Simmons unveils Frankfurt office as it plays markets

City firm Simmons & Simmons will next week open an office in Frankfurt, just seven months after entering the German market.

The Frankfurt office will be headed by financial markets partner Stephen Moller, who is relocating from London.

Reflecting the main focus of the office, he will be joined initially by five financial markets and corporate assistants from London and Dsseldorf, where Simmons opened in January.

Dsseldorf-based financial markets partner Mark Norris will in future split his time with Frankfurt, while corporate partner Jane Newman is relocating from London to Dsseldorf.

The capital markets practice in Frankfurt will focus on structured securities, collateralised debt obligation, and securitisation work.

Managing partner David Dickinson said the move complemented the recent launch of a finance practice in the firm's Tokyo office and the recruitment of Chris Lewis, Simmons' first US-qualified capital markets partner in London.