Willkie Farr & Gallagher is reeling after the loss of its Frankfurt managing partner, who has quit the US firm to launch his own practice.
As first reported on www.thelawyer.com (17 March), outsourcing and private equity star Thomas Heymann is taking European counsel Jens Ekkenga and Lars Lendorf, and a number of associates.
There is now considerable speculation that Heymann will also take equity partner Katherina Scheja. If Scheja leaves, Willkie will be left with just two equity partners in Germany – Sven-Erik Heun and Markus Wenserski.
Heymann’s clients include Deutsche Bank and Swiss Re. He advised Deutsche on a major outsourcing deal and acted for Swiss Re on the restructuring of the company in Gerling.
At the beginning of the year, Willkie lost its German employment team, led by salaried partner Christoph Crisolli, to the Frankfurt office of Kliemt & Vollstadt.
Heymann was previously managing partner of Clifford Chance until 2000, before the magic circle firm merged with Pünder.
