Insight

Announcing the 2022 Best Lawyers™ in Germany

The results include an elite field of top lawyers and firms, including our inaugural Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch recipients.

Announcing the 2022 Best Lawyers™ in Germany
Best Lawyers

Best Lawyers

June 24, 2021 04:45 PM

Best Lawyers has, since 1981, produced the most reliable global source for legal referrals. We highlight the extraordinary accomplishments of those in the legal profession with a list of outstanding lawyers compiled by conducting exhaustive peer review surveys..

Candidates who are nominated for consideration are voted on by currently recognized lawyers working in the same practice area and located in the same geographic region. Our awards and recognitions are based purely on the feedback we receive from these top lawyers. Those who receive high peer reviews undergo a thorough verification process to ensure they are currently still in private practice. Only then can these top lawyers be recognized by Best Lawyers.

The 2022 Edition of The Best Lawyers in Germany recognizes the professional excellence of 5,680 lawyers in 83 practice areas. For the 13th Edition, Best Lawyers honored approximately 3.6%* of practicing lawyers in Germany.

We are pleased to celebrate 227 “Lawyer of the Year” recipients across 10 metropolitan areas in Germany. "Lawyer of the Year" honors are awarded annually to only one lawyer per practice area in each region with extremely high overall feedback from their peers, making it an exceptional distinction.

For 2022, we are also excited to announce our first ever edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in Germany. For Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch, all nominated candidates were eligible to vote on other nominated lawyers working in the same practice and located in the same geographic region. Then, much the same as Best Lawyers, our awards and recognitions are based on the feedback we receive from these top lawyers. Those who receive high peer reviews are verified by our trusted research and development team for accuracy of information and confirmation of private practice. These verified lawyers are then listed as Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch. For the 2022 Edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in Germany, we recognize 397 lawyers in 25 practice areas. Lawyers are listed in 95 firms across 15 metropolitan areas.

Germany Publication Statistics

Publication Statistics

Here are highlights from the 2022 13th Edition of The Best Lawyers in Germany:
  • 5,680 Lawyers Recognized
  • 559 Firms with Listed Lawyers
  • 83 Practice Area

Top Metro Area with Most Listed Lawyers:

  • Bayern

Top 10 Practice Areas by Number of Recognized Lawyers:

  • Corporate Law
  • Mergers and Acquisitions Law
  • Intellectual Property Law
  • Labor and Employment Law
  • Real Estate Law
  • Litigation
  • Tax Law
  • Restructuring and Insolvency Law
  • Banking and Finance Law
  • Information Technology Law

Top 10 Most Searched Practice Areas in Germany in 2020 on bestlawyers.com:

  • Labor and Employment Law
  • Intellectual Property Law
  • Corporate Law
  • Real Estate Law
  • Tax Law
  • Arbitration and Mediation
  • Restructuring and Insolvency Law
  • Litigation
  • Mergers and Acquisitions Law
  • Information Technology Law

Law Firm of the Year

“Law Firm of the Year” awards recognize a single top firm for its work in a specific legal practice area nationwide. Awards are determined based on a handful of factors including lawyer feedback, the number of lawyers included in Best Lawyers for that firm and practice area, the number of office locations a firm has, historical analysis of the firm’s “Lawyer of the Year” awards, materials submitted by firms, and the firm’s overall scope and areas of expertise.

We are honored to present the following 26 “Law Firm of the Year” recipients in Germany for 2022:

  • Arbitration and Mediation
    • CMS Hasche Sigle
  • Banking and Finance Law
    • Hengeler Mueller
  • Capital Markets Law
    • Sullivan & Cromwell
  • Competition / Antitrust Law
    • Blomstein Partnerschaft von Rechtsanwälten
  • Construction Law
    • Kapellmann und Partner Rechtsanwälte
  • Corporate Law
    • Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
  • Criminal Defense
    • Wessing & Partner Rechtsanwälte
  • Data Security and Privacy Law
    • SKW Schwarz Rechtsanwälte
  • Energy Law
    • Raue
  • Environmental Law
  • Information Technology Law
    • Bird & Bird
  • Insurance Law
    • Clyde & Co
  • Intellectual Property Law
    • Harte-Bavendamm Rechtsanwälte
  • Labor and Employment Law
    • Gleiss Lutz
  • Litigation
    • Clifford Chance Deutschland
  • Media Law
    • DLA Piper
  • Mergers and Acquisitions Law
    • Milbank
  • Pharmaceuticals Law
    • Baker & McKenzie Partnerschaft von Rechtsanwälten, Wirtschaftsprüfern und Steuerberatern
  • Private Equity Law
  • Public Law
    • Redeker Sellner Dahs
  • Real Estate Law
    • Clifford Chance Deutschland
  • Restructuring and Insolvency Law
    • Latham & Watkins
  • Tax Law
  • Telecommunications Law
    • Noerr
  • Trusts and Succession Planning
    • Flick Gocke Schaumburg
  • Venture Capital Law
    • Vogel Heerma Waitz Partnerschaft

*Based on information published by The German Bar Association

Interested in seeing Best Lawyers honorees in Germany? Use our Find a Lawyer tool to search by location and specialty.

Access the full report of Best Lawyers international releases, updated continuously.

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