Norton Rose Fulbright advises Gallagher Bassett on acquisition of claims service provider Reck & Co.

Global law firm Norton Rose Fulbright has advised Gallagher Bassett, a leading global provider of claims management and risk control solutions, on the acquisition of the Reck & Co. Group, based in Bremen, Germany, with subsidiaries in France, Belgium and Switzerland. The acquisition marks a significant step in Gallagher Bassett's growth strategy for the marine sector. The parties have agreed not to disclose the details of the transaction.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) is a global insurance brokerage, risk management and consulting services firm, headquartered in Rolling Meadows, Illinois, USA. Gallagher provides these services in approximately 130 countries around the world through its owned operations and a network of correspondent brokers and consultants.

Reck & Co. is a specialist provider of global transport and marine claims services including surveying, claim handling, recovery and loss prevention. The Reck & Co. team, led by Franz Kasten and Marc A. Friedrich, will remain in their current location under the direction of Manan Sagar, head of Gallagher Bassett's Europe, Middle East and Asia operations.

Bernd Dreier, lead partner for the transaction, comments:

"By supporting this cross-border acquisition, Norton Rose Fulbright underscores its strength in international transactions in the insurance sector. Working together with our colleagues in France and Belgium, we were able to assist Gallagher Basset in strengthening its geographic foothold in Europe, thereby further expanding its strong international position in the market for transport and marine claims services."

Gallagher Bassett received comprehensive legal advice from an international team at Norton Rose Fulbright led by Munich-based partner Bernd Dreier (lead, corporate law/M&A).

The team also included partners Dr Nikolas Smirra (product law, Munich), Anne Fischer (corporate law/M&A, Düsseldorf), Claudia Posluschny (employment law, Munich), Dr Tim Schaper (antitrust law, Hamburg) and Dr Christoph Ritzer (IT and data protection law, Frankfurt), counsels Dr Ingemar Kartheuser (data protection law, Frankfurt) and Dr Michael Born (regulatory, Frankfurt), senior associates Michaela Bachmeier (employment law, Munich) and Natalia Filkina (IT and data protection law, Frankfurt), as well as Associates Dr Markus Beil (corporate law/M&A, Munich), Nicolas Krämer (corporate law/M&A, Düsseldorf) and Dr Tobias Teichner (competition law, Hamburg). At the international level, advice was provided by partners Michael Jürgen Werner (antitrust law, Brussels), Nadege Martin (IP/technology, Paris) and Bénédicte Denis (corporate law/M&A, Paris), counsel Geoffroy Coulouvrat (IT and data protection law, Paris) and Louis Fridman (corporate law/M&A, Paris), Senior Associate Simon Lazzari (regulatory, Paris), and Associates Julien Haverals (antitrust and regulatory law, Brussels) and Pierre Bourcier de Saint Chaffray (corporate law, Paris).

In addition to the Norton Rose Fulbright teams in Germany, France and Belgium, the law firm Wenger Vieli, led by Marc Walter, was also involved in the advisory process for Swiss law. Furthermore, the M&A advisor Translink advised the buyer, and the consulting firm Deloitte advised on financial due diligence. Reck & Co. was advised by the Bremen-based law firm LOYFORT.