Lawyers and tax consultants working hand in hand:

WTS LEGAL Asset Management launches with one of the biggest teams on the German market

Frankfurt (Main) / Munich, 14 October 2010 – With the new WTS LEGAL Asset Management, WTS Group provides one of the biggest consulting services in the field of Asset Management for the German market. The recently founded WTS LEGAL has initially launched with seven partners and more than 15 colleagues. With this step, WTS Group has become a full service provider in the field of Asset Management.

WTS LEGAL provides comprehensive advice to its clients in the field of Asset Management in all tax-related and legal issues. As a full service provider, the new team accompanies investment companies in the establishment and structuring of regulated and unregulated, German and international, investment funds for private and institutional investors. Among other things, the consultancy focuses on the structuring of fund products as so-called UCITS funds, special funds, hedge funds, private equity funds, property funds, loan funds and closed-end funds. In addition, WTS LEGAL Asset Management is specialised in the founding of investment companies as fund platforms for German and international fund initiators. Furthermore, institutional investors such as pension funds, family offices and industrial enterprises are provided with comprehensive advice for the structuring of their investments.

WTS Group also accompanies fund initiators and investors in their respective day trading. This comprises, in particular, investment tax law issues such as the tax treatment of international funds in Germany; general advice on investment tax; tax reporting as well as tax certification and supervisory law aspects such as outsourcing, securities lending and custodian bank issues.

The core team includes the three new WTS Group partners: Dr. Carsten Fischer, Dr. Bela Jansen and Dieter Lübbehüsen. All three, together with a team of four colleagues, joined the WTS Group in August. Dieter Lübbehüsen is seen as one of the leading experts on German investment tax legislation. Dr. Bela Jansen has recently received attention on several occasions in conjunction with the restructuring of renowned pension funds. Dr. Carsten Fischer is considered one of the leading experts on supervisory law, particularly in the area of investment companies. Recently, he has advised one of the world’s largest investment companies on a change of custodian bank as well as outsourcing of their entire fund administration for the German business.

Finally, Stefan Hölzemann, the fourth new partner of WTS, will bring his proven expertise in the structuring and establishment of closed-end funds to WTS LEGAL. Stefan Hölzemann returned to WTS after he served as Co-Head of Tax at Noerr for five years; he will join the Board of Directors of WTS AG Tax Consultancy Company.

Alongside the new members, the new unit is being strengthened by WTS partner Dr. Tom Offerhaus, who is well known for his expertise in tax-optimal asset structuring for private individuals, as well as by the Financial Services partners Robert Welzel and Steffen Gnutzmann, together with their teams. Partners Thomas Melcher, Dr. Carsten Fischer and Dr. Bela Jansen will overtake the management of WTS LEGAL Asset Management.


Information about WTS LEGAL Asset Management
With a full service in the area of “Asset Management,” WTS LEGAL Asset Management complements the existing portfolio of the business fields of “Tax Compliance und Tax Consulting” as well as “Outsourcing of Tax Departments” and “Transaction and Project Consultancy” within the WTS Group. Alongside consultancy on general issues in terms of tax and supervisory law, the core business comprises, in particular, advice on the establishment and structuring of regulated and non-regulated, German and international investment funds for private and institutional investors. Furthermore, WTS LEGAL Asset Management comprehensively advises institutional investors such as pension funds, family offices and industrial enterprises in the structuring of their investments. WTS LEGAL, founded in 2010, has launched in Frankfurt (Main) initially with seven partners and more than 15 colleagues.

Pictures and Press Materials

Press Release (PDF)

Press contact

Florian Kestler
Business Development & Marketing
Thomas-Wimmer-Ring 1
80539 Munich
Phone: +49 (0)89 286 46-1565
Fax: +49 (0)89 286 46-2323
Email: presse@wts.de


Information about WTS Alliance
WTS Alliance is a global network of selected tax consulting firms and is represented in more than 90 countries with its cooperation partners. Since its foundation in 2003 WTS is regarded as a trendsetter in cross-border tax cooperation. WTS Alliance is coordinated by the German WTS AG Steuerberatungsgesellschaft, which created this network seven years ago. For the acceptance of new members WTS Alliance has imposed strict selection criteria.
For further details please refer to www.wts-alliance.de.



Information about WTS
WTS is an international consulting company with the divisions “Tax” and “Consulting”. The focus of the tax division lies on tax consulting for multinational corporations, national and international medium-sized companies as well as private individuals and non-profit organizations. In the business fields Investment Tax Law, M&A, Private Clients and Non-Profit Organizations, WTS has recently been able to expand the range of our services significantly. With regard to the consulting division, WTS specializes particularly in financial advisory as well as national and international accounting services. Employing more than 400 people and having representations in over 90 countries, WTS ranks among the major international tax consulting companies. WTS solely offers tax and business services consulting without auditing services in order to avoid any conflict of interest between consultancy and audit.

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