Sebastian Pitz

Partner Mergers & Acquisitions Private Equity
Kirkland & Ellis International LLP

Frankfurt +49 89 2030 6122

Sebastian Pitz

Practices

Overview

Sebastian is ‘always available for his clients and a brilliant lawyer.’ He is a ‘very good lawyer, always on top of things, finds creative solutions for complex situations’ and he is ‘quick with very in-depth expertise.’ - JUVE

Sebastian Pitz is a corporate partner in the Frankfurt office of Kirkland & Ellis International LLP.

He advises leading global private equity, energy and infrastructure funds as well as other financial institutions on private M&A transactions, growth, minority and co-investments, public takeovers, joint ventures, disposals and other complex transactions.

In the 2024/2025 edition of JUVE Handbook German Commercial Law Firms, Sebastian is listed as a “Rising Star” for private equity and venture capital and as a frequently recommended lawyer for private equity, M&A and corporate law. He is also recognized as one of JUVE’s “40 Under 40” in 2025, a list that spotlights the most accomplished lawyers in the German market under age 40. Handelsblatt Best Lawyers ranks him among the “Ones to Watch” 2024 for corporate law, M&A, banking and finance law and regulatory practice in Germany.

Private Equity

  • TK Elevator and its majority shareholders on an investment by Alat as well as the formation of a joint venture
  • Cinven on various transactions, including the acquisition of Viridium and the acquisition of the life insurance business of Protektor by Viridium*
  • Goldman Sachs Asset Management as member of a consortium including Advent, Centerbridge and CPPIB on the public takeover offer to the shareholders of Aareal Bank*
  • Hellman & Friedman and Nets on the acquisition of Concardis from Bain Capital and Advent*
  • HPS Investment Partners on various transactions, including the sale of PEAC’s Russian business, the acquisition of the leasing business of AAB Leasing as well as the acquisition of IKB Leasing (now PEAC)*
  • Nordic Capital on various transactions, including the investment in Helmsauer Group, the acquisitions and combination of Baufi24, Hüttig & Rompf and Creditweb in Bilthouse Group as well as the acquisition of BearingPoint RegTech*
  • Pollen Street Capital on various transactions, including the acquisition of Etops Groups, the acquisitions and combination of niiio finance group, fundsaccess, FundHero, FinTecc and MiFID-Recorder as well as the acquisition of a majority shareholding in Pair Finance*

Infrastructure, Renewables and Growth Equity

  • Enpal on various transactions, including the sale of more than 60,000 renewable energy solutions to Equitix and Keppel Infrastructure Trust, secondary share sales, the Series D financing round led by TPG Climate Rise and the Series C financing round led by Softbank*
  • Enviria on the investment from Blackrock Climate Infrastructure*
  • FNZ on the acquisitions of DIAMOS and the business of Authenteq*
  • N26 on the Series E financing round*
  • wefox on various transactions, including the debt financing from Deutsche Bank, JP Morgan, Barclays and UniCredit, the Series D financing round, the acquisition of TAF and the Series C financing round*

Financial Services and Other

  • ABN AMRO on the acquisition of Hauck Aufhäuser Lampe Privatbank*
  • BPCE Group on the acquisition of Société Générale Equipment Finance*
  • Deutsche Bank on the long-term exclusive bancassurance cooperation with Zurich, the long-term exclusive bancassurance cooperation with Talanx and the IPO of DWS*
  • DWS on the long-term exclusive asset management cooperation with Zurich*
  • Faurecia on the public takeover offer to the shareholders of HELLA GmbH & Co.*
  • Landesbank Baden-Württemberg on the acquisition of Berlin Hyp*

*Experience prior to joining Kirkland

White & Case LLP, Frankfurt, Germany (2020–2024)

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Frankfurt and Munich, Germany (2014–2020)

More

Thought Leadership

Publications

§§ 70-75, Wertpapierinstitutsgesetz: WpIG, eds. Lendemann, Nemeczek, Schroeter, 2024, p. 1312 (together with Dr. Heinrich Nemeczek)

Die Inhaberkontrolle bei Kredit- und Finanzdienstleistungsinstituten – Verfahren, Verlauf und Rechtsschutz, Part 2, Wertpapier-Mitteilungen (WM), 2023, p. 1053 (together with Dr. Heinrich Nemeczek and Dr. Thomas Emde)

Die Inhaberkontrolle bei Kredit- und Finanzdienstleistungsinstituten – Verfahren, Verlauf und Rechtsschutz, Part 1, Wertpapier-Mitteilungen (WM), 2023, p. 1005 (together with Dr. Heinrich Nemeczek and Dr. Thomas Emde)

EZB gibt Einblicke in die Aufsichtspraxis, Börsen-Zeitung, 5 November 2022 (together with Dr. Heinrich Nemeczek)

M&A –Transaktionen in der Finanzindustrie, Azur, 02/2022, p. 144 (together with Agmal Bahrami)

Materielle Aspekte des Inhaberkontrollverfahrens bei Kredit- und Finanzdienstleistungsinstituten, Part 2, Wertpapier-Mitteilungen (WM), 2022, p. 1569 (together with Dr. Heinrich Nemeczek and Dr. Thomas Emde)

Materielle Aspekte des Inhaberkontrollverfahrens bei Kredit- und Finanzdienstleistungsinstituten, Part 1, Wertpapier-Mitteilungen (WM), 2022, p. 1525 (together with Dr. Heinrich Nemeczek and Dr. Thomas Emde)

Einhörner gibt es wirklich!, Azur100 Top-Arbeitgeber, 2022, p. 272 (together with Agmal Bahrami)

§ 1 (3a)-(3d), (4)-(5a), (9), KWG, Kreditwesengesetz mit CRR, eds. Beck, Samm, Kokemoor, 219th ed., 2021 (together with Dr. Heinrich Nemeczek)

Grundsätze der konsolidierten Aufsicht über Gruppen, Handbuch Bankenaufsichtsrecht, eds. Binder, Glos, Riepe, 2nd ed., 2020, p. 209 (together with Dr. Heinrich Nemeczek)

§ 24a, KWG, Kreditwesengesetz mit CRR, eds. Beck, Samm, Kokemoor, 213th ed., 2020 (together with Dr. Heinrich Nemeczek)

§ 53d, KWG, Kreditwesengesetz mit CRR, eds. Beck, Samm, Kokemoor, 206th ed., 2019 (together with Dr. Heinrich Nemeczek)

Brexit, MiFIR und MiFID II: Grenzüberschreitende Wertpapierdienstleistungen durch Drittlandfirmen und die anwendbaren Organisations- und Wohlverhaltenspflichten, Zeitschrift für Bankrecht und Bankwirtschaft (ZBB), 2018, p. 197 (together with Dr. Gunnar Schuster and Friedrich-Asmus Matzen)

Cross-border business of UK credit institutions and investment firms with German clients in the light of Brexit, MiFIR and MiFID II, European Business Law Review, 2018, p. 425 (together with Dr. Heinrich Nemeczek)

Grundsätze der konsolidierten Aufsicht über Gruppen, Handbuch Bankenaufsichtsrecht, eds. Binder, Glos, Riepe, 1st ed., 2018, p. 181 (together with Dr. Heinrich Nemeczek)

Kredit- und Finanzdienstleistungsinstitute als monistische Societas Europaea, Zeitschrift für Bankrecht und Bankwirtschaft (ZBB), 2017, p. 76 (together with Dr. Gunnar Schuster)

Die Auswirkungen des Brexit auf den Europäischen Pass für CRR-Kreditinstitute und Wertpapierhandelsunternehmen, Wertpapier-Mitteilungen (WM), 2017, p. 120 (together with Dr. Heinrich Nemeczek)

Banken brauchen einen Markt für notleidende Kredite, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 21 December 2016, p. 25

Der Begriff der Finanzholdinggesellschaft im Rahmen der konsolidierten Aufsicht von Finanzholdinggruppen, Zeitschrift für Bank- und Kapitalmarktrecht (BKR), 2016, p. 495 (together with Dr. Heinrich Nemeczek)

Intermediate EU parent undertaking requirement for non-EU GSIBs, Oxford business law blog, 2016 (together with Dr. Heinrich Nemeczek)

SREP capital ratios and due process, Zeitschrift für Bankrecht und Bankwirtschaft (ZBB), 2016, p. 342 (together with Dr. Gunnar Schuster)

Comment on the judgement of the German federal court of justice of 19. February 2013 (II ZR 56/12) – Rechtsschutzbedürfnis für Wahlanfechtungsklage nach Rücktritt des Aufsichtsratsmitglieds, Neue Juristische Wochenschrift (NJW), 2013, p. 1539 (together with Dr. Johannes Scheller, b. Cziupka)

Credentials

Admissions & Qualifications

  • 2014Germany

Languages

  • German
  • English
  • Spanish

Education

  • Higher Regional Court of KarlsruheSecond State Examination2014
  • University of KonstanzFirst State Examination2012