Frankfurt am Main. Making its debut at the prestigious JUVE Awards, Herbert Smith Freehills was awarded Law Firm of the Year for real estate and construction law last night at Frankfurt’s Alte Oper concert hall. JUVE, a leading German legal trade magazine which is published monthly, recognises the achievements of both young and promising players as well as well-established firms in the past 12 months at their annual awards.
This award category is aimed at firms whose real estate and private construction practices have achieved a dynamic development. The range goes from traditional construction support for owners and builders to construction processes and project development to transactions, including financing. Staff and strategic developments are also considered.
The judges were deeply impressed by the Firm's outstanding performance within a short time. "The only way was up," said Juve. Only three years since its entry into the German legal market, Herbert Smith Freehills was involved in some of the biggest deals of the year, including advising Amundi Immobilier on the billion-scale acquisition of the Aqua Portfolio from Union Investment. "The perfect deal to make use of the broad international network of Herbert Smith Freehills," continues Juve. Also, advising Vonovia on the planned acquisition of Deutsche Wohnen was one of the most high-profile deals the team was leading. Juve particularly lauded Thomas Kessler's outstanding achievements in the strategic expansion into the property and housing sector as well as his excellent advice to listed companies. He was praised by clients for his extraordinary practical and pragmatic approach, the building of his practice and his strong team. He leads his cross-practice team to assist and advise clients across the real estate sector.
Ralf Thaeter, managing partner for Germany, said: “We are still a newcomer among the global law firms in Germany, and as such, we are extremely pleased about the acknowledgement and recognition by JUVE's judging panel.”
Thomas Kessler, partner and head of the German real estate practice, said: “The property sector is an important focus of our German business. Out of our offices in Berlin, Düsseldorf and Frankfurt, our team works for high-level domestic and international clients. We are delighted to receive this award and first and foremost would like to thank our clients for their recognition.”
For further information regarding the JUVE Awards please click here.
About Herbert Smith Freehills
Operating from 26 offices across Asia Pacific, EMEA and the US, 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
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