Frankfurt

Since its founding in 2001, Latham & Watkins' Frankfurt office has grown to be one of the most highly respected law offices in the region. In their 2004/2005 Handbook, renowned German legal publishing house JUVE named our Frankfurt office "Law Firm of the Year in Frankfurt." 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."

Because of its unique location in the geographical heart of Europe, Frankfurt has been a leading commercial and banking center for centuries. With the European Union's decision to establish the European Central Bank in Frankfurt, the city has become the financial heart of continental Europe. The city's proximity to the emerging capital markets in Eastern Europe aides Frankfurt in being the banking capital of Germany, Europe's largest economy. Our Frankfurt office is one of three Latham offices in Germany.

Practice Areas

Our Frankfurt office has strong transactional and litigation practices. The Frankfurt transactional team regularly conducts complex German and multi-jurisdictional transactions. The office offers clients a broad array of legal services, including banking (including banking regulation law) and complex financings, corporate advice, private equity, mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, insolvency and restructuring, real estate, outsourcing, IT law and securities and professional liability litigation, international dispute resolution, antitrust and tax. Our Frankfurt attorneys represent medium-sized enterprises and multinational groups, as well as German and international banks and companies operating in industries such as IT and telecommunications, biotechnology, high technology, manufacturing and energy.

Community Ties

Our Frankfurt office has a strong tradition of public service and pro bono work. Since 2005, the office has been assisting the Staedel School of Arts in its reorganization process, helping to draft the school's new constitution to regulate and clarify its affiliation with the city of Frankfurt and the state of Hesse. The office also represented Youth Venture, a nonprofit organization based in the US. The nonprofit organization was exploring an expansion into the European Union, and the Frankfurt office advised them on the necessary changes to its website to meet European regulations and helped develop the organization's privacy and information collection policies. Furthermore, the office advises sponsors of historical sites in the greater Frankfurt area.