The mind behind
ProximusCounsel
Who is ProximusCounsel?
The combination of the Latin term proximus = nearest and the English term counsel = legal advisor is intended to say: We are as close to the client as possible. And we are advisors to the legal advisors. In other words, ProximusCounsel.
ProximusCounsel combines strategic legal advice in significant transactions bringing profound professional experience to work with business consulting and coaching of lawyers with management responsibilities as well as groups of partners.
| 1987 | University Passau, studied law as well as English and Russian for lawyers; First State Examination |
| 1990 | Second State Examination, Higher Court Munich (equivalent to bar admission) |
| 1991 | Doctor iuris (equivalent Ph.D.), University Passau (January) Associate, Gleiss Lutz Hootz Hirsch & Partners, Stuttgart (September) International Legal Studies, Washington College of Law (American University), Washington DC; Master of Laws (LL.M.), Scholarship granted by the Fulbright Commission; Outstanding Graduate Student Award 1992 |
| 1994 | Partner Gleiss Lutz Hootz Hirsch & Partners, moved to Prague |
| 1997 | Moved to Berlin |
| 2006 | Head of Corporate/M&A practice group at Gleiss Lutz |
| 2013 | Managing Partner Germany and member oft the EMEA Executive, Herbert Smith Freehills, as a lateral partner |
| 2022 | Establishing ProximusCounsel |
About Dr. Ralf Thaeter, LL.M.
In 1991, I started my career as a young associate at Gleiss Lutz Hootz Hirsch & Partner in Stuttgart, then and today one of the absolute top law firms in Germany. From the beginning, I was intrigued by the excitement of working on cross-border transactions with multicultural teams from many different jurisdictions in Europe, North America and Asia.
In 1993, at the age of 32, I became the first "resident partner" in the then new Prague office, a booming market. Building and leading a team with lawyers from different cultures was a big responsibility for a young person, with a lot of hard work and also setbacks, but the priceless experience of great joint successes. In 1997 I initiated the establishment of an office in Warsaw, and in the late 1990s I was instrumental in setting up the firm's "Energy Industry Group," one of the first multidisciplinary practices in a major German law firm. Finally, I headed Gleiss Lutz's Corporate and M&A practice group from 2006 to 2010.
In 2013, I became a partner at Herbert Smith Freehills, a leading global law firm with over 4,000 employees, including more than 460 partners, in 29 offices in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East and the US. As the first German Managing Partner and member of the European management team, I had the ambitious task of building up a market-leading law firm in Germany in a short period of time. For this, I joined Herbert Smith Freehills as a lateral hire myself and the first German partner. Within four years, we grew our German practice from a one-person office to 16 partners, over 60 professionals and a total headcount of over 120 in three locations. I could bring my experience to work in practice in leading teams of partners, lawyers and all other key staff on a large scale that was unprecedented for me. I am grateful for the invaluable experience of having been a lateral myself and helping many of my partners with their own lateral moves.
As the Lead Partner International Markets from 2016 to 2022 at Herbert Smith Freehills, I was responsible for law firm relationships in all countries where Herbert Smith Freehills does not have a physical presence. During this time, I got to know and appreciate an large number of fantastic lawyers from all over the world.