Berthold Hummel

Berthold A. Hummel

Partner
Baker McKenzie Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbH von Rechtsanwälten und Steuerberatern

Biography

Berthold A. Hummel is the co-head of the Corporate/M&A Practice Group in Germany.

Berthold has more than 20 years in-depth industry knowledge in private equity from private practice and as a senior legal counsel of a leading international private equity firm. He advises on local and international M&A, private equity, growth capital, venture capital and equity capital markets transactions. Berthold has a particular experience working with biotech and life science companies and their financial sponsors.

Berthold is consistently recommended by leading independent directories, including Chambers, JUVE and Legal 500 and is described as "dedicated to doing a perfect job, and having a very strong commercial and structural sense" as well as "being pragmatic, focused on the essentials, well organized and always available at a late hour.

Practice Focus

Berthold focuses on M&A, private equity, growth capital, venture capital and equity capital markets transactions in advising multinational strategic clients, institutional investors, financial sponsors, large family offices, management teams and companies backed by financial sponsors and institutional investors. He handles all types of complex corporate and commercial transactions, including cross-border acquisitions, financing rounds, takeovers and capital market matters, as well as corporate restructurings, compliance and corporate commercial matters. Berthold also advises European technology and biotech companies on their successful US-IPOs at NASDAQ and NYSE.

Representative Legal Matters

  • Advised Numab Therapeutics, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing next-generation multispecific antibody-based immunotherapies for cancer and inflammation, on the successful closing of a CHF 100 million (approximately USD 110 million) Series C financing. 
  • Advising Cognizant, one of the world’s leading professional services companies, as lead partner on the acquisition of ESG Mobility, a subsidiary of ESG Elektroniksystem - and Logistik - GmbH, a portfolio company held by Armira Private Equity. 
  • Advised 4SC AG acting as issuer counsel on all legal aspects of the offering and placement of new shares and the related capital increase.
  • Advised LSP as lead investor in DNA Script on the oversubscribed Series B fundraising of USD 38.5 million for accelerated product development and commercial operations in the US of DNA Script.
  • Advised Hitachi Chemical Company, Ltd., a leading manufacturer of functional materials and advanced components with a strong portfolio in the life sciences industry, on the takeover of German apceth Biopharma, a contract development and manufacturing organization for complex cell-based regenerative gene therapy products.
  • Advised Forbion as investor counsel on a USD 54 million Series A financing of Gotham Therapeutics Corporation, based in Germany and the US.
  • Advised Global Ports Holding, the world’s largest cruise port operator, on a EUR 45 million acquisition facility to leading online cruise portal Dreamlines with a conversion right in shares and in parallel with a EUR 45 million Series E Financing Round; the acquisition facility secured the successful completion of the takeover of British Dreamlines rival Cruise 1st.
  • Advised B.C. Jindal Group on the acquisition of Treofan Group, a former Celanese subsidiary from Italian private equity investor M&C S.p.A.

Prior to joining Baker McKenzie, Berthold handled the following matters:

  • Advised a selling investors consortium including Boehringer Ingelheim, Forbion, MP Healthcare, Sunstone Capital and Wellington Partners in an auctioned cross-border acquisition of German Rigontec, a leader in RIG-I targeting RNA therapeutics by Merck Sharp Dohme.
  • Advised investor syndicate led by LSP Life Sciences Partners, including BMS, BioMedPartners, Boehringer Ingelheim and High-Tech Gründerfonds, on a EUR 15 million Series A Financing in Cardior Pharmaceuticals, a carveout from MHH Hannover developing novel therapies for cardiovascular diseases.
  • Sellers counsel to HeidelbergCapital and Creathor Venture on the sale of Accovion, a leading European full-service CRO to Clinipace Worldwide Inc.
  • Advised 3i Group plc on the leveraged buy-out of Betapharm Arzneimittel, a distributor of generic pharmaceuticals from Thomas and Andreas Strüngmann.

Professional Honors

  • The Best Lawyers in Germany 2022 edition for Private Equity Law since 2014

Admissions

  • Germany (1995)

Education

  • Higher Regional Court of Munich (Second State Exam) (1994)
  • Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (First State Exam) (1991)
  • Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms Universität Bonn (1989)
  • Bonn Albert-Ludwigs-University of Freiburg (1988)

Languages

  • English
  • French
  • German
  • Spanish

Publications

Author, "A Bullish Year For M&A In Germany," Law360, January 2016

Author, "Listing Abroad: A Guide For German Companies," Going Public Magazine Special Edition "Listing Abroad," December 2015

Author, "Eased Admission Formalities For Start-Ups," JUVE Rechtsmarkt, 2014

Author, "Lower Obstacles for IPOs of Smaller Companies in the US," Börsenzeitung, 2013

Interview

Interview "Als Königsweg beim Exit gilt heute der Early Upfront Share Deal," GoingPublic Life Sciences, Biotechnologie 03-2019, S. 126-127