Fifteen years after he joined Shearman & Sterling to start its Frankfurt operation, Georg Thoma is still the dominant player in the US firm’s German machine.

From the early years on the Treuhand privatisations to his landmark role on the DaimlerChrysler merger and his relationships with Hoechst and Aventis, Thoma has become unquestionably the biggest rainmaker in the German legal market.

In 2005 the deals just kept coming. He advised Axel Springer on the takeover of Pro7Sat1, France Telecom on the sale of shares in Mobilcom to Texas Pacific, and also the conversion of Allianz in its corporate structure.

For Thoma, 2005 was not just about clients, but also internal issues, following his appointment in October 2004 as comanaging partner of the global firm. Less a promotion than recognition of his status, Thoma is one of the most influential lawyers at Shearman, and has somehow managed that role without any noticeable reduction in his client work.