FRANKFURT (JULY 2, 2026) – Sullivan & Cromwell LLP announced today that it is launching a preeminent German Litigation Practice, broadening and strengthening the firm's offering in Germany. The arrival of Philipp Hanfland and Maximilian Bülau — two of Germany's foremost commercial disputes lawyers — as partners in the firm's Frankfurt office will mark an important step in S&C's global strategy to provide leading-edge advice across both transactional and litigation practices in key financial and business centers around the world.
“We are delighted that Philipp and Max will join the S&C partnership,” said Sullivan & Cromwell Co-Chairs Robert Giuffra and Scott Miller. “Our partners have worked closely with Philipp and Max on a range of complex matters for many years. Both are exceptional lawyers with reputations at the very top of the German market for advising on the most significant commercial litigation and cross-border, securities and post-M&A disputes. With their arrival, S&C adds senior disputes capability in one of Europe’s most important jurisdictions, reinforcing our broader commitment to delivering the highest-quality advice on global transactional and disputes matters.”
“Philipp and Max are exactly the partners we wanted to build this practice with: first-class disputes lawyers with a proven track record on the most demanding commercial disputes,” said Carsten Berrar, Managing Partner of S&C's Frankfurt office. “They have the superior judgment and market credibility needed to advise clients in Germany on the full life cycle of high-stakes matters, working closely with our colleagues across the United States, Europe and Asia. We are thrilled to welcome them to our Frankfurt team and look forward to working alongside them.”
Mr. Hanfland is widely regarded as one of Germany’s leading commercial disputes lawyers and represents companies in complex, cross-border disputes before state courts, international arbitration proceedings and alternative dispute resolution processes. His practice spans securities litigation, corporate and insolvency litigation, post-M&A, contractual disputes, and disputes arising from major catastrophic events. He is ranked by Chambers Germany for Litigation, where market commentary describes him as “an excellent lawyer who will be a litigation superstar in Germany in the coming years.” Mr. Hanfland will lead S&C’s European Disputes Practice and will co-lead the firm's German Litigation Practice together with Mr. Bülau.
Mr. Bülau’s practice covers a broad spectrum of commercial litigation, arbitration and alternative dispute resolution, with a particular focus on securities litigation and on contract and corporate law disputes. He regularly represents national and international clients in post-M&A disputes before courts and arbitral tribunals.
“I am delighted to be joining Sullivan & Cromwell, a firm whose strong heritage and track record advising the world’s leading companies uniquely position it to help clients navigate today's most complex and increasingly cross-border disputes,” said Mr. Hanfland. “I am very much looking forward to building a preeminent litigation practice at S&C and continuing to work closely with Max, with whom I have built a strong partnership over many years.”
Added Mr. Bülau: “I could not be more excited to continue partnering with Philipp and co-lead S&C’s German Litigation Practice. We are fortunate to be joining an extraordinary group of lawyers in Frankfurt and across the firm to deliver on the most demanding matters, wherever they arise.”
“Philipp and Max are a transformative addition to our global Litigation Group and a key step in extending our market-leading litigation practice into Europe,” said Sharon Nelles, Managing Partner of S&C’s Litigation Group. “Our clients increasingly face their highest-stakes disputes on both sides of the Atlantic, and adding two established practice leaders of this caliber to our Frankfurt office means our clients can rely on one deeply integrated, transatlantic litigation and arbitration practice for their most demanding matters.”
About S&C's Frankfurt Office
Sullivan & Cromwell’s Frankfurt office has provided trusted legal advice to clients since 1995. A natural outgrowth of the firm’s long-standing work for clients in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the office has developed into a market-leading practice across its core areas: M&A and private equity, capital markets, finance and restructuring, and competition law. Working seamlessly with S&C lawyers across the firm’s global platform, the Frankfurt team regularly advises industrial companies, private equity sponsors, other investors and financial institutions on complex domestic and cross-border matters. The office is distinguished by the scale, complexity and significance of the matters it handles relative to its size.
About S&C's Litigation Practice
Sullivan & Cromwell’s Litigation Group is known for handling the biggest cases for the world’s largest corporations and financial institutions. The group manages matters strategically, drawing on the talents of lawyers across the firm to position clients for success at every phase of litigation. Its deep bench includes accomplished trial lawyers, former prosecutors and senior government officials, skilled negotiators, and top-tier advocates. The lawyers are consistently top-ranked by publications including Chambers, The American Lawyer, Benchmark Litigation, and Best Lawyers, among others.
The group achieved significant recent victories in multibillion-dollar litigation for the Argentine Republic, Citibank, Goldman Sachs and Tesla, at times securing critical relief on rarely granted interlocutory reviews and mandamus petitions.
The practice has substantial experience handling complex, multiparty cases and frequently serves as lead or national coordinating counsel in large-scale litigation. Its broad commercial perspective, shaped by decades of experience advising major financial institutions and corporations, enables the group to help clients manage legal, business, governmental and shareholder relations issues.
About Sullivan & Cromwell LLP
Sullivan & Cromwell LLP is a leading global law firm that advises on major domestic and cross-border M&A, significant litigation and corporate investigations, finance and corporate transactions, and complex antitrust, regulatory, tax and estate planning matters. The firm's hallmarks are the highest-quality independent advice and intense dedication to solving client problems. Founded in 1879, S&C has more than 1,000 lawyers located in offices in New York, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Palo Alto, London, Frankfurt, Paris, Brussels, Hong Kong, Beijing, Tokyo, Melbourne and Sydney.