Our strengths

Clear Positioning
Hengeler Mueller offers comprehensive advice in all important areas of business law. Our emphasis is on mergers and acquisitions, corporate law as well as banking and capital markets. We also have highly developed expertise in specialised areas of law such as antitrust, tax, labour, regulatory, and intellectual property. We represent our clients in high-profile litigation and arbitration.

Partner involvement
At Hengeler Mueller partner involvement is taken seriously. The partner in charge is always available, working closely with the client to analyse the issues at stake and potential solutions, and to identify the most successful strategy.
The partner in charge personally handles the case. He establishes an optimum team of lawyers for each individual case - in international matters - integrating lawyers from leading foreign law firms, which work on an ongoing basis with Hengeler Mueller. The size and structure of our firm enables us, when necessary, to present large teams of highly qualified lawyers at short notice.

Innovation by Tradition
For decades, clients have especially sought our advice in matters requiring a high degree of specialisation, creativity and innovation. Many of the matters we have dealt with have set the standard for the legal services industry in Germany. We have created many products, for example, in the field of capital markets, and have contributed substantially to the development of various industries, markets and companies.

"... remarkably versatile firm ... helped to shape most of the techniques commonly used throughout the market." (Chambers Global)

Landmark Representations
The following selection is characteristic of representations handled by Hengeler Mueller:

• First ever public takeover bid in Germany: Hengeler Kurth Wirtz advises Texaco on the acquisition of DEA (1966).
• First ever global bond issued under German law: Mueller Weitzel Weisner advises the World Bank as issuer (1987).
• First ever hostile takeover bid in Germany: Hengeler Mueller advises Pirelli on the takeover attempt of Continental (1990).
• Largest ever industrial espionage case in German economic history: Hengeler Mueller represents General Motors and Opel vs. Volkswagen (1993).
• Largest ever IPO of a German company: Hengeler Mueller advises the underwriters on the Deutsche Telekom IPO (1996).
• First ever parallel merger of three listed German stock corporations:
  Hengeler Mueller advises on the merger to create Metro AG (1996).
• Largest takeover by a German company: Hengeler Mueller advises Deutsche Telekom on the acquisition of the US companies Voicestream and Powertel (2001).
• First ever hive-down of assets from a foundation into a stock corporation under the Transformation Act: Hengeler Mueller advises the Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung on the transformation of its semi-conductor optics division (2002).
• Integration of Schering into Bayer Group after successful defence against hostile takeover bid from Merck (2006).
• First ever inflation-indexed bond issued by the German Federal Government: Hengeler Mueller advises the German Federal Republic and is responsible for the development and negotiation of the bond documentation (2006).
• Sale of Bayer’s worldwide diagnostics business to Siemens: Hengeler Mueller coordinates this transaction for Bayer in 47 jurisdictions (2007).
• Innovative use of cash-settled swaps: Hengeler Mueller advises Merrill Lynch on swap transactions with Schaeffler on the takeover of Continental (2008).
• Leading role in coping with the financial crisis: Hengeler Mueller advises WestLB on the restructuring and the transfer of activities to the "bad bank" Erste Abwicklungsanstalt as well as HRE on the transfer of risk assets in the nominal amount of EUR 173 billion to the "bad bank" FMS Wertmanagement (2010).