April 2022: "What sets this Firm—and this team—apart is the unique culture," says associate Alexander Sansotta. "In another law firm, if I had a query for a partner or someone in a different office, I’d expect to write a formal email requesting their assistance. Here, you can just pick up the phone or drop them a quick line."

Fellow associate Miriam Gyun-Mie Meixner agrees: "Junior members of the team especially benefit from the lack of strict hierarchy. Everyone is approachable and happy to help. It makes for a friendly, supportive workplace."

"It’s a particularly exciting time to join"

Partner Tomislav Vrabec points out that the Frankfurt Private Equity Industry Group has been steadily growing, with more expansion still to come. Associate Robin Jackson agrees: "We’re working on the biggest and most complex deals in the market." Tomislav says that, "Our work is well recognized and our strategy is to continue to grow. So it’s a particularly exciting time to join, with great opportunities for ambitious lawyers who want to work for a dynamic international firm."

Explaining the work: Multiple projects and varied tasks

Alexander explains the practice’s work in more detail: "When a client is looking for an investment target, they bring us in to start pulling the deal together. That means doing due diligence on the target company, writing memos, doing research or drafting the deal documents." Tomislav explains what happens next: "As the deal progresses, our role as lawyers becomes more central. We coordinate the information flow between all the parties involved, and there can be many."

Once the deal is signed, the team is still involved, as Miriam explains. "We work closely with companies between the closing of the deal and the final exit. This might involve restructuring the business or managing their corporate legal requirements."

Robin says that it’s usual to work on multiple transactions at the same time. "Right now, I’ve got eight transactions on the go. Four are pre- and four are post-signing, and of course each is at a slightly different stage."

Pragmatic problem-solvers: The qualities that matter in this team

What kind of person is best suited to this fast-paced working environment? Miriam says that a problem-solving mindset is key: "You need to be comfortable with making pragmatic decisions, managing multiple deadlines and of course dealing with clients from many different industries." Tomislav says that the leap from the law classroom to working life can be a big change: "This team is not for someone who wants to spend weeks on their own researching and writing a legal opinion."

Alexander says staying on top of detail is vital. "Every member of the team, including the most junior, have an important part to play. It’s important to be process-driven and have an eye for detail, and keep track of all the different requirements for each deal. As you get more experienced, you work more closely with clients, but I think that learning on the job prepares you well for increased responsibility."

A great variety of work across multiple industries and sectors

What does working for a global firm mean, on a day-to-day basis? For Miriam, it’s the clients that the team works with. "Few of our clients are German-only, so naturally there is a global component to everything we do." She points out that having a good command of English is therefore important: "You need to be able to communicate at a high level, well enough to manage complex discussions in English."

Finally, Robin says that the variety of the work was something that he didn’t necessarily anticipate before working in this area. "We are the first port of call for clients on every aspect of the legal complexities of their deals. On any day, I might be considering the implications of the Rhine Treaty of 1868, researching aspects of medical law or looking into a detail of new laws relating to the latest tech. I’m constantly learning and growing."