The Legal 500

Office managing partner Henri Wagner heads Allen & Overy Luxembourg’s ‘excellent’ banking and capital markets department, which advised the senior banks on Amadeus’ €450m sale of Opodo to Axa Private Equity and Permira. In capital markets, it is advising UBS London on establishing VIS Finance, a regulated Luxembourg securitisation company, and a retail note programme. Frank Mausen is ‘a practical, commercial, reliable and creative expert’. André Marc and Pierre Schleimer are also recommended.

Arendt & Medernach excels at securitisation work. It recently advised Texas Instruments on its financing and $6.5bn acquisition of National Semiconductor Corporation. Philippe Dupont heads the practice, which includes recommended individuals Paul Mousel, Ari Gudmannsson and Glenn Meyer. Max Kremer and Matthieu Taillandier were promoted to the partnership in June 2012.

Clifford Chance is participating in advisory and consultation groups for the Luxembourg government and the CSSF (the Luxembourg regulator of the financial sector). The team advised BNP Paribas as agent and security agent on a €203m senior facility to refinance Tokheim Group’s debts; and Credit Suisse on a facility agreement and high-yield bond offering to fund Reynolds Group’s acquisition of Graham Packaging. Office managing partner Christian Kremer, Steve Jacoby and Marc Mehlen are recommended.

Elvinger, Hoss & Prussen advised the banks on the double luxco financing of a buyer consortium’s €2.1bn acquisition of Spie Group. The firm also advised ArcelorMittal on a €500m notes issuance; and KBL European Private Bankers on the Luxembourg aspects of its €500m medium term notes programme. One client says, ‘the firm understands our needs and has an in-depth knowledge of our bank’. Franz Fayot ‘stands out for his commercial viewpoint’, and Philippe Hoss, Philippe Prussen, André Hoffmann and Pit Reckinger are also recommended. Cintia Martins Costa was made up to the partnership.

Linklaters LLP advises on international capital markets deals, financing, securitisation, and regulatory matters. It advised Social Investment Market Community Interest Company on Scope’s £20m medium term notes programme, which is listed on the Euro MTF; and advised eircom on its €3.8bn debt restructuring. Practice head Patrick Geortay is ‘very practical and proactive’, and Nicki Kayser shows ‘rapid reaction and flexibility’. Of counsel Janine Biver is also recommended.

Kleyr Grasso Associes’ team is ‘very responsive, keen to be involved and well versed in local law and commercial issues’. It advised Jefferies and its affiliates on Klöckner Pentaplast’s €255m senior secured notes issuance. Other clients include BlackRock and Lehman Brothers Holdings. Patrick Chantrain and Pascal Sassel ‘knows when to push on points and when to move on’. Capital markets expert Rina Breininger is also recommended. Managing partner Marc Kleyr specialises in insolvency and restructuring.

Loyens & Loeff’s team ‘provides a good service and is very technical’. It advised Strategic Value Partners on the bid (led by junior lenders) to take over Klöckner Pentaplast Group, and on the subsequent debt restructuring and debt-for-equity swap. The team also acted for the lenders on Travelodge Hotel Group’s debt restructuring. Vassiliyan Zanev is ‘good and responsive’, and practice head Judith Raijmakers is also recommended. Eugène Tchen retired.

MNKS hired new department head Stéphane Braun from Loyens & Loeff, and advised a biopharmaceuticals company on its debt financing and $3.1bn acquisition of a prescription drugs business. The firm advised another client on its refinancing by issuing €1.5bn and $775m new senior secured notes and entering into a $2.375bn and €500m dual currency credit agreement and €350m loan facility. Katia Scheidecker is also recommended.

Office managing partner Josée Weydert heads NautaDutilh’s comprehensive banking and capital markets practice in Luxembourg, which advised Deutsche Pfandbriefbank on refinancing structures, security and insolvency law; and Crédit Agricole CIB on the Luxembourg aspects of a €75m-plus facility to refinance a property portfolio.

OPF Partners’ ‘advice is accurate and helpful’. The team recently advised Molson Coors Brewing Company, the borrower under a credit facility, on the financing of its £3.5bn acquisition of Starbev Holding from CVC Capital Partners. It also advised Terra Firma on the equity and debt financing of its £825m acquisition of Four Seasons Healthcare Group. Stéphane Hadet is ‘a very competent and reactive lawyer’. Yann Hilpert is also recommended.

Wildgen, Partners in Law’s ‘very responsive and commercial’ practice has recently advised on secured loans, financings and facility agreements, and has Islamic finance expertise. Department head Michel Bulach specialises in bank lending and structured finance. Samia Rabia is also recommended.

Baker & McKenzie Luxembourg meets ‘high standards, especially with regard to response times, quality and dedication’. It handles transactional and regulatory matters, advising financial institutions on establishment, acquisitions and reorganisations. Laurent Fessmann has ‘extensive knowledge in the regulatory environment in Luxembourg’. Practice head Jean-François Findling and Raphaël Collin are also experienced banking practitioners.

Bonn & Schmitt is acting for Claas KGaA on establishing a €300m securitisation vehicle. Managing partner Alex Schmitt, corporate finance specialist Marcus Peter and counsel Philipp Mössner, who focuses on capital markets, are also recommended. Lionel Noguera advises on the tax aspects of financial transactions.

Bonn Steichen & Partners’ experienced practitioners include banking and finance lawyers Laurent Lazard, Pierre-Alexandre Degehet and Jean Steffen, and capital markets specialist Evelyn Maher. Recent work includes assisting banks with establishing structured finance platforms, including advising Citi on a €15bn programme and Amundi on two €10bn structured notes programmes. It also advised ArcelorMittal on several capital markets transactions totalling over $9.5bn.

CMS has ‘built a credible banking practice in such a short period of time which is able to act on every kind of financing transaction’. The firm’s ‘service levels are impeccable, in terms of response times, user-friendliness of the advice and value for money’. Vivian Walry is ‘the absolute star of the practice: his advice is superb’.

Investment fund boutique Chevalier & Sciales also advises clients on financing transactions and regulatory matters. It has expertise in sophisticated financing tools and related surety instruments. Securitisation specialist Rémi Chevalier is recommended.

Molitor Avocats à la Cour advised a US bank on the financing of an investment fund’s €600m bid for a UK target, and is assisting a vehicle rental group with the Luxembourg finance, tax and structuring issues associated with a $1.5bn acquisition. Michel Molitor is ‘legally highly advanced and trustworthy’. Laurent Fisch is also recommended.

SJL | Sedlo Jimenez Lunz provides ‘very efficient support, including excellent co-ordination skills with the various stakeholders involved in the transaction’. It acted as Luxembourg adviser to Doosan on the repayment and partial refinancing of a $2.9bn facility agreement and on new facility agreements totalling $1.72bn. Michel Jimenez Lunz has ‘broad and extensive knowledge of finance work’, and capital markets and structured finance specialist Adrian Sedlo is also recommended.

Stibbe provides ‘a good, rounded service that is cost effective’. It advised Deutsche Postbank, Bank of America and LBBW as senior lenders on the cross-border aspects of a €188m real estate finance restructuring; and Merrill Lynch International Bank on providing a €640m credit facility to BRE/CP Europe. Gérald Origer and Dirk Leermakers are recommended.

Vandenbulke is recommended for its ‘excellent response times and great business connections in the Luxembourg market’, and ‘advice is tailored to the client’s expectations and is never overly academic’. The practice recently advised a client on the refinancing and sale of a development project. Laurence Jacques is ‘extremely responsive and user-friendly’, and Denis Van den Bulke ‘heads the team with authority’.

Brucher Thieltgen & Partners’ capital markets expert Nicolas Thieltgen is ‘clever, responsive and a pleasure to work with’.

DSM Di Stefano Moyse Avocats à la Cour recruited Marie-Paule Gillen from one of Luxembourg’s leading private banks. Work highlights included advising a client on a securitisation undertaking and the listing of a multibillion-dollar note programme on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange. Mario Di Stefano is also recommended.

Dechert Luxembourg’s Marc Seimetz and Antonios Nezeritis assist clients with banking and finance matters. The firm is advising a group of companies on Luxembourg guarantees and pledges to be given as security in the financing of an affiliate’s acquisition of US real estate.

Linari Law Firm advised an Italian bank on a securitisation transaction associated with a trade receivables transfer financed by a secured floating rate notes issuance. Vincent Linari-Pierron is recommended.

Luther’s practice head Laurent Massinon, who was a lateral hire from Clifford Chance, is recommended for his ‘high availability and hands-on approach’ and for being ‘a good all-rounder with particular focus on regulatory matters’. Corporate finance expert Eric Sublon is also recommended.