King & Spalding has launched an office in Germany as the firm looks to cash in on the buoyant real estate sector in the key European market.

The Atlanta-based law firm announced today (4 September) that it is opening in Frankfurt after hiring a four-lawyer team, including Heuking Kuehn Lueer Wojtek corporate lawyer Michael Prinz zu Loewenstein.

Mario Leissner, general counsel of real estate fund Oppenheim Immobilien-Kapitalanlagegesellschaft, also joins King & Spalding as a partner, while his two assistants both join as associates.

The office will initially focus on real estate capital markets work but the firm hopes to develop it to full-service status in the long term.

The new Frankfurt base is the 800-lawyer firm's second in Europe behind London and its ninth overall.

King & Spalding chairman Robert Hays said: "With the tremendous surge of activity in the high-end commercial property market in Europe, we believe the timing is right for King & Spalding to have a significant presence in Germany."