Noerr appoints five new partners and continues qualitative growth strategy

Noerr has admitted Felix Muhl, Henner Schläfke, Julian Schulze De la Cruz, Christoph Thiermann and Torsten Wehrhahn as new equity partners from 1 January 2020. In addition, the firm has promoted Tülay Biecker, Radoslaw Biedecki, Sarah Schmidt-Versteyl, Iulian Sorescu and Peter Stauber to the position of senior counsel (non-equity partners). A further 13 lawyers have been appointed as associated partners and four as counsel.

“Our new partners and counsel have contributed to Noerr’s success with their outstanding work, excellent client service and genuine team spirit over the last few years,” commented co-managing partner Torsten Fett, referring to the appointments. “We are continuing to pursue our strategy of qualitative growth by promoting top talents once again this year. This will continue to be our goal in the future,” added co-managing partner Alexander Ritvay.

Noerr’s new equity partners

Felix Muhl (39, Hamburg) specialises in distribution law in the automotive and consumer goods industries. He advises and represents clients in connection with all distribution-related matters, especially designing, restructuring and implementing distribution systems and dealing with warranty cases. One of his main practice areas is advising and representing (automotive) manufacturers in connection with strategic cooperative ventures in the technology sector.

Henner Schläfke (39, Berlin) advises and represents national and international clients in contract and liability disputes and possesses wide-ranging practical experience as a litigation lawyer. One of his main focuses is complex antitrust damages claims, both developing structured strategies for companies claiming damages and defending them against claims. Henner also advises credit institutions on banking and investment law and multiple proceedings and landmark cases.

Julian Schulze De la Cruz (42, Frankfurt) specialises in capital markets transactions such as IPOs, share and bond issues and public takeovers. His clients include companies and financial services providers. Julian’s other key practice areas involve providing ongoing advice to listed companies on corporate and equity-related issues and M&A transactions.

Christoph Thiermann (35, Munich) advises private equity funds, family offices and other investors as well as management teams and companies in structuring and implementing national and international M&A and private equity transactions. He also has extensive experience in corporate reorganisations, with a special focus on cross-border corporate structures.

Torsten Wehrhahn (47, Frankfurt) is an expert in national and international financing transactions, especially for corporate and acquisition financing arrangements. Torsten’s clients include credit institutions (especially banking syndicates) and also borrowers. He also advises on the restructuring of companies and promissory notes.

Noerr’s new senior counsel

Tülay Biecker (39, Munich) is an expert in individual employment law and works constitution law. She is a leading member of the firm’s task force specialising in the deployment of external staff (temporary agency work and bogus self-employment), advising in particular on complex questions of legal differentiation and in connection with compliance measures designed to deal with risk cases in consultation with the responsible authorities. As a certified specialist in employment law, she regularly represents her clients in connection with court disputes.

Radoslaw Biedecki (50, Warsaw). Radoslaw is the head of Noerr’s Warsaw office and has extensive experience in share and asset deal transactions, mergers and other forms of company amalgamation. His core areas of expertise also cover real estate sale and purchase transactions and other transactions.

Sarah Schmidt-Versteyl (44, Dusseldorf) specialises in advising on and representing clients before arbitral tribunals and courts in company and commercial law disputes. She has long-standing litigation experience, especially involving complex disputes and private international law. Sarah also advises companies who have experienced cyber attacks.

Iulian Sorescu (43, Bucharest) is a financial advisor and auditor. He heads the Financial, Tax, State Aid & Management Consulting Department at Noerr in Romania. He coordinates the strategic advice offered to clients in all business and financial issues such as financial and tax advisory, state aid, financial and tax due diligence, audit according to IFRS, US/German GAAP and Romanian standards, reporting and controlling, bookkeeping, payroll and management consulting. In particular, he helps clients improve and maintain their financial performance by coaching and monitoring their internal activities and optimizing their structures. Iulian is a member of ACCA UK, CECCAR, CAFR and AMCOR.

Peter Stauber (42, Berlin) has vast experience in handling and coordinating merger control proceedings (phase I and II) before the European Commission and in Germany and Hungary and coordinating merger control proceedings worldwide (multi-jurisdictional filings). Peter assists companies with antitrust compliance matters such as setting up compliance systems, internal investigations and follow-up measures such as the filing of leniency applications and advice on antitrust proceedings. Another key practice area is advising on market abuse topics, notably in the digital sector. Peter also advises and represents companies on judicially enforcing and defending against antitrust claims (private enforcement).

The new associated partners

Sarah Blazek (Munich, Antitrust & Competition), Uwe Brendler (Dresden, Corporate/M&A), Ludek Chvosta (Prague, Banking & Finance), Sebastian Diehl (London, Corporate/M&A), Sebastian Dienst (Munich, Data Protection), Konrad Gieseler (Frankfurt, Litigation, Arbitration & ADR), Sarah Katharina Götze (Hamburg, Corporate/M&A), Björn Grotebrune (Munich, Restructuring & Insolvency), Fabian Hübener (Brussels, Antitrust & Competition), Georg Langheld (Munich, Capital Markets), Ethel Nanaeva (Berlin, Corporate/M&A), Karl-Alexander Neumann (Hamburg, Financial Services Regulation), Kathrin Strübing (Dresden, Litigation, Arbitration & ADR).

The new counsel

Ákos Bajorfi (Private Equity, Budapest), Armin Kühne (Munich, Intellectual Property), Emma Lenze (Munich, Litigation, Arbitration & ADR), Robert Pahlen (Berlin, Antitrust & Competition)