Baker & McKenzie launches fourth German office

Baker & McKenzie is opening a new office in Dusseldorf - the firm's fourth base in Germany.

The Dusseldorf office, with two partners and three associates, will concentrate on mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, general business and commercial law.

German partners Hans-Jorg Ziegenhain and Jurgen Mark will head the team.

The move will strengthen the firm's presence in Germany and reinforce its relations with existing clients.

The fourth office will add to the 100 lawyers practising in the German-named Baker & McKenzie offices of Doser Amereller Noack.

Baker & McKenzie opened its German office in Frankfurt in 1962, followed by an office in Berlin, and most recently in Munich in 1997. Managing partner Russell Lewin says: "Dusseldorf is an important region and a lot of our clients are based in that part of the world. To continue to compete with German firms it is important to be there."

However, Lewin adds that with 61 offices in 35 countries to date, his firm plans to deepen its existing practices rather than open new offices.