Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom has strengthened its German offering with the hire of banking partner Johannes Kremer, who joins from US rival Shearman & Sterling.

Kremer – who focuses on banking and acquisition finance work – will join Skadden's Frankfurt office in February.

Prior to joining Shearman in 2000, Kremer spent six years with Clifford Chance in London and Frankfurt. Clients he has advised previously include Barclays Capital, Bank of America, Citigroup, Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley.

Skadden now has 45 lawyers in Germany split between its offices in Frankfurt and Munich, including nine partners. Other recent notable additions to Skadden's European practice include last month taking on Weil Gotshal & Manges City restructuring chief Chris Mallon.

Mallon will head up Skadden's UK-law restructuring practice and has advised on big-ticket restructurings including Enron, Global Crossing, Loral, MCI/WorldCom, Telewest, Parmalat, Eurotunnel and Gate Gourmet.

The hire of Kremer comes with US rival Paul Hastings Janofsky & Walker having recently made its long-awaited German debut after agreeing a deal to absorb respected 27-lawyer Frankfurt boutique Smeets Haas Wolff.

All five Smeets Haas partners will join the Los Angeles-based firm as equity partners when the combination goes live on 3 January, 2008.

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