Norton Rose Fulbright (NRF) has hired nine lawyers from rival international firms to open an office in Düsseldorf, its fourth in Germany. 

The office will be led by newcomers Maximilian Findeisen and Anne Fischer, who join as partners from Eversheds Sutherland and Allen & Overy respectively. Findeisen is crossing over alongside fellow Eversheds Sutherland corporate partners Michael Prüßner and Sven Schweneke, who were both previously based in Munich. 

Also joining from Eversheds Sutherland are counsel Benjamin Schikora and associates Hannah Frahm and Maximilian Spitzhorn-Stork. The incoming group is rounded out by Justus Pauls, who joins as an associate from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, and counsel Marina Arntzen, who joins from Pinsent Masons, where she was a senior associate.

Stefan Feuerriegel, head of NRF’s German arm, said the move underscored the firm’s ambitions to expand its M&A platform in Germany under Findeisen and Fischer’s stewardship. 

He added: “We will continue to accelerate our growth trajectory with a clear focus on mobility, pharmaceuticals, real estate, energy and insurance. Opening an office in Düsseldorf was therefore only the logical consequence of our growth ambitions in the sectors we have identified.”

Findeisen spent four years at Eversheds Sutherland, where he focused on corporate M&A matters in the life sciences, chemical and energy sectors. 

Fischer, meanwhile, spent ten years at Allen & Overy, including seven as counsel. She specialises in handling insurance matters for German and international insurance and reinsurance companies on national and cross-border transactions, the firm said.  

NRF currently has offices in Munich, Hamburg and Frankfurt, with more than 130 lawyers based across the three existing outposts. 

The firm demonstrated its commitment to the region when it hired five real estate lawyers from UK rival Simmons & Simmons in May. The team included partner Oliver Beyer, senior associate Leonie-Isabelle Raymann von Loefen and associates Isabella Schmidt and Michael Böger in Munich as well as counsel Barbara Heinrich in Munich. 

For its part, Eversheds recently made a similar move when it elected to open an office in Frankfurt earlier this month. It hired PwC Legal’s Germany managing partner Steffen Schniep for the launch, which it characterised as a ‘long standing ambition’ at the time. 

Other international firms to invest in Germany in recent months include Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, which hired a four-partner real estate and insolvency team in Frankfurt from DLA Piper in June, and Addleshaw Goddard, which launched offices in Munich and Frankfurt in March.

In April, Boston-based Goodwin Procter announced the launch of a Munich office as part of an ongoing drive to grow its European private equity team.

Meanwhile, NRF's US arm has also been building its coprorate team. Earlier this week, Kaylee Yang joined its San Francisco office from Baker Botts, the fourth lateral partner to join its corporate, M&A and securities practice in the last six weeks.