Herbert Smith Freehills has appointed Dr Michael Dietrich as the Managing Partner of the firm's German offices, who will succeed Dr Ralf Thaeter as of 1 January 2018.
Ralf Thaeter has successfully established the global law firm’s German practices and overseen the business for almost five years. Going forward, he will use his experience to strengthen collaboration between the firm's European offices and also the relationship between the firm and other law firms and partners in mainland Europe, including Eastern Europe and countries such as the Netherlands, Austria and Luxembourg.
A highly regarded competition law specialist, Michael Dietrich has been a partner at Herbert Smith Freehills since 2014. Michael has been with the firm almost since the establishment of its German offices and, as the new managing partner, will build on the firm's successes and positive developments. The firm's three offices in Frankfurt am Main, Berlin and Düsseldorf, comprising over 60 professionals including 16 partners, provide local and international clients with leading expertise in corporate, dispute resolution, finance, real estate, competition/regulatory and employment matters.
“I want to thank Ralf who has been a driving force in building our highly successful German practice in a crucial market for the firm,” says Herbert Smith Freehills CEO, Mark Rigotti. “We are proud of how our practice has developed and the impact it has made on the market in so short a time. I know this next phase, under Michael's leadership, will be just as successful,” he continues.
Ralf Thaeter adds: “After five very intensive years building up the German practice, I am pleased to hand over the baton. All of our German practice groups rapidly gained an excellent profile, both nationally and internationally. It was a great pleasure for me to have successfully launched our Berlin, Düsseldorf and Frankfurt offices together with our German partners in such a competitive market.”
“Our common goal for the coming years, and for Herbert Smith Freehills’ next development phase, is to further raise the profile of our brand in the German market, to continue to strengthen our international network integration, and win new national and international mandates. I am delighted to continue Herbert Smith Freehills’ success story in Germany and embark upon this exciting task with Ralf Thaeter and our German partners,” concludes Michael Dietrich.
Please click the links to access profiles of Dr. Ralf Thaeter and Dr. Michael Dietrich.
About Herbert Smith Freehills
Operating from 26 offices across Asia Pacific, EMEA and North America, Herbert Smith Freehills is at the heart of the new global business landscape providing premium quality, full-service legal advice. The firm provides many of the world’s most important organisations with access to market-leading dispute resolution, projects and transactional legal advice, combined with expertise in a number of global industry sectors, including Banks, Consumer products, Energy, Financial buyers, Infrastructure & Transport, Mining, Pharma & Healthcare, Real estate and TMT. www.herbertsmithfreehills.com.
Follow us on Twitter @HSFPressOffice @HSFlegal