Curtis Expands Corporate Practice in Frankfurt with Addition of Partner Oliver Thum, Counsel Hans Utech and Sr. Associate Sabine Schmidt

Frankfurt, December 5, 2011 - Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP has announced that Oliver Thum has joined the firm as a partner in its International Corporate group, along with Professor Hans G. Utech as counsel, and senior associate Sabine Schmidt. The three lawyers, who have all worked together, will be based in Frankfurt.

Mr. Thum and Ms. Schmidt focus their practice on mid-market mergers and acquisitions, private equity, venture capital and corporate restructurings. They have represented small and medium-sized private equity funds, mid-sized automotive, engineering, manufacturing and health care companies, and private individuals. Mr. Thum's client base includes mid-sized private equity funds active in Germany and throughout Europe. Ms. Schmidt also provides experience with senior level commercial and litigation work. Prof. Utech focuses his practice on tax issues.

'This expansion will give Curtis one of the strongest Corporate groups of any international firm in Germany,' said Marc V. Kramer, managing partner of the Curtis Frankfurt office. 'Oliver and his team are an ideal fit for Curtis with their broad experience working with transactional matters and with international clients. '

'We are excited to be joining a firm with such a solid reputation in corporate work, both in Germany and internationally, said Mr. Thum. 'Curtis' global experience and capabilities, along with its size and depth, will be very beneficial to our existing clients and enable us to grow our practice beyond its current capacity.'

Mr. Thum, Prof. Utech and Ms. Schmidt come to Curtis from Thum & Cie, a Frankfurt-based firm which Mr. Thum founded in January 2008. Georg Melzer, who joined Curtis as counsel in Frankfurt in July, also came from Thum & Cie, a spinoff of KT Klatte Thum Rechtsanwälte, which Mr. Thum founded and led from 2004 to 2008.

Prof. Utech, prior to becoming Of Counsel at Thum & Cie, was a senior vice president in the tax department of Frankfurt-based Landesbank Hessen-Thüringen. He is on the faculty of The Russian Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg. Ms. Schmidt has worked with Mr. Thum since 2005.

Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP is a leading international law firm providing a broad range of services to clients around the world. Curtis has 15 offices in Europe, the United States, Latin America, the Middle East and Central Asia. The firm's international orientation has been a hallmark of its practice for nearly two centuries. For more information about Curtis, visit www.curtis.com or follow Curtis on Twitter (twitter.com/curtislawfirm) and Facebook (facebook.com/Curtis.Careers).