Linklaters to close 10-lawyer Hamburg office

Linklaters is set to close its ten-lawyer Hamburg office by the end of the year.

The firm said it “remains fully committed to its clients and relationships in Hamburg” and will continue to advise clients from its other German offices in Berlin, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt and Munich.

All 17 Hamburg staff, including three partners, will be offered positions in one of the firm’s four remaining locations in the country, which house around 300 lawyers between them.

“Our strategy is to focus on complex, cross‑border matters – and we are implementing this more consistently and successfully all the time,” said senior partner Staffan Illert.

“By concentrating our teams and investing in our offices in Berlin, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt and Munich, we are giving the teams even better development opportunities and greater impact, so that they can advise on precisely these matters even more effectively.”

Rethinking Europe 

Linklaters has taken other strategic decisions regarding its European footprint recently.

Last year, the London heavyweight transferred its 80-lawyer Warsaw office to Addleshaw Goddard, but kept a service delivery centre housing business support roles in the Polish capital.

There’s also been investment - in its 2026 partner round at the end of March, the firm promoted 12 partners across Europe, with four new appointments in Frankfurt and one in Düsseldorf.