Stuttgart
In Stuttgart time seems to go slower than everywhere else. Changes at partner level are more the exception than the rule, or as one lawyer puts it, "You don't find this game of musical chairs here like you do in the Frankfurt legal market." Yet away from the really big headlines concerning important moves, there is action to be seen in the Swabian legal market. Bongen Renaud & Partner for example hired three patent lawyers at the start of 2008, building a new field that remains on many other firms' wish list. The arrivals had a positive effect on the IP practice and this new strategic setup has led some competitors to believe the firm is even on the verge of challenging those at the top of the Stuttgart market. Just as hungry for growth but one step ahead of Bongen in terms of transregional presence is Oppenländer. Thanks to the increasing reputation of the individual practices, the firm was able to further reduce the distance between itself and the two undisputed market leaders Gleiss Lutz and CMS Hasche Sigle, especially in corporate, antitrust and administrative law. Besides Oppenländer and Bongen Renaud, however, there are other ambitious candidates for third place: Menold Bezler has also defined clear growth targets. The firm has a good presence in the South German Mittelstand but is increasingly extending its activity to include the whole of region. Haver & Mailänder, which has long been established as a strong force behind the two market leaders, is also defending its respected position in the market. The older partners are often visible in the market but a younger partner generation has been successfully pushing its way through for years. Luther emerged with a new confidence after hiring a partner from Thümmel Schütze & Partner with excellent international contacts together with its foreign office in Singapore. After five years of being on the periphery, the firm decided to return to the old Arthur-Andersen offices in the Stuttgart city center and announced it was ready for more laterals and entire teams. Thümmel Schütze liberated itself from squabbles surrounding the Frankfurt office and is on the point of developing some of its respected specialist fields, such as D&O insurance. In order to implement its ambitious plans, the firm will need to show its strengths in recruiting. Other market participants also drew attention: Raupach & Wollert-Elmendorff took on two partners from Wahlert Rechtsanwälte and the Munich MDP firm RP Richter & Partner, currently very expansive, opened an office in July in the region's capital. A long-standing partner from Diem & Partner became a solo practitioner under the name Rumpf Rechtsanwälte.