Watson Farley launches in Frankfurt with Salans hire

Mikesić will head up the new office, which will open in January 2013. She is bringing with her two associates and a third associate will relocate from Watson Farley’s Hamburg office.

She is the third partner to leave Salans in Frankfurt this week. Yesterday DLA Piper announced it was hiring restructuring partners Dietmar Schulz and Mike Danielewsky to strengthen its Frankfurt office (13 December 2012).

Mikesić is a regulatory law specialist, focusing on energy, infrastructure and real estate. She said she thought her experience was a “good fit” for Watson Farley and she would help develop the firm’s energy practice in particular.

Lothar Wegener, partner and head of Watson Farley’s German offices, said in a statement: “Development of our regulatory practice has become a strategic priority as our energy, infrastructure and real estate practices go from strength to strength; in addition we’ve been considering for some time the opportunities which exist for Watson Farley in Frankfurt and while we’ve been cautious in how we approach that market this combination makes good sense for us in a number of respects.”

Mikesić is the second significant hire for Watson Farley in two weeks. Earlier this month the firm hired a team from Holman Fenwick Willan in Hong Kong for its litigation and projects practice (3 December 2012).