Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP announced today that Thomas Schmid will join the firm as partner and head of its German M&A and Private Equity Group, resident in the firm’s Munich office. Thomas will join Orrick from Weil, Gotshal & Manges.
“We are delighted to add a leading M&A and fund practitioner of Thomas’ caliber. His arrival underlines Orrick’s commitment to the strategic growth of our German team,” said Oliver Duys, Co-Managing Partner of Orrick’s German offices, along with Wilhelm Nolting-Hauff.
“Having worked across the table from Thomas, I am deeply impressed by his commercial insight and skill,” noted Jörg Ritter, an M&A and tech companies partner based in Orrick’s Munich office. “We have completed a string of cross-border deals for German companies and funds recently, and we are very excited to deepen our bench in M&A and private equity.”
Thomas focuses on cross-border and domestic private equity, mergers & acquisitions and restructuring transactions. He recently advised US pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly on its acquisition of German animal vaccine maker Lohmann SE (Orrick acted for Lohmann), represented leading German biotech company MorphoSys on various matters including its acquisition of Dutch biopharmaceutical company Lanthio Pharma, counseled Reverse Logistics, a portfolio company of Monitor Clipper Partners, on the sale of its stake in Vfw to Reclay Holding, and advised EQT Expansion Capital II Fund in its investment in UDG United Digital Group. Thomas also counsels on general corporate and capital market matters.
“I am very excited about the opportunity to join Orrick and help lead the growth of its German M&A and private equity practice. The firm offers a global platform of the highest quality,” Thomas noted. “The forward-looking and collaborative spirit of the German team gives me confidence that we are going to build something great.”
Recognized as one of Germany’s top M&A advisers by Chambers Europe, Legal 500 and Juve, Thomas previously served as in-house counsel for Volkswagen subsidiary MAN SE. He earned his J.D. from the University of Passau.
Orrick’s German team recently advised Europe’s largest kitchen manufacturer Nobilia in its acquisition of a majority shareholding stake in FBD Group, counseled Definiens in its acquisition by AstraZeneca subsidiary MedImmune, represented Cisco in its international joint venture with Bosch and ABB focused on the development of smart home solutions, and advised VC firms Acton Capital and CommerzVentures in their investment in fintech startup Iwoca.
Source: www.orrick.com
