Baker McKenzie Appoints New Partner and New Counsel in Germany

Leading global law firm Baker McKenzie is appointing one new partner and three new counsels in Germany, effective 1 July 2026. Prof. Dr. Artur M. Swierczok has been promoted to partner in the Frankfurt office. His appointment strengthens the Banking & Finance Practice Group and specifically the Firm's restructuring and insolvency advisory expertise. Dr. Julia Rossié, Stefanie Tesch (both Transactional Practice Group, Munich) and Felix Arnold (Employment, Berlin) have been promoted to counsel. In addition, the Firm today announced the promotion of 47 lawyers to partner¹, effective 1 July, 2026 (with the exception of some locations in the Americas (including North America), where promotions took effect earlier this year).

Prof. Dr. Artur M. Swierczok has been working for the firm in the field of restructuring and insolvency law since 2021 and advises national and international clients on complex financial restructurings, insolvency proceedings and, in particular, distressed M&A transactions. With his many years of experience at the interface of banking & finance, corporate and insolvency litigation, he will further strengthen the Banking & Finance Practice Group in his new role and expand the firm's advice in challenging restructuring and insolvency situations. Baker McKenzie's German restructuring and insolvency practice currently has five lawyers.

Anahita Thoms, future Country Managing Partner of Baker McKenzie Germany (effective July 1, 2026), and Dr. Oliver Socher, Frankfurt-based partner and EMEA Practice Group Lead Banking & Finance, commented:
"We are thrilled to welcome Artur to Baker McKenzie's partnership in Germany and congratulate him on this important career step. With his proven expertise in restructuring and insolvency law, he strengthens our advisory offering at an interface that is currently particularly relevant for our clients. His experience is especially valuable in the financial center that is Frankfurt, enabling us to support companies, financial institutions and investors in complex restructuring and crisis situations."

Joachim Ponseck, Frankfurt-based partner and head of Baker McKenzie's German Restructuring and Insolvency practice, adds: "With Artur's appointment as partner, we are significantly strengthening our capabilities in advising on complex national and international restructuring and insolvency matters. We intend to continue growing in this area to meet the increasing advisory needs of our clients. Artur's appointment is an important step in this direction."

The new counsel in Germany are:
• Dr. Julia Rossié, Transactional Practice Group, Munich
Julia Rossié advises national and international clients on M&A, private equity, growth and venture capital transactions with a particular focus on healthcare and life sciences. She supports investors, pharmaceutical and biotech companies as well as family offices in corporate and IP transactions.
• Stefanie Tesch, Transactional Practice Group, Munich
Stefanie Tesch advises international clients on national and cross-border reorganizations, in particular post-acquisition integrations, pre-transaction reorganizations and legal entity rationalizations. She also provides support with transparency obligations and multi-jurisdictional corporate projects.
• Felix Arnold LL.M. (UCT), Employment, Berlin
Felix Arnold advises national and international companies on employment law issues, in particular on terminations, employment contracts, M&A, reorganisations and works council matters. He also represents companies before German labour courts.

This year's global partner promotions reflect the Firm's continued investment in talent and its strategic focus on building the capabilities needed to advise multinational clients on their most complex, cross-border matters. Alongside 44 global lateral partner hires during financial year 2026, Baker McKenzie has welcomed a total of 91 new partners globally, further strengthening its ability to deliver a seamless client experience across markets.

The Firm's global Transactional practice saw the largest number of promotions this year, with Dispute Resolution, Commercial and Tax welcoming the second and joint third largest number of promoted partners. Women represent 43% of this year's partner promotions.