German trio merges to create latest premier league player

The tripartite merger of three medium-sized German law firms in the New Year will add a new name to the country's super league of corporate legal practices.

The new 150-lawyer firm, Hasche Eschenlohr Peltzer Riesenkampff Fischotter, will be created from the merger of Hasche & Eschenlohr, Peltzer & Riesenkampff and Fischotter Micheli & Partner.

The newly formed organisation will have national offices in Frankfurt, Munich, Berlin, Hamburg, Leipzig and Dresden. It will also have an international office in Brussels. The firms have already worked together on mutual projects.

Hasche Eschenlohr partner Oliver Thurn said the merger would open up many opportunities for all three firms: "Before the merger we did not have an office in Frankfurt, and Peltzer & Riesenkampff gives us our first international office," he explained.

"Competition is becoming more and more international in certain areas and you can't survive if you're small."

Thurn is confident that there will not be any teething problems and said that the three firms complemented each other's work: "We are used to working between offices and are already aware of the problems it can cause, but it can also be a support with each office giving new ideas."

The management of the new firm has not been appointed. But it is expected that a management group based across all the offices will be appointed, as opposed to having just one managing partner.

Thurn said: "We will have a range of large offices and we think it is better to have more people in charge."

The move follows a great deal of consolidation in the German legal market recently.

Oppenhoff & Radler was formed last year through the merger of Boden Oppenhoff Rasor & Raue and Radler Raupach Bezzenberger. The firm now has over 200 lawyers.