K&L Gates welcomes corporate partner in Frankfurt. The firm has tapped Norton Rose Fulbright for talent as it continues to build out its presence in the German and European M&A markets. Corporate lawyer Nils Rahlf has departed Norton Rose Fulbright following a 12-year tenure to join K&L Gates' Frankfurt office as partner. The hire was confirmed yesterday (1 September). Rahlf has more than 25 years' experience in domestic and cross-border merger and acquisition (M&A) deals, as well as private equity and venture capital transactions. With a client base spanning the technology, digital media, consumer goods, financial services and life sciences industries, his practice further extends to corporate and group law issues. Rahlf spent the first 16 years of his legal career practising at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, making partner in 2004. He departed for Norton Rose Fulbright in 2014. K&L Gates Germany co-managing partner Martina Ortner commented: "Germany is a key market for our global corporate practice. In Nils, we are gaining an experienced transactional lawyer whose capabilities and internationally oriented practice are an excellent fit for our platform." "By welcoming Nils, we are strengthening our M&A practice precisely in an area where we already have a significant market position and substantial experience: complex cross-border transactions for multinational industrial companies," added Thomas Lappe, corporate practice head. "We intend to continue expanding our presence in the M&A market in Germany and across Europe." It has been a busy week for K&L Gates, which also announced this week (31 August) the hire of international trade and security partner Jeremy Huffman in Washington, DC. The firm made another key lateral hire in June 2026, welcoming aviation finance partner Andrew Harper to its London-based finance team.

Norton Rose Fulbright boosts consumer markets capabilities with Chicago litigation and trial partner. Jason Stiehl advises many of the country's best-known food and beverage companies on class actions, false advertising and brand protection matters. Chicago, IL, Sept. 02, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) - Global law firm Norton Rose Fulbright today announced that Jason Stiehl has joined its Chicago office as a partner in the product liability and consumer disputes practice. His arrival advances the firm's continued investment in the consumer markets sector, as he will help clients protect their brands through complex litigation and related intellectual property matters. Jason joins from Crowell & Moring, where he served as Managing Partner of its Chicago office. He brings decades of experience representing companies in class actions and disputes involving consumer fraud, product labeling, unfair competition claims, restrictive covenants, trade secrets and the Lanham Act. He has obtained and defended injunctions nationwide and has taken numerous cases through trial and appeal. "Jason joins a product liability and consumer disputes practice team that has more than doubled in size over the past five years, with our food and beverage clients being central to that expansion," said Jeff Cody, Norton Rose Fulbright's Global and US Managing Partner. "His client relationships and litigation track record, combined with a proven ability to recruit, mentor and develop talent, add real value to our firm." Jason's reputation among peers and clients is reflected in several prestigious recognitions. Chambers USA ranks him for commercial litigation in Illinois and Best Lawyers in America recognizes him for class action defense, trade secrets law and mass tort litigation. In 2025, Crain's Chicago Business named him to its "Notable Litigators and Trial Attorneys" list. "We're seeing a marked rise in hybrid product liability-style class actions, with plaintiffs targeting not just products themselves, but the labels, advertising and marketing claims behind them," said Ed Casmere, the Chicago office's Co-Head of Litigation and Disputes, alongside Josh Lee. "Jason will help us support clients at every point of that risk, adding experience, depth and breadth to our litigation and trial capabilities, which is incredibly valuable as we continue to grow this practice." With approximately 50 lawyers in the US, the firm's product liability and consumer disputes team advises an international roster of clients facing multidistrict litigation, recalls and related crisis management matters. Earlier this year, the group expanded its presence in Los Angeles by welcoming partners Jayme Long, Stephanie Peatman and Alex Giraldo. This team sits within the firm's renowned litigation and disputes group, which has more than 1,200 lawyers globally, including more than 400 in the US. "Norton Rose Fulbright is highly regarded in the consumer markets space, leading high-stakes cases that receive national media coverage," Jason said. "I've seen their Chicago office really make a splash in the market and am excited to work with my new colleagues here and across the country." The 25th US lateral partner for Norton Rose Fulbright in 2026, Jason is the fifth to join its Chicago office this year, following the additions of John Boelter, Seth Aigner, Virginia Duong and Gordon Klein. Together, these hires have broadened the office's capabilities across corporate, finance, tax, private equity and litigation. The firm's Chicago office opened in Fulton Market in 2022 and has grown to 46 lawyers, including 18 partners, across a range of practice areas. Licensed in Illinois and New York, Jason earned his law degree with honors from Chicago-Kent College of Law and his bachelor's degree from Trinity University. Norton Rose Fulbright Norton Rose Fulbright provides a full scope of legal services to the world's preeminent corporations and financial institutions. The global law firm has more than 3,000 lawyers advising clients across locations in the United States, Europe, Canada, Latin America, Asia, Australia, Africa and the Middle East. With its global business principles of quality, unity and integrity, Norton Rose Fulbright is recognized for its client service in key industries, including financial institutions; energy, infrastructure and resources; technology; transport; life sciences and healthcare; and consumer markets. For more information, visit nortonrosefulbright.com. Dan McKenna Norton Rose Fulbright [email protected] Legal Disclaimer: EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. Africa SMB Journal do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.

European AI and Data Protection Conference 2026. September - October 2026 Amsterdam | Paris | Milan | Frankfurt | London. Event details. Global | September - October 2026 Norton Rose South Africa is pleased to invite you to join Norton Rose South Africa at its 14th annual European AI and Data Protection Conference, where Norton Rose South Africa will explore the latest developments in AI, data protection, cyber security and digital regulation across Europe. The conference will take place in the following cities: * Amsterdam | Wednesday, September 23 | 09:00 - 14:00 CEST * Paris | Tuesday, September 29 | 09:00 - 14:00 CEST * Milan | Wednesday, September 30 | 09:00 - 14:00 CEST * Frankfurt | Thursday, October 1 | 09:00 - 14:00 CEST * London | Thursday, October 8 | 09:00 - 14:00 BST Programme. 09:00 - 09:30 | Registration 09:30 - 09:45 | Introduction and data law overview What's changed and what's changing? An overview of recent legislative changes and the many proposals in the data and digital law space. 09:45 - 10:30 | Data protection: Updates and enforcement trends Where have the regulators been focussing this year? This session will look at enforcement trends and guidance across trending topics like international transfers and data sovereignty, cookies and trackers, and whether data is personal. 10:30 - 10:50 | Weaponisation of data subject access requests: What's changing and what's changed? What do Norton Rose South Africa has to disclose and what's exempt? Can Norton Rose South Africa ignore an abusive request? What if the request is AI slop? The answers to these questions are not the same in every jurisdiction, and both DPA and data subject expectations are changing. This session will draw on experience from jurisdictions like the UK, where the right to access was established long before GDPR application, and examine the specific challenges faced in EU jurisdictions where data subjects weaponise DSARs. 10:50 - 11:10 | Coffee break 11:10 - 11:30 | Cyber security: practical insights on compliance with the GDPR, NIS2 and other laws This session will share practical insights from its experiences with regulators when making notifications and incident reports, as well as latest from the latest enforcement in the cyber security space. 11:30 - 12:30 | Managing AI agents When your team includes a 'digital worker', how do you manage them - and the legal risks of having them on board? What should you do if your clients, counterparties, or suppliers are using agents? This practical session will look at managing the risks in a world with a rising agent population. 12:30 - 14:00 | Lunch and networking Norton Rose South Africa hope that you are able to join Norton Rose South Africa after its sessions for lunch and networking. Due to limited capacity, all registrations are subject to review and confirmation. Norton Rose South Africa will send an email confirmation once your place has been secured. Where possible, please register with your work email address to ensure your registration is processed swiftly. Please note this is an in-person event only.