Willkie Farr expands German presence with Quinn Emanuel partners
After recruiting an entire team of 11 from Latham & Watkins in June 2024 and after David Huthmacher’s addition from Hogan Lovells in 2025, the US law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher continues to strengthen its German operations with the acquisition of two key legal professionals from competitor Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan‘s Hamburg office.
We are talking of Quinn Emanuel’s Hamburg office leader, Rüdiger Lahme (PICTURED LEFT), alongside Andreas Ruster (PICTURED RIGHT), who’s being elevated from counsel to partner status. Lahme’s career history includes seven years at Latham & Watkins before his 2017 move to Quinn Emanuel. His expertise covers market dominance cases and compensation claims, representing both plaintiffs and defendants. His notable work includes representing Daimler AG in antitrust matters and leading a landmark cartel damages case against German federal states in the round timber industry. Ruster, who also transitioned from Latham to Quinn Emanuel in 2017, brings diverse litigation experience spanning antitrust, commercial, corporate, restructuring, and intellectual property disputes, representing both claimant and defendant interests.
Both specialists in antitrust litigation commenced their roles on February 10.
Matthias Schrader, who leads litigation efforts for Willkie in Germany, emphasized the strategic value of the new additions: “The extensive commercial and antitrust litigation expertise that Rüdiger and Andreas bring will enhance our German dispute resolution capabilities. Their experience will also benefit our cross-border operations spanning Europe and the United States.”
The German market for international firms
The German legal market has seen significant activity from international firms recently. Greenberg Traurig launched its second German office in Munich. Herbert Smith Freehills enhanced its Düsseldorf presence. Additionally, Kirkland & Ellis established a Frankfurt presence last August under the leadership of Tobias Larisch.
