November 2011
JUVE, the leading German publisher of information for the legal community, has recognized Jones Day as Law Firm of the Year for 2011 in Southern Germany. The award is based on a survey of more than 20,000 clients, lawyers, and judges, who evaluate firms throughout Germany on professional competence, strategic alignment, service orientation, and development potential. The award was presented during a ceremony held on October 27, 2011, in front of approximately 900 guests.
Jones Day opened its Munich Office in 2003. Since then, the Office has grown to more than 30 lawyers and now (with the support of their colleagues from around the world) includes leading private equity and intellectual property practices in Munich and Southern Germany.
Over the past twelve months, Jones Day’s private equity team in Munich completed two of the largest and most notable private equity transactions in Germany: the sale of the Wittur Group by a consortium consisting of Goldman Sachs, Cerberus, and Credit Suisse, and OM Group’s $1 billion acquisition of the VAC Group from One Equity Partners, the largest German private equity transaction so far in 2011.
During the award ceremony, JUVE recognized Jones Day as “… the challenger of the leading private equity practices. The representation of Goldman Sachs and Cerberus in the sale of Wittur was the landmark transaction for the entire market – and for Jones Day. As a result, Ansgar Rempp has become one of the leading dealmakers in Munich.” JUVE also mentioned Munich partners Ivo Posluschny (in connection with his work for The Riverside Company and Findos Investors) and Martin Kock (in connection with his venture capital practice).
The JUVE award also recognizes Jones Day’s steadily growing German intellectual property practice, the first international practice to combine both patent prosecution and patent litigation in Germany, and part of one of the world’s largest global intellectual practice practices, with more than 300 IP lawyers worldwide. Originally the driving force behind the opening of the Munich Office in 2003, today the integrated team of more than 20 patent attorneys and attorneys-at-law handles patent prosecutions and patent litigations as well as trademark, transactional, and pharma regulatory matters. With long-standing and in-depth scientific experience in all technological areas, the Munich IP practice has worked on several significant litigations, including the representation of Mount Sinai School of Medicine in a multinational patent dispute against an international biopharmaceutical company, which includes compulsory license proceedings in Germany.
“I am very proud of our team in Munich. The well deserved JUVE award validates our strategic decision to open an office in Munich and confirms our excellent reputation among leading firms in Munich and Southern Germany. We have made great progress in only eight years, but we expect to continue to expand our office and practices in the years ahead,” said Ansgar Rempp, Partner-in-Charge of the Munich Office and the Jones Day lead partner on both the Goldman Sachs/Cerberus/Credit Suisse and OM Group transactions.
“The JUVE award is a recognition of the critical role Jones Day’s Munich Office has played in building what we believe is the most integrated global legal institution in the world,” said Mary Ellen Powers, Partner-in-Charge of Jones Day’s European and Middle Eastern operations.
Jones Day is a global law firm with more than 2,500 lawyers, including more than 400 in Europe and 200 in Asia. Ranked among the world’s best and most integrated law firms, and perennially ranked among the best in client service, Jones Day acts as principal outside counsel to, or provides significant legal representation for, more than half of the Fortune Global 500.
