contracts put through their paces by a specialist and to think carefully about their future collective bargaining strategy," says the lawyer.

"If the BAG were to deny the DHV trade union status, this would ultimately lead in practice to a certain 'closed shop' in favor of the established DGB trade unions in particular," Dr Lipinski continued. "However, smaller employee associations can break up this 'closed shop' themselves - even on the basis of the exaggerated case law of the BAG on the collective bargaining capacity of an employee association - if they limit their self-selected area of responsibility by realistically assessing their own assertiveness and organizational capacity. Numerous trade unions such as Cockpit, the Marburger Bund, or the GDL have proven in the past that this path is not impossible. Furthermore, increasing digitization and the need for companies to adapt their business models, partly as a result of the Corona pandemic, may create opportunities for smaller employee associations, at least in the medium term, because even established unions like ver.di do not have the same number of members in every service sector."

Dr Wolfgang Lipinski is a specialist in labor law and a partner at the Munich office of BEITEN BURKHARDT Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft. He heads the employment law practice group there with approximately 60 lawyers. He is available for interviews, guest contributions, etc. on this topic. 

CONTACT
Dr Wolfgang Lipinski
Phone: +49 89 35 065 – 1133
Email: Wolfgang.Lipinski@bblaw.com

Advisor to apetito AG:

BEITEN BURKHARDT: Prof. Dr. Hans-Josef Vogel (lead partner), Nico Frielinghaus, Dr. Julia Offermanns,  Markus Schönherr (all Dusseldorf, Corporate/M&A), Wolf J. Reuter (Berlin, Labour Law), Uwe Wellmann (Berlin, Antitrust), Christoph Heinrich (Munich, Antitrust), Mathias Zimmer-Goertz, Christian Frederik Döpke (both Dusseldorf, IP/IT/Data Protection). 

Inhouse: Ralf Boekhoff
Taxes: PwC
Advisor to CMP/GETI WILBA: CMS, Dr. Igor Stenzel 

CONTACT 
Prof. Dr. Hans-Josef Vogel
Phone: +49 211 518989 – 0
E-mail: Hans-Josef.Vogel@bblaw.com

The BEITEN BURKHARDT team, led by Frankfurt partners Dr Detlef Koch and Dr Mario Riechmann, once again demonstrated its extensive expertise in advising partnership-structured service entities. In addition to Investec entering as a minority shareholder, BEITEN BURKHARDT also assisted Capitalmind with the admission of further new partners to the advisory firm's shareholder base. 

With Investec as a minority shareholder, Capitalmind strengthens its international reach and sectoral M&A expertise and offers European medium-sized companies, among others, direct access to strategic buyers, financial investors and to target companies. In particular, German (mid-sized) companies with their traditionally strong international orientation will benefit in the future from a smooth service across the world's major economies. Through the transaction, Capitalmind can leverage the broader range of client solutions of the global Investec platform, such as international acquisition and growth financing, equity capital markets and debt capital markets, into its continental European client base. 

Advisors Capitalmind:

BEITEN BURKHARDT: Dr Detlef Koch and Dr Mario Riechmann (both in charge), Petra Bolle (all Corporate/M&A), André Suttorp (Tax, all Frankfurt am Main). 

CONTACT
Dr Detlef Koch
Phone: +49 69 75 60 95 – 408
E-mail: Detlef.Koch@bblaw.com

In a first step, SLSS has acquired a minority stake of 24.9 percent in MueTec. The now completed increase to 100 percent was planned from the outset, the prerequisite for which was the receipt of a clearance certificate from the BMWi. The parties have agreed that the details of the transaction will not be disclosed.

MueTec specialises in optical inspection and metrology systems used for quality control in semiconductor manufacturing. The company, with sites in Munich and in Aholming/Lower Bavaria, as well as in Taiwan and Malaysia, employs around 50 people. TZTEK intends to develop the German site of MueTec by expanding it as a European development centre and, thus, to also offer its employees a long-term perspective. Founded in 2005, TZTEK is a dynamically growing company with around 1,600 employees. Sales have almost tripled in recent years.

BEITEN BURKHARDT is one of the leading continental European law firms with a presence in China. Our China Desk is integrated into our China practice and focuses on advising Chinese companies from the private and public sectors in connection with their activities in Germany and the EU.

Advisor to TZTEK

BEITEN BURKHARDT: Dr Martin Rappert (Corporate/M&A/China Desk, Dusseldorf), Nico Frielinghaus (Corporate/M&A, Dusseldorf), Dr Christian von Wistinghausen (investment control/China Desk, Berlin), Dr Patrick Alois Hübner (investment control/China Desk, Berlin).

CONTACT
Dr Martin Rappert, MBA
Phone: +49 211 51 89 89 – 185
E-mail: Martin.Rappert@bblaw.com

Headquartered in Berlin with offices in Switzerland and San Francisco, Wire's award-winning secure collaboration and communications platform counts 1,800 government and enterprise customers worldwide, including the German government and four other G7 governments. For remote and hybrid work models, governments and enterprises need to ensure that they have the right infrastructure in place to ensure both productivity and data security. Wire offers messaging, voice and video conferencing, file sharing, and external collaboration - all protected by the most advanced end-to-end encryption.

In the most recent series B financing, UVC Partners (Unternehmertum Venture Capital Partners) was the anchor investor. UVC Partners, a venture capital firm backing early stage start-ups which is located in Munich and Berlin, has invested among others in Flixbus. Other investors were the former shareholders. Also holders of convertible bonds participated.

The most recent financing round follows a three-year period of steady quarter-on-quarter growth and an almost 50 percent increase in the customer base from just under a year ago. Wire is going to use the financing to support growth within the entire company. The company is actively seeking new employees to expand its team - which is leading in the sector - of currently just over 90.

Advisors to Wire Group Holdings GmbH
BEITEN BURKHARDT: Prof Dr Hans-Josef Vogel (lead partner, co-head Corporate/M&A, head of the Dusseldorf office), Dr Winfried Richardt, Markus Schönherr (both Corporate/ M&A, Dusseldorf). Christian Schenk (Tax, Dusseldorf).

BEITEN BURKHARDT was also in charge of foreign trade law issues, where Dr. Christian von Wistinghausen and his team (Patrick Hübner, Lelu Li) dealt with the challenging issues of any licensing requirements. Dr. Dirk Tuttlies contributed his know-how to the convertible bonds from a financial law perspective.

Representatives UVC: Görg, Dr Paudtke, Dr Glauer
Representatives Series A: GLNS, Dr Daniel Gubitz
Representatives Iconical Advisory (for Janus Friis): CMS UK, Helen Machin, Dr Weichert
Notarisation: BMH Bräutigam & Partner, Dr Patrick Auerbach

CONTACT
Prof. Dr Hans-Josef Vogel
Phone: +49 211 518989 – 0
E-mail: Hans-Josef.Vogel@bblaw.com

The intensive care service Lebenswert specialises in individual outpatient care and comprehensive all-round care in residential care communities in a large geographic catchment area in Baden-Wuerttemberg as well as in Bavaria.

The Korian Group is active in Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, Spain and the Netherlands.With 252 care facilities, 74 of which are retirement homes with assisted living and 43 outpatient services, the group is represented throughout Germany. In total, around 56,000 staff are employed at more than 890 locations in the six states and more than 82,000 care places are provided.

Advisor to Lebenswert GmbH

BEITEN BURKHARDT: Dr Martin Rappert, Nico Frielinghaus (both lead partners in charge/Corporate/M&A, Dusseldorf), Dr Winfried Richardt, Markus Schönherr (both Corporate, Dusseldorf), Peter Weck (Labour & Employment, Dusseldorf), Thomas Herten (Real Estate, Dusseldorf), Christian Frederik Döpke (IP/IT/Data Protection, Dusseldorf), Katrin Lüdtke (Healthcare/Regulatory, Munich), Dr Silke Dulle (Healthcare/Regulatory, Berlin).

M&A advisor on the seller side: Concentro Management AG, Munich (Andreas Jaburg, Julian Napolitano).

CONTACT

Dr Martin Rappert, MBA
Phone: +49 211 518989-185
E-mail: Martin.Rappert@bblaw.com

Advisors to Aesculap AG:

BEITEN BURKHARDT: Partners Dr Christian Ulrich Wolf (Corporate/M&A); Dr Marion Frotscher (Tax); Jan Christian Eggers (Antitrust Law, all Hamburg); Dr Andreas Lober (IP/IT, Frankfurt am Main); Associate Chiara Stubenrauch (Corporate/M&A, Hamburg).

Inhouse: Dr Sebastian Braun-Lüdicke (Vice President Legal Affairs); Dr Christian Müller (Senior Legal Counsel).

The merger notification in Austria was prepared and filed in cooperation with Schönherr Rechtsanwälte.

KONTAKT
Dr Christian Ulrich Wolf
Phone.: +49 40 68 87 45 – 124
E-mail: ChristianUlrich.Wolf@bblaw.com

Advisors to Stadtwerke Heidenheim AG Group:

Advisors to the Stadtwerke Heidenheim AG group:
BEITEN BURKHARDT: Dr Sebastian Rohrer, Dr Markus Ley (both lead, Corporate and Energy Law); Antje Baumbach; Toralf Baumann (project agreements, EEG compensation, grid connection); Katrin Lüdtke (Public Law); Anja Fischer (Real Estate); Marco Tautorat (Financing).

CONTACT

Dr Sebastian Rohrer
Phone: +49 89 35 0 65 – 1243
E-mail:  Sebastian.Rohrer@bblaw.com

Dr Maximilian Emanuel Elspas
Phone: +49 89 35 0 65 – 1242
E-mail: Maximilian.Elspas@bblaw.com

Founded in 1995, the VITAL Group is a globally active group of companies in the field of materials technology with more than 3500 employees. The business focus is on the areas of special metals, such as germanium, gallium, tellurium and selenium, as well as corresponding recycling activities. VITAL has a leading global market position in functional materials, supplying companies in the electronics, semiconductor, photovoltaic, LED and infrared materials sectors, among others.

PPM had ceased business operations at the Langelsheim site following protective shield procedures with effect from 1 August 2020 for the opening of insolvency proceedings. In the bidding process VITAL was able to succeed in particular due to the sustainable revitalisation concept. As part of the German-French Recylex Group, PPM was a manufacturer of special metals and chemical compounds with a focus on recycling activities.

VITAL will operate the assets through a newly established subsidiary, Vital Pure Metal Solutions GmbH (VPMS). VPMS will be fully integrated into VITAL's global network and operations and will serve as a platform for providing distribution and recycling solutions to its worldwide customer base. With VITAL's state-of-the-art clean technology available at the Langelsheim industrial site, a wide range of services can be offered in Europe, avoiding unnecessary material transport and reducing lead times and the overall environmental footprint. Once the facilities are back in operation, a second phase is planned to expand the capacity and service portfolio, which will involve further investment, jobs and a contribution to the local economy.

VPMS is located in the centre of Europe, in a region with centuries of metalworking tradition, and will serve as VITAL's cost-efficient and responsive distribution centre outside China. VPMS is fully licensed to process and recycle various complex materials, including hazardous substances.

Advisor VITAL

BEITEN BURKHARDT: Dr Christian von Wistinghausen (co-head Corporate/M&A, China Desk, in charge, Berlin), Wilken Beckering (Insolvency Law, Duesseldorf), Dr Patrick Hübner (M&A and Foreign Trade Law), Lelu Li (M&A), Dr Dominik Greinacher (Public Law and Environmental Law, all Berlin).

CONTACT

Dr Christian von Wistinghausen
Phone: +49 30 26471- 351
E-mail: Christian.Wistinghausen@bblaw.com

Advisors to the specialty insurance brokers:

BEITEN BURKHARDT: Dr Christof Aha (lead), Mark Thönißen (both Corporate / M&A, Frankfurt am Main) and Peter Weck (Labour law, Dusseldorf).
Beigel Steuerberater PartG mbB: Birgit Rudolph (tax, Starnberg).

CONTACT
Dr Christof Aha
Phone: +49 69 75 60 95 – 451
E-mail: Christof.Aha@bblaw.com

BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe, based in Lyon, is part of the Japanese BANDAI NAMCO Holding. The company has evolved from a single supplier focused on video games to a large company covering all types of entertainment. Since 2015, the group has been operating under the name BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment and is now one of the top players in the global entertainment industry with titles such as PAC-MAN, SoulCalibur or Tekken, but also technologically innovative new developments for instance in real life entertainment. In Japan, the group is among the Top 3 in the market with Sony Interactive Entertainment and Nintendo.

With the acquisition of the stake in the German game developer Limbic Entertainment, based in Langen near Frankfurt, the group strengthens its commitment to the significant European market. Limbic Entertainment was founded in 2002, and its designers and programmers have since developed more than eighty product versions of classic video games for publication in over a dozen countries. These include children's games as well as strategy or fantasy games.

Adviser BNEE:

BEITEN BURKHARDT: Dr Andreas Lober (IP/IT/Media), Dr Guido Ruegenberg (Corporate/M&A, both in charge), André Suttorp (Tax, all Frankfurt) and Christoph Heinrich (Antitrust Law, Munich).

About BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe S.A.S.

BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe S.A.S. (BNEE) is a leading global publisher and developer of entertainment content for platforms including, but not limited to, all major video game consoles and PC. 
BNEE is the western content hub of BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc.(BNEI), and is building its reputation with franchises such as LITTLE NIGHTMARES™, THE DARK PICTURES ANTHOLOGY, and the upcoming UNKNOWN 9™ Awakening - developed by the recently acquired Reflector Entertainment based in Montreal, QC.
BNEI, part of BANDAI NAMCO Holdings Inc., is known for creating and publishing many of the industry’s top video game franchises, including PAC-MAN™, TEKKEN™, SOULCALIBUR™, ACE COMBAT™ and DARK SOULS™.
For more information please visit www.bandainamcoent.eu

About Limbic Entertainment GMBH

Limbic Entertainment GmbH is one of Germany’s leading game developers. Founded in 2002 and with over 80 employees located close to Frankfurt, Limbic Entertainment has developed more than 60 titles, including major releases such as Might and Magic: Heroes VII, Memories of Mars and Tropico 6. Currently the team is working on a new, unannounced IP.

For more information, please visit: https://www.limbic-entertainment.de/

CONTACT
Dr Andreas Lober
Phone: +49 69 75 60 95 – 582
E-mail: andreas.lober@bblaw.com

Anchor tenants are - besides AWG - Edeka and Maier Sports. The acquired land area is about 42,234 square metres, the five buildings comprise about 15,738 square metres of retail space, about 11,533 square metres of office and storage space, an indoor fun park with about 2,547 square metres and a car wash. The centre is located directly on the B 313 national road and the A8 motorway on Imanuel-Maier-Straße in Köngen.

Advisors to SWT Verwaltungs GmbH:

BEITEN BURKHARDT: Anja Fischer (Real Estate Law), Michael Ziegler (Banking & Finance, both Munich).

Advisors to LaSalle Investment Management:

BEITEN BURKHARDT: Florian Baumann (in charge), Anja Fischer, Annalena Benz (all Real Estate), Katrin Lüdtke (Public Law, all Munich), Robin Maletz (Real Estate, Berlin) and André Suttorp (Tax Law, Frankfurt).

CONTACT

Anja Fischer (Acquisition)
Phone: +49 89 3 50 65 – 1205
E-mail: Anja.Fischer@bblaw.com

Michael Ziegler (Financing)
Phone: +49 89 3 50 65 – 1441
E-mail: Michael.Ziegler@bblaw.com

einsAmobile was founded in 2005 and subsequently developed into one of the leading hardware distributors in the mobile communications sector. The einsAmobile product range includes mobile devices of all well-known mobile device manufacturers. In addition, einsAmobile also brokers mobile phone contracts.

Mobilezone had acquired all shares in einsAmobile in 2015. Mobilezone is part of the listed Swiss Mobilezone Group, the leading independent telecommunications provider in the mobile and landline telephony sector in Switzerland.

Advisors to DeinHandy:

BEITEN BURKHARDT: Dr Christof Aha, Maik Merkens (in charge, both Corporate / M&A), Dr Rudolph Mikus (Tax Law, all Frankfurt am Main), Christoph Heinrich (Antitrust Law, Munich).

Advisors to mobilezone:

PETERS Rechtsanwälte: Burkhard Niesert (in charge), Ralph Geiger (both Corporate / M&A, Duesseldorf).

Notarisation of the Share Purchase Agreement

Notary Prof. Dr Susanne Goretzki (Frankfurt am Main).

CONTACT

Dr Christof Aha
Phone: +49 69 75 60 95 451
E-mail: Christof.Aha@bblaw.com

The Köpper Group is a family business that has been in operation for around 90 years. Since 2006, the company has been owned by an entrepreneurial family with whom BEITEN BURKHARDT has a long-standing client relationship. In recent years, Köpper Group has developed successfully, doubling its turnover and expanding to three locations. In future, customers will benefit from the size and central processes of Tiemeyer Group.

With the acquisition of Köpper Group, the large VW Group dealer headquartered in Bochum expands its market area to include Dorsten and Dülmen for the first time. The Tiemeyer Group now operates at 30 locations and is one of the largest car dealers in Germany, according to the German Institute for the Automotive Industry IFA.

Advisors to the Seller:

BEITEN BURKHARDT: Jan-Moritz Degener (lead partner in charge) and Dr Guido Krüger (both Corporate/Family Offices, Duesseldorf).

Advisors to Tiemeyer Group:

Hausmann & Müller: Dr Jens Hausmann and Dr Angela Dechow (Münster).

CONTACT

Jan-Moritz Degener
Phone: +49 211 51 89 89 – 185
E-mail: Jan-Moritz.Degener@bblaw.com

The settlement concerns objections raised by the European Commission in 2019 and refers to business performed prior to 2015.

Embracer Group is amongst Europe’s largest video games companies. Koch Media is one of Europe’s largest distributors and a large publisher for video games.

BEITEN BURKHARDT has been advising and representing Koch Media in the European Commission’s proceedings since 2017.

Advisors Koch Media:

BEITEN BURKHARDT: Dr. Dietmar O. Reich (antitrust, Brussels), Dr. Andreas Lober (IP, Frankfurt, lead), Rainer Bierwagen (antitrust, Brussels), Dr. Christian Heinichen (antitrust, Munich), Jan Christian Eggers (antitrust, Hamburg), Wojtek Ropel (IP, Frankfurt), Christoph Heinrich (antitrust, Munich).

Contact
Dr Andreas Lober
Phone: +49 69 75 60 95 – 582
Email: Andreas.Lober@bblaw.com

The property, known as the "Zwei-Scheiben-Haus", one of the first LEED Platinum certified buildings in Germany, consists of two modern, high-quality office buildings with seven and five floors respectively, which are connected by a canteen and an underground car park. The total area amounts to more than 11,300 square metres.

LaSalle has actively managed the property during the long-term holding period. Initially, the principal tenant was Coca Cola. When the company decided to relocate its headquarters in 2012, the property was subsequently restructured into a multi-tenant building, with a well-known fashion company as the anchor tenant until September 2019. Since October 2019, large parts of the vacated floors have been re-leased to a variety of companies, diversifying the yield and achieving a high occupancy rate. Located in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany's most populous state, and close to Duesseldorf, one of Europe's leading commercial property markets, the property's excellent access to several motorways, proximity to the airport and available public transport services make it very accessible. A steady increase in office space turnover drove the region's vacancy rate to a record low in 2019, supporting the property's performance under LaSalle's ownership.

On the legal side, LaSalle was advised by BEITEN BURKHARDT, on the technical side by Drees & Sommer and on the commercial side by Savills.

Advisors to LaSalle Investment Management:

BEITEN BURKHARDT: Florian Baumann (in charge), Anja Fischer, Annalena Benz (all Real Estate), Katrin Lüdtke (Public Law, all Munich), Robin Maletz (Real Estate, Berlin) and André Suttorp (Tax Law, Frankfurt).

CONTACT

Florian Baumann
Phone: +49-89-35065-1446
E-mail: Florian.Baumann@bblaw.com

The two wind turbines of the Lüdersdorf II wind farm acquired by Hellenstein SolarWind GmbH have a total output of 6,600 kW. The wind turbines feed more than 13.3 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of CO2-free electrical energy into the grid each year. This amount of regeneratively generated energy covers the annual electricity demand of about 4,400 households and at the same time corresponds to a saving of about 13,800 tonnes of CO2 per year compared to energy generation in a conventional power plant.

After having advised Stadtwerke Heidenheim AG - Group on the acquisition of several wind and solar farms in recent years, BEITEN BURKHARDT's team headed by Dr Sebastian Roher and Dr Maximilian Emanuel Elspas was once again retained by Stadtwerke and to comprehensively advise on this transaction. In addition to corporate and energy law, the advisory services rendered by BEITEN BURKHARDT also covered real estate and public law issues as well as the financing of the acquisition.

Advisors to Stadtwerke Heidenheim AG Group:

BEITEN BURKHARDT: Dr Sebastian Rohrer (in charge, Corporate and Energy Law); Dr Maximilian Emanuel Elspas; Dr Markus Ley (both Corporate Law); Antje Baumbach; Toralf Baumann, Guido Brucker (Project Agreements, EEGcompensation, Network Connection); Katrin Lüdtke (Public Law); Anja Fischer, Dominik Greinacher (both Real Estate Law); Anthony Trentin (Financing); Christoph Heinrich (Antitrust Law).

CONTACT

Dr Sebastian Rohrer
Phone: +49 89 35 0 65 – 1243
E-mail: Sebastian.Rohrer@bblaw.com

Dr Maximilian Emanuel Elspas
Phone: +49 89 350 65 – 1242
E-mail: Maximilian.Elspas@bblaw.com

To transport the electricity from offshore wind farms to land, the wind power produced by the two wind farms, Kaskasi II and Gode Wind 3, is transmitted to one converter platform each. For these two wind farm connections, the cable systems are produced at the ZTT manufacturing site in Nantong/China and then transported to Europe.

BEITEN BURKHARDT's energy team headed by the partners Dr Sebastian Rohrer and Dr Maximilian Emanuel Elspas has already advised ZTT, inter alia, on the successful participation in the tender for the grid connection of the EnBW Hohe See wind farm and the implementation of this project as well as on the participation in further tenders.

Advisor to ZTT:

BEITEN BURKHARDT: Dr Sebastian Rohrer (Lead, Plant Construction and Energy Law), Dr Maximilian Emanuel Elspas; Caroline Frohnwieser, Dr Michael Hils, André Suttorp.

CONTACT

Dr Sebastian Rohrer
Phone: +49 89 35065-1243
E-mail: Sebastian.Rohrer@bblaw.com

The wind farm, located in the district of the same name, comprises two Nordex N117 wind energy turbines with a nominal output of each 2.4 megawatts and one Nordex N100 wind turbine with a nominal output of approx. 2.5 megawatts. The term of the guaranteed feed-in compensation under the German Renewable Energy Sources Act 2017 (EEG 2017) is 20 years, ending in 2037. With a total nominal output of 7.3 megawatts and an annual electricity volume of around 18.7m kilowatt-hours, the wind farm will be able to cover the electricity requirements of almost 4,600 German households.

It was acquired for the recently launched Klimavest fund investing in assets that make a measurable and thus verifiable contribution - i.e. impact - to reducing CO2 emissions. The wind farm in Heinsberg complements the existing portfolio ideally.

BEITEN BURKHARDT's Energy Team headed by partners Dr Maximilian Emanuel Elspas and Dr Sebastian Rohrer only recently advised Commerz Real AG comprehensively on the acquisition of the Beckum wind farm with respect to a due diligence of the target company, negotiation of contracts and implementation of the transaction.

Advisors to Commerz Real AG:

BEITEN BURKHARDT: Dr Maximilian Emanuel Elspas. Dr Sebastian Rohrer (both lead partners, Corporate/M&A and Energy Law), Dr Markus Ley (Corporate/M&A), Toralf Baumann, Antje Baumbach, Guido Brucker (all Energy Law), Dr Dominik Greinacher (Public Law), Anja Fischer (Real Estate Law), Christoph Heinrich (Antitrust Law).

In-house: Dr Stephan Hüttig and Jörg Niedermeyer

CONTACT

Dr Maximilian Emanuel Elspas
Phone: +49 89 350 65 – 1242
E-mail: Maximilian.Elspas@bblaw.com

Originally there were six wind turbines with a nominal output of 5.2 megawatts on the site near Beckum. These were dismantled in 2019 and replaced by two much more powerful wind turbines, each with a nominal output of 4.5 megawatts, which were connected to the grid by the end of October 2020. The expected annual electricity volume of 24 m kilowatt hours is sufficient to cover the needs of more than 7,000 average German households.

The transaction was the first cooperation of Commerz Real AG with BEITEN BURKHARDT's Energy Team. The team headed by partners Dr Maximilian Emanuel Elspas and Dr Sebastian Rohrer advised Commerz Real AG comprehensively on a due diligence of the target company, negotiation of contracts and implementation of the transaction.

Advisors to Commerz Real AG:

BEITEN BURKHARDT: Dr Maximilian Emanuel Elspas. Dr Sebastian Rohrer (both lead partners, Corporate/M&A and Energy Law), Dr Markus Ley (Corporate/M&A), Toralf Baumann, Antje Baumbach, Guido Brucker, Dr Reinald Günther (all Energy Law), Dr Dominik Greinacher, Katrin Lüdtke (both Public Law), Anja Fischer (Real Estate Law), Christoph Heinrich (Antitrust Law), Matthias Ohmer, André Suttorp, Artur Kozinski, Diljinder Singh Walia (all Tax), Laureen Lee (Data Protection).

In-house: Dr Stephan Hüttig and Jörg Niedermeyer

CONTACT

Dr Maximilian Emanuel Elspas
Phone: +49 89 350 65 – 1242
E-mail: Maximilian.Elspas@bblaw.com

The defendant offered, via a website and an app, various orders from its customers to a variety of contractors, the crowd. The plaintiff registered as a crowdworker via the app and concluded a basic agreement with the defendant for this purpose, which entitled him to accept orders within a radius of 50 km and to work within a time slot of two hours. Under the agreement, he carried out individual assignments such as checks on the presentation of goods in retail outlets and petrol stations. There was no obligation to make offers by the defendant or to accept them by the plaintiff. After one year of cooperation, the defendant terminated the basic agreement by email. The crowdworker, however, complained that he had become an "employee" after the conclusion of the basic agreement, had earned a large part of his livelihood from this source of income and enjoyed the protection and privileges that such a status entails: He sued for remuneration, leave and continued employment.

The lower instance, the Regional Labour Court in Munich, ruled that in order to be an employee, an employment relationship was required and that, in any event, the basic agreement did not establish such a relationship. The plaintiff's economic dependence would not be sufficient to justify an employment relationship. There would be a lack of the "personal dependency" expressly standardised by law with regard to place, time and content of the provision of services. It remained open whether a temporary employment relationship could be established by clicking on an individual, time-bound contract.

"The ruling could have serious consequences for employers who offer small orders via apps or websites if the BAG assumes the existence of an employment relationship. Since then employers would have to fear that they would have to sign an employment contract for every job they accept, i.e. every click in their app - with all the consequences that entails," says Dr Thomas Drosdeck, lawyer at the international commercial law firm BEITEN BURKHARDT and head of the employment law team at the Frankfurt office." It will depend on how the BAG classifies the indirect instruments for disciplining the microtasker and in this context understands the characteristics of 'heteronomy' and 'binding instructions' in the term and concept of employee codified in Section 611a German Civil Code (Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch, BGB). French supreme court case law considers the pressure of assessing the performance of each individual work assignment, that there is a risk of being cut off from follow-up contracts in the event of underperformance, to be so alienating that it leads to employment of crowdworkers in France. The Regional Labour Court in Munich had seen this differently. It is therefore exciting to see how the BAG will decide in view of the internationally differentiated approach," says Drosdeck.

Dr Thomas Drosdeck is available for interviews, guest contributions etc. on this topic.

Contact
Dr Thomas Drosdeck
Phone: +49 69 756095-114
Email: Thomas.Drosdeck@bblaw.com

CONTACT
Philipp Cotta
Phone: +49 89 35 0 65 – 1334
E-mail: Philipp.Cotta@bblaw.com

"The decision of the BAG is very likely to have significance not only for fixed-term cases, but also for other typical constellations at the beginning of an employment relationship," says Markus Künzel, lawyer, specialist in labour law and partner at the international commercial law firm BEITEN BURKHARDT: "Training at the start of employment is widespread, as is the agreement of a probationary period, for example. It is not uncommon for the last day of a probationary period to give notice of termination. If the BAG decided that the arrival on the day before the beginning of an employment relationship would be brought forward and then terminated only on the last day of the probationary period, this termination would not have been declared in time during the probationary period. The employee would then have protection against dismissal, and the notice of termination would generally be invalid".

Regarding the outcome of the proceedings, the lawyer says: "In this case, it can be argued that the journey to the training the day before was a preparatory measure for the start of the activity, ultimately the journey from the home to the workplace, which is not part of the activity within the employment relationship. Therefore the journey is not to be counted towards the maximum possible two-year period". The lawyer continues: "In addition, the employee has acted contradictorily by referring to an earlier start of work, although the early arrival was in his interest. He signed the contract, which provides for the start of work on the training day, after the employer allowed him to travel earlier and also paid the accommodation costs. It would be an unfair result, if the employer would remain 'the stupid one', just because he was 'too nice'. In addition, companies would then have to be advised in future not to act in such an employee-friendly manner in comparable cases. In this case, in particular: "To leave for training at half past four in the morning," says the lawyer.

Markus Künzel is a specialist in labour law and a partner at the Munich office of BEITEN BURKHARDT. He is available for interviews, guest contributions etc. on this topic.

Kontakt

Markus Künzel
Tel.: 089 35065-1131
Markus.Kuenzel@bblaw.com

With effect as of 1 October of this year, Radium Lampenwerk is independently positioned and will be actively supported by its new owner ASC Investment in building a sustainably successful, independent future. Ledvance will remain an important cooperation partner of Radium Lampenwerk and will be both its customer and its supplier.

Ledvance used to be part of the general lighting division of Osram, but was taken over by Chinese investors in 2017 and is now owned by the Chinese lighting company MLS Co, LTD. With subsidiaries in more than 50 countries and business activities in over 140 countries, LEDVANCE has excellent global market access.

A BEITEN BURKHARDT team headed by Munich partner Angelika Kapfer regularly advises Ledvance GmbH, most recently in August this year on the sale of its Eichstätt plant.

Advisor to Ledvance GmbH:

BEITEN BURKHARDT: Partners Angelika Kapfer (in charge), Dr Christian Philipp Kalusa, Associate Caroline Frohnwieser (all Corporate/M&A, Munich), Partner Katrin Lüdtke (Munich) and Dr Dominik Greinacher (Berlin, both Public Law) and Jörn Manhart (Labour Law, Dusseldorf).

CONTACT

Angelika Kapfer
Phone: +49 89 35 0 65 1301
E-mail: Angelika.Kapfer@bblaw.com

In a first step, SLSS has acquired a minority stake in MueTec. The complete takeover is subject to approval by the German Ministry for Economic Affairs.

MueTec specialises in optical inspection and metrology systems used for quality control in semiconductor manufacturing. The company, with sites in Munich and in Aholming/Lower Bavaria, as well as in Taiwan and Malaysia, employs around 40 people. TZTEK intends to develop the German site of MueTec by expanding it as a European development centre and, thus, to also offer its employees a long-term perspective. Founded in 2005, TZTEK is a dynamically growing company with around 1,100 employees. Sales have almost tripled in recent years.

BEITEN BURKHARDT is one of the leading European law firms with a presence in China. Our China Desk is integrated into our China practice and focuses on advising Chinese companies from the private and public sectors in connection with their activities in Germany and the EU.

Advisory team:

BEITEN BURKHARDT: Dr Martin Rappert (Corporate/M&A/China Desk/Lead Partner, Dusseldorf), Nico Frielinghaus (Corporate/M&A, Dusseldorf), Dr Sebastian Weller (Corporate/M&A, Dusseldorf), Thomas Herten (Real Estate, Dusseldorf), Dr Winfried Richardt (Commercial/Corporate, Dusseldorf), Markus Schönherr (Commercial/Corporate, Dusseldorf), Tassilo Klesen (Corporate/Commercial/China Desk, Berlin), Lelu Li (Corporate/China Desk, Berlin), Dr Christian von Wistinghausen (AWV/China Desk, Berlin), Dr Patrick Alois Hübner (AWV/China Desk, Berlin), Susanne Rademacher (Corporate, Beijing/China), Dr Jenna Wang-Metzner (Corporate, Beijing/China), Katrin Lüdtke (Environmental Law/Public Funding, Munich), Jörn Manhart (Pensions, Dusseldorf), Julia Meler (Pensions, Dusseldorf), Peter Weck (Labour Law, Dusseldorf), Christian Frederik Döpke (IP/IT/Data Protection Law, Dusseldorf), Mathias Zimmer-Goertz (IP/IT/Data Protection Law, Dusseldorf).

CONTACT

Dr Martin Rappert, MBA
Phone: +49 211 51 89 89 185
E-mail: Martin.Rappert@bblaw.com

Advisors to NILS KRAUSE:

BEITEN BURKHARDT: Dr Christian Ulrich Wolf (Corporate/M&A), Torsten Cülter (Insolvency Law, both lead partners), Sebastian Schröder (Corporate/M&A), Chiara Stubenrauch (Corporate/M&A, all Hamburg), Dr Michael Hils (Tax Law, Munich), Rainer Süßmann (Capital Markets, Frankfurt), Dr Dirk Tuttlies (Capital Markets, Munich), Jan Christian Eggers (Antitrust) and Martina Dierks (Labour & Employment, both Hamburg).

CONTACT
Dr Christian Ulrich Wolf
Phone: +49 40 68 87 45 – 124
E-mail: ChristianUlrich.Wolf@bblaw.com

MagentaGaming is the telecom operator’s own cloud gaming platform, which will allow millions of subscribers to access a seamless online gaming experience instantly. It is now officially available and offered as an over-the-top (OTT) media service in Germany. The streaming technology behind MagentaGaming is provided and maintained by RemoteMyApp.

RemoteMyApp is a Poland-based start-up offering cloud gaming technology and gaming content to businesses worldwide.

Cloud gaming technology is considered one of the major upcoming trends in video games. It makes use of cloud servers to run games that are streamed directly to users' existing devices thereby allowing them to enjoy an excellent gaming experience without the need to invest in expensive gaming hardware or initial data-consuming game downloads.

BEITEN BURKHARDT advised RemoteMyApp with regard to the contracts with Deutsche Telekom regarding RemoteMyApp's technology and content.

Advisor to RemoteMyApp

BEITEN BURKHARDT: Dr. Andreas Lober and Wojtek Ropel (Partners, IT/IP, Frankfurt am Main).

CONTACT
Dr Andreas Lober
Phone: +49 69 75 60 95 – 582
E-mail: Andreas.Lober@bblaw.com

The Eichstätt plant was transferred to a new company, Aurora Lichtwerke, by way of a transfer of operations. Ledvance remains a customer and partner of the plant. The purchase agreement provides for a site guarantee until 2023. After the closure of the site was expected in March of this year, the current transaction served to initially secure more than 330 jobs.

Ledvance used to be part of the general lighting division of Osram, but was taken over by Chinese investors in 2017 and is now owned by the Chinese lighting company MLS Co, LTD. With subsidiaries in more than 50 countries and business activities in over 140 countries, LEDVANCE has excellent global market access.

Advisor Ledvance GmbH:

BEITEN BURKHARDT: Partners Angelika Kapfer (in charge), Christian Philipp Kalusa, Associate Caroline Frohnwieser (all Corporate/M&A, Munich), Partner Jörn Manhart (Pensions, Dusseldorf) and Partner Laureen Lee (IT- and Data protection Law, Munich).

All operative decisions are bundled by the Zwiebelhofer Holding. The shareholders are Nina Zwiebelhofer with 75 percent and Anna Gutgsell with 25 percent.

In addition to growth and internationalisation, the long-term KM strategy provides for a further increase in the share of sales from areas outside the classic automotive sector. These include the important fields of electromobility, energy storage, building management and mechanical engineering.

BEITEN BURKHARDT has long been providing comprehensive advice to the König Metall group of companies in the areas of corporate law, M&A, labour law and compliance.

Advisor to Holding Company Dr. Zwiebelhofer GmbH

BEITEN BURKHARDT: Dr Detlef Koch (in charge), Sherjeel Chaudhry and Dr Mario Riechmann (all Corporate / M&A, Frankfurt am Main).

CONTACT
Dr Detlef Koch
Phone: +49 69 75 60 95 – 408
E-mail: Detlef.Koch@bblaw.com

Public Relations
Frauke Reuther
Phone: +49 69 75 60 95 – 570
E-mail: Frauke.Reuther@bblaw.com
 

Information on BEITEN BURKHARDT

• BEITEN BURKHARDT is an independent international law firm with a focused range of services and some 300 lawyers working in nine locations.
• Through our long-established offices in Germany, Brussels, China and Russia we advise large and mid-sized companies and corporate groups from various industries, banks and financial institutions as well as the public sector.

The joint venture acquired an area called 'Kienzle Areal', located at Mercedesstraße 9, Stuttgart-Bad Cannstatt, in a structured bidding process. It is planned to develop around 5,600 square metres of gross floor space at this highly frequented location for a serviced apartment / extended stay concept with around 160 apartments. Construction of the project is scheduled to start in early 2021.

Lakeward Real Estate AG has been active in Germany for several years, and after various residential, office and operator real estate investments, has added another attractive investment to its portfolio.

Advisor to Lakeward:

Beiten Burkhardt: Dr Rudolf Mikus, Lisa Neumann (both Tax Law and Corporate, Frankfurt am Main)

Advisor to AAW Guse & Compagnie:

BSKP Rechtsanwälte: Dr Karsten Hohberg (Corporate, Stuttgart)

CONTACT

Dr Rudolf Mikus
Phone: +49 69 75 60 95 – 481
E-mail: Rudolf.Mikus@bblaw.com

Completed in 2014 by the Dutch property developer Ten Brinke, the property in the south-west of Nuremberg is a modern, four-storey office building with a total leased space of more than 5,900 square metres. The high-quality single-tenant property with excellent transport connections and its proximity to one of the country's most important network hubs is fully let to Deutsche Telekom on a long-term basis, with a remaining lease term of seven years and annual rental income of EUR 1.1 million.

Volker Szpak's team has been providing legal and tax advice to Glenrock International's German real estate portfolio since 2014. Volker Szpak has already provided legal and tax advice on the purchase of the office building back in 2015.

Advisor to Glenrock International:

BEITEN BURKHARDT: Volker Szpak (Corporate/M&A), Friedrich Munding (Real Estate), Petra Bolle (Corporate/M&A, all Frankfurt/Main).

CONTACT

Volker Szpak

Phone: +49 69 75 60 94 – 471

E-mail: Volker.Szpak@bblaw.com

Yunlin is developing a 640 MW offshore wind power project located 8 km off the coast of Yunlin County in Taiwan and covering a total area of approximately 90 square kilometres. Construction and commissioning of the project are planned in two phases (Phase 1 with 352 MW to be completed in Q4 2020 and Phase 2 with 288 MW in Q3 2021).

Hunton Andrews Kurth, as lead law firm, and BEITEN BURKHARDT completed the crossborder transaction in four different geographical locations: Germany, Thailand, The Netherlands and Taiwan. BEITEN BURKHARDT supported EGCO in all German law related aspects of the transaction during the Due Diligence, signing of the share purchase agreement in December 2019 and the closing of the transaction in April 2020.

For Taiwan, Lee & Li was involved as local counsel.

Advisor to EGCO:

Hunton Andrews Kurth: The partners Edward Koehler, Chumbhot Plangtrakul and James P. Bradley and the associates Chloe Kwon, Randy Oh, Hyun Jin Ha and Thaphanut Vimolkej (all Bangkok/ Thailand)

BEITEN BURKHARDT: The partners Dr Markus Ley, Dr Sebastian Rohrer, Petra Fendt and the associates Christina Bulicek and Caroline Frohnwieser (all Munich/ Germany)

Contact

Dr Markus Ley
Tel.: +49 89 35 065 – 1303
E-Mail: markus.ley@bblaw.com

Amphenol is one of the world's largest manufacturers of interconnect products. The company develops, manufactures and markets electrical, electronic and fiber optic connectors, coaxial and flat-ribbon cables and interconnect systems. Amphenol is known for its diversified presence in the fast-growing segments of the electronics market: military, commercial aerospace, industrial markets, automotive, IT datacom, mobile networks, mobile devices and broadband. The company employs more than 70,000 people at more than 100 locations worldwide.

The eurobonds were issued as Senior Notes by Amphenol Technologies Holding GmbH, a wholly owned subsidiary of Amphenol. The Senior Notes are guaranteed by Amphenol. They carry an interest rate of 0.750 percent per annum and have a maturity until 2026.

BEITEN BURKHARDT has a long-term client relationship with Amphenol and has been advising the company on acquisitions and on all issues of corporate and financial law in Germany since 2011.

Advisors to Amphenol:

BEITEN BURKHARDT: Partners Dr Dirk Tuttlies (Banking, Finance and Capital Markets, Munich), Dr Bernhard Schultz and Dr Christian von Wistinghausen, (both Corporate / M&A, Berlin).

CONTACT

Dr Dirk Tuttlies
Phone: +49 89 350 65 – 1252
E-mail: Dirk.Tuttlies@bblaw.com

Advisor to init SE: 

Inhouse: Mrs Kerstin Kirschner, Mr Fabian Kohlhammer-Keipp

BEITEN BURKHARDT: Dr Christof Aha (in charge; Corporate / M&A), Rainer Süßmann (Capital Markets), André Suttorp (Tax), Peter Weck (Labour Law, Duesseldorf), Dr Florian Jäckel-Gottmann (IP), Gökhan Görgülü and Mark Thönißen (both Corporate / M&A, all Frankfurt am Main).

CONTACT:

Dr Christof Aha
Tel.: +49 69 75 60 95 – 451
E-Mail: Christof.Aha@bblaw.com

A team, acting across offices and led by Beiten Burkhardt partners Dr Holger Weimann and Dr Andreas Lober, provided comprehensive legal advice to Merck on the Cooperation Agreement, which represents a giant step towards digitalisation for the market.

In the Innovation Center at Merck headquarters in Darmstadt project teams work on developing and upscaling ideas to create new businesses between and beyond the three Merck business sectors Healthcare, Life Science and Performance Materials. The partnership with AMCM, a sister company of EOS, the world market leader in 3D printing, especially laser sintering applying the powder bed method, will allow for a massive move towards digitalisation of the industry, establishing the next generation of tablet production through 3D printing. As a result tablet manufacturing can become faster and cheaper.

The vision is to allow a flexible and sustainable local tablet production according to specific market requirements as well as adaptation to patient Needs.

BEITEN BURKHARDT: Partners Dr Holger Weimann (IT/IP, Munich), Dr Andreas Lober (IT/IP, Frankfurt am Main, both in charge), Katharina Mayerbacher (IT/IP, Munich), Wojtek Ropel (IT/IP, Frankfurt am Main), Christoph Heinrich (Antitrust law, Munich).

MERCK KGaA: Dr Christoph Hüls (Project Lead/Intrapreneur), Dr Marco Rau (Head of Legal Team Strategy & Transformation, Group Legal Services), Stefan Greening (Commercial/IT, Legal Team Strategy & Transformation, Group Legal Services).

Contact
Dr Holger Weimann
Phone: +49 89 3 50 65 – 1312
E-mail: Holger.Weimann@bblaw.com

In this transaction, pbb Deutsche Pfandbriefbank which specialises in professional real estate investors and developers is the financing partner with a volume of EUR 87.5 million.

The building project is characterised by above-average quality living space at affordable prices, enabling future residents to live energy-consciously in an urban context. A total of seven apartment buildings are being built in two construction phases on the area between Ferdinand-Schultze-Straße, Schleizer Straße and Plauener Straße. These have a total of around 25,000 sqm of living space, which is divided into some 380 apartments, some of which are bound by rent. An underground car park will offer 160 car parking spaces and 800 bicycle parking spaces - both with appropriate e-mobility facilities. A day care centre for children is also planned.

Advisor to Lakeward:
BEITEN BURKHARDT: Dr Rudolf Mikus (in charge, Tax, Frankfurt am Main), Thomas Herten (Dusseldorf), Anja Fischer (Munich, both Real Estate) and Christine Kruse (Mergers & Acquisitions, Frankfurt am Main).
MeyerlustenbergerLachenal: Samuel Ljubicic and Christian Rebell (Finance, Mergers & Acquisitions, both Zurich).

Advisor to pbb Deutsche Pfandbriefbank:
- inhouse -

Advisor to Belle Époque:
Squire Patton Boggs: Dr Christian Bleschke (in charge, Tax), Dr Axel Kunze (Real Estate, both Berlin) and Jens Rinze (Finance, Frankfurt am Main).

Contact
Dr. Rudolf Mikus
Phone: +49 69 75 60 95 – 480
E-Mail: Rudolf.Mikus@bblaw.com 

The ELA (www.ela.law) is a worldwide alliance of law firms leading in employment law, which advises employers globally at the highest level. With more than 3,000 lawyers specialized in employment law the organisation is represented in more than 100 countries and, therefore, is the largest international alliance of law firms leading in employment law. At the turn of the year it offered BEITEN BURKHARDT the exclusive membership for Germany. Previously, in a comprehensive selection process, the law firm succeeded and prevailed over numerous competitors. The partners of BEITEN BURKHARDT have now agreed to the membership by an overwhelming majority.

"We are delighted to be able to offer clients an even better service in complex projects with an international slant from a single source due to our ELA-membership", said Philipp Cotta, Managing Partner of BEITEN BURKHARDT. "As a result, also the exchange of know-how and experience with other internationally oriented leading law firms of our profile will even more grow", Cotta continued.

"The ELA is an alliance of highly renowned law firms which belong to the best law firms providing employment law related advisory services on an international level. It is an honour and pleasure for us to form part of this top-class and high-calibre alliance", emphasized Dr. Wolfgang Lipinski, Head of the Employment Law Practice Group of BEITEN BURKHARDT. "For the Employment Law Practice Group this is a milestone on the road towards further international outreach. Our Practice Group will thus achieve greater aware-ness as an international top firm among clients and competitors", said Lipinski.

Dr. Daniel Hund, Equity Partner and member of the Employment Law Practice Group, will become "Primary Representative" of the law firm at the ELA: "The membership is also a fantastic acknowledgment of our efforts to make our employment law practice internationally even more visible and successful".

"We are delighted to welcome BEITEN BURKHARDT as our exclusive ELA member for Germany", stated Stephen J. Hirschfeld, founder and CEO of ELA and a renowned employ-ment law specialist in San Francisco. "As one of the most important economies in the world, it was critical that we partner with a world class German law firm who can assist our multina-tional clients on all legal matters in Germany. We are particularly impressed with the high caliber of employment law services provided by BEITEN BURKHARDT and we know that sophisticated companies will greatly benefit from seeking their assistance and help”, said Hirschfeld.

The membership of BEITEN BURKHARDT in the ELA is for an indefinite period.

With some 65 specialized lawyers BEITEN BURKHARDT has one of the largest employment law teams in Germany.

Contact
Dr. Wolfgang Lipinski, Employment Law Specialist, Partner, Head of Employment Law Practice Group
Phone: +49 89 35065 - 1133
Email: Wolfgang.Lipinski@bblaw.com

Dr. Daniel Hund, Employment Law Specialist, Partner, Primary Representative at the ELA
Phone: +49 89 35065 - 1109
Email: Daniel.Hund@bblaw.com

The Growth Stage entered the market in autumn 2018 as the world's first financing platform for private growth companies raising investment capital from institutional investors. The company has succeeded in attracting pension funds, private client funds, hedge funds, sovereign wealth funds and family offices as investors. Access is free of charge for both growth companies and institutional investors. Only one percent of the funds raised by the companies within the scope of financing goes to The Growth Stage as commission.

BEITEN BURKHARDT is pleased to work with The Growth Stage as its exclusive legal advisor in Germany and assist companies in gaining access to institutional investors to finance the next phase of their growth. Dr. Gesine von der Groeben, Partner in BEITEN BURKHARDT's Frankfurt office, and Dr. Mario Weichel and Christian Kalusa, both Partners in BEITEN BURKHARDT's Munich office, agree: "TGS offers an unprecedented global financing platform, not only for German companies but for all growth companies seeking to raise more than USD 10 million from institutional investors in a Series A to Z financing round. We look forward to assisting these companies in raising this growth capital and achieving their financing goals." 

The Growth Stage responds to the increasing demand from institutional investors around the world to invest in private companies with high growth potential and to give these companies the opportunity to access alternative sources of capital.

Simon Stewart, CEO of The Growth Stage says: “We are delighted to partner with BEITEN BURKHARDT. Since our launch we have prioritised Deutschland as one of our three most important hubs, to work with its world class entrepreneurs, and help them grow by connecting them to our global institutional investors.” 

Jorg Pruessmeier, who heads The Growth Stage in Germany, adds: "BEITEN BURKHARDT has demonstrated all the skill sets required to work with all our investors, companies and other professional advisors. Our exchange currently has more than 20 companies in six different countries looking to raise over USD 1bn in the next 12 months.”

Contact

Dr Gesine von der Groeben
Phone: +49 69 756095 - 408
E-mail: Gesine.vonderGroeben@bblaw.com

Dr Mario Weichel
Phone: +49 89 35065 - 1308
E-mail: Mario.Weichel@bblaw.com

Christian Kalusa
Phone: +49 89 35065 - 1225
E-mail: Christian.Kalusa@bblaw.com

Ulrich Wolf specialises in advising national and international companies and financial investors on company acquisitions, joint ventures, venture capital transactions as well as restructuring and reorganisations. He also advises on post M&A disputes. In addition, Ulrich Wolf has many years of industry expertise, particularly in the energy sector.

"We are very pleased to have won such an experienced and professionally acknowledged colleague as Dr Wolf for our corporate law practice at the interface with our energy team", comments Philipp Cotta, Managing Partner of BEITEN BURKHARDT and adds: "With this arrival, we are continuing our growth course in the Corporate / M&A area and will further strengthen our Hamburg office with Mr Wolf".

Ulrich Wolf comments on his joining BEITEN BURKHARDT: "BEITEN BURKHARDT is one of the leading commercial law firms in Germany and is recognised for its high quality of advice and its profound industry expertise in all key areas of commercial law. I look forward to being part of this first-class team in the future and to advising my clients with an extraordinary full-service offer".

With the entry of Ulrich Wolf, the Corporate / M&A practice group now comprises 63 professionals, including 16 equity Partners.

Contact:
Philipp Cotta 
Phone: +49 8935065–1342
E-mail: Philipp.Cotta@bblaw.com

With the complex lease agreement, the office buildings at Gustav-Nachtigal-Straße 3 and 5 in the city district City-Ost in Wiesbaden with a total leased space of 26,000 square meters have been fully leased to a public institution on a long-term basis. In this context, a significant lease increase was achieved compared to the previous lease. The lease term is 15 years, starting in the second half of 2022. At present, alstria office REIT-AG is modernising the office campus which is the subject of the lease agreement and is thus investing in a considerable improvement of the building quality. The alstria office REIT-AG acquired the property at number 3 from Bilfinger in 2006 as part of a sale and leaseback. The somewhat smaller office building Gustav-Nachtigal-Straße 5 was acquired in September 2018.

Advisor to alstria office REIT-AG:

BEITEN BURKHARDT: Partners Friedrich Munding (in charge) and Klaus Beine, Associate Lena Cebulla (all Real Estate) and Partner Volker Szpak (Tax, all Frankfurt am Main).

Contact
Friedrich Munding
Tel.: +49 69 75 60 95 – 193
E-mail: Friedrich.Munding@bblaw.com

Ms Kapfer is the first Equity Partner working part-time. BEITEN BURKHARDT's partners had introduced a part-time scheme for equity partners already at the end of 2016 to accommodate diverse work-life models. Ms Kapfer will be entering the existing lockstep remuneration system of the firm, reflecting the equality principle of the equity partnership.

In addition to the two Equity Partner appointments, nine lawyers were appointed Salary Partners. The partners further confirmed the salary partnership of a lateral hire.

Angelika Kapfer (47) advises national and international clients in the area of commercial and corporate law, in particular in M&A, joint ventures and conversion transactions. Her expertise also comprises corporate compliance issues as well as the structuring of supply, development and cooperation agreements.

Dr Martin Rappert (50) advises his national and international clients on dealing with contractual partners at risk of insolvency. He also advises his clients in crisis, e.g. improving shareholding structures as well as avoiding liability. Moreover, he represents his clients in insolvency proceedings. He also advises his clients in case of liability claims and represents their interests as creditor.

Together with Angelika Kapfer and Dr Martin Rappert as Equity Partners, these are the new Salary Partners:

• Moritz Bocks (Tax, Dusseldorf)
• Stefan Bräunig, LL.M. (Government & Public Sector, Berlin)
• Dr Annika Goldenberg (Government & Public Sector, Berlin)
• Dr Moritz Handrup (Banking, Finance and Capital Markets, Frankfurt am Main)
• Christoph Heinrich (Antitrust & State Aid Law, Munich)
• Christian Philipp Kalusa (Corporate/M&A, Munich)
• Tassilo Klesen (Corporate/M&A, Berlin)
• Benjamin Knorr, LL.M. Eur. (Tax, Corporate/M&A, Berlin)
• Stefan Raddatz (Assets, Succession, Foundations, Frankfurt am Main)

"Assisting all appointed colleagues on their paths towards partnership is one of the key tasks for the development of our law firm," says Philipp Cotta, BEITEN BURKHARDT's Managing Partner. He adds: "The partnership is pleased to appoint as partners some of our most experienced lawyers and tax advisors to meet our clients' demands. We welcome each of the appointed partners to our partnership and congratulate them on this great achievement in their careers. It is above all thanks to the excellent work of our new talents that we are able to appoint such a great number of colleagues as both equity and salary partners each year, and it is clear evidence that we continue to offer great career opportunities."

BEITEN BURKHARDT also continues its course of targeted growth with lateral hires in selected areas and confirms the salary partnership of Dr Sebastian Weller (Corporate/M&A, Dusseldorf).

The Employer operates a clinic with 300 employees and approximately 350 beds. A works council has been elected which had objected to various work schedules of the Employer, since it deems the occupation of the care personnel on the wards as not sufficient. The disputes regarding the minimal occupation have given rise to the establishment of a so-called conciliation committee. A conciliation committee is an instance stipulated in the German Works Constitution Act for the settlement of conflicts between employer and works council with the assistance of an impartial chairperson of the conciliation committee. In the first meeting 2013, it was decided to commission an external expert, who should assess the health risks of the personnel. The expert report stressed various health-related problems. From the Employer´s point of view, these problems had been processed subsequently - however, not from the works council´s point of view, which further assumed a concrete health risk of the employees. Therefore, the conciliation committee was reconvened in 2016 and decided - this time without consent of the Employer - to obtain a further expert report focusing on the psychological stress of the personnel. On the basis of this expert report, a decision of the conciliation committee was made after again unsuccessful negotiations, which contained detailed regulations on the minimal occupation on the wards. The Employer has contested this decision.

The Employer argues that the works council had no co-determination right in this matter, the regulations exceeded the competence of the conciliation committee and compromised the Employer´s entrepreneurial freedom. The works council argues that these health measures are taken for the protection of the employees. Pursuant to the Works Constitution Act, the works council has a co-determination right in this matter.

"The forthcoming judgment is expected to be the most important labour law decision this year", says Dr Wolfgang Lipinski, Labour Law Partner at the international commercial law firm BEITEN BURKHARDT in Munich. "If the Federal Labour Court followed the position of the works council, the explosive nature of the decision would consist in the fact that the works council in the future could enforce the employment of new additional personnel against the will of the employer through the "back door" of health protection", the Labour Law Specialist further states. "Such a judgment would provide works councils with an all-purpose weapon and it would have an impact far beyond the hospital sector, in particular, on the retail sector and on logistics companies." Dr Lipinski concludes: "From an employer´s perspective, it is hoped that the Federal Labour Court refuses an enforceable co-determination right of the works council in the personnel planning, that it creates legal clarity in this respect and, thus, respects the core area of the constitutionally protected entrepreneurial freedom. The decision on the number of employees, who have to carry out the works required, is part of this core area, as well as the decision, whether the employer copes with the workload with its own permanent staff or with external staff."

Please contact Dr Wolfgang Lipinski should you need more information, further statements or guest commentaries on this issue.

CONTACT
Dr. Wolfgang Lipinski (head of the labour law practice group)
Phone: +49 89 350 65 – 1133
E-mail: Wolfgang.Lipinski@bblaw.com

The transaction was led by the US law firm Blank Rome LLP. A BEITEN BURKHARDT team headed by Partners Dr Christian von Wistinghausen (Corporate/M&A) and Uwe Wellmann (Antitrust) advised on all aspects of German law, including cartel filing.

Miller Heiman Group is the world's leading provider of sales methodology and sales technology for companies to increase revenue and improve business results. The company's training, consulting, technology and research solutions bring together processes, people, tools, data and analysis to prepare sales and service organizations for the future of sales.  AchieveForum is specialized in the development of executives and offers its customers both seminars and innovative e-learning tools. The company works with more than 150 professional consultants and trainers in North and South America, EMEA and Asia Pacific. Strategy Execution is a global leader in organizational training, providing industry proven and scientifically tested solutions for project management and leadership training needs. 
 
Advisor Korn Ferry (German law):
BEITEN BURKHARDT: Dr Christian von Wistinghausen, Dr Patrick Alois Hübner, Tassilo Klesen, Lelu Li (all Corporate/M&A), Uwe Wellmann (Antitrust, all Berlin), Christoph Heinrich (Antitrust), Elisabeth Miesen (Labour Law, all Munich).

CONTACT
Dr Christian von Wistinghausen
Phone: +49 30 26 471 – 351
E-mail: Christian.Wistinghausen@bblaw.com

"The particular aspect of the conference is that all parties engaged in labour law, i.e. employers, employers' associations, works councils, trade unions, judges, chairpersons of a conciliation board and experts from universities, politics and law firms have a platform to discuss current labour law topics in a neutral atmosphere outside of typical everyday situations," announces Christopher Melms who heads and moderates the event together with Wolfgang Lipinski, both partners and licensed specialists for labour law at BEITEN BURKHARDT. "The conference provides an ideal opportunity to 'walk a mile in someone else's shoes'," adds Wolfgang Lipinski. "Deadlocked opinions will be challenged, fresh approaches will be elaborated," emphasises Marion Gertzen, publishing director at Betriebs-Berater.

Speakers and topics of the conference are:

• Oskar Lafontaine (Federal Minister of Finance (ret.)): This Economy Kills - What Does the Pope Mean and Is He Right? (Keynote)
• Claudia Köpnick (Head of Labour Law, BMW AG): AÜG and Partnering – Frame-work Conditions for Modern Working Models
• Verena zu Dohna-Jaeger (Management Board, IG Metall): Mobile Working – Re-quirements Concerning the Legal Arrangement
• Roland Wolf (Head of Labour and Collective Bargaining Law, Confederation of Ger-man Employers' Associations): replica (Mobile Working – Requirements Concerning the Legal Arrangement)
• Birgit Isenmann (Labour Law & Industrial Relations, Robert Bosch GmbH): Ar-rangement of Agile Organisation According to Tariff – The Innovative Labour Agree-ment of Robert Bosch GmbH
• Stephanie Rachor (Judge at the German Federal Labour Court): The Latest Su-preme Court Decisions Regarding the Right to Termination
• Concluding panel discussion on all topics

On the evening before the conference, 06 November 2019, cabaret artist and actor Gerhard Polt will get you in the right mood in our law office premises.

We would be very pleased if you referred to the event. Please see www.arbeitsrechtskonferenz.de for further information (in German).

Dr Christopher Melms and Dr Wolfgang Lipinski are labour law specialists and partners at BEITEN BURKHARDT's Munich office. Please do not hesitate to contact them for further information.

BEITEN BURKHARDT's labour & employment practice group has one of the largest and leading labour law teams in Germany with about 60 lawyers.

Contact
Dr Wolfgang Lipinski
Phone: +49 89 35065-1133
Wolfgang.Lipinski@bblaw.com

Dr Christopher Melms
Phone: +89 89 35065-1143
Christopher.Melms@bblaw.com

Founded in 2003 in Barcelona/Spain, Quadpack is an internationally operating manufacturer and supplier of trend-setting packaging solutions with subsidiaries in Europe, the US and the Asia-Pacific region and a strategic network of manufacturing partners. Quadpack focuses on the development and manufacturing of personalised standard packaging as well as customised packaging solutions, for prestige market participants and also customers of the general beauty market.

The acquisition enabled Quadpack to significantly expand its injection moulding capacities, making the company one of Europe's leading jar manufacturer with enhanced agility and the opportunity of a considerably accelerated time to market. In addition to the newly created production possibilities, the transaction increases Quadpack's market penetration in Germany, one of the five largest European markets, with a greater commercial local presence.

Louvrette specialises in injection moulding of thick-walled cosmetics packaging, and is an established company on the skin-care packaging market. Louvrette's manufacturing facilities covering 8,500m² are an important contribution to the already existing production plants of Quadpack in Spain, positioning the company under the top 10 suppliers of beauty packaging in Europe.

The most recent growth activities are part of the company’s strategic growth plan which enabled the company to double turnover over the past four years. Thanks to this latest transaction in line with this strategy, Quadpack succeeded in making the company one of the market leaders in the global beauty sector.

Advisers to Quadpack Industries S.A.:
BEITEN BURKHARDT: Dr Martin Rappert (head of project), Nico Frielinghaus, Dr Winfried Richardt, Peter Schmitt (all Corporate/M&A), Prof Dr Hans-Josef Vogel, Dr Sebastian Weller (both Commercial), Peter Weck (Labour & Employment), Mathias Zimmer-Goertz, Helen Trimbusch, Christian Döpke (all IP/IT/Media), Daniel Hermes (Tax), Thomas Herten (Real Estate), Sascha Opheys (Public Law/Subsidiaries, all Dusseldorf) and Dr Katrin Lüdtke (Environment/Permits, Munich).

Kontakt
Dr. Martin Rappert
Phone: +49 211 51 89 89 – 185
E-Mail: Martin.Rappert@bblaw.com

Since having received the previous investment sum in March 2018, the company's business model has changed considerably from partner commissions to a freemium model. The basic concept has remained the same, though: Meet5 brings people in the app together at virtual tables; however, users get to know each other in the real world, usually in groups of six. The new name reflects the focus of the company even better: Dating has been a large element for a long time, while it is now meeting as a group which defines the app. Growing numbers of users support the concept.

The fresh funds will be a mostly used for scaling and winning users in the Rhine-Main-area. New marketing campaigns are already in place and bring in 300 to 500 new users every day.

Go Crush GmbH was founded in Frankfurt in 2017. Now the app is used by around 50,000 users, both in German and English. With Meet5 it is possible to meet new people in a relaxed round already in Frankfurt, Berlin, Hamburg, Munich and Cologne.

Advisors to Go Crush GmbH:
BEITEN BURKHARDT: Dr Gesine von der Groeben (head, Frankfurt am Main), Christian Philipp Kalusa, Caroline Frohnwieser (both Munich, all Startups/Venture Capital).

Contact
Dr Gesine von der Groeben
Phone: +49 69 75 60 95 – 408
E-mail: Gesine.vonderGroeben@bblaw.com

Also following the transaction the tour operator will continue to be independent and appear as vtours GmbH in Germany and vtours International AG in Switzerland. Within the Hotelplan group, vtours will be managed autonomously by Achim Schneider, CEO of vtours.

All of the 150 employees of vtours in Germany will be taken over, the Aschaffenburg office will continue to operate. The offices in Glattbrugg, Switzerland, will be incorporated into the Hotelplan group's headquarters. Annual turnover of the tour operator vtours which mostly produces and distributes seaside holidays in the Mediterranean area, using own brands and for third parties, amounts to more than EUR 400m, as the company reports. Products are put together dynamically and distributed through online platforms and travel agencies.

Hotelplan, the Migros travelling subsidiary had an annual turnover of CHF 1.45bn in the business year 2017/2018. The parties to the transaction find that the crucial synergies of the merger are in the IT area as well as in the purchasing and distribution areas.

Legal Advisors to the Hotelplan group:

BEITEN BURKHARDT: Partners Prof Dr Hans-Josef Vogel (head, Tourism Law), Dr Martin Rappert, Nico Frielinghaus, Dr Winfried Richardt (all Corporate/M&A), Dr Julia Thöle (Commercial/Tourism Law), Christian Schenk (Taxes), Peter Weck (Labour & Employment), Dr Sebastian Weller (Commercial/Insurances), Thomas Herten (Real Estate), Dr Mathias Zimmer-Goertz, as well as the Associates Helen Trimbusch and Christian Frederik Döpke (all IP/IT/Media, all Dusseldorf).

Contact
Prof Dr Hans-Josef Vogel
Phone: +49 211 51 89 89 – 136
E-mail: Hans-Josef.Vogel@bblaw.com

GfR is a sales and service company of the Thomas Cook group with more than 500 employees. The successfully operating subsidiary GfR was facing serious economic difficulties after the parent company filed for bankruptcy and cash pooling was consequently terminated. 

In addition to consulting on insolvency law issues, the BEITEN BURKHARDT team around Dr Moritz Handrup has considerably assisted with negotiations, including with Thomas Cook's provisional liquidator and the Ministry of Economic Affairs of the State of North-Rhine Westphalia. Due to their quick and professional action it was possible to ensure mid-term financing for GfR within two days, thereby enabling as a result a reorganisation of GfR, saving more than 500 jobs.

Advisers to GfR:
BEITEN BURKHARDT: Dr Moritz Handrup (head, Insolvency Law), Dr Heinrich Meyer (Banking and Finance, both Frankfurt am Main), Torsten Cülter (Insolvency Law, Hamburg).

CONTACT
Dr Moritz Handrup
Phone: +49 69 75 60 95 – 424
E-mail: Moritz.Handrup@bblaw.com

Public Relations
Frauke Reuther
Phone: +49 69 75 60 95 – 570
E-mail: Frauke.Reuther@bblaw.com

The logistics service provider Raben Trans plans to expand its network in Germany and will take over the former spaces of
Kühne + Nagel in January 2020. The spaces are thereby fully rented.

Advisory team Logicor:

BEITEN BURKHARDT: Partners Florian Baumann (in charge, Real Estate Law) and Katrin Lüdtke (Government & Public Sector), both Munich.

CONTACT
Florian Baumann
Phone: +49 89 3 50 65 – 1446
E-mail: Florian.Baumann@bblaw.com

Public Relations
Frauke Reuther
Phone: +49 69 75 60 95 – 570
E-mail: Frauke.Reuther@bblaw.com

Most recently, Dr Feyzan Ünsal was working as an in-house lawyer with Lufthansa Technik AG (Compensation & Benefits, Labour Relations) in Hamburg. After her legal studied she successfully completed the "Erasmus Postgraduate Program in Law and Economics" (E.M.L.E.) and obtained her doctoral degree on a labour law topic. After she was admitted to the German Bar in 2008, she started her lawyer's career with Pusch Wahlig in Berlin. Between 2014 and 2017 she was working as a lawyer with Watson Farley & Williams LLP in Hamburg. Above that, she was a lecturer at various universities.

Dr Feyzan Ünsal focuses on restructurings and personnel measures in this regard as well as all issues related to works constitutional law and protection against unfair dismissals legislation including litigation. Moreover, she supports clients in negotiations with works council committees, in particular on the conclusion of reconciliation of interests and social plans. At BEITEN BURKHARDT she gets reunited with her former companions from Pusch Wahlig Legal, Lambrich and Butz.

"I am looking forward to working with Dr Feyzan Ünsal," says Lambrich and adds: "With her, we were able to win an experienced colleague for BEITEN BURKHARDT's Labour & Employment Law practice. Thanks to her former work as an in-house lawyer, she perfectly understands the needs of our clients."

The employment law team around Dr Thomas Lambrich in Hamburg now includes two Salary Partner and two Associates. In the beginning of 2018, Lambrich and Butz joined BEITEN BURKHARDT from Prinz Neidhardt Engelschall in the course of the foundation of the Hamburg Office. This means that BEITEN BURKHARDT's Labour & Employment Law practice now consists of almost 60 lawyers across Germany.

CONTACT
Dr Thomas Lambrich
Phone: +49 40 688 745-144
Email: Thomas.Lambrich@bblaw.com

Public Relations (Labour & Employment Law)
Markus Bauer
Phone: +49 89 350 65-1104
Email: Markus.Bauer@bblaw.com

The office project development, planned as multi-tenant, has a total rentable space of around 20,000 square metres and a two-storey underground car park. A Berlin project developer sold the property.

The property is located ca. 500 m from the local train station Mittersendling and can be reached from Munich central station in only 12 minutes using public transportation. Construction is set to be completed in the summer of 2022.

The Hamburg law firm Wiegel Ihde Ekrutt + Partner consulted Becken Development on the transaction, while Katrin Lüdtke, partner at BEITEN BURKHARDT in Munich, consulted on all questions in relation to public law and residual waste.
The sellers were assisted by JLL Office Investment for the transaction.

BEITEN BURKHARDT's Munich office regularly advises Becken Development also on real estate law issues, and will provide assistance with any public law issues following in this project.

CONTACT
Katrin Lüdtke
Phone: +49 89 350 65 – 1451
E-mail: Katrin.Luedtke@bblaw.com

Through its cooperation with Intermedt Medizin & Technik GmbH, B. Braun already has extensive experience in the field of fully automatic concentrate preparation in dialysis. This is a simple, economical and environmentally friendly method of producing dialysis concentrates reliably and safely on site in the centre itself.

With this acquisition, B. Braun is responding to increasing global demand in this area and is also expanding its existing network of production sites.

BEITEN BURKHARDT has comprehensively advised B. Braun Avitum AG on all legal aspects in relation to this Asset Deal.

Contact
Dr. Sebastian Weller
Tel.: +49 211 518989–134

Antenne Bayern spent almost three years on developing and testing Quantyoo. In addition to our client, the following private radio stations are founding partners: Antenne Niedersachsen GmbH & Co. KG, BB Radio Länderwelle Berlin/Brandenburg GmbH & Co. KG, BCS Broadcast Sachsen GmbH & Co. KG, BLW Bayerische Lokalradio-Werbung GmbH, Funkhaus Halle GmbH & Co. KG, Privatradio Landeswelle Mecklenburg-Vorpommern GmbH & Co. Studiobetriebs KG, Radio / Tele FFH GmbH & Co. Betriebs KG, Radio Hamburg GmbH & Co. KG, Transistor GmbH - (radio NRW GmbH), RTL Radio Center Berlin GmbH.

In this project, our team has been responsible for the comprehensive consulting for this project. We have been in charge of product development (data protection) as well as the implementation of corporate law and merger control law issues.

Advisor to ANTENNE BAYERN GmbH & Co. KG and QUANTYOO GmbH & Co. KG:

BEITEN BURKHARDT: Partners Dr Axel von Walter, Katharina Mayerbacher (both Media/Data Protection, both in charge), Dr Johannes Baumann (Data Protection), Dr Mario Weichel and Dr Markus Ley (both Corporate) as well as Dr Christian Heinichen and Christoph Heinrich (both Antitrust & Merger Control, all Munich).

Mérieux NutriSciences is a service company headquartered in Chicago and a subsidiary of Institut Mérieux. The company has specialised in analytical and consulting services to ensure the safety and quality of products that affect consumers’ health. The firm employs 7000 employees in 22 countries.

The food laboratory Institut Kirchhoff Berlin GmbH carries out studies for the food industry, using high quality chemical, physical, molecular biological and microbiological techniques with sate of the art analytical Equipment.

Advisor to Mérieux NutriSciences:

BEITEN BURKHARDT: Partners Dr Detlef Koch and Dr Gesine von der Groeben (both lead partners in charge), Dr Mario Riechmann (all Corporate/M&A), Dr Andreas Lober (IP/IT), Friedrich Munding (Real Estate), André Suttorp (Tax), Christopher Theis (Public Commercial Law), Angela Schilling, Dr Gerald Peter Müller-Machwirth (both Labour&Employment, all Frankfurt am Main), Philipp Cotta (Munich) and Jan Christian Eggers (Hamburg, both Antitrust Law).

Contact
Dr Gesine von der Groeben
Phone: +49 69 75 60 95 – 408
E-mail: Gesine.vonderGroeben@bblaw.com
 

The five wind farms, spread over four German federal states, are the wind farms Breitenfelde I and II with five wind turbines of type Enercon E-92 in Schleswig-Holstein, the wind farm Weertzen with three wind turbines of type Enercon E-92 in Lower Saxony, the wind farm Holzthaleben with five wind turbines of type Nordex N 117 in Thuringia, as well as the wind farm Wahlsdorf with three wind turbines of type General Electric 2.5-120 in Brandenburg. The portfolio has a total of capacity of 38.3 MW.

After BEITEN BURKHARDT had already advised Stadtwerke Heidenheim AG Group on the acquisition of several wind and solar farms in recent years, now the team headed by Dr Sebastian Rohrer and Dr Maximilian Emanuel Elspas was again retained by Stadtwerke Heidenheim AG to comprehensively advise on this transaction. In addition to corporate and energy law, the advisory services rendered by BEITEN BURKHARDT also covered real estate and public law issues as well as the financing of the acquisition.

Advisor to Stadtwerke Heidenheim AG Group:

BEITEN BURKHARDT: Dr Sebastian Rohrer and Dr Maximilian Emanuel Elspas (both in charge, Corporate and Energy Law, Munich), Dr Reinald Günther, Toralf Baumann (both Energy Law, Berlin), Dr Markus Ley (Mergers & Acquisitions, Munich), Dominik Greinacher (Berlin), Katrin Lüdtke (Munich, both Public Law), Anja Fischer (Real Estate Law, Munich) and Anthony Trentin (Banking and Finance, Frankfurt am Main).

Contact
Dr Maximilian Emanuel Elspas
Phone: +49 89 350 65 – 1242
E-mail: Maximilian.Elspas@bblaw.com

CAPTIQ operates a B2B platform that facilitates the granting of loans to members of the chamber professions, for instance, for the establishment of a medical practice, an engineering office or a law firm. The Fintech Start-up offers rating-linked financing at market conditions within the range of EUR 5,000.00 to EUR 750,000.00. Conclusion of the loan agreement can be performed within two business days. The loans are refinanced in securitised form by institutional investors such as pension funds, pension schemes or depot A managers. The business model is based on a B2B approach that integrates financial advisors and banks into the sales model.

BEITEN BURKHARDT frequently advises participation rounds on both the investor and the start-up side. The advisory services rendered to CAPTIQ once again show the growing importance of the venture capital industry in Germany, thus proving the versatile commitment of the law firm's Corporate / M&A practice to the German and international Venture Capital and start-up scene.

Advisor to CAPTIQ:

BEITEN BURKHARDT: Partners Dr Gesine von der Groeben (Corporate/M&A; in charge), Susanne Klein, LL.M. (IP/IT) and Inka Adam (Labour & Employment, all Frankfurt am Main).

Contact
Dr Gesine von der Groeben
Phone: +49 69 756095–408
E-mail: Gesine.vonderGroeben@bblaw.com

Perusa had acquired the Senator group from Merz Pharma GmbH & Co. KGaA in June 2016. The company looks back on a history of almost one hundred years. Today it is one of the world's leading manufacturers of writing instruments. Senator produces all plastic pens in its own production facility in Germany and distributes its products over the promotional material industry. Currently the company has almost 300 employees at five locations worldwide, and generated a turnover of almost EUR 40m in the business year 2017.

The Senator group was successfully reorganised after the takeover and adjusted to market conditions. The main plant in Groß-Bieberau was extensively modernised. Also the two plants in Harlow (Great Britain) and Cestas (France) were made viable for the future.

The Senator group will operate on the market as a company managed by an entrepreneur, the former managing director Daniel Jeschonowski who is now the company's shareholder.

Advisors to Daniel Jeschonowski (Senator GmbH):

BEITEN BURKHARDT:
Partners Dr Markus Ley and Dr Mario Weichel (both Corporate/M&A, Munich)

Contact
Dr Markus Ley
Phone: +49 89 350 65 – 1303
Fax: +49 89 350 65-2130
E-mail: Markus.Ley@bblaw.com

With the takeover BCA confirms its goal to ensure a position as market leader in the competition of the pools by establishing a digital service and process platform. Asuro, which had the holding company Hoesch Group AG among its investors, will continue to exist as independent trademark and with its own business model. Asuro's managing director, Carlos Reiss, will therefore in the same capacity be able to contribute his expertise of over 30 years in this sector.

Advisor to Hoesch Group and Carlos Reiss:

BEITEN BURKHARDT:
Partners Dr Detlef Koch (head), Dr Mario Riechmann (both Corporate/M&A), Dr Gerald Peter Müller-Machwirth and Dr Johannes Allmendinger (both Labour & Employment Law), as well Associates Sherjeel Chaudhry (Corporate/M&A) and Anthony Trentin (Banking, Finance and Capital Markets, all: Frankfurt am Main).

Advisor to BCA AG:
Law firm Schalast Rechtsanwälte

Contact
Dr Detlef Koch
Phone: +49 69 75 60 95 – 408
E-mail: Detlef.Koch@bblaw.com

The project is being distributed by Home Rocket Deutschland GmbH, the first crowdfunding platform in Europe, which has specialised specifically in real estate projects internationally in Germany and Austria. Project developer is Krondach & Steinmeister GmbH, located in Berlin, Germany.

The accounting firm BBWP GmbH Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft acts as trustee for the securities in the Land Register for the project.

Advisors to Home Rocket Deutschland GmbH:

BEITEN BURKHARDT: Partners Dr Maximilian Degenhart and Dr Dirk Tuttlies (both Banking, Finance and Capital Markets, Munich

CONTACT

Dr Maximilian Degenhart
Phone: +49 89 350 65 – 1241
E-mail: Maximilian.Degenhart@bblaw.com

Public Relations
Frauke Reuther
Phone: +49 69  75 60 95–570
E-mail: Frauke.Reuther@bblaw.com

The building project above ground level is based on revitalizing the existing structures of a former power station under preservation order, as well as the new construction of two housing complexes. On the gross base area of 6,700 m² there will also be a Rewe supermarket, office areas, as well as 34 high-quality housing units with the character of a loft. In addition, a public park will be created on the estate of approx. 4,600 m². The architect's office Karl Dudler Architekten was commissioned.

Advisor to Subsidiary of Frankfurter Volksbank:

BEITEN BURKHARDT: Partners Klaus Beine (head of team, Real Estate), Volker Szpak (Tax Law), Dr Claudia-Maria Wirth (Real Estate) and Associate Petra Bolle (Corporate/ M&A, all of them Frankfurt am Main).

CONTACT
Klaus Beine
Phone: +49 69 75 60 95 – 405
E-mail: Klaus.Beine@bblaw.com 
Public Relations

Frauke Reuther
Phone: +49 69 75 60 95 – 570
E-mail: Frauke.Reuther@bblaw.com

'The 5% study 2018 - Where it's still worth investing', that is mainly a question of risk appetite. It also largely depends on what investors accept as sufficient for themselves. Those two essential aspects were soon agreed on by all participants after a welcome by Klaus Beine, lawyer, notary public and head of the Real Estate practice group at BEITEN BURKHARDT. However, the facilitators   Klaus Beine, Sven Carstensen, bulwiengesa analyst and moderator, Susanne Janßen at Dusseldorf Stadtsparkasse, Ralf Fröba at bulwiengesa appraisal   also did not shy away from discussing uncomfortable topics. Those were, above all, increasingly complex political conditions: controlled rents, conversion prohibitions, social environment protection orders, etc. Also the share deal as form of sale could soon cease to exist, politically endorsed.

At the same time, participants were excited to witness new trends emerge, for example co-working. Although still at a low level, it showed 'enormous growth', especially in top real estate cities classified as A and B. In addition, the hotel market is booming. At some places, also logistics properties are considered prime Investments.

Following the discussion, participants long continued their lively debates while enjoying snacks and drinks. Even many experts cannot predict how the different real estate classes are going to develop in face of rising interests, should that happen at all. Experts are thus already eagerly awaiting the '2019  5% study' which will again be presented at the locations of the law firm BEITEN BURKHARDT.

You can obtain the study and more information at:

Klaus Beine
Phone: +49 69 75 60 95 - 405
E-mail: Klaus.Beine@bblaw.com

Public Relations
Frauke Reuther
Phone: +49 69 75 60 95 - 570
E-mail: Frauke.Reuther@bblaw.com

The German Football Association DFB and the leading German sports betting provider bwin have extended their partnership. Based on the agreement scheduled to expire in 2022, bwin is granted advertising rights of the German Football Association DFB, the national football teams, the DFB Cup, the 3rd League and the women's national league. In their partnership DFB and bwin will intensify their training and prevention programmes against gambling and betting addiction as well as against match fixing. BEITEN BURKHARDT has assisted with the tendering, the awarding and the negotiations on the partnership agreement with respect to the advertising for sports betting in the difficult environment of a currently non-regulated situation.

Advisor BEITEN BURKHARDT: Dr Holger Weimann

With this acquisition, My Media Group takes on a new, international dimension, allowing them to offer their clients truly global campaigns and strategies and thus unlocking new markets and advantageous opportunities to scale internationally.

The international commercial law firm BEITEN BURKHARDT has advised My Media Group on the acquisition of the majority stake in Peak Ace AG in all legal aspects. The parties have agreed not to disclose the Transaction volume.

My Media Group is a media company with more than 500 clients, for whom it manages more than 1 billion euros worth of media space each year. Leader in the development of a media strategy directly oriented towards customer acquisition, the company is particularly active in e-commerce, where it has a market share of more than 40% among pure players, with references like Trivago, Groupon, Just Eat and Vistaprint.

With 130 employees, My Media Group has successfully completed several acquisitions that have successively integrated Mediatop, Geo Vista, Libre et Change, Synodiance and Pygmalion Media. Becoming a reference player in this market in just a few years, My Media Group intends to accelerate its development, with the group’s strategy based both on its organic growth prospects and on an ambitious external growth strategy in France and internationally.

Established in 2007, Peak Ace is an international performance marketing agency headquar-tered in Berlin, Germany. With more than 110 employees, Peak Ace implements campaigns in over 20 languages at native Speaker level. With its technology-driven approach, Peak Ace is a one-stop shop for highly flexible, data-driven solutions for all relevant performance marketing channels. Consequently, the agency helps customers to significantly optimise their marketing budgets, thus making them more profitable and efficient.

Peak Ace’s core business is performance marketing which includes services in paid advertising (PPC), organic search (SEO), content marketing and marketing technologies such as conversion rate optimisation and digital analytics. Its award-winning, innovative campaigns have been recognised multiple times by the European Search Awards, having been the recipient of the prestigious “Best SEO Campaign” award. Likewise, at the Drum Search Awards, Peak Ace not only won “Best Use of Data” but was also honoured with the “Grand Prix” for its work. Working closely with world-renowned brands such as Airbnb, SEPHORA, OTTO Group and A&O Hotels and Hostels, Peak Ace has established itself as a confident market-leader thanks to its dedication to consistently delivering excellence.

Advisor to My Media Group:

BEITEN BURKHARDT: Partner Dr Christian von Wistinghausen (lead partner), Associates Tassilo Klesen, Lelu Li and Dr Florian Böhm (all Corporate/M&A, Berlin) as well as Partners Dr Rainer Bierwagen (Antitrust Law, Brussels), Christian Schenk (Tax, Dusseldorf), Julia Alexandra Schütte (Labour & Employment Law, Berlin), Rainer Süßmann (Corporate/M&A, Frankfurt), Laureen Lee (IP/IT/Media, Munich) and Associate Christoph Heinrich (Antitrust Law, Munich).

CONTACT

Dr Christian von Wistinghausen
Phone: +49 30 26 471 - 351
E-mail: Christian.Wistinghausen@bblaw.com

Public Relations
Frauke Reuther
Phone: +49 69  75 60 95–570
E-mail: Frauke.Reuther@bblaw.com