Mayer Brown further expands German Private Equity team with addition of partner Nikolai Sokolov

Frankfurt - Mayer Brown adds another partner to its private equity practice: Nikolai Sokolov will start in the Frankfurt office as of August 2025. Sokolov joins from Hogan Lovells and brings extensive experience advising private equity investors as well as strategic investors on domestic and international transactions.

"We are delighted to welcome Nikolai Sokolov to our team. His expertise and strategic approach will significantly support our clients in complex transactions," says Dr. Ulrike Binder, Head of the Corporate/M&A Practice of Mayer Brown Germany.

Nikolai Sokolov has extensive experience in LBOs, MBOs, co-investments, carve-outs and joint ventures. His industry focus includes business services, software, technology, defense, and infrastructure. Sokolov regularly advises French financial investor ADAGIA, among others. Most recently, he advised Dürr AG on the acquisition of the BBS Automation Group from financial investor EQT, the shareholder of the Exyte Group on the sale of a minority stake to US financial investor BDT, and a marketing agency on several M&A transactions as part of its expansion strategy.

Dr. Guido Zeppenfeld, Managing Partner of Mayer Brown Germany, adds: "With Nikolai and our latest additions, we are ever more strongly positioned to advise on PE/M&A transactions in Germany and Continental Europe, in line with the expansion of our private equity capabilities globally . We look forward to working with Nikolai and the additional support he brings to our private equity clients."

Nikolai Sokolov on his move: "Mayer Brown offers an excellent global platform for advising our exacting and ambitious clients in the private equity sector. I look forward to contributing my experience and developing innovative solutions together with the team."

With this new addition, Mayer Brown underlines its commitment to providing first-class advice in the field of private equity, having added Dr. Octávio de Sousa in June 2025 and Fabio Borggreve in September 2023 to the Firm's Frankfurt private equity practice.

The new additions in Germany are part of Mayer Brown's international growth strategy. In January of this year, seven partners and their team moved from the leading independent French law firm Ayache to Mayer Brown in Paris. In Chicago, the firm further expanded its private equity practice in November 2024 with partner Jonathan A. Dhanawade.