SZA Schilling, Zutt & Anschütz

Managing Partners: Jochem Reichert, Hans-Joachim Hellmann, Stephan Scherer, Thomas Liebscher, Thomas Nägele, Stephan Brandes, Martin Feick, Marc Löbbe, Hans-Georg Berg, Nicolas Ott, Christian Gehling, Michaela Balke, Silvio Cappellari, Christoph Nolden, Katharina Steinbrück, Thomas Oberle, Markus Pfüller, Peter Bauschatz, Dietrich Stiller, Stefan Zeyher, Marc-Philippe Hornung, Oliver Schröder, Jonas Fischbach, Ben Steinbrück, Martin Kolbinger, Martin Gross-Langenhoff, Michael Molitoris, Cäcilie Lüneborg, Christoph Allmendinger, Philipp Rüppell, Jan Friedrichson, Stefan Mendelin, Stephanie Birmanns, André Reinhard, Florian Schuhmacher, Ilja Baudisch, Andreas Herr

Number of partners: 36

Number of lawyers: 120+ (including partners)

Languages: English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Turkish, Russian, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Bahasa Indonesian

Firm Overview:

With more than 100 years of experience, SZA is acting for a broad range of top-tier domestic and international clients spanning listed national and international companies, financial institutions, leading non-listed industrial and commercial enterprises (including Mittelstand), financial sponsors, large family businesses and high net worth individuals in all areas of corporate and commercial law. SZA is considered one of the most reputable independent German law firms.

Main Areas of Practice:

Corporate:

Top-end advice to executives and board members on corporate matters, such as corporate governance, the preparation of shareholders’ meetings or compliance with legislation stands at the forefront of our corporate practice. Corporate transactions and reorganizations/restructurings form another important part of the firm’s corporate and group law practice. The firm advises enterprises on mergers, demergers, changes of corporate form, realignment of a company’s financial framework, spin-offs, etc.

Mergers & Acquisitions:

SZA’s services in the field of M&A cover all aspects of public and private transactions of any size, both domestic as well as cross-border. The firm’s practice in this field also includes venture capital investments, joint ventures as well as transaction-related restructurings of any kind, including cross-border mergers, and financing as well as foreign direct investment related aspects of transactions.

Compliance, Internal Investigations:

SZA is a trusted adviser in compliance matters, including issues related to corporate law, capital markets law, labour law, antitrust law, environmental law and data protection law. The firm assists its clients, inter alia, in identifying the relevant compliance standards, establishing and monitoring internal compliance guidelines as well as in increasing employee awareness.

Tax:

SZA covers a broad range of corporate tax matters including VAT, customs duties, tax audits, international taxation, the structuring of acquisitions and divestments on the national as well as international scale, reorganisations and restructurings. Other services include the analysis of financial products, cooperation with clients’ tax advisors and representation before financial courts.

Capital Markets:

SZA advises domestic and international issuers and underwriters on all kinds of capital market transactions, e.g. IPOs, capital increases or the issuance of convertible bonds. Another focus is advising board members in connection with follow-up obligations under capital markets law, e.g. the prohibition of insider trading, ad hoc publications or publication of shareholdings required by capital markets law. In addition, SZA represents issuers in capital markets law litigations.

Banking & Finance:

SZA advises on all kinds of financing transactions such as syndicated loans, acquisition financing, real estate financing and project financing. The firm also assists its clients in developing and implementing tax efficient financing structures. SZA’s expertise in financial law further comprises advice on work-outs / restructurings as well as advice on general banking and supervisory law.

Competition:

SZA advises domestic and international clients on all aspects of German and European competition law. In the merger control area, the firm carries out risk assessments and represents clients before the European Commission and the German Federal Cartel Office. Moreover, the firm has particular expertise as regards internal cartel audits as well as the representation of clients in cartel proceedings before competition authorities and courts. It also has significant experience in the defence against complex follow-on damage claims and out-of-court settlements. Additionally, SZA advise its clients on competition compliance and vertical agreements.

Litigation & Arbitration:

SZA’s dispute resolution practice comprises all aspects of corporate and commercial litigation and arbitration. The firm regularly represents clients in disputes concerning deficiencies in resolutions including nullification actions, declarative actions, shareholder actions and actions for declarative nullification judgment concerning private companies. It also represents its clients in approval and release proceedings and interim relief. Other important areas include M&A-related disputes and legal assistance in complicated general commercial disputes.

Labour:

SZA advises domestic and international businesses of any kind on all relevant labour matters, including, inter alia, designing employment agreements and other internal employment matters as well as on negotiating payment plans with unions. The firm represents its clients before arbitration committees and in labour litigation in all judicial instances. Further services include advice on transactional labour law and general assistance for board members and other executives.

Intellectual Property/IT:

SZA’s attorneys cover all relevant areas of intellectual and industrial property law, such as patent law, trademark law, copyright law, press and media law, competition law and data protection law. Further services include advising for businesses on complex IT and outsourcing projects, the drafting and negotiating of intellectual property-related agreements, intellectual property applications and registrations, pretrial advice on infringement disputes, etc.

Private Clients:

SZA offers a wide range of legal advice for its domestic and international private clients with respect to all legal and tax aspects of their assets including estate law (also regarding anticipated succession), art laws and laws for culturally valuable goods, matrimonial law, property law, tax law, corporate law and foundation law. Furthermore, the firm provides advice for family-owned businesses and their shareholders.

Public & Administrative Law:

SZA’s public and administrative law practice offers, in addition to general consultation and representation in this field, support in the public law aspects of M&A transactions, e.g. regarding emission control.

Real Estate:

Some of SZA’s focal points are the tax-optimised structuring of real estate transactions, due diligence, real estate financing and development, the drafting and negotiation of property purchase agreements and dealing with public law issues such as envi-ronmental law. Additionally, the firm provides post-transfer consultation.

Insolvency & Restructuring:

SZA advises on all insolvency and pre-insolvency related matters. Relevant aspects include, for example, business acquisitions and sales in crises and out of insolvency as well as pre-insolvency or insolvency-related restructuring measures such as debt-equity swaps or the acquisition of non-performing loans. The firm also regularly acts as an insolvency administrator in high-profile cases.