Loyens & Loeff > Luxembourg, Luxembourg > Firm Profile

Loyens & Loeff > The Legal 500 Rankings

Luxembourg > Banking, finance and capital markets Tier 1

Resourcing matters with ‘responsive lawyers who are proactive and diligent,’ and who have comprehensive knowledge across loan and capital markets financial products, Loyens & Loeff provides ‘an excellent client service’ across a range of secured and unsecured new money and refinancing and distressed financings. Spearheaded by Vassiliyan Zanev, the firm has gained acclaim for its fund financing work, with a myriad of major fund clients regularly turning to the firm for credit through subscription, capital call and NAV facilities, among other methods. Zanev is also well-versed at advising on structured finance matters, structuring of securitisation vehicles and the issuances of asset-backed securities. Anne-Marie Nicolas heads the secured lending team and as well as being ‘very skilled in insolvency situations’ is also adept at advising on new money acquisition and leveraged financing transactions. Other key members of the team include Audrey Jarreton, who excels at handling acquisition and real estate finance work, and Adrien Pierre, who has ‘very strong technical skills and great market knowledge’ in the context of financial services regulatory work.

Luxembourg > Commercial, corporate and M&A Tier 1

Applying a ‘practical and business-oriented approach,’ Loyens & Loeff has ‘deep expertise in thinking through complex M&A projects.’ Drawing upon strong relationships with UK and US referring law firms, as well as directly from large financial sponsors, much of this work relates to private equity-led M&A matters, where the firm adds a degree of continuity on the downstream investment front, having often previously also handled the underlying fund structuring. Mathilde Lattard is active on both the upstream and downstream elements of private equity work. This fluid approach is also demonstrated by the firm’s work within the SPAC arena, where having been involved in many original SPAC listings, the team has then handled many of the subsequent de-SPAC business combinations. Here, Guy Palmaers, who is lauded for his ‘exceptional strategic thinking,’ has developed particular experience, work which he handles alongside his more conventional sponsor-side M&A work. Michael Scott is regularly instructed by bondholder creditors, as well as debtors. Frédéric Franckx heads the team and is noted for his US and UK-related private equity work, including advice on bolt-on transactions and public-to-privates. Ana Andreiana, who was promoted to partner at the beginning of 2023, is also recommended.

Luxembourg > Dispute resolution Tier 1

Drawing upon substantive expertise across many other practice groups throughout its full-service offering, the ‘experienced and pragmatic’ team at Loyens & Loeff provides ‘tremendous legal acumen and great strategic sense’ to clients bringing or defending cases across myriad commercial litigation and international arbitration matters. Véronique Hoffeld has the legal knowledge and strategic and procedural sense to effectively manage cases for large multinational corporates and financial services, from pre-litigation through to hearings and enforcement of judgments. Henri Dupong is also a key member of the team, as a result of his work representing high-net-worth individuals and banks across a range of corporate and white-collar matters.

Luxembourg > Fintech Tier 1

Noted for its ‘incredible ability to combine expertise from different areas,’ including corporate, regulatory, finance and litigation, Loyens & Loeff's multi-disciplinary offering provides ‘thorough advice’ to start-ups, financial institutions and investors across a myriad advisory, transactional, litigation and risk management mandates. ‘Pragmatic’ team head Anne-Marie Nicolas is appreciated for her ability to analyse both business and legal considerations, particularly on crypto and tokenisation-related projects. Other key contacts include Sabrina Martin, who has a focus on start-ups and new technology legal issues, and Adrien Pierre, who deploys expansive regulatory expertise to good effect for fintech entities seeking licensing approvals and in the context of AML advice to clients in the cryptoasset space.

Luxembourg > Investment funds Tier 1

The 'commercially driven, client focused and responsive' team at Loyens & Loeff provides 'solutions-oriented and pragmatic' advice to fund managers/sponsors across a myriad of structures, including closed-end and hybrid within the alternative funds space. Here, the team is appreciated for its ability to provide a one-stop-shop service across the spectrum of legal needs, from structuring and ongoing compliance, through to financing and the pursuant downstream work. Team head Marc Meyers has 'in-depth knowledge of AIFMD matters and interpretations from the CSSF', and is a popular choice among fund managers for the structuring and regulatory issues associated with infrastructure, real estate and private debt funds. Meyers has also been at the forefront of the increased move towards the democratisation of private funds, as has the 'very efficient' Christophe Boyer, with both regularly working together on structuring mandates in the sector. The 'insightful and creative' Veronica Aroutiunian is a 'powerful advocate for the firm's clients' interests', particularly in the context of private equity and real estate fund structuring. Jérôme Mullmaier provides 'practical business-oriented solutions’ to multinational clients on alternative funds structuring and related regulatory aspects, where he is particularly appreciated for his 'deep ability to think creatively and present innovative solutions'. Vassiliyan Zanev provides finance specialism in the implementation of funds.

Luxembourg > Private equity Tier 1

Active throughout the life cycle of a transaction from initial fund setup through to investments and exits, the ‘knowledgeable’ multi-disciplinary team at Loyens & Loeff provides ‘commercially-oriented and pragmatic advice’ to an impressive roster of global sponsors on the Luxembourg law aspects of cross-border mandates, where it often works alongside high-profile UK and US-based referring law firms. The ‘outstanding’ Guy Palmaers exhibits ‘exceptional strategic thinking and a business-oriented approach’, both on the acquisition and sale side (including through IPO exits), as well as in the context of ongoing operational work including advice on management incentive plans. Dual UK and Luxembourg-qualified partner Michael Scott regularly handles private equity-related restructuring work, including for portfolio companies in financial distress as well as in relation to distressed M&A for fund clients. Mathilde Lattard’s wide skillset in the sector ensures she is adept at handling fund setups and subsequent M&A activity, as well as co-investment strategies and exits. Siobhán McCarthy, who is noted for her aptitude in providing ‘practical and actionable advice’, Ana Andreiana and recent hire Frédéric Lemoine excel in handling cross-border private equity-related M&A matters and form a vital part of the Frédéric Franckx-headed private equity transactional team.

Luxembourg > Tax Tier 1

The ‘very professional and knowledgeable’ team at Loyens & Loeff provides ‘high-quality’ advice to clients on a standalone basis, as well as in the context of tax structuring pursuant to transactions handled by the firm. As well as handling fee-earning work, many practitioners within the team are members of tax committees and industry groups, ensuring they have excellent market intelligence and therefore the ability to provide ‘practical insights’ in light of legislative/regulatory changes. The investment management sector remains a fertile source of work, in relation to both tax structuring of fund vehicles and subsequent downstream transactions. Willem Bon has a strong grounding in fund-related work, which forms part of his overarching cross-border tax expertise that also relates to private client and corporate work. The ‘very knowledgeable and articulate’ Peter Adriaansen also excels at private client work, as well as regularly providing tax advice to large multinational corporates based in Luxembourg. Peter Moons, who co-heads the team alongside Adriaansen, has a versatile practice that encompasses transfer pricing advice, transactional structuring (including within the private equity and real estate sectors) and litigation. Frank van Kuijk is on secondment to the firm's New York office, while Jochem van der Wal relocated to the Amsterdam office in 2022.

Luxembourg > IP and IT Tier 2

Leveraging the firm’s broader corporate, investment management and tax capabilities, Loyens & Loeff is well-positioned to advise funds across a wide spectrum of IP and IT matters, including on due diligence regarding IP-rich targets, GDPR compliance and trade mark prosecution and licensing agreements. Drawing upon her broad litigation smarts, team head Véronique Hoffeld has particular expertise advising on multi-jurisdictional IP disputes, while senior associate Emilia Fronczak provides assistance in data protection matters.

Luxembourg > Real estate and construction Tier 2

Loyens & Loeff provides a ‘high-quality level of work’ to investors and developers on the acquisition and disposal of commercial real estate assets, as well as advice on forward-funding and forward-commitment transactions, and on real estate management issues. Recently promoted to partner, Julien Lecler is gaining a strong reputation in the market, on both Luxembourg and Belgian mandates, as a result of his ‘business-oriented and deal-making’ attributes. Audrey Jarreton has enhanced the firm’s real estate finance capabilities since joining from Stibbe in January 2023, and both she and banking and finance head Anne-Marie Nicolas have handled work for lenders and borrowers on new money and refinancing transactions in the sector. Véronique Hoffeld co-heads the team alongside Lecler.

Luxembourg > Employment Tier 3

The ‘responsive’ team at Loyens & Loeff provides ‘robust advice’ to employers seeking ad-hoc employment advice, as well as in the context of day-to-day employment advisory work, including a considerable amount for private equity firms. Team head Sabrina Martin draws upon her strong overarching litigation prowess to good effect on contentious employment matters.

Switzerland > Banking and finance: Zurich

Loyens & Loeff has considerable experience advising multinational enterprises, investment managers, private equity funds, and listed companies on finance matters, including acquisition finance, asset-based finance, and structured finance, as well as regulatory compliance, cross-border financial services, and asset management. The team utilises its international network to assist clients with cross-border matters and is headed by Judith Raijmakers and Christine Hohl, who both specialise in financing transactions and debt issuances.