Mayer Brown has appointed a new managing partner in Germany, with banking and finance partner Jörg Wulfken taking control of the firm’s offices in Frankfurt, Berlin and Cologne.

Wulfken will succeed Reinhard Lange as managing partner in Frankfurt and Berlin by the end of the year. He will take over management of the Cologne office from corporate partner Christoph Gaudig.

According to German legal magazine Juve, Lange led Mayer Brown’s Frankfurt and Berlin offices for seven years. Gaudig led Cologne since 2003.

Wulfken, who was appointed by the Mayer Brown’s planning and policy committee, said the firm’s existing strategy would not change with his appointment, adding that he would continue to drive the firm forward in Germany.

Gaudig said the intention is for the firm to compete with larger firms in the German market.

Outgoing managing partner Lange is to become more actively involved in the international management of Mayer Brown and will also return to fee-earning in the IP practice. Gaudig remains with the firm and will retain some management duties in Cologne.