Lovells has secured a deal to move its Frankfurt practice to flagship new offices as the London-based firm moves to bolster its position in Germany's financial capital.

The Frankfurt office, formerly of legacy German firm Boesebeck Drostem, has been outside of the city's commercial centre since 1945, but will move next summer into new offices with 7,000 sq m in the main banking district, handing the firm more than 25% of extra space.

The move follows a similar expansion in Munich this March that has seen the firm take on a new building with 5,000 sq m to allow the firm to grow its local operation from 70 fee earners to 95.

Much of the extra space will not be filled by full-time associates, but rather professional support lawyers – a relatively new concept in Germany.

Munich managing partner Christoph Hiltl told Legal Week: "We launched the concept of the professional support lawyer in 2000 and now have 25 across Germany."

He added that these were mainly lawyers who had only passed their first state exam or were committed to doing only eight-hour days.

"They are billable fee earners – but they will never make partner," he said.

The main tasks for the support lawyers are working on due diligence or assisting in patent work.