What SZA Schilling, Zutt & Anschütz does

SZA Schilling, Zutt & Anschütz Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbH is a German business law firm headquartered in Mannheim with additional offices in Frankfurt, Munich, and Brussels. Founded in 1900 and re-established as an independent firm in 2008 after a 2000–2008 merger with Shearman & Sterling LLP, SZA advises DAX-listed corporations, large family companies, financial institutions, and high-net-worth individuals across the full spectrum of German business law, including M&A, corporate law, litigation and arbitration, banking and finance, tax, antitrust, restructuring and insolvency, compliance, capital markets, and private client/succession matters. Notable mandates include the EUR 7.4 billion Everllence/Bain Capital transaction, the EUR 11.7 billion ADNOC public takeover of Covestro, and the EUR 6.6 billion Procter & Gamble acquisition of Wella.

The firm operates a partner-led engagement model with approximately 130 lawyers, of whom 38 are partners, structured as a Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbH. Technology layers include the proprietary SZA AI Lab — a multidisciplinary team building custom AI applications for client mandates — alongside Microsoft Teams for client conferencing, Matomo for privacy-respecting analytics, MailChimp newsletters, and the Gläubigerinformationssystem (GIS) creditor platform provided via STP Informationstechnologie GmbH. Revenue is generated through professional services billed on hourly or fixed-fee bases negotiated directly with enterprise clients, with no public pricing and no intermediary distribution channel.

SZA's go-to-market is anchored on 125 years of brand reputation, continuous top-tier rankings in Chambers Global, Chambers Germany, Legal 500 Deutschland, and JUVE Handbooks, and direct partner outreach to C-suite and supervisory board clients. Supporting channels include the SZA Thinktank (regular Mandanteninformationen publications), Wolfgang Schilling Foundation symposia with the University of Heidelberg, university career events at Mannheim and Mainz, and a curated international network of independent law firm partners for cross-border mandates.

Name

SZA Schilling, Zutt & Anschütz

Legal name

SZA Schilling, Zutt & Anschütz Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbH

Website

https://sza.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1900

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

SZA Schilling, Zutt & Anschütz is a 125-year-old independent German business law firm with 130+ lawyers across Frankfurt, Mannheim, Munich, and Brussels, advising DAX-listed corporations, family enterprises, financial institutions, and HNWIs on M&A, corporate, litigation, antitrust, and private client matters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Business Law Services

NAICS

Legal Services (5411), Offices of Lawyers (541110), Offices of Lawyers (54111)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) & Securities Law (BPAHAAAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Bankruptcy, Restructuring & Insolvency Law (BPAHAAAH)

Keywords

• Corporate legal advisory
• Mergers and acquisitions law
• Commercial litigation arbitration
• Restructuring insolvency law
• Banking finance regulation

Headquarters

HQ city

Frankfurt

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Legal Advisory Services: SZA generates revenue primarily through professional legal services billed to corporate and institutional clients. Fee structures include hourly rates for complex mandates and fixed fees for recurring matters. As a leading German business law firm with a 125-year history, the firm serves large corporations, financial institutions, and high-net-worth individuals on high-value transactions and disputes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

SZA Schilling, Zutt & Anschütz is a German business law firm providing comprehensive legal advisory across all major areas of commercial and corporate law, including M&A, corporate law, litigation and arbitration, banking and finance, tax law, antitrust, capital markets, restructuring/insolvency, compliance, and private client/succession advisory. The firm serves DAX-listed corporations, financial institutions, large family businesses, and high-net-worth individuals with partner-led mandates from offices in Frankfurt, Mannheim, Munich, and Brussels.

Product overview

SZA Schilling, Zutt & Anschütz is a German business law firm offering comprehensive legal services across all major areas of business law. The firm operates as a unified platform with specialized practice groups rather than modular software products. Core services include M&A advisory, corporate law, litigation/arbitration, tax law, banking and finance, antitrust/competition law, restructuring/insolvency, compliance, data protection, capital markets, and private client advisory. The SZA AI Lab develops custom AI applications for client requirements, combining legal and technical expertise. The Thinktank publishes expert analyses on current legal developments. The Wolfgang Schilling Foundation hosts academic symposia on corporate law topics. The firm has approximately 120+ lawyers across four offices in Frankfurt, Mannheim, Munich, and Brussels.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SZA AI Lab: An AI research and development initiative developing individual AI applications for client requirements, combining legal and technical expertise
• SZA Thinktank
• Wolfgang Schilling-Stiftung
• Schilling-Akademie

Products and services

• M&A Advisory Mergers and acquisitions advisory services covering transaction support, due diligence, deal structuring, and public takeover defense for national and international corporate clients.
• Corporate Law (Gesellschaftsrecht) Corporate law advisory covering company formation, governance, shareholder matters, joint ventures, corporate restructuring, and shareholder disputes for large corporations.
• Litigation and Arbitration Dispute resolution through state courts and arbitration proceedings, including commercial litigation, international arbitration, and shareholder disputes for corporate and financial clients.
• Tax Law Tax advisory including tax structuring, tax compliance, representation in tax disputes, and corporate tax planning for groups, family businesses, and foundations.
• Banking and Finance Law Banking and financial law advisory covering regulatory compliance, financing transactions, acquisition financing, and capital markets matters for banks and corporate borrowers.
• Antitrust and Competition Law Competition law advisory including merger control, cartel defense, abuse control proceedings, and follow-on cartel damages litigation before German and EU authorities.
• Restructuring and Insolvency Law Restructuring and insolvency advisory including distressed M&A, creditor representation, and high-value insolvency proceedings for corporations and financial institutions.
• Compliance and Internal Investigations Compliance advisory and internal investigation services, including anti-corruption measures, regulatory compliance programs, and whistleblower ombudsman services.
• Capital Markets Law Capital markets advisory including securities regulation, IPO support, public takeover defense, and investor protection matters for listed corporations.
• Private Clients, Succession and Foundations Advisory for high-net-worth individuals, family businesses, and foundations on succession planning, estate management, foundation structuring, and wealth administration.
• Asia Desk Specialized advisory services for Asian clients and matters involving Asian jurisdictions, providing German law counsel to inbound and outbound mandates.
• Data Protection and Security Data protection advisory covering GDPR compliance, privacy policies, data security measures, and data processing agreements for corporate clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• Advised on EUR 7.4 billion Everllence sale to Bain Capital
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers18 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and support.

• University of HeidelbergcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSZA co-founded the Wolfgang Schilling Foundation with the University of Heidelberg to honor the legacy of founding partner Wolfgang Schilling. The foundation organizes scientific symposia on current corporate law topics with participation from leading academics and practitioners. Past symposium topics have included questions of entity destruction liability (Existenzvernichtungshaftung) and SE conversions.
• International Independent Law Firms NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSZA maintains long-standing, close relationships with leading independent law firms in Europe, the USA, and a large number of other countries worldwide. For cross-border mandates, the firm selects foreign counsel case-by-case based on individual client needs, working exclusively with firms that are among the leading practices in their respective jurisdictions.
• STP Informationstechnologie GmbH (GIS Creditor Information System)supportTechnology or IntegrationSTP Informationstechnologie GmbH, based in Karlsruhe, Germany, provides the Gläubigerinformationssystem (GIS) used by SZA for creditor information management in insolvency proceedings. The system enables 24/7 creditor access to case information, electronic claims registration, and encrypted data exchange on German servers under a data processing agreement pursuant to Art. 28 GDPR.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Hengeler Mueller: Hengeler Mueller is the leading German-origin Magic Circle competitor with comparable full-service business law coverage, similar partner-led model, and a roster of DAX clients across M&A, corporate, antitrust, and disputes. It competes head-to-head for German and German-led cross-border mandates like Everllence and Covestro.
• Gleiss Lutz: Gleiss Lutz is a top-tier German business law firm with similar practice breadth (M&A, corporate, antitrust, restructuring, disputes) and a comparable client mix of large German corporates. It directly contests SZA in Chambers and JUVE rankings and for DAX-level mandates.
• Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer: Freshfields is a Magic Circle firm with deep German roots (Bruckhaus, Westrick, Möllenkamp heritage) and large Frankfurt presence, competing directly for SZA-style DAX M&A, capital markets, and disputes work while offering a broader global network.
• Linklaters: Linklaters' Frankfurt office is one of the Magic Circle's strongest German platforms, competing for high-end M&A, capital markets, and finance mandates with the added advantage of an integrated international network for cross-border work.
• Clifford Chance: Clifford Chance has one of the largest Frankfurt presences among international firms and directly contests SZA in banking & finance, M&A, and capital markets work for German banks and corporates.
• Allen & Overy (now A&O Shearman): A&O Shearman combines Allen & Overy's Magic Circle banking and corporate strength with Shearman & Sterling's US M&A platform — the US partner in SZA's prior (2000-2008) merger — and competes for the same cross-border mandates out of Frankfurt.
• CMS Germany (CMS Hasche Sigle): CMS Hasche Sigle is one of Germany's leading full-service business law firms competing in corporate, M&A, regulatory, and disputes for mid-cap and large-cap German clients, with similar Chambers/JUVE rankings profile.

Broad incumbents

• Latham & Watkins: Latham & Watkins is a US-origin global elite that competes for large German corporate M&A and capital markets mandates; while not a direct local peer, it increasingly wins landmark DAX-level deals in competition with SZA.
• Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom: Skadden is a US elite M&A and litigation firm with a strong Frankfurt office that competes for the same DAX cross-border transactions and high-stakes disputes as SZA, especially on the US-Germany axis.

Emerging players

• Sullivan & Cromwell: Sullivan & Cromwell's expanding Frankfurt presence targets large-cap German M&A and capital markets work, directly competing with SZA for mandates such as public takeovers and complex cross-border transactions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInde.linkedin.com/company/sza-schilling-zutt-&-anschuetz

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SZA Schilling, Zutt & Anschütz