Cleary to close Frankfurt office after over 3 decades
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton has announced that it will shut down its Frankfurt office this November, ending a 34-year presence in the city. The move comes amid a gradual downsizing of the team and follows the exit of several senior lawyers in recent years.
The firm plans to integrate its Frankfurt operations into its Cologne office, a step aimed at enhancing collaboration and streamlining services to better support clients. In a statement, Cleary emphasized that Germany continues to be a vital part of its established European platform.
According to legal industry outlet Juve, the shrinking size of the Frankfurt team had become widely known within the German legal community. Notable departures include M&A partner Michael Ulmer, who retired last year, and corporate and capital markets partner Oliver Schröder, who joined top-tier German firm SZA in 2020.
Currently, Cleary’s Frankfurt office is staffed by 14 lawyers, including two partners: M&A experts Mirko von Bieberstein and Nico Abel. Abel joined the firm in 2023, having previously led the German operations at Herbert Smith Freehills. In contrast, the Cologne office lists 26 lawyers, with four partners covering areas such as tax, EU law, and competition litigation.
The closure marks a rare retreat among U.S. firms, many of which have been expanding their German presence through new offices and lateral hires. Recent examples include Kirkland & Ellis launching in Frankfurt, DLA Piper opening in Düsseldorf, and firms like Willkie Farr & Gallagher and Greenberg Traurig entering the Munich market driven by private equity and M&A work.
Nonetheless, Cleary is not alone in scaling back. Eversheds Sutherland closed its Berlin office last year following a strategic reassessment. Despite the closure, Eversheds maintains a strong German footprint with around 170 lawyers across four locations, underscoring the market’s ongoing importance.
