DLA joins forces with Germany's Grg as City firms catch global merger bugJoint Ventures: Clifford Chance and Hammond Suddard Edge also push on with expansionCity firms have been involved in a series of major international moves in the last week, with Germany the key focus.DLA has added German firm Grg to its international network, DLA & Partners (D&P); Hammond Suddards Edge (HSE) is to merge with French firm Hausmann & Associes and also open offices in Berlin and Munich; while Clifford Chance has formed a joint venture in Japan.Grg is a 34-lawyer firm with offices in Cologne, Frankfurt and Essen, best known for its insolvency and media expertise.

Clients include production company Endemol, which was behind Big Brother.D&P now has eight members, with the others based in Spain, Italy, France, Singapore, Belgium and the Netherlands.

Grg is planning to expand its Frankfurt office and 'there are also plans for further expansion within Germany', D&P said.HSE will merge with the five-partner, nine-associate Paris-based practice on 1 May.

Before that, on 1 April, the firm will be opening two offices in Berlin and Munich following the recruitment of a group of seven partners and a number of associates from Knauthe Paul Schmitt.The offices will offer a broad corporate service.

Knauthe is a member of international network Commercial Law Affiliates, which HSE joined and then withdrew from last year.Christian Hausmann, Hausmanns' senior partner, said the merger would help his firm 'achieve our objective of achieving pre-eminence in the European market and in particular corporate finance and private equity'.Clifford Chance's joint venture with local firm Tanaka & Akita combines 28 international and ten Japanese lawyers, making it one of the largest joint venture practices in Tokyo.

Freshfields was the first UK firm to form a joint venture three years ago.Rob Burley, managing partner of Clifford Chance's Tokyo office, said: 'An upturn in foreign investment due to restructuring and deregulation of the economy underlines the need for combined international and local law capability.'The joint venture will be known as Clifford Chance and Tanaka & Akita, and will operate from Clifford Chance's existing offices.Neil Rose