Flick Gocke Schaumburg Opens Reprensentative Offices in Zurich and Vienna

Flick Gocke Schaumburg is expanding its presence in the German-speaking area. The partnership has opened a representative office in Zurich with effect as of 1 September. From now on, its cli-ents will be able to contact the firm locally in Vienna as well.

“The Zurich office will focus on giving advice on tax crime issues arising in the German-Swiss context,” says Prof. Thomas Rödder, Managing Partner of Flick Gocke Schaumburg. “We expect to help an even greater number of German taxpayers to wipe their slate clean with the tax authori-ties. So our Swiss office – like our German offices – reflects our commitment to supporting the state in our approach to consultancy. As a German desk, the new FGS office will provide advice exclusively on German law and, in particular, will be addressing legal issues connected with vol-untary disclosures and the planned Double Tax Treaty between Switzerland and Germany.”

The Zurich office is centrally located in Bahnhofstrasse 69a and will be headed by Bonn partners Dr. Karsten Randt and Dr. Jörg Schauf. Both specialize in tax crime law as well as white-collar and regulatory matters. They will divide their time between the Bonn and Zurich offices. The lat-est member of the Flick Gocke Schaumburg team is Daniel Holenstein (47), a lawyer and certified tax expert recruited from Umbricht Attorneys at Law. Daniel Holenstein is Swiss and has a proven track record as a specialist in the field of tax crime law, with extensive experience in matters of mutual legal and administrative assistance. He joined Umbricht Attorneys at Law in 2000 and became a partner in 2006.

In Vienna, a strategic alliance has linked FGS since 2010 with LeitnerLeitner, a firm of tax con-sultants and public auditors focusing on Central and Eastern Europe. To consolidate this close working relationship, Flick Gocke Schaumburg has opened a German desk at its strategic partner’s office. “Our office in Vienna will serve mainly as a place of contact for our consultants and their clients,” adds Thomas Rödder.

Vienna and Zurich are the first foreign representations to be opened by the firm of Flick Gocke Schaumburg, founded in Bonn in 1972. “Our international strategy will, in essence, continue to build on our relationships with recognized partner firms abroad,” explains Thomas Rödder. “To that extent, we are not competing with foreign firms. The scale of our cross-border engagements in the German-speaking jurisdictions has now reached such a level that opening these local offic-es has become a sensible move.”