Thomas König is a partner in the Mergers & Acquisitions practice.

He specializes in corporate law and corporate governance as well as domestic and cross-border M&A ranging from public and private mergers and acquisitions to joint ventures, corporate reorganizations and private equity transactions. He has extensive transactional experience and in-depth expertise in many industries including the automotive, banking, chemicals, healthcare and mechanical engineering sectors.

Thomas regularly represents German and international corporate clients, management and supervisory boards, private equity sponsors and investment banks such as Allianz, Daimler, Dow Chemical, Bridgepoint, Deutsche Beteiligungs AG, Investcorp, BAML and Credit Suisse.

• Swoctem GmbH, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Prof. Dr. E.h. Friedhelm Loh, on various matters including the voluntary public takeover offer to acquire all outstanding shares of Klöckner & Co. SE against cash
• Pfaudler GmbH and its parent company GMM Pfaudler Ltd. on various transactions including the acquisition of Mixel SAS, France, and of Hydro Air Research, Italy
• in-tech GmbH on the acquisition of Ruetz Systems Solutions and on the establishment of Mobility Technology Center (MTC) as joint venture with Ergo, Munich Re and others 
• Qualtrics’ $1.55 billion carve out IPO from SAP 
• TELUS International on its acquisition of Competence Call Center Group
• American Axle & Manufacturing on the acquisition of the German business of MITEC Automotive AG 
• Deutsche Beteiligungs AG (DBAG) on numerous transactions including its acquisition of in-tech GmbH, Cartonplast Group, SERO Schröder Elektronik Rohrbach and Pfaudler Process Solutions as well as on the sale of Spheros 
• Continental on the acquisition of Kathrein Automotive  
• Allianz on numerous transactions including most recently the sale of its majority stake of Oldenburgische Landesbank to Bremer Kreditbank
• CITIC Capital on the co-investment with 3i in Formel D
• Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Credit Suisse as financial advisor to Bayer in connection with its acquisition of Monsanto
• International Chemical Investors on a regular basis including in the acquisition of pharmaceutical intermediates businesses from Genzyme, Roche and Tessenderlo, and certain European chlorovinyls assets being divested by INEOS
• L-GAM in the acquisition of the FAIST ChemTec-Group
• Aabar Investments on Aabar's and Daimler's acquisition of a 75.1% stake in Brawn GP (today: Mercedes Grand Prix), winner of the 2009 Formula 1 constructors' and drivers' championships
• Groundbreaking M&A transactions including the merger of Daimler and Chrysler, the acquisition and sale of Dresdner Bank by Allianz, the merger of VEBA/VIAG to become E.ON and the acquisition of Putzmeister Holding by Sany Heavy Industry

Professional Activities

• Corporate Law Association, Prof. Dr. Peter Hommelhoff, University of Heidelberg

Awards & Accolades

• Thomas is recognized as a leading and frequently recommended lawyer for Corporate/M&A by major directories – Chambers Global, Chambers Europe, JUVE, The Legal 500 and IFLR1000.

• He is listed among the best corporate lawyers 2019 in the ranking of “WiWo Top-Kanzleien” and among “Germany's Best Lawyers 2019” by Handelsblatt.
  
  
• A client enthuses: “Thomas König always has the big picture but is also really involved in the detail,” adding: “He coordinates everything for us and it is good to have him by our side in negotiations.” – Chambers Global/Europe, Germany 2022

• One client says: “He is outstanding, a key contact in every respect”. – JUVE 2021/2022 

• Clients appreciate his „very goal-oriented approach”. One client says: „He is able to take on tough challenges and negotiates very persistently and patiently”. – JUVE Handbook 2020/2021 

• Clients enthuse: “He is always brilliant in negotiations as he knows our needs and can sort out divisive topics with counterparts. You can rely on him 100%.” – Chambers Global/Europe, Germany 2020

• Thomas draws praise from clients for his expert negotiation skills in M&A transactions. One source particularly highlights his forward-thinking, thorough approach: “When negotiations get lengthy and complicated he stays calm. He really gets into the details and keeps pushing for your interests and looking for the best solutions you can achieve.”  – Chambers Global/Europe, Germany 2019

• Various sources single him out for his negotiation abilities. One says: “His key qualities are always being able to find the right tone in discussions, act tough when required and respond to whatever the other side suggests.”  – Chambers Global/Europe, Germany 2018 

• Clients say about him that “He combines commercial instinct and cutting-edge legal knowledge. He can be razor sharp and tough, but also the most charming character.” – Chambers Global/Europe, Germany 2017

• They point out that he is “very focused, short learning curve, understands our needs”, “he and his team took care of us night and day, covered all the US aspects, amazing service” – JUVE Handbook 2016/2017

• Clients say: “He is very good in negotiation processes; we want a lawyer who doesn't just know the law correctly but also knows what he can concede and what he can ask for. He was great at this.” – Chambers Global/Europe, Germany 2016