DSM Avocats à la Cour > Luxembourg, Luxembourg > Firm Profile

DSM Avocats à la Cour
55-57 RUE DE MERL
2146 LUXEMBOURG
BP 2648, 1026 LUXEMBOURG
Luxembourg

Luxembourg > Real estate and construction Tier 2

Leveraging ‘excellent real estate knowledge’, DSM Avocats à la Cour provides ‘very practical advice’ to investors, developers, banks and construction companies throughout the life cycle of a real estate transaction – from securing acquisition of the land and advice on zoning/environmental issues through to lease negotiations and divestment of the property. Team head Mario Di Stefano‘s wide-ranging expertise covers transactional, litigation and financing matters, including advice on development projects and lease agreements.

Practice head(s):

Mario Di Stefano

Other key lawyers:

Renaud Le Squeren; Vanessa Lomoro; Quentin Martin

Testimonials

‘They have excellent real estate knowledge and provide very practical advice.’

Work highlights

  • Provided day-to-day advice to EuroCaution, an insurance broker specialised in providing a broad range of real estate guarantees to real estate sector professionals in Benelux.
  • Advised ICN on its real estate development projects including acquisitions, development, construction and leasing contracts, structuring of financing and securing of group financing through various entities, real estate acquisitions and setting up partnerships with various actors in the real estate sector.
  • Assisting several developers with urban developments and legal disputes with subcontractors.

Luxembourg > Dispute resolution Tier 3

Led by ‘seasoned litigator’ Mario Di Stefano, DSM Avocats à la Cour provides ‘solutions-oriented and good strategic advice’ to clients, primarily within the real estate and construction sector, bringing or defending claims within the civil and administrative courts, relating to, inter alia, commercial leases, public procurement, urban development and alleged defects.

Practice head(s):

Mario Di Stefano

Other key lawyers:

Renaud Le Squeren; Marie-Paule Gillen; Alex Pham; Alban Colson

Testimonials

‘The team is very specialized and efficient, attentive, available and responsive.’

‘They have extensive expertise in complex litigation and provide very solutions-oriented and good strategic advice.’ 

‘Mario Di Stefano is a seasoned litigator.’

Work highlights

  • Advised a leading construction company, as a member of a consortium for a large mixed-use building project, work which has included advising the client in a dispute with a sub-contracting company.
  • Handled multiple lawsuits related to urban development challenges, civil and administrative disputes.
  • Represented a tenant in a case where a sub-tenant claimed a higher rent based on an article in the Civil Code.

Luxembourg > Tax Tier 3

At DSM Avocats à la Cour, Alex Pham is 'a fine strategist when it comes to tax litigation', regularly securing high-profile victories for HNWIs, corporates and funds in hearings before the civil and administrative courts. In addition, Pham also handles some corporate structuring work and is 'highly skilled in providing tax advice on cross-border transactions'. 

Practice head(s):

Mario Di Stefano

Other key lawyers:

Testimonials

‘They provide top-level tax advice, but they are also seasoned tax litigators, which is an asset in the Luxembourg new tax environment. Therefore, when necessary, the tax team is qualified to represent clients before all European and Luxembourg administrative and civil courts. They successfully defend clients in landmark cases creating precedents.’

‘Alex Pham is a fine strategist when it comes to tax litigation and highly skilled in providing tax advice on cross-border transactions. He listens to the clients’ needs and is up-to-date with market trends and regulations.’

Key clients

C2PHARMA

Wagner Group

Work highlights

  • Successfully represented C2Pharma, a Luxembourg healthcare/pharmaceutical company, in a high-stakes tax litigation, securing the deduction of almost €50m in professional expenses and imposing fines on the Luxembourg tax authorities.
  • Provided tax structuring advice for the sale of 85% of European Data Hub’s shares to a European investment fund, achieving significant tax savings in this cross-border transaction.
  • Successfully defended a real estate developer against accusations of fraud and tax evasion by the Luxembourg VAT authorities and contested the refusal of input VAT deductibility.

Luxembourg > Commercial, corporate and M&A Tier 5

Drawing upon a ‘deep knowledge of the law’ as well as effective use of legal technology, DSM Avocats à la Cour provides an efficient service to funds and corporates seeking advice across a range of transactional and day-to-day corporate and commercial matters, including as it relates to corporate governance and compliance. The ‘responsive and technically excellent’ Renaud Le Squeren regularly handles corporate work in the TMT space, including advice on commercial issues and digitisation projects, as well as on M&A in the sector. Managing partner Mario Di Stefano co-heads the team alongside Le Squeren, with both also regularly involved in real estate-related corporate matters.

Practice head(s):

Mario Di Stefano; Renaud Le Squeren

Other key lawyers:

Jean-Philippe Francois; Héloïse Cuche

Testimonials

‘The team is very efficient and responsive, combined with a deep knowledge of the law. They are very interested in legal tech and already do use a variety of tools.’

‘Renaud Le Squeren: totally reliable and honest. Always ready to help, responsive and technically excellent.’

‘Renaud Le Squeren is a seasoned expert in his areas of expertise. He understands complex issues quickly and has an uncanny ability to boil them down to the essential talking points and propose clear and workable solutions.’

‘I would like to highlight the fact that we can always count on them when we need their help or advice.’

‘Renaud Le Squeren stands out for his pragmatic approach combined with great legal skills. It is always a pleasure working with him.’

‘Available, responsive, very accurate in their analysis.’

‘Very solid expertise and experience in a variety of disciplines. Quick turnaround and productive methods of working.’

Work highlights

  • Assisted Vantage Data Centers with its Luxembourg-related transactions, group restructuring transactions in EMEA, intragroup financing, bank financing, as well as on management needs on a day-to-day basis.
  • Advised Wagner Group Luxembourg throughout the process leading to the partial sale of European Data Hub S.A. to Arcus.
  • Advised PM International on several ongoing matters, ranging from customer contracts to general corporate governance.
Photo Name Position Profile
Alban Colson photo Mr Alban Colson Partner – Avocat à la Cour
Mario DI STEFANO photo Mr Mario DI STEFANO Managing Partner – Avocat à la Cour and Rechtsanwalt
Marie-Paule GILLEN photo Ms Marie-Paule GILLEN Partner – Avocat à la Cour
Renaud LE SQUEREN photo Mr Renaud LE SQUEREN Partner – Avocat à la Cour
Alex PHAM photo Dr Alex PHAM Partner Tax – Avocat à la Cour

DSM Avocats à la Cour has long been a member of several major international legal networks allowing us to partner with more than 590 top quality independent law firms around the world with expertise in a multitude of practice areas.

We maintain a close relationship with them and can count on their prompt support abroad at any time.

Given that our international counterpart firms are independent law firms as we are, they provide us a wide selection of alternatives from which to choose.


Capital markets: Structured finance and securitisation

“They are always available and reliable.”


Bank lending: Borrower side

“Quick, pragmatic and solution oriented.”


Investment funds: Real estate funds

“Very proactive and solution-driven.”


Corporate M&A

“Very quick, reliable and solution-oriented.”

“Mario Di Stefano is a very serious and competent lawyer and has a very deep knowledge in the sector of company law and M&A. Moreover, he has a great ethical sense, great flexibility, promptness in offering answers and collaborative spirit”

“‘Renaud Le Squeren: smart mind, shows great experience in leading transactions, always very responsive and friendly”


Project development: Infrastructure

“The experience and expertise of the firm’s team is unrivalled, and the quality of the work is superb. They are obviously highly knowledgeable in real estate matters and they give us reliable and sound advice.”


Real Estate

“DSM Avocats à la Cour is fast and reliable and goes straight to the point.”

“It is an efficient, pragmatic and competent team.”


Corporate Tax

“Alex Pham singled himself out by providing in a characteristically low-key demeanor an incredibly sharp and detailed legal advice”


Dispute Resolution

“They understand the commercial issues/realities and can advise me on what really matters”

Mario DI STEFANO, Managing Partner

In this interview, Managing Partner Mario DI STEFANO shares how DSM Avocats à la Cour is staying ahead of the competition by leveraging their expertise in key practice areas, adopting new technologies, and making strategic changes to benefit clients.

What do you see as the main points that differentiate DSM Avocats à la Cour from your competitors?

DSM Avocats à la Cour differentiates itself from competitors through its people, a boutique structure and personalized approach. As a medium sized law firm, we provide tailor-made legal solutions to and build close relationships with our clients. Our lawyers have a deep understanding and longstanding experience of Luxembourg’s legal system and business environment, and our multilingual team is equipped to handle complex cross-border matters. Our clients appreciate our responsiveness, pragmatism, knowledge of their industry and commitment to achieving their objectives. Finally, we place strong emphasis on building long-term relationships with our clients.

 

Which practices do you see growing in the next 12 months? What are the drivers behind that?

We expect to see continued growth in several of our core practice areas over the next 12 months, including corporate, sustainable finance, life sciences and digital innovation. These areas are being driven by Luxembourg’s strong economic performance and because the technology continues to transform both the legal industry and our clients’ businesses.

 

What’s the main change you’ve made in the firm that will benefit clients?

One of the main changes we’ve made is to invest in our technology infrastructure to improve our efficiency and client service. We have implemented new software to streamline document management and automate certain tasks, allowing us to focus on providing high-quality legal advice.

 

Is technology changing the way you interact with your clients, and the services you can provide them?

Yes, it is. We are constantly exploring new technologies that can help us deliver more innovative, efficient, and cost-effective legal services. We have implemented several digital tools that allow us to collaborate more effectively with our clients, such as AI supported document management, secure document sharing platforms and online video conferencing. We have also expanded our expertise in areas such as cybersecurity and data privacy to help clients navigate emerging risks in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.

 

Can you give us a practical example of how you have helped a client to add value to their business?

One recent example of how we added value to a client’s business was in advising it on a complex cross-border M&A transaction. Our deep knowledge of the Luxembourg regulatory environment enabled us to identify potential obstacles early on and work with the client to find creative solutions that enabled the deal to proceed smoothly. We also provided strategic advice on post-merger integration, which helped the client to maximize the benefits of the transaction and achieve its business objectives.

 

Are clients looking for stability and strategic direction from their law firms – where do you see the firm in three years’ time?

Yes, they are. In three years’ time, we see DSM Avocats à la Cour continuing to provide high-quality legal services to our clients while adapting to the changing business and regulatory landscapes. We will continue to invest in our people and technology to ensure we remain at the forefront of legal innovation and meet our clients’ evolving needs.