Field Fisher Waterhouse has seen two of the founding members of its German practice leave the firm.

Partners Frank Moerchen and Thomas Demmel, who helped to launch the firm's Hamburg office in 2007, are leaving Field Fisher to set up their own business.

The pair will launch CORE Business Lawyers in early March. The new business will focus on corporate and real estate transactions.

Moerchen specialises in M&A and private equity, while Demmel focuses on business and real estate and provides support in corporate and structuring. Their clients include Woelbern-Gruppe and Medivision-Gruppe, both of which are based in Hamburg.

Field Fisher made its first move into Europe in 2007, when it ended a five-year alliance with a number of firms on the continent to open its own offices in Germany, Belgium and France.

Moerchen and Demmel were among several partners who joined Field Fisher in Germany from the firm's former alliance partner Buse Heberer Fromm.

At its peak, the Hamburg office expanded to 20 lawyers including partners. The base will now have four partners and 13 associates following the latest departures, including corporate partner and co-founder Michael Adam and intellectual property partner Philipp Plog.

Field Fisher said in a statement: "Having worked with Michael Adam, Philipp Plog, Alexandra von Bismarck and Felix Wittern to establish Field Fisher Waterhouse Deutschland, Frank Moerchen and Thomas Demmel have decided to move on and set up their own practice. They leave with Field Fisher's good wishes for the success of their practice."