Quinn Emanuel taps A&O again for Hamburg launch

The opening in Hamburg follows the firm’s launch in Mannheim two years ago (23 February 2010), when Quinn Emanuel also turned to A&O for patent litigation partner Marcus Grosch.

Grosch brought with him A&O’s entire Mannheim office (1 March 2010).

Grosch told The Lawyer the Hamburg launch was “primarily because of Nadine”, as the duo had known each other at A&O. However he added that Hamburg is also a major centre for German IP work with significant activity in the courts and a strong client base to tap into.

He added that the firm is actively looking at launching further German offices, with Frankfurt and Munich next in the pipeline.

“It’s very likely that we’ll open a third German office later this year,” Grosch said. “The medium-term goal is to broaden our coverage to exactly mirror what we cover in the US.”

Herrmann’s arrival adds antitrust litigation to Quinn Emanuel’s current focus on patents in Germany, but Grosch said the firm would eventually offer the full range of dispute resolution services in the country.

“Quinn in Europe is a major project,” he confirmed.

Expansion across Europe and Asia has already been flagged by Quinn Emanuel, with London co-managing partner Richard East speaking of the need for an international litigation profile earlier this year (9 March 2012).