Press Releases
SGR Expands Into Frankfurt, Germany
ATLANTA (FEBRUARY 14, 2006)—Smith, Gambrell and Russell (SGR) LLP one of Atlanta’s largest law firms, announces the opening of its newest office in the Frankfurt metro area in Germany.
SGR will become the first Atlanta-based law firm to open an office in a G-8 country on the European continent.
SGR is one of many U.S. companies that have noticed the benefits of doing business in Europe and specifically Germany, the fifth largest market in the world.
The firm will hold a grand opening reception Thursday, March 2, 2006 in the lobby of the Carter Center Library from 6-9 p.m. at 453 Freedom Parkway in Atlanta.
Jim Blair of the Georgia Department of Economic Development, along with other key leaders in Atlanta’s international business community, will be on hand for the event.
SGR partner and German national, Stefan Tiessen, has been named managing partner of the Frankfurt practice. Tiessen has served European clients from the firm’s Atlanta office for the past 14 years. The new office will allow Tiessen more flexibility and efficiency while working with clients.
With a population of 4.9 million and a workforce of 2.5 million in the RheinMain region, which includes Frankfurt, and over 82 million in Germany, Mr. Tiessen looks forward to being able to continue to provide advice on U.S. legal matters in the German language.
In addition to working with clients that speak German, SGR also has linguistic capabilities in a variety of European languages.
“SGR has always served its European clients well,” said Mr. Tiessen. “Now we can do it even better and more efficiently in one of Europe’s leading commercial and transportation centers.”
SGR plans to continue to cooperate with top law firms throughout Europe, providing U.S. legal representation needed by the region’s leading international companies.
“Atlanta has always been a hub for international business,” said Steve Forte, SGR’s Atlanta office managing partner. “We’re excited to be on the forefront of Atlanta law firms expanding to Europe to better serve clients.”
With trade between the U.S. and Europe at $1 billion per day, law firms such as SGR are beginning to make the move overseas.
Since 2000, the 250 largest U.S.-based law firms have more than doubled their attorney ranks in Europe. London, Paris and Frankfurt continue to be the top business centers in Europe, according to a recent article in The National Law Journal.
The office will be located at Hagenauer Strasse 53, 65203 in Wiesbaden, Germany. The location will serve not only clients in Germany, but also those throughout Europe.
Georgian’s doing business in Europe
Together, the U.S. and Europe share more than 40 percent of the global economy and transact more than $1.5 trillion per year in trade and investment. Most large U.S. corporations now have operations in Europe.
The southern U.S. is attractive to European companies. It provides an excellent transportation infrastructure, making business easy to get done. Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International airport is the busiest airport in the world and has the best flight connections within the U.S. This region also has two of the largest container ports in the U.S.: one in Savannah, Georgia and the other in Charleston, South Carolina helping ease trade in Europe.
Currently, Europe is the largest source of foreign direct investment in the U.S. Recent changes in Europe have made it more attractive for Atlanta-based companies such as SGR. The deregulation of industries such as telecommunications and more regional-based thinking by European leaders are helping to provide more opportunities.
