The law firm boutique dtb rechtsanwälte is recognised as one of the leading law firms in Germany for its outstanding legal services in the area of private clients and non-profits. The Legal 500 is recognised as the largest legal guide in the world.
The Private Clients division recorded strong growth in 2021, which continued in 2022. The uncertainty caused by the Covid 19 pandemic was overshadowed by the global economic and geopolitical imbalance, leading to increased concern among business families and HNWIs about protecting their wealth. As a result, law firms working in this area were increasingly tasked with creating innovative structures to protect assets of all kinds, from businesses and real estate to unconventional assets such as crypto-assets and artworks. At the same time, pandemic-related demand for mandates to create business succession plans and wills increased. Lawyers found that people who had not planned or changed their wills for decades were now making succession plans.
Many HNWIs and business families, and therefore also the law firms that serve this clientele, have also increasingly focussed on relocation planning. This is partly due to geopolitical uncertainties, but numerous wealthy retirees have also considered relocating to Mallorca or the USA. In the area of foundations and family offices, the focus in 2021 was on tax efficiency. At the same time, the number of newly established charitable foundations continued to rise, focusing on various topics such as the inclusion of immigrant children, animal welfare and disease research.
The Legal 500 has been analysing the performance of law firms around the world for 33 years. The comprehensive research programme is revised and updated every year to provide the most up-to-date picture of the global legal market. The Legal 500 assesses the strengths of law firms in over 150 countries.