US firm Willkie Farr targets Hamburg with new office launch
Willkie Farr & Gallagher has launched operations in Hamburg, marking a significant expansion of its German practice with the establishment of its third office in the country. The new location will serve as the firm’s 16th international office and will house approximately 25 legal professionals specializing in restructuring, litigation, and private equity matters.
The Hamburg office will be anchored by partners Jörn Kowalewski and Ulrich Klockenbrink (BOTH PICTURED, LEFT AND RIGHT), who lead Willkie’s German restructuring practice. The duo joined the firm in 2024, bringing with them an 11-member restructuring team from their previous positions at Latham & Watkins.
The office will also be home to litigation partners Rüdiger Lahme and Andreas Ruster, recognized leaders in cartel litigation who transferred from Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan earlier this year along with their team members.
The Hamburg opening reflects Willkie’s aggressive growth trajectory in Germany, where the firm has expanded its legal workforce from 30 to 90 lawyers over the past five years. This expansion included the 2024 addition of a Munich office to complement its existing Frankfurt base.
The firm has systematically built out its German capabilities by adding multiple practice areas including capital markets, real estate, litigation, restructuring, employment law, financial regulation, and compliance services to its traditional transactional work.
As The Global Legal Post reminds, Hamburg’s legal market features a select number of major American law firms, with Hogan Lovells maintaining the largest presence at 110 lawyers. The city also hosts offices of DLA Piper, White & Case, Latham & Watkins, Norton Rose Fulbright, Littler Mendelson, Quinn Emanuel, and BCLP.
