GvW Partners confirm their Management - The Firm grows from its own Ranks

The partners’ meeting of GvW Graf von Westphalen re-elected Christof Kleinmann and Dr Robert Theissen as managing partners of the firm with more than 90% of the votes. Therefore, the two managing directors will continue to promote the firm’s successful development in the coming years. Moreover, the partners’ council around the chairman Dr Ronald Steiling (Hamburg) as well as Carsten Liersch (Berlin) and Ulrich Stuhlfelner (Munich) was also reconfirmed in office.

Christof Kleinmann and Dr Robert Theissen have been in charge since November 2009 and successfully “completed a culture change” in this period (JUVE Handbuch Wirtschaftskanzleien 2015/2016). In a trusting cooperation with the partners’ council, the management succeed in significantly increasing the cooperation of the office locations and practice groups. In addition to the focused promotion of professional specialization and strategic development of important fields of business in Germany and abroad, this considerably contributed to the fact that GvW became established as one of the top full-service law firms in Germany. At the same time, turnover and profit were increased by more than 50% in comparison to 2010.

Moreover, the partners chose Christian Kusulis (antitrust law/Frankfurt) and Dr Oliver Maaz (transaction advice/Shanghai) as new equity partners.

The new equity partner in the Frankfurt office is Christian Kusulis, member of the firm’s practice group IP/IT/Media. Mr Kusulis advises in the fields of industrial property rights, copyright as well as competition law with a clear focus on antitrust law. As the head of GvW’s Israel Desk, the 44-year old also coordinates the firm’s German-Israeli mandate relations. With his longstanding experience in German-Israeli legal transactions, he has been the branch manager Rhine/Main of the German-Israeli trade association since last year (read more).

With Dr Oliver Maaz, a second equity partner from the firm’s Shanghai office was chosen as a partner. The China expert only joined the firm in July last year and advises companies on the structuring of their China business, including comprehensive legal advice to foreign investors in China. His long-term clients from sophisticated to medium-sized SMEs followed him after he changed from Rödl & Partner to GvW. Also in the last few months, Dr Maaz again successfully advised German SMEs on their transactions in China (e.g. McPhy Energy Deutschland GmbH on the sale of a wind-hydrogen hybrid power station, read more, or VEGA Grieshaber KG on the acquisition of a joint venture).

Dr Maren Mönchmeyer (commercial law/Hamburg), Lutz Leonard Lamprecht (real estate and construction/Hamburg) and Johannes Schuhmann (real estate and construction/Frankfurt) have become new associated partners from the firm’s own ranks. With that, GvW continues its traditional course to grow with partners from its own ranks also in the coming year.

Hamburg-based lawyer Dr Maren Mönchmeyer is an expert in commercial law. She is specialized in commercial litigation and in drafting purchase and delivery conditions. Moreover, the 38-year old built an excellent reputation in transportation law over the last years.

Lutz Leonard Lamprecht is a member of the practice group real estate and construction in the firm’s Hamburg office. In addition to private construction and architects law, the 34-year old focuses on industrial tenancy law. Here, the native of Hamburg has particularly made a name for himself in providing ongoing advice to large real estate portfolio holders on the erection of buildings and the letting of office and retail space.

Johannes Schuhmann, who supports the firm’s strong transaction practice from the Frankfurt office, is also part of the practice group real estate and construction. With his key competence, advising project developers on tenancy, construction and property law in the residential construction market, the 34-year old extends the renowned expertise of the Frankfurt-based real estate team.