Grand Opening in Munich
MUNICH – The Munich office of McDermott Will & Emery celebrated its opening with a festive reception yesterday evening in the Max-Joseph-Saal at the Residenz. The speeches by former U.S. Defense Secretary William S. Cohen and the head of the Bavarian State Chancellery Erwin Huber were held in the presence of 400 invited guests from the political and business world. With the opening of its first German office, McDermott Will & Emery is responding to the increased need which companies operating worldwide have for legal consulting. Since January 2002, the Munich office has advised German and international companies concerning all questions of business law. The Munich office currently employs 13 lawyers; a team of 25 lawyers is expected to be in place by the end of the year.
The lawyers in Munich advise not only globally active companies with interests in Germany and Europe, but also offer comprehensive and high-powered legal advice to regional and medium-size businesses.
McDermott, Will & Emery was established in Chicago in 1934 and, with eight U.S. offices and 925 lawyers, is among the ten largest law firms in the U.S. Its London office opened in 1998, and currently employs more than 60 lawyers. The Firm also has a German Practice Group located in its New York office, which represents companies like E.ON, WestLB, Degussa, a major German media house and a European logistics group.
"The opening of an office in Munich represents an important strategic step in the establishment of McDermott, Will & Emery on the European continent," says Larry Gerber, Chairman of McDermott. "With this new location, we are continuing the extraordinary growth of McDermott, Will & Emery which began three years ago in London. This will strengthen our international capacity on a lasting basis."
