A&O Shearman advises investment banks, private equity sponsors and large companies on corporate financing, where Thomas Neubaum is a key contact, debt financing, restructuring and real estate financing. Instructions frequently pertain to sustainability-related loans, loan conversions, syndicated financing, private capital and promissory note loans. Walter Uebelhoer heads the practice and recently advised on syndicated loans in connection with some of the firm's largest supported transactions. The competencies in the private capital sector were strengthened with the arrival of Josef Parzinger from Kirkland & Ellis International LLP in February 2023, who also has experience in advising on distressed investment funds.

Hengeler Mueller advises borrowers and lenders, including large German companies, banking and investor syndicates, on national and international transactions as well as corporate and acquisition financing. Most recently, the firm assisted with multi-stakeholder financing and recapitalisation, whereas the team regularly cooperates with the restructuring and insolvency practice in the context of crisis management situations. Key contacts include acquisition financing experts Daniela Böning and Nikolaus Vieten as well as Johannes Tieves, who regularly handles promissory note loans and sustainability-related financing.

Latham & Watkins LLP offers a full-service approach and regularly advises companies, private equity funds and debt funds in addition to national and international financial institutions on private equity and M&A transactions as well as refinancing and restructuring. The team also assists with bond financing, investment grade and cross-over investment grade financing as well as private debt. Alexandra Hagelüken advises on German and English law and regularly covers cross-border matters; pertaining to the latter, the team frequently cooperates with the capital markets practice on debt capital instruments. Advising infrastructure players is among the core strengths, where Sibylle Münch is experienced in the fibre optic and energy sectors and most recently advised on various platform financings as well as investments in a European telecoms tower company. Key contact Cora Grannemann is well versed in leveraged buyouts and corporate lending matters. Kim Woggon (private equity, acquisitions and corporate finance) left the firm in April 2023.

Clifford Chance's expertise in acquisition and corporate financing, leveraged finance, restructuring and refinancing is regularly called upon by national and international banks, private equity investors, direct lending funds and companies. Recent instructions include matters pertaining to bridging, ESG-related and syndicated loans in connection with the infrastructure and energy sectors, here, Bettina Steinhauer is a key contact; she is well versed in acquisition financing and restructuring. Christoph Nensa recently assisted with various refinancing transactions, which constitute another core strength of the practice. The team regularly cooperates with other locations on cross-border matters.

Milbank routinely cooperates across locations and is instructed by companies, banks and private equity funds on cross-border matters under German, English and New York law; primarily on acquisition financing, as well as corporate and infrastructure financing. Other cooperations include the capital markets interface, thus the assistance with transactions in connection with complex financing structures and capital market products is one of the team's mainstays. Recent instructions pertain to refinancing and transactions in the energy sector as well as ESG-related syndicated loan financing and bonds. Barbara Mayer-Trautmann and Thomas Ingenhoven jointly head the team; Trautmann focuses on infrastructure financing, corporate loans and restructuring and recently advised on financing matters in the fibre optic sector, while Ingenhoven covers acquisition and asset financing as well as syndicated loans.

Ashurst LLP focuses on leveraged buyouts as well as corporate loans and refinancings and is frequently instructed by financial institutions, corporations, debt funds and private equity houses. Recent work includes the advice on growth and unitranche financing as well as syndicated financing. The latter areas are also key strengths of Anne Grewlich; she heads the German as well as the Global Loans and Global Markets team. Grewlich has additional expertise in national and international transactions under English and New York law, including mezzanine and high-yield structures as well as staple financing. At the end of 2023, Matthias Weissinger (acquisition and unitranche financing as well as corporate loans) left the firm to join McDermott Will & Emery Rechtsanwälte Steuerberater LLP.

Kai Arne Birke heads the Gleiss Lutz team and travels between the Frankfurt and London locations. His practice advises large German companies, financial institutions, banks and private equity funds on acquisitions and corporate financing. Recent work pertains to ​​promissory note loans, where corporate finance expert Eva Reudelhuber took the lead; the team also assists with financial restructurings. Frank Schlobach is another key contact, he is well versed in leveraged buyouts and acquisition financing.

Linklaters advises lenders, such as national and international banks, as well as companies from various sectors, including energy and infrastructure, on acquisition financing, syndicated credit facilities, promissory note loans, leveraged finance and finance restructuring. Practice head Marc Trinkaus advises on acquisition financing as well as restructuring; his team increasingly assists with sustainable financing matters such as recent instructions pertaining to promissory note transactions. Przemyslaw Lipin is another key contact and focuses on the leveraged finance area.

Noerr's recent work includes the advice to banks on syndicated loans in the context of M&A and restructuring transactions, such as the advice to a banking consortium in connection with the large-scale restructuring of STEAG. Practice head Andreas Naujoks frequently took the lead in these restructuring matters; he has additional expertise in corporate and acquisition financing as well as real estate financing, where the practice is also instructed by companies. Other competencies include ESG-related finance transactions, promissory note loans, refinancing and mezzanine financing as well as venture debt and leveraged buyouts.

White & Case LLP frequently cooperates across locations and practices, such as regulatory and M&A, thus routinely advises international financial institutions and large companies on financing transactions under English and New York law. The mainstays include leveraged finance transactions, acquisition financing and corporate loans. Practice head Vanessa Schürmann demonstrates similar competencies and is additionally experienced in real estate financing under English law. Recently, the team increasingly assisted with restructuring-related matters, Andreas Lischka is a key contact here.

CMS' financing practice regularly cooperates with its M&A and regulatory experts and assists investors, sponsors and borrowers as well as major national and international banks with corporate, asset, project and acquisition financing as well as promissory note transactions. The team is well versed in ESG-related financing, here, the practice routinely cooperates with the firm's international ESG task force. Practice heads Kerstin Block and André Frischemeier and their team focus on the infrastructure and renewable energy sectors, where the team frequently cooperates with the project financing team.

Taylor Wessing focuses on acquisition and corporate financing. Clemens Niedner heads the team, which is also instructed by financial institutions, private equity funds and international companies on project financing and restructuring; these competencies are increasingly tied to ESG matters. Other recent work includes instructions from debt funds and startups in the venture debt financing area.

Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP frequently assists sponsors and their portfolio companies with cross-border acquisition financing and refinancing. The team also advises financial institutions and private debt funds on finance restructuring and in the direct lending area and, most recently, increasingly in the context of loans in the venture debt area. Jasmin Dettmar (leveraged finance, acquisition financing, corporate loans) heads the practice; another key contact is Jan Wilms (leveraged finance, corporate loans, syndicated loan transactions, project financing).

Baker McKenzie impresses with its expertise in advising banks, whereas the team also assists private equity sponsors, companies, debt funds and other financial institutions with national and international leveraged buyout financing, restructuring as well as corporate and project financing. The practice covers various sectors, including most recently real estate and infrastructure. Practice head Oliver Socher comprehensively covers all financing matters as EMEA Banking & Finance Chair and as a member of the Global Banking & Financing Steering Committee. Matthias Töke recently advised on growth and acquisition financing and was appointed partner in July 2023.

Hogan Lovells International LLP's team is jointly led by project and real estate financing expert Carla Luh and banking and financial law specialist Katlen Blocker, who, in addition to acquisition and corporate loans, also handles export financing and restructuring. Luh's project financing expertise complements the overall focus on the infrastructure and energy sectors. The practice advises on cross-border financing transactions as well as on ECA-covered financing and sustainable finance-related matters. Clients include companies, banking syndicates and, increasingly, debt funds.

Norton Rose Fulbright's advisory capacities include acquisition, asset and corporate financing; banks and financial services providers primarly call upon this expertise as well as companies. Practice head Oliver Sutter and asset and project financing expert Timo Noftz regularly take the lead here; Noftz also focuses on the transport sector. Additionally, clients benefit from cross-border as well as cross-practice cooperation, including interfacing capital markets law, M&A and VC matters.

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP focuses on national and international acquisition and corporate financing and also covers financing transactions at the interface with capital markets law. Practice head Johannes Kremer complements this with expertise in related regulatory issues. He is supported by counsel Jörg Hanke, who is well versed in real estate financing and restructuring-related topics. Among the clint roster are financial institutions, private equity houses as well as companies.