YPOG appoints seven additional partners
Berlin/ Hamburg/ Köln – The commercial law firm YPOG appoints seven additional partners as of January 01, 2023: Anika Patz and Emma Peters as Associated Partners, Julian Albrecht, Johannes Janning, Matthias Kresser as well as Florian Oppel and Sebastian Schödel as Equity Partners.
Dr. Julian Albrecht (Hamburg) will drive the firm's Fund Formation and Fund Restructuring advisory practice. Already as an Associated Partner, he mainly advised private equity, crypto and venture capital funds comprehensively on tax and regulatory issues as well as on contract drafting and negotiation. As Equity Partner, he will further intensify this advice with a growing team.
"To be able to work in the field of fund structuring with its bright, lightning-quick, in the best sense challenging personalities is already a privilege. To now be able to do so as a partner of this no less bright firm is both a recognition and an incentive for me. I'm looking forward to it."
Prior to joining YPOG, Julian Albrecht joined SMP - at the same time as the firm was founded in 2017. Previously, he worked as an associate at Flick Gocke Schaumburg and as a research assistant at the Chair of Tax Law at Bucerius Law School in Hamburg while completing his doctorate. He studied law at Bucerius Law School and at the University of Cambridge (UK).
Dr. Johannes Janning (Cologne) will work on further expanding and strengthening YPOG's transaction practice. He focuses on advising investors, startups and CVC units on M&A and VC transactions. Since joining as an associate partner in 2021, he has built a powerful advisory team - which has since become one of the largest VC teams in the region.
"For me, this next step at YPOG is a great confirmation of what the Cologne transaction team has achieved over the last 18 months: To attract regional clients in one of our core areas and to advise them as a team at the highest level."
Johannes Janning studied law in Bonn, Marburg and at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and earned his doctorate at the University of Cologne. Before joining YPOG, he was a junior partner at Oppenhoff and an associate at DLA Piper. WirtschaftsWoche honored Johannes Jan-ning as one of the three Future Leaders at the Best of Legal Awards 2021.
Matthias Kresser (Hamburg) will further expand YPOG's debt financing practice, one of the pillars of YPOG’s Banking & Finance practice group that by now offers a broad range of expertise. He will continue to focus on venture debt transactions and other debt financings for start-ups and growth companies. In addition, together with his colleagues Carola Rathke, Anika Patz, Thomas Tüllmann, and Carsten Lösing with a rather regulatory focus, he will advise on digital and DLT-based business models in the area of payment and financial services from a transactional perspective.
"Banking & Finance at YPOG has great potential: the advantages of financing startups and growth companies with debt are only slowly reinforcing in the minds of the gamechangers of tomorrow and the development is far from over. On top of that, we can break new ground in the area of digital assets and help shape business models of the future through innovative solutions. This is a great challenge and an even greater opportunity, and I am all the more pleased to be part of this practice as a partner. We are having great plans!"
Matthias Kresser studied law in Mannheim and at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). Before joining YPOG and its predecessor firm SMP, he worked for many years at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP in Hamburg with a focus on restructuring & insolvency.
Dr. Florian Oppel (Cologne) will play a key role in shaping the area of corporate tax law at YPOG. A particular focus of his work is advising family owned companies and their shareholders. This also includes asset and company succession as well as relocation issues. Since joining as an Associated Partner in April 2021, he has established himself as one of the heads of the Cologne tax law practice alongside Andreas Kortendick, Michael Wendt and Ulrich Prinz and, together with them, will drive the expansion of the team in terms of personnel and expertise.
"I am delighted to be part of a highly committed and dynamic team at YPOG since April. Especially with regard to the funds practice, there are many interesting overlaps with my areas of expertise. I benefit greatly, both personally and professionally, from seasoned personalities such as Ulrich Prinz and Michael Wendt. This unique combination of professional excellence, different generations of con-sultants and flat hierarchies is also very attractive for career starters."
Florian Oppel studied law in Bonn and Cologne. He then worked as a lawyer and tax consultant at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in Düsseldorf. Florian Oppel is a lecturer at the University of Düssel-dorf, a lecturer at the University of Cologne, and regularly gives lectures and seminars. He is a con-tributor to numerous commentaries, inter alia on the KStG, UmwStG and DBA. Florian Oppel is a member of the IFA, chairman of the Young IFA Network (Germany) as well as a member of the Fachinstitut der Steuerberater.
Dr. Anika Patz (Berlin) will continue as an Associated Partner in the Financial Services and FinTech/DLT practice areas, which are part of the Banking & Finance practice group at YPOG. She advises on digital and DLT-based business models, regulatory issues as well as compliance and money laundering topics. Current areas of focus include the DLT Pilot Regime and the Markets in Crypto-assets Regulation (MiCA). Among her clients are domestic and foreign crypto trading platforms and FinTechs, banks, financial services institutions and investment firms, exchanges and multilateral trading venues.
Innovative approaches and solutions have always been critical to YPOG's success. As part of the Fi-nancial Services and FinTech/DLT team, Anika Patz has played a significant role in the development of this innovation cluster.
"The Financial Services and Fintech/DTL areas have seen exciting and dynamic development over the past year, and not just at YPOG. I look forward to working with Carola Rathke and the entire team to further develop our advisory practice."
Anika Patz studied law at the Humboldt University of Berlin and received her doctorate in 2015 on a capital markets law topic. She then worked as a lawyer at the Berlin law firm lindenpartners and as in-house counsel for the Börse Stuttgart Digital Exchange. Before joining YPOG, she was a senior associate at Eversheds Sutherland in Carola Rathke's team. Anika Patz is a board member of the Blockchain working group at Bitkom e.V. and was recognized as a Rising Star in FinTech by Legal 500 Germany.
Dr. Emma Peters (Berlin) will further expand and significantly shape YPOG's transaction practice. Her focus lies in advising strategic investors, financial investors and start-ups on venture capital and M&A transactions as well as on corporate law issues. In this context, Emma continues to be involved with female founders and women-led businesses and promotes the development of a targeted network.
"Our clients are the future of the German economy - being able to comprehensively accompany their novel and creative ventures with innovative, pragmatic and competent advice inspires and motivates me each time. I am very much looking forward to assisting them from now on as an Associate Partner and, together with my colleagues, to further develop YPOG and expand our transactional practice."
Emma Peters studied law at the University of Freiburg, at the University of Oviedo in Spain and at New York University School of Law in New York City. She completed her doctoral degree in Berlin and Freiburg. Before joining YPOG, she worked as a Senior Associate at SMP and at the international law firm Hengeler Mueller, focusing on corporate law, venture capital and M&A. She was recognized as "Best Lawyers - Ones to watch 2023" for Corporate Law and Mergers and Acquisitions Law by business daily Handelsblatt in cooperation with US publishing house Best Lawyers® in Germany.
Dr. Sebastian Schödel (Cologne) will drive the expansion of the funds practice and core corporate law at YPOG. Sebastian's focus is on advising asset managers and investment funds on fund structuring and other collective investment issues, as well as advising companies on all corporate law matters and transformation measures and corporate reorganizations.
"At YPOG, I have found my home as an advisor in an exceptional unit of committed and creative team players and I am very pleased to be able to further advance the expansion of our funds and corporate law practice at the Cologne office in my new role."
Sebastian Schödel studied law in Cologne and Manchester and then worked for several years as an assistant at the Chair of Civil and Commercial Law at the University of Cologne. Prior to joining YPOG, he worked as an associated partner for SMP and as a partner in a corporate law boutique. Sebastian Schödel is co-author of a commentary on stock corporation and capital markets law as well as a commentary on the German Civil Code (BGB) and regularly publishes on corporate law topics.