“Our strong tax practice is of strategic significance to our growth in Germany. With Florian Lechner we have been able to attract a very experienced and highly recognised tax expert who perfectly fits into our A&O team,” said Dr Wolf Bussian, Managing Partner of Allen & Overy in Germany. He added: “Thanks to his tax-law expertise particularly in core advisory areas of our firm, he is an excellent addition to our closely interconnected network and our broad advisory offering to clients.”

Florian Lechner boasts twenty-five years of experience in advising international corporates and financial investors on tax issues. He focuses on M&A and private equity transactions, structured finance, financial products and alternative investments. In addition, he has wide-ranging experience in the field of internal investigations in the financial sector and represents banks in the context of tax audits and in criminal tax litigation and tax court proceedings. Most recently, he was partner at Jones Day and, before that, had been with Linklaters for approximately twenty years, many of which as partner. In addition to his advisory practice, he teaches at prestigious private Bucerius Law School in Hamburg.

Gottfried Breuninger, head of the German tax practice group, added: “Florian Lechner is an outstanding tax lawyer and a prominent figure in the market. With his help, we will give our transaction tax practice a critical boost and further expand our leading market position in providing tax advice to banks.”

Florian Lechner commented on becoming an A&O partner: “Allen & Overy is able to rely on an impressive international network and has shown a very remarkable development in the German market in recent years. The fact that the firm holds attractive market positions and has growth ambitions in my core areas offers great synergies which I find just as appealing as the firm’s collaborative style. I very much look forward to joining the firm.”