Wilhelm Reinhardt is a partner in the Frankfurt office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. He is a member of the firm’s Mergers & Acquisitions and Private Equity Group.

Mr. Reinhardt focuses his practice on mergers and acquisitions, including private equity transactions and joint ventures. He is also very experienced in public M&A transactions, representing both buyers and targets. He further has profound expertise in German corporate law.

The JUVE Handbook 2022/2023 recognizes Mr. Reinhardt as “frequently recommended” for Corporate and M&A. Competitors described him as “multifaceted takeover lawyer“ (JUVE Handbook 2019/2020). He was selected by JUVE Handbook 2018/2019 as one of 11 “leading partners for Corporate Law under 50” in Germany. He is regularly “recommended” for Corporate Law, M&A and Private Equity (Chambers Europe Germany, Chambers Global Germany, The Legal 500 EMEA, The Legal 500 Deutschland, Handelsblatt / The Best Lawyers™  in Germany, Kanzleimonitor). Clients appreciated that Mr. Reinhardt “seeks to advise not only on legal issues, but also in terms of business-relevant topics” (Chambers Europe Germany 2020). They also say, he “[…] is a very smart corporate lawyer who is also experienced in M&A [and] offers broad capabilities for private equity clients and on public M&A deals.” (Chambers Global Germany 2023) One source said: “Technique is something we really value with him. He always has the most up-to-date knowledge and know-how. He links the newest legal decisions with the concrete case and puts this into practice.” (Chambers Global and Chambers Europe 2019). Others describe him as: “a very senior, pragmatic and goal-oriented lawyer, who is deeply immersed in the matter and also very helpful in between mandates” (Chambers Global Germany 2022). IFLR1000 lists him among the “highly regarded” lawyers for M&A and Private Equity in Germany in their 2021/22 edition. The Legal 500 Deutschland 2020 and The  Legal 500 EMEA 2020 describe Mr. Reinhardt as “expert for public takeovers.” According to references, Wilhelm Reinhardt “is great on P2Ps. Lots of experience navigating the subtle nuances that are so relevant in Germany.” He “develops the right solution with absolute reliability, even in difficult situations, and thus makes a decisive contribution to the success of projects. Complex issues are presented and conveyed in a clear and understandable way. He successfully advocates for the interests of the client.” (The Legal 500 EMEA 2022) WirtschaftsWoche recognized him among Top Lawyers 2020 in Corporate Law in Germany.

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Mr. Reinhardt was a corporate partner in the Frankfurt office of a renowned US law firm.

Mr. Reinhardt speaks German, English and Japanese.

Experience

Representative transactions include advising:

• Advent International and Centerbridge on the public tender offer for Aareal Bank AG.
• Anheuser-Busch InBev on general corporate matters and M&A transactions.
• Atlas Copco in connection with the €1.1bn tender offer for ISRA VISION AG and the subsequent squeeze-out.
• Credit Suisse as financial advisor to Bain Capital and Carlyle in connection with the tender offer for OSRAM.
• Gilead Sciences, Inc. on its acquisition of MYR GmbH (approx. €1.15 billion plus up to €300 million milestone payment).
• HJM Investment GmbH & Co. KG on the sale of a stake in RENOLIT SE and the acquisition of RKW SE.
• Lazard as financial advisor to the board of directors of RIB Software SE in connection with the tender offer for RIB Software SE by Schneider Electric SE; the supervisory board in connection with the tender offer for Axel Springer SE by KKR; and the supervisory board of Innogy in the tender offer for Innogy by E.ON.
• Lotto24 in connection with its delisting.
• Oaktree in connection with the voluntary public takeover offer for Deutsche Euro Shop AG.
• One Equity Partners on the acquisition of:
  • transformer manufacturer SGB-SMIT from private equity investor BC Partners;
  • Powertech Transformers Group and of BCV Technologies S.A.S. by its portfolio company SGB-SMIT Group;
  • Alltub Group, a market leader aluminum and laminate specialty packaging for the cosmetics industry and other markets.
• Stone Canyon Industries in connection with the US$3.2 billion acquisition of K+S Aktiengesellschaft’s Americas salt business, including Morton Salt.
• Triton on various transactions, including:
  • on its investment in Meine Radiologie Holding and on the sale of Meine Radiologie Holding to EQT Infrastructure;
  • on its acquisition of Lamina Technologies SA;
  • on its acquisition of a majority stake of Inwerk GmbH.
• Xella, a leading building materials company headquartered in Germany, and the Management Team on the sale of Xella to Lone Star.