FRANKFURT, July 14, 2015: Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, a global law firm with offices in both Philadelphia and Frankfurt, is hosting an event to celebrate the “sister city” signing between the two cities, with a formal ceremony set for July 16 in Frankfurt.
On the eve of the signing, key representatives of both cities will come together with 60 invited business and government leaders, including Consul General Kevin C. Milas, to hear from Peter Feldmann, mayor of the City of Frankfurt, and Michael A. Nutter, mayor of the City of Philadelphia. Mayor Nutter will also give an overview of Philadelphia’s business attributes in a presentation titled, “Smart City. Smart Choice.” The guests will be welcomed by Dr. Christian Zschocke, managing partner of Morgan Lewis’s Frankfurt office.
The trend to formalize sister cities developed after World War II and has been used in recent years to encourage international business and tourism. For Morgan Lewis, which has had an office in Frankfurt for more than 25 years and now has 25 internationally trained lawyers there, the event is an opportunity to celebrate the firm’s strong ties in the two cities. The firm was founded in Philadelphia in 1873 and is now one of the largest law firms worldwide with 28 offices in North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
“Frankfurt and Philadelphia have many things in common and complement each other well. Each is a large cosmopolitan center with a vibrant business community. Exploring ways to collaborate on new business development opportunities can benefit both,” said Tim Levin, managing partner of Morgan Lewis’s Philadelphia office.
“Morgan Lewis is an integrated global firm, and our lawyers around the world work together on client matters every day. Given the close relationship and parallels between our Philadelphia and Frankfurt offices, naturally we felt it was only appropriate for us to host a reception in honor of the signing of the sister cities agreement. In fact, the event will be held in our Walnut Street Room, named after the street in Philadelphia that was home to the first Morgan Lewis office,” said Dr. Zschocke.