Lovells Hamburg managing partner Volker Meinberg has stepped down to leave the firm, making way for employment partner Eckard Schwarz to take over.

German legal publication Juve reported that Meinberg intends to leave the firm and the legal profession by August 2008 for personal reasons.

He has been managing partner of Lovells’ Hamburg office for seven years.

Schwarz had previously acted as temporary managing partner during Meinberg’s sabbatical.