Allen & Overy further bolsters its private equity practice in Germany

“With Hendrik’s legal expertise and experience, especially in complex transactions, we are strengthening our private equity team in Germany and are taking another important step to underpin and sustainably expand our first-class expertise in providing comprehensive advice to private equity investors,” says Dr Wolf Bussian, Managing Partner of Allen & Overy Germany. He continues: “For our firm, private equity is an important part of the strategy in Germany and our stated goal is to develop the private equity practice into one of the leading practices in the German market in the medium term.”

After an initial pandemic-induced deal lull in spring 2020, the growth opportunities in a recovering M&A and private equity market are excellent. “For many financial investors, Germany is the most important target market in the EU. Nearly every second fund manager considers Germany as the most important private equity market for the near future within continental Europe,” explains Dr Nils Koffka, head of the German private equity practice. “The ongoing low interest rate policy of the European Central Bank and other central banks as well as the high level of liquidity on the investor side fosters leveraged transactions. In addition, major changes within the German economy yield a very favourable market environment for investments. With Hendrik’s move we are well prepared for our client’s increased need for advice."

Dr Hendrik Röhricht mainly advises on private equity and M&A transactions. He has extensive experience in a wide variety of areas including technology, healthcare, and payment systems. Through his work at the private equity investor Hg in London, he also knows the client side firsthand. Before joining Weil, Gotshal & Manges, he had been a partner at White & Case since 2015.

Over the past few years, Allen & Overy’s German private equity practice has continued to develop. Today it comprises five partners who deal exclusively with private equity transactions at three German locations, and two other partners who advise on financing for private equity investments (especially leveraged finance). In addition, there is close interaction with practice groups whose legal and/or industry-specific expertise is in demand in transactions, including data protection, healthcare and technology.

Allen & Overy recently announced the appointment of a counsel, who has joined the firm on 1 June 2021 and has experience in complex financings in connection with leveraged buyouts. With him, the consulting competence of the firm at the increasingly important interface between LBO and infrastructure transactions, including their financing, has gained additional clout.

Moreover, Allen & Overy strengthened its German set-up significantly only recently on 1 May of this year with four partners and four additional counsel (see our press releases of 8 April 2021 and 21 April 2021).

Highlight transactions of the German private equity practice in recent months include advising:

• RAG-Stiftung as part of a consortium led by private equity investors Advent and Cinven on the acquisition of the Elevator Technology business from thyssenkrupp AG,
• Bridgepoint on the acquisition of Infinigate Group from H.I.G. Capital,
• Cube Infrastructure on the disposal of its 49 % stake of NETINERA Deutschland GmbH to the co-shareholder Trenitalia S.p.A.,
• SGS SA on its acquisition of Synlab Analytics & Services (A&S),
• One Equity Partners (OEP) on its acquisition of the Spanish IT and digitalisation advice specialist VASS Consultoría de Sistemas, S.L. as well as on the acquisition of the IT reseller and service provider MCL Beteiligungs GmbH and
• Nord Holding on the acquisition of a majority stake in the cleantech company Dr. Födisch Umweltmesstechnik AG.