London, 1. September 2025 – YPOG – one of Europe’s most active tech law firms - has opened its first international office in London’s King’s Cross. With a model built for the scale and speed of today’s innovation economy, this is the latest step in the firm’s mission to become Europe’s go-to innovation partner.
YPOG – which stands for You + Partners of Gamechangers – already ranks among Europe’s foremost law firms, including the most active VC advisor in the DACH region. In the past year alone, its unique blend of deep legal expertise, proprietary tech and startup mindset has seen YPOG advise over 100 deals, as well as support a growing roster of clients including Helsing, Bullish, Personio, HV Capital, Atomico, Northzone, Phoenix Court and more.
It’s an approach that sees YPOG redefine what legal support looks like in the technology sector, whether that be for funds, venture capitalists, fintechs, growth-stage companies, corporate venture capital, private equity, blue chip companies or family offices, and mirrors the very ecosystem it was built to serve.
The UK expansion is being led by the team that previously launched, scaled and exited transatlantic tech and VC law firm JAG Shaw Baker and which built Withers Tech into one of the most active VC teams in the UK and Europe, according to Pitchbook.
Supporting Europe’s gamechangers
Founded in 2017, YPOG has been built from the ground up with tech at its core. Its in-house AI team is working alongside lawyers to create tools that improve speed, transparency and outcomes. YSolutions – its proprietary legal SaaS product – is already used by over 500 customers to fulfil compliance requirements. The firm operates on a digital, process-automated platform, giving lawyers more time to focus on client strategy.
This lawyer–technologist model allows YPOG to work at the pace of the businesses it advises and has contributed to the firm being awarded Private Equity and Venture Capital Law Firm of the Year 2025 by Legal 500 Germany, Law Firm of the Year 2023 by JUVE, recognised by Best of Legal for “Innovative Business Models” in 2022, and recognised by business weekly WirtschaftsWoche as a Top Firm for M&A every year since 2020. Last year, the firm opened an office in Munich to tap into Europe’s largest deep tech university ecosystem around UnternehmerTUM.
By spanning corporate, fund structuring, tax, IP/IT, financial regulatory, litigation and compliance, with workflows, playbooks and automation, YPOG has a deep understanding of its clients’ business models and their technology challenges.
UK innovation leaders and YPOG join forces
The London and Cambridge-based team of transatlantic VC experts - James Shaw, Susanna Stanfield, Iain Cockburn, Mary Harley, Andrew Gay, Tina Baker and IP expert Ben Williams - recently left global law firm Withers to build a genAI-powered law firm. While initially planning to start from scratch, it became obvious that joining forces with YPOG made sense.
Over 10 years at the centre of the UK’s innovation economy, the team has advised scale-ups including Wise, Revolut and Snyk, plus top-tier funds including Stride.VC, Phoenix Court, Index Ventures, Molten Ventures and Astanor. They are positioned to drive YPOG’s expansion, supporting Europe’s leading innovators.
The move addresses rising demand for legal partners who understand how tech companies scale. Shaw (Co-Founder of JAG Shaw Baker and creator of Withers Tech) and his team are at the forefront of innovation in the delivery of law as a service in the VC sector across Europe.
From left to right: James Shaw, Ben Williams, Iain Cockburn
Carola Rathke, co-managing partner at YPOG, said: “We established YPOG as the firm that doesn’t just advise the tech ecosystem, but is an integral partner. We work like entrepreneurs and tech leaders, speak their language and share their curiosity and drive for change."
Benjamin Ullrich, co-managing partner at YPOG, said: "After expanding to Munich last year, opening up an office in the UK puts us at the heart of European innovation, and is our first move to building a truly pan-European brand. In doing so, it’s clear we needed a market-leading team with deep sector experience, and with experience of growing and scaling both clients and YPOG internationally. What mattered to us was not only professional excellence, but also that the London team embodies our values and actively contributes to shaping our culture”
James Shaw, partner at YPOG in London, said: “The legal sector is at a huge inflexion point, globally. Emerging technology solutions are challenging law as a service and proving to be a real force to reckon with. If law firms do not evolve, they will lose talent, lose clients and struggle to survive. This is why we felt it was the right time to seize the opportunity and build something new – a firm that combines market-leading expertise with tech solutions from Europe to tackle head-on the dominance of the US tech giants. Over the last eight years, we have seen YPOG grow into a brand that is synonymous with tech law in Europe. The firm invests heavily in technology experts to help solve legal problems. Most importantly, they think like us, which is why joining forces with YPOG makes complete sense. We want to ensure that YPOG is the name on the lips of every global founder, entrepreneur, investor and intermediary with a nexus to Europe.”
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About us
YPOG stands for You + Partners of Gamechangers – forward-thinking legal and tax advice. Supporting companies that are focused on emerging technologies, YPOG embraces change as an opportunity to develop cutting-edge solutions. The YPOG team offers comprehensive expertise in the areas of Funds, Tax, Transactions, Corporate, Banking, Regulatory + Finance, IP/IT/Data Protection, Litigation, and Corporate Crime + Compliance + Investigations. YPOG is one of the leading law firms in Germany for venture capital, private equity, fund structuring, and the implementation of distributed ledger technology (DLT) in financial services. Both the firm and its partners are regularly recognized by renowned national and international publications such as JUVE, Best Lawyers, Chambers and Partners, Leaders League, and Legal 500. YPOG is home to more than 180 experienced attorneys, tax advisors and tax specialists as well as a notary, working across offices in Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne, Munich and London. Further information: www.ypog.law/en/ and www.linkedin.com/company/ypog