Baker McKenzie has announced the appointment of a new partner and three counsel in Germany. These personnel decisions will take effect on 1 July 2026. Prof. Dr. Artur M. Swierczok has been made a partner at the Frankfurt office.
Mr Swierczok's appointment as a partner strengthens the firm's Banking & Finance Practice Group in Germany, particularly its specialist expertise in restructuring and insolvency advisory services. Prof. Dr. Swierczok has been with Baker McKenzie since 2021 and advises national and international clients on complex financial restructurings, insolvency proceedings, and distressed M&A transactions. His many years of experience in Banking & Finance, Corporate, and insolvency-related litigation are expected to specifically enhance the firm's advisory services in challenging restructuring and insolvency situations.
Anahita Thoms, incoming Country Managing Partner of Baker McKenzie Germany, and Dr. Oliver Socher, EMEA Practice Group Lead Banking & Finance, expressed their delight at this development. They emphasised the relevance of Mr Swierczok's expertise in restructuring and insolvency law, especially at the financial hub of Frankfurt, to provide comprehensive support to companies, financial institutions, and investors.
Strengthening the Restructuring and Insolvency Practice
Joachim Ponseck, a Frankfurt-based partner and head of Baker McKenzie's German Restructuring and Insolvency Practice, underscored the significance of this appointment for the firm's effectiveness in advising on complex national and international restructuring and insolvency situations. Baker McKenzie's German Restructuring and Insolvency Practice, currently comprising five lawyers, is set to continue growing in this area to meet the increasing demand for advisory services.
In addition to the appointment of Prof. Dr. Swierczok, Dr. Julia Rossié and Stefanie Tesch, both from the Transactional Practice Group in Munich, as well as Felix Arnold from Employment law in Berlin, have been promoted to counsel. These global personnel measures include a total of 47 new partners worldwide, with 43 per cent of this year's partner appointments being women. The firm's global Transactional Practice saw the most partner appointments, followed by Dispute Resolution, while Commercial and Tax jointly took third place. These measures underscore Baker McKenzie's continuous investment in talent and the strengthening of capabilities crucial for advising multinational companies on complex cross-border mandates.
The New Counsel in Germany
- —Dr. Julia Rossié, Transactional Practice Group, Munich: She advises national and international clients on M&A, Private Equity, growth, and Venture Capital transactions, with a focus on Healthcare and Life Sciences. Her activities include supporting investors, pharmaceutical and biotech companies, and family offices with corporate and IP transactions.
- —Stefanie Tesch, Transactional Practice Group, Munich: Her expertise lies in advising international clients on national and cross-border reorganisations, particularly post-acquisition integrations, pre-transaction reorganisations, and legal entity rationalisations. She also provides support with transparency obligations and multi-jurisdictional corporate projects.
- —Felix Arnold LL.M. (UCT), Employment, Berlin: He advises national and international companies on employment law matters. This includes terminations, employment contracts, M&A projects, reorganisations, and works council affairs. Mr Arnold also represents companies before German labour courts.
