Freshfields steps up German private equity rebuild after Latham defections

Freshfields has hired private equity partner Daniel Möritz from Hengeler Mueller, continuing its efforts to rebuild its dealmaking bench in Germany after last year's high-profile team raid by Latham & Watkins.

Möritz will join the firm's Munich office after nearly 15 years at Hengeler, one of Germany's most prestigious and profitable firms and a dominant force in the country's M&A market.

Partner departures from Hengeler are rare. The firm has long favoured promoting lawyers from within and has traditionally relied little on lateral hiring itself.

German PE rebuild

The hire forms part of Freshfields' effort to rebuild its German private equity bench after suffering a major setback at the end of last year when Latham recruited four of its leading dealmakers in Germany.

The departures of Markus Paul, Wessel Heukamp, Verena Nosch and Carsten Haak - who officially joined Latham earlier in June - were among the most significant lateral moves seen in the German market in years.

Paul had been one of Freshfields' most prominent private equity rainmakers with relationships with several top PE houses, while Heukamp previously co-led the firm's global M&A practice.

Among the team's headline mandates, Paul and Haak advised Permira and Blackstone on the €14 billion take-private of Oslo-listed classifieds group Adevinta in 2023. Heukamp and Nosch, meanwhile, led the Freshfields team advising Cinven on its acquisition of Grant Thornton Germany last year.

The exits fuelled a wider discussion about Freshfields' direction in Germany, coming as the firm continued to prioritise growth in the US and following its decision to drop "Bruckhaus Deringer" from its name as part of its 2024 global rebrand.

Filling the gap

Freshfields has moved swiftly to rebuild its German bench.

In January, it hired private equity partner Florian Sippel from Kirkland in Munich and promoted David Schwintowski, Lukas Treichl and Carsten Bork to the partnership across its German offices.

The firm remains a dominant force in the German M&A market, consistently topping league tables by deal value. Whether its recent investments are enough to offset the loss of some of its most prominent private equity rainmakers will be closely watched.