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Baker McKenzie announced on September 1, 2026, that Dr. Christoph Jerger joined the firm as a partner in the Transactional Practice Group in Munich. The addition forms part of the firm’s efforts to expand its private equity and high-end M&A capabilities both in Germany and globally. Jerger advises financial sponsors on complex domestic and cross-border M&A transactions, public takeovers, corporate restructurings and corporate capital markets law matters, according to the announcement.
Jerger maintains particular experience in transactions for leading private equity sponsors involving acquisitions of privately held or publicly listed companies. He practiced at Kirkland & Ellis since 2017 after beginning his career with two years in litigation at Hengeler Mueller, Kirkland & Ellis’ website shows. In the 2025/2026 edition of the JUVE Handbook German Commercial Law Firms, Jerger was named a “Rising Star” for private equity while also featuring in JUVE’s 2025 “40 Under 40” list of accomplished lawyers in Germany under the age of 40.
Christian Atzler, co-head of the Corporate/M&A Practice Group in Germany at Baker McKenzie, said in the statement, “We are very delighted to welcome Christoph to Baker McKenzie. He is a very skilled and highly regarded private equity lawyer with an established practice, strong sponsor relationships and significant experience in the German market. Christoph is an excellent addition to our team as we continue to strengthen our private equity and M&A offering and support clients on complex domestic and cross-border transactions.”
Berthold Hummel, co-head of Baker McKenzie’s Corporate Practice in Germany, added in the announcement that having Jerger join represents another important step in the continued development and committed growth of the firm’s German private equity practice. Hummel noted that Jerger’s impressive deal sheet and traction with large cap financial sponsors will expand the offering to advise domestic and international private equity clients. The hire combines sophisticated work with the reach of the global platform, according to the statement.
David Allen, EMEA chair of Baker McKenzie’s Global Transactional Practice Group, commented in the announcement that Jerger’s addition reinforces the commitment to growing private equity capabilities across EMEA to address increasing demand for services. Allen stated that Jerger’s experience and relationships in the German market will add further depth to the offering. The appointment enhances support for clients pursuing increasingly complex and cross-border investment strategies.
Jerger’s move forms part of Baker McKenzie’s continued investment in its German transactional capabilities following the additions of corporate partners Jan Schubert, Dirk Horcher, Daniel Dehghanian, Johannes Baumann, Katharina Stüber and Jakub Lorys along with promotions of lawyers including Tino Marz and Holger Engelkamp. The firm’s global Corporate team has welcomed a number of high-profile partners across key jurisdictions in the past 18 months including several in London and others in Budapest, Stockholm, Washington DC, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Ho Chi Minh, Jakarta, Mexico City and New York. With more than 2,500 deal practitioners in more than 40 jurisdictions, Baker McKenzie said in the statement that over 65 percent of its deals are multi-jurisdictional.
While at Kirkland & Ellis, Jerger advised on transactions including Warburg Pincus’ majority stake acquisition in uvex, Cinven’s public takeover offer and subsequent delisting of SYNLAB AG along with related deals involving Labcorp and Elliott, and Oakley Capital’s sale of Contabo to KKR, according to the Kirkland & Ellis website. He also worked on mandates for GIC regarding a long-term minority stake in Messer and for Cloud Software Group on its acquisitions of Unicon, deviceTRUST and vast limits. Jerger earned a doctorate in law from the University of Regensburg in 2015 after completing his legal education at the University of Konstanz and the Stuttgart Higher Regional Court.
