White & Case hires trio for acquisition finance launch

White & Case Feddersen in Frankfurt has taken on three new partners to create an acquisition finance department to work alongside the London practice.

Acquisition finance lawyer Annica Lindegren joins from Clifford Chance Pünder as an equity partner. Her clients include major German financial institutions and European private equity firms.

Corporate and communications partner Sebastien von Westphalen is from Washington-based telecoms boutique Wilkinson Barker Knauer, and finance partner Wolfram Willburger comes from the commercial arm of PricewaterhouseCoopers.

White & Case is also taking on three associates and making up three senior associates to partners.

The firm's partner in charge of Germany John Riggs says the main thrust of the recruitment drive is to build and support an acquisition finance practice.

He says: "When we merged with Feddersen we didn't inherit any acquisition finance lawyers. Hiring Annica is a big move for us."

Riggs says Lindegren is an excellent choice because she already has experience of working with London-based banking partner Colin Potter, who joined White & Case from Clifford Chance last May.

Von Westphalen and Willburger will assist acquisition finance deals by structuring finances so that companies can provide securities for loans. Riggs says: "Banks need to be convinced that a company is sustainable despite its balance sheet showing that it has debt. We need company and banking lawyers to do this."

Riggs says that the other recruits will provide support for acquisition finance.