Top real estate partners exit Clifford Chance
Two veteran real estate partners are set to leave Clifford Chance‘s German practice, marking the third senior departure in the real estate sector within three months, as the firm shifts its focus toward international transactions.
Christian Keilich (pictured left), who has led the German real estate practice since 2018, and senior partner Thomas Reischauer (pictured right) will depart at the end of April. Keilich, who became partner in 2008, is known for high-profile deals including advising Allianz Real Estate on their €1.4 billion acquisition of Frankfurt’s T1 Tower, part of the city’s iconic Four skyscraper complex. Reischauer, who made partner in 2013 and gained notary qualification in 2018, is expected to maintain his notarial practice with potential ongoing collaboration with Clifford Chance.
The two partners’ exit follows the recent move of German real estate partner Gerold Jaeger to DLA Piper.
According to Law.com, Clifford Chance is restructuring its once-prominent German real estate division to align more closely with London operations and global initiatives. The source suggests there is top-down pressure to streamline the equity partnership.
Clifford Chance has appointed Fabian Böhm to take over as real estate practice leader in Germany from February 1. Following these changes, the real estate team will operate with five partners and approximately 20 lawyers. The firm expressed gratitude to the departing partners and maintained that its European real estate practice remains robust.
The market and the election
As Gleiss Lutz‘s recent legal report suggests, 2025 will bring both existing and new challenges to the real estate sector, with the upcoming February election potentially reshaping industry dynamics. The report indicates that the new government may establish different priorities compared to the current Social Democrat-led administration.
