Dr. Sven Leber

Kirkland & Ellis has bolstered its European corporate practice with the hire of Sebastian Heim, who joins as partner across its Munich and London offices. Heim, a Milbank London partner, has advised on deals including Carlyle’s €7.7 billion ($8.9 billion) acquisition of BASF’s coating business and General Atlantic’s $5.7 billion public offering of SMG Swiss Marketing Group, at the time the largest European IPO of the year. Heim joined Milbank in 2011 as an associate, according to his LinkedIn. “Sebastian is one of the go-to private equity lawyers in Germany,” said Jon A. Ballis, chairman of Kirkland’s executive committee. Heim’s regularly advises clients on corporate law, M&A, and growth equity matters. “Sebastian is an extraordinary lawyer with a stellar reputation,” said Benjamin Leyendecker, a corporate partner in Kirkland’s Munich office. The move comes just 18 months after Kirkland opened its Frankfurt office in August 2024. The hub cooperates closely with Kirkland's Munich office, which has been described by Leyendecker as “key pillar of our strategy”. Heim is joining the Munich office, which has 17 partners listed on Kirkland’s website. Kirkland saw record lateral hires and partner promotions globally in 2025 alongside seven lateral hires in Germany since opening in Frankfurt. Kirkland’s German partners have also been in demand elsewhere, however, with former restructuring partner Leo Plank moving to Gibson Dunn in February. Milbank has been contacted for comment.

Mar 3

1 min

Milbank LLP has advised General Atlantic, a leading global investor, on the sale of its stake in ISS STOXX, a leading data, analytics and index provider, to Deutsche Börse Group. Milbank previously advised General Atlantic on the acquisition of its stake in ISS STOXX (formerly Qontigo) in 2019 and on the combination of Qontigo and ISS in 2023. The Milbank team was led by partners Sebastian Heim and Pascal Härdtner (both Corporate/M&A) and included partners Rolf Füger (Tax), Alexander Rinne (Antitrust, all Munich) and Alexandra Grant (Leveraged Finance, London), special counsel Thomas Möller (Leveraged Finance, Frankfurt), as well as associates Manuel Bogenreuther, Rabea Regh (both Corporate/M&A, Munich), Lukas Krogmann (Corporate/M&A, Frankfurt), Arne Hammerich, Jil Windau (both Tax, Munich), Katherine Williams and Joshua Bourke (both Leveraged Finance, London).

Feb 17

1 min

Milbank LLP has advised a consortium of German entrepreneurs on the acquisition of the German premium upholstered furniture manufacturer Rolf Benz. The consortium is represented by entrepreneur Frank Niehage, who is also expected to assume the role of Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Rolf Benz. The transaction remains subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to be completed in the coming weeks. The parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price. Founded in 1964, Rolf Benz is a leading premium manufacturer of upholstered furniture with a strong commitment to “Made in Germany”. Rolf Benz manufactures exclusively in Germany and distributes its products internationally through a selective retailer network as well as its own brand formats. In addition to the core Rolf Benz brand, the portfolio includes the freistil and creation brands, along with a growing contract business. The Milbank team advising the consortium on the acquisition of Rolf Benz was co-led by partners Michael Bernhardt and Sarah-Maria Resch (both Corporate/M&A) and included partner Matthias Schell (Tax), special counsel Daniel Illhardt, as well as associates Steffen Post, Hendrik Gäbler (all Corporate/M&A), and Nikolas Wolf (Tax).

Feb 13

1 min

Linklaters is advising Deutsche Börse on a €1.1 billion ($1.3 billion) acquisition of the remaining 20% minority stake in data analytics provider ISS STOXX held by General Atlantic. It is the second proposed acquisition this year for Deutsche Börse, owner of Germany’s DAX stock exchange, following its €5.3 billion ($6.2 billion) all-cash offer for Allfunds in January, Germany’s largest transaction of the year so far. Milbank's Munich-based team is led by corporate M&A partners Sebastian Heim and Pascal Härdtner with tax partner Rolf Füger and antitrust partner Alexander Rinne. Linklaters’ team in Germany includes global chair corporate/co-head M&A Ralph Wollburg, PE head Ralph Drebes, and corporate/M&A partner Staffan Illert, according to a person with knowledge of the transaction. Both firms have previously advised their clients. Milbank counselled General Atlantic on its 2019 acquisition of a stake in ISS STOXX (formerly Qontigo) and again on the 2023 combination of Qontigo with ISS. Meanwhile, Linklaters advised Deutsche Börse on a proposed merger with the London Stock Exchange Group, blocked by the EU Commission on competition grounds, and on a proposed tie-up with NYSE Euronext which was also blocked. Illert has the firm's repeat client on various transactions, including its acquisition of Kneip Communication.

Feb 24

1 min

Milbank LLP has advised a consortium of European banks, led by IKB Deutsche Industriebank AG as bookrunner and mandated lead arranger and KfW-coordinator, on a EUR 260 million KfW-backed financing of Green IT applications for United Internet AG. With over 29 million fee-based customer contracts and over 38 million ad-financed free accounts, United Internet AG is a leading European internet specialist. IKB Deutsche Industriebank AG, headquartered in Düsseldorf, focuses on high-end German mid-caps. IKB specializes in long-term financing for companies and projects, including public loans. The bank also offers financing solutions that can be used independently of customer balance sheets, including assistance for companies on the capital market. The Milbank team was led by partner Thomas Ingenhoven and included special counsel Thomas Möller and associate Lara Letizia Milione (all Finance) as well as partner Thomas Kleinheisterkamp and associate Christoph Wolf (all Tax).

Mar 3

1 min