Luxembourg > Private equity > Law firm and leading lawyer rankings

The ‘hardworking and efficient’ team at Allen & Overy Luxembourg leverages its M&A, tax, finance and investment funds expertise to provide ‘responsive’ and ‘relevant advice’ to an impressive roster of leading sponsor clients including CVC, 3i and Pamplona Capital Management. In conjunction with lawyers in London, New York and Paris, the ‘knowledgeable and efficient’ Fabian Beullekens recently advised The Carlyle Group on the €1.2bn sale of Zodiac Group to Rhône Capital. Peter Myners is ‘client friendly and proactive’ and the ‘pragmatic’ Jean Schaffner is a key name for tax structuring.

Combining regulatory, transactional and structuring expertise, Arendt & Medernach is a popular choice for leading global funds for high-profile mandates with a Luxembourg element. Pierre Beissel recently advised Partners Group in conjunction with a consortium of investors on the over €1.8bn acquisition of Foncia. Laurent Schummer and Alexander Olliges are also recommended.

Clifford Chance’s four-partner team acts for many leading global private equity sponsors including CVC, which it recently advised on its €1bn acquisition of Corialis from Advent International, and Clayton, Dubilier & Rice which it acted for on its €780m acquisition of But. Christian Kremer and Katia Gauzès are the primary contacts for private equity M&A work, while Joëlle Hauser and Paul Van den Abeele regularly handle fund formation work for private equity clients.

Leveraging the firm’s corporate, tax, and finance capability, Elvinger Hoss Prussen has the expertise to handle a wide range of private equity work, including buy and sell-side mandates for clients including Vitruvian Partners, Hellman & Friedman and Apax. Toinon Hoss advised TPG on the acquisition of a majority stake in Transporeon and Elisabeth Adam advised Tencent Holdings on its $10.2bn acquisition of a majority stake in Supercell from Softbank. François Felten and Patrick Santer are also recommended.

Employing a multi-disciplinary approach utilising practitioners from across the firm’s M&A, tax, investment management and finance practices, Linklaters’ team acts for sponsors across all stages of the investment life-cycle and is aided in this regard by its vast international network. Led on the corporate front by Nicolas Gauzès and on the finance side by Melinda Perera, the team recently advised BC Partners and Public Sector Pension Investment Board on their acquisition of a majority stake in Keter Group. Hermann Beythan, Patrick Geortay and Peter Goes are also recommended.

At Bonn Steichen & Partners, Linda Harroch regularly handles acquisition and exit work for Advent International; she recently advised it on the purchase of Culligan International from Centerbridge Partners. Jean Steffen is also recommended.

The ‘knowledgeable and experienced’ team at Dechert Luxembourg provides ‘a fantastic service’ across the gamut of private equity-related matters, including fund formation, capital raising, investments and restructuring. Jean-Louis Frognet recently advised Permira on several acquisitions of German targets including P&I Personal & Informatik. Marc Seimetz and Patrick Goebel are also recommended. The team was strengthened in December 2016 by the arrival of Florent Trouiller from Allen & Overy Luxembourg.

Dentons’ ‘commercial and client-focused’ team head Gérard Maîtrejean provides ‘balanced and timely advice’ to private equity sponsors on their investment activity including core client Terra Firma, which he recently advised on a number of high-profile exits including the sale of Odeon & UCI Cinemas Group to AMC Theatres. Delphine Tempé is also recommended.

Loyens & Loeff provides ‘a professional and responsive’ service on fund formation and complex M&A matters. Guy Palmaers and Michael Scott, who is ‘becoming a leader at implementing complex private market strategies’, are recommended.

Led by the ‘customer-oriented and responsive’ Gérald Origer, Stibbe provides ‘commercial and pragmatic advice’ to various high-profile private equity sponsors including Investcorp and KKR on the Luxembourg structuring aspects of cross-border investments. Origer recently advised KKR on its acquisition of Airbus’ German-based Defence Electronics business. Claire-Marie Darnand has ‘excellent local law knowledge’ and is described by one client as ‘one of the leading private M&A individuals in the Luxembourg market’.

Headed by Frédéric Lemoine, Bonn & Schmitt regularly handles the corporate and finance aspects of private equity M&A. Clients include EQT and Capvis.

At Kleyr Grasso, the ‘excellent’ Rina Breininger and Jérôme Burel regularly act for TA Associates on its investments and exits including on its recent sale of Israel-based MIS Implants Technologies. Patrick Chantrain is also recommended.

LexField’s team head Aldric Grosjean is often involved in the structuring, acquisition and disposal of real estate portfolios.

Led by the ‘commercial and pragmatic’ Margaretha Wilkenhuysen on the corporate front and by Jean-Marc Groelly for tax issues, NautaDutilh regularly works alongside major international firms on the Luxembourg aspects of multi-jurisdictional matters as well as receiving direct instructions from an impressive roster of clients including Partners Group, Oaktree Capital and Alchemy Partners. Yoanna Stefanova has ‘a strong private equity focus’ and recently advised Argand Partners on the acquisition of Sigma Electric from Goldman Sachs Private Equity.