Orrick adds former Norton Rose team to bolster M&A bench

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe has reinforced its German corporate bench with the arrival of a four-lawyer transactional group led by Michael Prüßner (PICTURED LEFT), who until recently oversaw Norton Rose Fulbright’s corporate, M&A and securities offering in Germany.

Prüßner joins the firm’s Munich office together with Benjamin Schikora (PICTURED RIGHT), previously counsel at Norton Rose and now joining Orrick as a partner, along with two associates.

The move strengthens Orrick’s German M&A capabilities after the exit earlier this year of longtime Germany managing partner Oliver Duys. Duys departed in January with partners Wilhelm Nolting-Hauff and Nikita Tkatchenko, taking roughly ten lawyers to Herbert Smith Freehills (WE TALKED ABOUT IT HERE).

Both Prüßner and Schikora have built careers advising corporates and financial sponsors on domestic and international M&A, including private equity deals and carve-outs. Their mandates often sit at the intersection of energy, infrastructure and technology. Recent highlights include guiding Siemens Energy through a series of strategic divestitures and acquisitions, supporting Rohde & Schwarz on targeted global expansion efforts, and advising Knorr-Bremse and Benteler on major restructurings and cross-border transactions.

With the new hires, Orrick’s corporate practice in Germany now counts 28 lawyers across Munich and Düsseldorf.