Small city, big impactx
Welcome to Frankfurt, home to a strategically important White & Case office at the heart of one of Europe’s key financial hubs. The Reporter finds out more.
Frankfurt is a small city that dares to think big. Though its population of around 700,000 is relatively low, Frankfurt is home to an estimated 180 nationalities. It’s also a major European financial hub and is the location of a thriving White & Case office. The Reporter finds out more.
“What’s so attractive about this city is that it has a ‘big city’ status, but with all the benefits of a smaller town.”
JOST KOTTHOFF, OFFICE EXECUTIVE PARTNER, FRANKFURT
In German terms, Frankfurt is the center of the financial universe. This once-unfashionable city in the middle of the country has undergone an impressive transformation in the past two decades and is now home to all the big international banks, law firms and the European Central Bank.
Our Frankfurt office is right at the heart of the business district – an area renowned for the towering buildings that are such a feature of the city skyline.
Office Executive Partner Jost Kotthoff says: “What’s so attractive about this city is that it has a ‘big city’ status, combined with the atmosphere and benefits of a much smaller town. It’s a far cry from the early 90s, when people used to joke that the best thing about the city was the airport!
“Things have changed dramatically since then and it’s now a really great place to work. There is plenty going on, but you can be out in open countryside within minutes.”
This pleasant contradiction is also evident in the Firm’s Frankfurt office.
“We have more than 200 people overall with 100 lawyers including 32 partners and 68 associates, local partners and counsel, making it the Firm’s biggest German office,” explains Jost, “but the office is not so big that you don’t know everybody, so from that perspective it offers the best of both worlds.”
FRANKFURT:
DID YOU KNOW?
Frankfurt is the largest financial
center in continental Europe
The city’s airport is one of the
busiest in the world and the third
biggest in Europe
Frankfurt’s nicknames include
Bankfurt and Mainhattan (in honour
of the city’s skyscrapers and its
position on the river Main)
According to a 2015 register of
residents, more than 50% of the
city’s population are of non-German
descent
More than half the city is made
up of protected green areas
Eurodance and trace music originated
in Frankfurt, home of 80s dance
band Snap!
The city (unsurprisingly) lends its
name to Frankfurter sausages
Famous Frankfurt residents have
included Charlemagne (Charles
the Great).
An office transformed
Jost joined the Frankfurt office in 1994 when it was part of law firm Feddersen Laule Ewerwahn Scherzberg Finkelnburg Clemm. At the time it had around 15-20 lawyers and Jost started as an associate, rising through the ranks to become a partner by 2000, just as the office merged with White & Case.
Jost explains: “The difference between when I started compared to now is night and day. Back then much of our business was domestic. Now, we are very much a global firm and our focus is on cross-border work.”
The office has a broad presence and, while Frankfurt’s status as a financial center means it naturally covers a lot of bank-related and financial transactions, the team covers all major practices.
“If we take a look at our client base in Frankfurt we can see that we are covering a variety of industry sectors and an increasing number of cross-border transactional matters,” says Jost. “Clients include international and national banks, private equity funds and corporates from different industries.”
Cross-border focus
When it comes to strategy, Jost says the office’s priorities match that of the global Firm strategy: “We’re not facing any particular trends or challenges, but we are putting a lot of focus into growing our cross-border work, so we truly bring the power of our global network to the client.”
The team is also actively pushing the boundaries when it comes to building relationships, both with existing and potential new clients.
Jost explains: “In the past, partners had traditionally been responsible for inviting clients in for social events, but our mid-level associates came up with the idea of Rooftop Lounge, which is a regular event where they invite their network of contacts (from law school, existing clients or potential clients) for informal drinks and networking.
“It’s an idea that’s really working for us, and some of the other White & Case offices have implemented similar concepts.”
Building relationships
The office boasts an open culture which will be enhanced further as it completes an ongoing refurbishment that will increase the focus on open-plan offices and meeting spaces, coffee lounges and kitchen areas. Jost says: “We have a very good team spirit with a relatively young team who are very dynamic, talented and keen to develop.
“I’d like to think this is a really friendly place to work and, whether you want to visit us or join us on assignment, you’ll be sure of a warm welcome.”
Quick questions:
with Director of Knowledge
Operations Constanze Schmack
How long have you been working at the office?
I’ve been here 12 years, starting in 2005 and, previous to that, I had worked within internal communications covering all the Firm’s German offices.
What’s the best thing about the Frankfurt office?
It’s like a huge family, even though it’s a large office. Several of our partners have come through the ranks, so I think that helps with the community feel. We also hold a lot of events throughout the year that really bring people together, including big Christmas and summer parties, and we took part in the recent Chase Run.
What other events does the office host?
We hosted a recent Women’s Initiative Event, and held our alumni event at Klassikstadt, which is an impressive center for classic cars.
As we look to attract the next generation of legal talent, we also attend recruitment fairs and hold a Skyline Drinks event that brings current law students together with our associates.
From an employee perspective, we recently took part in the JP Morgan Corporate Challenge Run and have monthly Sundowner drinks on our rooftop terrace.
Do you have any current projects that particularly excite you?
I’m in knowledge management and our biggest development recently has been the establishment of our legal tech group, which is exploring how technology (and particularly artificial intelligence) will change our industry over the coming years. Our German team was set up in June and we’ll be sharing learnings with other groups, which have been set up across the Firm.
From a personal perspective I was also the first person to move into one of our refurbished office spaces, so that was exciting.
I’m positively surprised about the fresh and young look and feel of the new space.
What do you like about working and living in Frankfurt?
I like that the city is so international – you’ll hear so many different languages when you walk down the street. The other good thing is that it is quite small, so you can walk everywhere, and you’ll always bump into someone you know. There are also vineyards around 20 or 30 minutes outside the city.
