Hamburg
Latham & Watkins' Hamburg office was established in 2001 through a merger with former German law firm of Schön Nolte in Hamburg. Approximately 76 lawyers in our Hamburg office advise medium-sized German and European companies and multinational global players that operate in a wide range of traditional and new industries and specialty areas, including international trade relations and financial services. In addition, we act for German and European government agencies and for individuals with business interests.
In their 2005/2006 Handbook, renowned German legal publishing house JUVE named Latham's Hamburg office "Law Firm of the Year in Hamburg." In addition, in 2004, JUVE awarded the firm "Law Firm of the Year" for Germany and "Law Firm of the Year for Real Estate and Construction Law." Our Hamburg office is one of three Latham offices in Germany. In 2005, the Hamburg office was awarded the "Golden Pyramid" by the Elite Report on "Foundation Experts," published by leading German newspaper Die Welt/Welt am Sonntag. Used for succession planning and the establishment of charitable institutions, foundations are growingly popular in Germany. "The Hamburg office … has built a prominent name in what can only be described as an amazingly short period," the report said.
Practice Areas
Our Hamburg office advises German and international business enterprises in all areas of commercial, corporate and public regulatory law. The firm's Corporate, Finance, Tax and Litigation Departments are represented among the attorneys in the Hamburg office. Our attorneys practice in a variety of legal areas, including: mergers and acquisitions; capital markets; finance and foreign investment; tax; real estate; privatization; health care; insolvency and restructuring; product liability, general commercial litigation; intellectual property and copyright; competition and merger control; state aid; trade; publishing, broadcast and media; and employment.
Community Ties
The Hamburg office has a tradition of public service and pro bono work. In 2005, the Hamburg office represented a number of pro bono clients, including the National Red Cross of Germany and Lebenshilfe Lüneburg GmbH (a nonprofit housing organization for people with mental disabilities). In addition, attorneys from the Hamburg office teamed with attorneys in our Los Angeles and Frankfurt offices to assist Bet Tzedek Legal Services in their efforts to assert pension claims by Los Angeles-area Holocaust survivors who worked in the Jewish ghettos during World War II.