ARQIS , Düsseldorf Office, Europe

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Global 2024

Profile

Provided by ARQIS

Managing Partner: Dr Andrea Panzer-Heemeier

Number of partners: 17

Number of other fee-earners: approx. 60

Offices in Germany: Duesseldorf, Munich, Berlin Talent Hub

International offices: Tokyo

Firm Overview

ARQIS was established in 2006 as an independent commercial law firm with international operations. Since the early days the team has grown from 17 to around 80 lawyers and legal specialists that provide top-level legal advice in German and Japanese commercial law. The firm combines in-depth legal expertise with a broad understanding of the respective economic context: as lawyers the ARQIS advisers solve their clients’ legal issues; as consultants they help them pursue their key business objectives.

ARQIS was founded as a boutique firm with offices in Düsseldorf, Munich and Tokyo that aligns first-class legal advice with a simple, transparent firm structure plus high time- and cost-efficiency. To this day, the partners believe that working as a boutique in size offers many advantages to both clients and team: There is particularly high partner involvement in each matter; working in smaller teams guarantees exceptionally trustful, personal working relationships and high consistency; there is an extraordinary team spirit and creative potential at the individual level.

The firm pursues a clear business strategy, and has structured its offer to clients in five focus groups: Transactions, HR Law, Japan, Data Law, Risk and Regulatory. This structure enables ARQIS to offer a comprehensive portfolio of most relevant advisory services to its clients but to stay focused at the same time. This strategic step was much acknowledged by clients and praised by peers: In 2023, ARQIS has been recognized as the first "ESG Law Firm of the Year" by Legal 500 Germany. In 2021, the Transactions group was nominated for the JUVE Awards 2021 in the category “Law Firm of the Year for Private Equity & Venture Capital”; the same year the HR.Law won the JUVE Award as “Employment Law Firm of the Year”.

BEYOND EXPECTATIONS - THE ARQIS WAY OF PERFORMING

Our Transactions focus group advises private equity and venture capital companies, other strategic investors and investment banks as well as medium-sized companies on all types of transactions. We have many years of special sector expertise, particularly in the areas of health care, industry, consumer products and insurance.

With the HR Law focus group, we offer our clients innovative, holistic advisory solutions in all areas of the working world. We advise board members, managing directors, HR managers and legal departments on employment law, company pension law, supervisory law, data protection law and compliance issues and represent them before authorities, in and out of court.

Our Japan Desk has been a leader in the German market for decades. From our offices in Düsseldorf and Munich, we advise well-known Japanese companies, especially on M&A and joint venture activities in Germany. For cross-border transactions, the Tokyo office cooperates with our partner law firm TMI Associates.

With the Data Law focus group, we offer our clients a one-stop approach to legal advice in the context of digitalization, data protection and data security in order to ensure their future viability and compliance. This also includes highly qualified advice in the areas of intellectual property and commercial law, where we focus in particular on new innovative business models.

The team in our Risk focus group supports companies in establishing effective risk management and ongoing risk prevention. Our expertise extends to the development and analysis of comprehensive compliance programs as well as sustainable insurance solutions as a way of shifting risk.

We cover the entire spectrum of public and regulatory law through our Regulatory focus group. With many years of experience in planning and licensing law, we offer our clients strategic advice and project support, particularly in connection with the EU Green Deal. We have special expertise in the energy transition sector (solar, wind, hydrogen, biomass, grids) and in the area of product law as well as on all legal issues relating to the circular economy.

Main Areas of Practice