Mergers & Acquisitions

Our Practice Groups

M&A and Venture-Capital

We have many years of experience in seed, venture and private equity financing as well as in buy-out and exit transactions. Working languages on all private equity and venture capital transactions can be German, English or French. Our partners are experienced to steer complex international transactions especially with French and Anglo-American counterparts. Our clients are often private equity and venture capital funds, but we work as well for founders and main shareholders of emerging tech companies, family businesses. International groups like to work with us on cross-border acquisitions or divestments.

Mergers &Acquisitions

We help our clients to achieve the maximum commercial success both in sell and buy-side transactions. 


Our team has many years of experience in driving national and international M&A transactions. Having completed numerous deals in with SME, technology companies and large industrial assets, we enjoy a profound knowledge of the field. 


Our areas of work include preparing and structuring the transactions as well as strategic advise and driving negotiations and all measures for the acquisition and sale of companies. We are experienced to accompany auction sales or management buy-out and buy-and build transactions. 

Venture Capital

For all active players in private equity and venture capital, we offer efficient legal advise for financings and investments, along with identifying and implementing exit scenarios. We have long-lasting business relationships to manage legal transactions with many funds managers and investors. 


 A considerable portion of our work in this area is working on projects with foreign investors. Our partners are experienced to steer complex international transactions especially with French and Anglo-American counterparts. Working languages on all private equity and venture capital transactions can be German, English or French.


Often we are closely integrated within the individual processes of the particular private equity or venture capital fund, its management and the management of the portfolio companies.

However, we support not only investors, but also company managment and founders in their start-up phase and ongoing business operations. As well we serve the company's management as a direct point of contact for all relevant legal questions in their business.  As we are fully familiar with legal requirements of private equity and venture capital investors, we know what start-ups need to consider, especially in view of a future exit. Mindful of the financial situation of start-up companies in their initial phase, we can offer individual consultation package that fits their budget.


We especially provide assistance in the following areas:

  • Preparing and drafting term sheets, preparing and negotiating contracts, especially in connection with rounds of financing, restructuring and exits
  • Performing legal due diligence, including special due diligence for particular cases and scenarios
  • Preparing and executing standard agreements and relevant updates
  • Protecting IP rights of portfolio companies
  • Delivering ongoing legal advice, for example in labor law, contract management and corporate housekeeping
  • Conducting tailor-made reviews of complex legal questions
  • Solving legal disputes, either in or out of court





Contact!

Dr. Christian Franz

Partner

Düsseldorf office



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Prof. Dr. Boris Dostal

Partner

Freiburg office


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Mélanie Clerc--Dugas

Associate
Düsseldorf office


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Deal Insights!

French Group Avril acquires German Lecico GmbH

DFA's Christian Franz advised  (with his previous Law Firm) French Group Avril in the acquisition of Hamburg based Lecithin and Pospholipid Specialist Lecico GmbH, see https://www.lecico.de/mit-der-uebernahme-des-deutschen-lecithin-experten-lecico-avanciert-avril-zu-einem-globalen-marktfuehrer-fuer-non-gmo-lecithine/.


Avril Group employs 7,600 people in 21 countries and generated sales of EUR 6.2 billion in 2017. 















#M&A #French Desk

A few case examples for our practice from the last 20+ years with hands on management by the partners of DFA

Private Euqity funded QSIL Group acquires the majority FCTI Ingenieurkeramik 



Dr Christian Franz has advised the Private-Equity funded QSIL Group on the acquisition of a majority stake in FCTI Ingenieurkeramik GmbH, a specialist for silicon nitride and silicon carbide-based ceramic materials, QSIL is one of the world's leading manufacturers of quartz glass and oxide ceramics with a reported turnover of more than €100m. With the majority stake in FCTI Ingenieurkeramik GmbH, the QSIl Group takes over a company with 30 years of experience and competence in materials technology and in the manufacture of ceramic high-performance materials and composites. FCTI Ingenieurkeramik GmbH specializes in silicon nitride and silicon carbide-based ceramic materials.









#M&A  # Private Equity

 

Sale of majority of a leading German Cloud company  to 1&1 INTERNET SE



Our Partner Dr Christian Franz has advised with his former law firm the founders and majority shareholders of BERLIN-based cloud computing provider on the sale of their stake in 1 & 1 INTERNET SE.  Founded in 2010, the company employs more than 120 people. The company is a specialized cloud computing provider for Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) in Germany and offers professional public and hybrid cloud solutions based on the strict German and European data protection guidelines.











#M&A

 

Ad-on acquisition by German fintec Crossinx in Hungary

 


Dr. Christian Franz and the transactions team has advised the German fintec Crossinx GmbH (now part of Unifiedpost Group) to acquiring First Businesspost Kft.


















#M&A  # Venture Capital

 


Level-Up I fund invests in Meta Games



DFA's Christian Franz and Mélanie Clerc (French desk) advised Level-Up Ventures, a Fund based in France/ Luxembourg in their investment in the Berlin-based gaming studio Meta Games.


Level-Up  is an investment fund primarily focused on mobile studios and gaming technologies.















#Venture Capital # French Desk #IT Law


Level-Up I fund invests in Awesome Prototype GmbH



DFA's Christian Franz and Mélanie Clerc (French desk) advised Level-Up Ventures, a Fund based in France/ Luxembourg in their investment in Awesome Prototype GmbH, a Berlin-based Creator of leading sport games.


Level-Up  is an investment fund primarily focused on mobile studios and gaming technologies.













#Venture Capital # French Desk #IT Law


German-French joint venture between maexpartners GmbH & Theano Advisors SAS 

Our Partner Dr Christian Franz has advised (with his former law firm) maexpartners GmbH on the establishment of a joint venture with Theano Advisors SAS in France and in Germany

maexpartners GmbH is a German management consultancy focused on industry and high technology, and is particularly active in the operational area.

The transaction involved the establishment of a joint consulting company in France under the name maexpartners SAS, as well as the opening of another joint consulting company in Germany under the name Theano Advisors GmbH. Both consulting companies will be "staffed" exclusively with binational teams, and will place their operational and strategic expertise at the service of large international clients.






#M&A #French Desk

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