Change in legal form due to Brexit: Noerr becomes a German partnership with limited professional liability

Noerr LLP is changing its legal form and from 31 December 2020 will be advising as Noerr Partnerschaftsgesellschaft mit beschränkter Berufshaftung – Rechtsanwälte Steuerberater Wirtschaftsprüfer (Noerr Partnerschaftsgesellschaft mbB).

The firm, which has to date operated as a Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) under English law, feels compelled to take this step because after the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union and the expiry of the transition period on 31 December 2020, the English LLP with administrative headquarters in Germany will no longer be recognised as a legal form in Germany.

“We would welcome it if the legislator expanded the current German partnership with limited professional liability to a German LLP, which does not exist yet,” said co-managing partner Alexander Ritvay. “While the upcoming reform of partnership law is intended to give the legal profession access to the German limited partnership (GmbH & Co. KG), which is positive, a German LLP would be better suited for partnership structures. Introducing the German LLP would help to create a uniform competitive environment also in the legal forms for law firms within Europe and the United Kingdom and ensure the competitiveness of German law firms internationally as well.