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Simon Weiss is a partner in the Corporate & Financial Services Department and a member of the Firm’s Capital Markets Practice Group. He focuses on equity and debt capital markets transactions and has a wealth of experience across IPOs, capital increases, equity-linked transactions and investment grade and high-yield bond offerings. Simon regularly advises issuers, underwriters and other key market players in a wide range of complex domestic and cross-border transactions.

Simon also advises on regulatory issues relating to capital markets transactions, M&A and corporate matters.

Simon is fluent in English and German.

Since 2019 he lectures on Capital Markets Law at EBS University, Oestrich-Winkel, Germany.

Experience

Prior to joining Willkie, Simon was a partner at McDermott Will & Emery.

  • Chambers Global and Europe 2024: Described as “knowledgeable, experienced, collegial and great to work with.“
  • Handelsblatt/Best Lawyers™ 2022 Germany: Leading Lawyer for Capital Markets Law
  • The Legal 500 EMEA 2020

His experience includes the following representative matters:

  • Advised Joh. Berenberg, Gossler & CO. KG in connection with the rights issue from authorized capital against cash contributions of Heliad Equity Partners GmbH & Co. KGaA.
  • Advised Hauck Aufhäuser Lampe Privatbank Aktiengesellschaft and LUXEMPART S.A. in connection with a block sale of shares in SÜSS MicroTec SE by LUXEMPART S.A.
  • Advised Baader Bank AG as listing agent in connection with the business combination of GFJ ESG Acquisition I SE with learnd Limited and subsequent listing of new shares issued by GFJ ESG Acquisition I SE (now learnd SE) on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange
  • Advised ABN AMRO Bank N.V., Joh. Berenberg Gossler & Co. KG and Quirin Bank AG as Underwriters’ Counsel on the €53.1 million capital increase of The Social Chain AG*
  • Advised Joh. Berenberg, Gossler & Co. KG in connection with the Uplisting of the shares of The Social Chain AG, Berlin, from the unregulated market (Open Market) of the Dusseldorf
  • Stock Exchange to the regulated market of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange with simultaneous admission to the sub-segment of the regulated market with additional post-admission obligations (Prime Standard)*
  • Advised Jefferies GmbH and Hauck Aufhäuser Lampe Privatbank AG as Underwriters’ Counsel in the €100 million rights offering of Mutares SE & Co. KGaA including a Rule 144A offering in the United States*
  • Advised Joh. Berenberg Gossler & Co. KG as Underwriter Counsel in the €85 million rights offering of the German football club Borussia Dortmund with a Rule 144A offering in the United States*
  • Advised private equity investor Genui Partners on its exit from computer products manufacturer Cherry AG generating offering proceeds of approximately €100 million via an accelerated bookbuilt offering with a Rule 144A offering in the United States*
  • Advised SIGNA Development Selection AG on its debut issuance of senior unsecured bonds with an aggregate principal amount of €300 million, a 5-year maturity and a 5.5% p.a. coupon by way of an international private placement, including in the US with qualified institutional buyers pursuant to Rule 144A under the US Securities Act*
  • Advised as transaction counsel the issuer Apontis Pharma AG, its main shareholder, the private equity investor Paragon Partners, as well as the joint bookrunners Hauck Aufhäuser Lampe Privatbank AG and M.M.Warburg on the IPO at the Frankfurt Stock Exchange*
  • Advised DZ Bank AG on the issue of mandatory convertible bonds by Schaltbau Holding AG*
  • Advised Friedrich Vorwerk Group SE on its EUR 414 million IPO on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange with a Rule 144A offering in the United States*
  • Advised Joh. Berenberg, Gossler & Co. KG as Sole Global Coordinator and Sole Bookrunner on the €250 million sale by Themis Beteiligungs- Aktiengesellschaft of its shareholdings in Dermapharm Holding SE*
  • Advised Joh. Berenberg Gossler & Co. KG as Sole Global Coordinator on a capital increase of CORESTATE Capital Holding S.A. in the amount of €75 million*
  • Advised Goldman Sachs International and Joh. Berenberg Gossler & Co. KG as Underwriters’ Counsel in connection with the share placement of CompuGroup Medical SE & Co. KGaA with gross proceeds of approximately €341 million*
  • Advised Stifel Europe Bank AG (formerly MainFirst Bank AG) as sole bookrunner on a capital increase of SNP Schneider-Neureither & Partner SE with gross proceeds totaling approximately €28 million*
  • Advised Bantleon Group on the sale of its shares in the SDAX-listed LPKF Laser & Electronics AG via an accelerated bookbuild process to institutional investors*
  • Advised Mastercard Europe SA on its investment in ThinxNet GmbH, a German FinTech company, in connection with a Series C financing*
  • Advised Sport1 Medien AG (formerly Constantin Medien AG) as target company in the delisting tender offer of Highlight Communications AG and the revocation of the admission of the shares of Sport1 Medien AG (formerly Constantin Medien AG) to trading on the regulated market of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange*
  • Advised Joh. Berenberg Gossler & Co. KG as Sole Global Coordinator and Sole Bookrunner on a capital increase of VARTA AG from authorized capital in the amount of €104 million*
  • Advising MBB SE on the share repurchase 2019 by way of a public tender offer*
  • Advised NFON AG on the issuance of a bond with warrant (Optionsanleihe) in a private placement*
  • Advised Mastercard Europe SA on its €50 million cornerstone IPO investment in connection with the IPO of Jumia Technologies AG on NASDAQ*
  • Advised the Underwriters Hauck Aufhäuser Lampe Privatbank AG and Stifel Europe Bank AG (formerly MainFirst Bank AG) on the IPO of STS Group AG in the regulated market (Prime Standard) of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange*
  • Advised Sport1 Medien AG (formerly Constantin Medien AG) on the refinancing of a €65 million corporate bond through the sale of shares in Highlight Communications AG*
  • Advised the bank consortium consisting of Joh. Berenberg, Gossler & Co. KG and equinet Bank AG in relation with a €61 million capital increase of ProCredit Holding AG & Co KGaA*
  • Advised MBB SE on a private placement of Aumann AG shares with a volume of €103.9 million*
  • Advised Ignition Investment B.V. in connection with a €150 million bond offering*
  • Advised the Management Board and Supervisory Board of Sport1 Medien AG (formerly Constantin Medien AG) on the public takeover by Highlight Communications AG and Studhalter Investment AG*
  • Advised S&T AG and the Underwriters as Transaction Counsel in connection with a capital increase in an accelerated bookbuilding procedure with a placement volume of €88 million*

*Simon advised on these matters prior to joining Willkie in 2022.

 

Credentials

Education


Higher Regional Court of Hamburg, Second State Exam, 2008 Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, First State Exam, 2006 Universität Bayreuth, Law & Business Administration, 2005

Bar Admissions


Germany