MOLITOR Avocats à la Cour SARL > Luxembourg, Luxembourg > Firm Profile

MOLITOR Avocats à la Cour SARL > Firm Profile

Founded in 1996, MOLITOR Avocats à la Cour is an independent law firm offering a one-stop shop service in Luxembourg with a wide international network. It has secured a reputation for innovative, responsive and robust solutions to complex and high-value cases in frequently uncharted legal territory. The firm’s lawyers are specialists in their chosen practice areas and work closely together to ensure that all the relevant disciplines applicable to any case are fully covered. As a result, the firm continues to maintain and expand a loyal client base who benefit from consistent high-level advice and results.

Areas of practice
Banking and finance: MOLITOR has developed a large portfolio of local and international clients including banks and financial institutions. The banking and finance team regularly advises domestic and foreign banks, insurance companies and other professionals of the financial sector on matters arising from their business activities including banking regulation, banking secrecy, portfolio management, credit agreements, white collar crime, contract law, offering and listing of securities.

Corporate and M&A: MOLITOR has extensive experience in advising and assisting a broad range of companies in all areas of corporate law ranging from incorporation and business start-ups to daily commercial operations. The firm advises clients on mergers and acquisitions, reorganisation and complex restructuring, real estate acquisition and corporate governance. MOLITOR drafts all necessary incorporation or restructuring documents, assemblies and minutes, related credit or shareholders’ agreements and legal opinions and coordinates the incorporation process on behalf of its clients and liaises with local notaries and other corporate service providers chosen by the client. The team has been involved in a number of cross-border merger and acquisition deals arising from public takeover bids, as well as purchases and sales of privately owned companies and businesses.

Dispute resolution and litigation: MOLITOR’s specialist dispute resolution lawyers are recognised both nationally and internationally for their expertise and experience in protecting their clients’ interests in complex and high-value cases, often in untested areas of law. In addition to the large number of high-profile local disputes that the firm works on, many of the cases MOLITOR handles are referred by other top-tier law firms and international corporations where there is a Luxembourg angle to the dispute. MOLITOR’s extensive litigation experience gives the firm the valuable ability to create structures and agreements so as to avoid future disputes. MOLITOR regularly represents its clients in litigation and dispute resolution matters in, for example, the following sectors: banking, corporate, commercial, insolvency, bankruptcy and debt recovery, real estate, employment and IP, IT and media.

Employment, pensions and immigration: MOLITOR has developed its expertise in employment law since the firm was founded and has consistently maintained its position as a leading specialist firm in this practice area in Luxembourg. The team has many large corporate clients, who refer all their legal requirements to the firm including issues such as dismissal, competition, remuneration, confidentiality, privacy and data protection. MOLITOR’s employment services include individual and collective employment law, transfer of undertakings, restructuring and international mobility including immigration, pensions and social security, and labour litigation and dispute resolution.

Insurance: MOLITOR’s insurance practice is highly sought after in Luxembourg, retaining very large national and international clients and working regularly with the main insurance companies operating in Luxembourg and across borders. The team advises clients on insurance and coverage issues, including acquisitions of insurance companies, drafting and reviewing policy wordings, advising on policy interpretation, warranties and the handling of any indemnity issues across all types of policies, supported by its proven strength in litigation and mediation.

Media, data, technologies and IP: MOLITOR launched its Media, Data, Technologies & IP practice group in 2007, following an increasing demand for legal advice in this area of law. The firm’s lawyers advise on the full range of IP matters, including copyright, databases, registered design, trademark (infringement, management and registration), domain names and unfair competition issues. They also cover information technology matters such as software development and licensing, Internet policies, website creation and maintenance, mobile game development, e-commerce, data protection issues and GDPR compliance. MOLITOR’s media lawyers also handle litigation and dispute resolution matters, and marketing and advertising projects for all kind of media. They also advise on labelling requirements, advertising campaigns and promotional games and competitions, and compliance with Luxembourg laws and regulations.

Real estate, zoning and environment: MOLITOR is involved in many major real estate projects in Luxembourg. The team assists real estate investors, construction companies, developers and operators of commercial property on construction law regulations and administrative procedures, real estate projects and related contracts, lease, franchise and facility management agreements, sales and leaseback, as well as tax optimisation issues. The firm also handles complex domestic construction and engineering projects, international acquisitions, common ownership rights, constructor and developer’s liability, transfer of property rights, and securities over real estate. The firm provides the appropriate frameworks to help clients create real estate holding structures so as to avoid future litigation and liability. Should litigation become unavoidable, MOLITOR’s powerful dispute resolution team is at hand.

Meet The Team(s)

Litigation & Dispute Resolution

Luxembourg, Luxembourg

+352 297 298 1

View team profile

Corporate and M&A

Luxembourg, Luxembourg

+352 297 298 1

View team profile

Lawyer Profiles

Photo	Name	Position	Profile
	Mr François Cautaerts	François joined MOLITOR Avocats à la Cour in November 2014 as a…	View Profile
	Mr Claude Feyereisen	Claude Feyereisen is Avocat à la Cour, Member of the Luxembourg Bar,…	View Profile
	Laurent Henneresse	Counsel	View Profile
	Ms Stéphanie Juan	Partner in MOLITOR’s Real Estate, Zoning & Environment practice	View Profile
	Sophie Lamothe	Sophie joined MOLITOR Avocats à la Cour in 2013 and is now Counsel.	View Profile
	Ms Virginie Liebermann	Virginie is Avocat à la Cour, Member of the Luxembourg Bar since…	View Profile
	Mr Paulo Lopes Da Silva	Paulo is a Partner at MOLITOR Avocats à la Cour. He co-heads…	View Profile
	Mr Michel Molitor	Managing Partner of MOLITOR Avocats à la Cour. Head of the Financial…	View Profile
	Mr Régis Muller	MOLITOR is Avocat à la Cour, admited to the Luxembourg Bar since…	View Profile
	Mr Chan Park	Chan Park is Avocat à la Cour, Member of the Luxembourg Bar,…	View Profile
	Mr Philippe Thiebaud	Thiebaud is Partner at MOLITOR Avocats à la Cour.	View Profile
	Armel Waisse	Partner	View Profile
	Mr Jacques Wolter	Jacques is a Partner at MOLITOR Avocats à la Cour	View Profile

Interviews

Michel Molitor, Managing Partner

Michel Molitor, Managing Partner, gives his perspective on how MOLITOR benefits its clients in these uncertain times, and on areas of growth in the legal sector.

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

MOLITOR is effectively a one-stop shop for legal excellence, combining renowned savoir-faire in contentious matters, with in-depth expertise in varied practice areas – this is a unique combination in Luxembourg. We also have a robust internal social network which promotes a cycle of respect, trust and candour within the firm that is then reflected in our interactions with our clients. The size of the firm means we can continue to operate as a family, in that the departments are very cohesive and work well together on complex matters requiring specialisms from our various practice areas; and further, because of our size, our clients receive a holistic, personal and targeted service from us, and they know the particular lawyer or lawyers dealing with their respective matters. This sets us apart from other law firms and allows us to deliver a seamless service to our clients and add value where necessary.

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

There is no doubt about it, there will certainly be further growth in the technology, cyber-security, data and space industries. Although banking and finance in Luxembourg have continued to be at the forefront of the economy, various other sectors continue to develop as well. Growing industries, in which we are also actively involved, include insurance, international real estate, private equity, and IP/IT. We have already seen a noticeable increase in insurance houses setting up here, and I expect that increase to continue over the next 12 months.

Research and development grants also attract a good number of businesses to either set up or branch out in Luxembourg.

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

Historically, we have provided our clients with breakfast clubs and evening seminars to provide overviews of legal updates to them in our practice areas, but this has of course not been possible over the past year. We now not only provide regular written newsletters to our clients to keep them apprised of changes in the law applicable to them, but also present webinars, which benefits clients as they are more accessible and can be viewed, and re-viewed, at our clients’ convenience.

Remote working is also a significant change for us. I don’t believe that virtual interaction replaces physical meetings, but I do think that remote working allows for more fluidity in our clients’ interactions with us.

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

Whilst MOLITOR has always remained up to date with changes in technology so as to efficiently run the firm and provide our clients with the best service, technology has inevitably changed how we interact with our clients over the last year. It would have been fairly common, pre-Covid, for us to have conference calls rather than virtual meetings but I would say that all our lawyers now have increased (virtual) face-to-face interaction with clients as a result, which I consider very positive.

It is important for me to emphasise here that our clients don’t pay us to be technology whizzes – what they seek from us is our legal expertise, and that is what we are known for.

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

My view is that one of the main purposes of our service is to add value to all our clients’ businesses. A recent example springs to mind where the Dispute Resolution and Corporate teams worked closely on a multi-jurisdictional multi-million Euro potential dispute. Thanks to their skills, and input from our international desks, our client benefitted not only from our lawyers securing the desired outcome, but also in terms of setting our client up to achieve future market goals. With each client, our lawyers carefully consider the nature of their business, the market sector in which they operate, and provide legal advice – with a commercial edge – tailored to that particular client and their needs.

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

I have no doubt that clients seek stability and strategic direction from us. MOLITOR is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, which in itself demonstrates our stability in the legal sector. The firm has grown steadily since its conception, and we will continue to grow at a solid pace in line with rapidly changing market trends and developments. Our lawyers consistently work on strengthening core skills, but we also look to the future – my vision of MOLITOR is that we will of course be a strongly independent firm maintaining, if not improving, our reputation and rankings in the core practice areas, but also potentially seeing an expansion of our media, data, technologies and IP department in order to cater to clients’ needs.