Germany’s consul general in Atlanta, Heike Fuller, has named a Baker Donelson attorney as the country’s honorary consul for the state of Tennessee.
Christian Schütz, a real estate and finance attorney in the Nashville-based firm’s global business practice, was installed during a visit by Dr. Fuller to his office in the Tennessee capital Jan. 13.
As a career diplomat sent to represent German interests in the Southeastern United States, Dr. Fuller covers six states from Atlanta, including Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.
Traditionally, honorary consuls have been tapped to give countries a more consistent on-the-ground presence in areas career diplomats can’t visit as frequentlty as they would like. Germany has become a major source of investment in Tennessee, particularly after the arrival of a Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga in 2011.
Unlike many honorary consuls, who often hail from the states where they’re appointed, Mr. Schütz is a native German with a German law degree. He has served a variety of clients entering the U.S. market and has extensive experience in cross-border transactions, foreign direct investment and more, according to the firm.
Germany until 2018 had an honorary consul based in Savannah, Ga.
To learn more about the German consulate in Atlanta, click here or read a recent interview with Dr. Fuller: Lockdown Lessons: Germany, France Taking New Approaches to Fight Second Wave, Consuls Say
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