Olswang's lawyers in Berlin have quit the firm, leaving its European network in tatters.

RollOnFriday can exclusively reveal that Olswang's lawyers in its Berlin office, including 13 equity partners and totalling approximately 62 lawyers, have left the technology, media and telecoms firm en masse. RoF understands that they are joining Morrison Foerster. Sources report that the Germans were shocked and upset by the ousting of former CEO Dave Stewart, who had championed European expansion.

It would be a stunning coup for MoFo. The German operation was a profit machine for Olswang, reporting strong results in 2013/14 while PEP fell, and it has an excellent reputation in the market. Freshfields are also understood to have had an eye on the  team. Morrison Foester has form, having opened in Germnay in 2013 by poaching Hogan Lovell's entire German office.

A source told RollOnFriday a few weeks ago that all of Olswang's German lawyers had handed in their notice at once. At the time the firm hotly denied the story in writing, but it now appears that the firm was...'incorrect'.

In a panicked statement rushed out when RoF asked it for a comment, Olswang’s CEO Paul Stevens said: “Given Olswang’s focus on TMT, we have agreed that our Berlin colleagues will continue to seek to grow their practice under a different brand. While these changes will reduce the firm’s revenues in the short-term, we expect no significant effect on our profitability, nor any disruption to the implementation of our strategic plans and longer term sustained growth."

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