Charles Russell Speechlys LLP — Luxembourg
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About
The firm: Charles Russell Speechlys is an international law firm with a focus on private capital, at the intersection of personal, family and business. The firm offers a broad range of skills and collective legal expertise and experience with an international outlook across the full spectrum of business and personal needs. The firm is built on trusted, personal relationships with clients, guiding them through their most pressing challenges and rewarding opportunities. Charles Russell Speechlys achieves this by getting to the heart of clients’ needs to bring them the best-fit solutions – based on years of experience, collective legal expertise and global reach. Being personally invested has made the firm a leader in the world of dynamic growth and family businesses, and among the world’s leading creators and owners of private wealth and their families. Major corporates and institutions benefit from their personalised approach as they embed themselves in the teams of their clients. Working alongside them and connecting them with the right people across the firm to help them excel in new opportunities. The firm is headquartered in London with offices across the UK, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. When working with individuals and businesses that operate in a single country or across borders, the firm will put together the perfect team – pulling from their sector and geographical expertise and partnerships with the best law firms across the world covering 200 legal jurisdictions. Located at the heart of Europe and founding member of the European Union, Luxembourg benefits from a highly flexible and innovative legal and regulatory framework that makes it a leader in the world financial and banking industries. Our Luxembourg office concentrates on middle market and large corporate clients operating internationally, investment funds, private equity houses, large family offices, banks and other financial institutions, and specializes in tax planning and mergers and acquisitions. We have built our reputation on a strong practice in corporate M&A and restructuring, investment management, fintechs and tax planning aspects of international holding and financing structures. Investment management and funds: Lawyers in Luxembourg advise on the structuring, formation, distribution and on-going operation of various types of investment vehicles (AIF, RAIF, SIF, SICAR, UCI, UCITS, unregulated funds, securitisation vehicle) having all kind of investment strategies (from long only to inter alia private equity, real estate, hedge funds, SRI). Acting for a broad range of asset managers, our specialist funds, tax and regulatory lawyers combine their skills to deliver tailor-made solutions embracing all aspects of a project. This comprehensive service offering is supported by a large network, including the firm’s offices in the UK, Europe and the Middle East. We are active participants on several ALFI (Association Luxembourgeoise des Fonds d’Investissement) committees (including notably private equity, real estate and social responsible investment) and our lawyers regularly speak at industry conferences and seminars. Our team relies on their combined in-depth experience to deliver appropriate and timely solutions for your complex investment vehicle structuring. Corporate: Our corporate team deals with the full range of business transactions – structuring, financing, buying, selling, investments, governance, shareholders’ activism and compliance. We regularly advise on domestic and international corporate (re)structurings and (re)financings, (de)mergers and acquisitions (including distressed or insolvent targets), joint ventures, management incentive plans and corporate governance. We mainly act for private equity houses, family offices, high net worth individuals and management teams and have the capability to act on all stages of the life cycle from unregulated fund or company formation, to investment and ultimate exit. Members of the team have experience of working on the full range of private equity transactions from small cap to some of the largest deals. We also act for venture and growth capital investors, be they business angels, high net worth investors, venture capital or venture debt funders or providers of growth capital. Corporate tax: We assist our clients on all direct and indirect tax aspects, hand in hand with the corporate and investment management practices. We generally step in at the earliest stage of any investment project, from the choice of corporate and regulatory forms of holding to the determination of the most efficient financing instruments. We have experience and capacity to efficiently structure Luxembourg fund and corporate vehicles, not only for Luxembourg tax purposes, but also to minimise the tax effect in the investee jurisdictions (mainly withholding tax and related “beneficial ownership” issues as well as exit tax aspects). Where required, our structuring work takes into account the taxation factor of the investors in their own jurisdiction of residence with respect to the return derived from Luxembourg. We also advise on the structuring of advisory, management fees, promote and other management incentives. We advise on direct tax and VAT matters as well as registration, succession and donation taxes. Banking and finance: Our team advises on the whole range of domestic and cross-border financing transactions, structured finance and securitisations, Islamic finance, debt financing and insolvency and restructuring. Our banking and finance lawyers regularly advise banks, non-bank lenders, institutional investors, corporate borrowers, hedge funds as well as investment funds on Luxembourg and foreign secured and unsecured cross-border financings including leveraged acquisitions, asset finance, project finance, liquidity finance and debt issuances. ### Experience includes advising Lenders and obligors in acquisition finance, secured lending transactions, leveraged finance and assets finance (ships, aircrafts); - Major financial institutions in structured finance, ISDA/FBF arrangements; - Securitization companies formation and financing; and Debtors and creditors on non-contentious aspects of international insolvency and in relation to the restructuring or refinancing of existing structures. Other offices: Cheltenham, Doha, Dubai, Geneva, Guilford, Hong Kong, London, Manama, Paris, Singapore, Zurich. ### Staffing Figures - 5 Partners - 3 Principals - 15 Associates - 1 Trainee - 4 Members of staff
Practice areas
Lawyers in this office
Alexis Urbin-Choffray
Alexis is a principal in our Luxembourg tax team. He provides domestic and international tax assistance with a particular emphasis on private equity transactions, corporate reorganisations and investment fund structures. He focuses his practice on corporate tax matters notably in the context of corporate restructurings, holding and investment fund structure. Alexis accompanies a diverse range of clients including multinational companies, private equity firms and financial institutions on international and complex issues. · Corporate Tax
Clément Missey
Clément is an associate in our Luxembourg corporate team. He advises on a range of debt finance transactions with a particular focus on cross-border real estate finance, acquisition refinancing and corporate lending for international clients including private equity houses and family offices. He further assists clients on corporate (re)structuring and M&A transactions, corporate governance and joint venture agreements. · Debt Finance
David Córdova Flores
David is a Luxembourg tax advisor* with nearly two decades of experience in Luxembourg and international matters, guiding clients through complex international tax planning and structuring matters. David acts for a varied client base and his work spans a wide range of industries and sectors. David advises high net worth individuals, multinational groups and investment funds on the structuring and implementation of their holding and financing platforms. He also has particular expertise assisting clients from Spain and Latin America using Luxembourg as a hub to hold their assets and structure their investments. Ranked in Chambers & Partners for work in Private Wealth in 2021, 2022 and 2023. He is fluent in English, French and Spanish. *David is not a member of the Luxembourg Bar. · Tax Planning
Estelle Jeanvoine
Estelle is part of our Luxembourg tax team. She assists a diverse range of clients for international and domestic tax assistance, including asset managers, multinational companies, private equity firms and family offices. Estelle provides tax assistance in the context of cross-border transactions, corporate reorganisations and for structuring Luxembourg investment platforms. Before joining Charles Russell Speechlys in 2020, she worked as a trainee in the tax department of a prominent French bank in Luxembourg. She holds a Master II degree in “Business Law and Tax Law” and a Diplôme de Juriste Conseil d’Entreprise (DJCE) from the University of Lorraine, Nancy Law Faculty (France). Estelle speaks French and English. · Corporate Tax
Imran Moutaabbid
Imran is a Senior Associate in the Corporate & Capital Markets team of the Luxembourg office. He advises companies and private equity funds as well as other alternative investment vehicles. Prior to joining Charles Russell Speechlys, Imran worked for a member of the French National Assembly and practiced law in the Luxembourg office of a German law firm. Imran is admitted to practise in France and Luxembourg. Experience Advising and assisting an English private equity fund on the Luxembourg aspect of its acquisition of a majority stake in French and Dutch companies, part of a leading European hose and subsystem designer and manufacturer. Advising and assisting a Swiss investment company to set-up its Luxembourg securitisation vehicle, implement its note programme and its several underlying cross-border investments. Advising and assisting a Luxembourg investment fund on the conception and implementation of its management incentive plan. Advising and assisting a Luxembourg fleet management company to avoid insolvency, involving the exit of a majority shareholder and the restructuring of its debts. Advising and assisting a global venture-capital fund on the Luxembourg aspect of its legal reorganisation. · Corporate
Jean-Baptiste Beauvoir-Planson
Jean-Baptiste brings two decades of distinguished experience to his role in Corporate, Finance, and Capital Markets law. As the head of the Luxembourg Corporate & Capital Markets team, he leads a group of uniquely skilled professionals, ensuring a high level of training and coordination. His tenure in the Luxembourg legal market has been marked by adept handling of equity and debt offerings, as well as the management of complex corporate transactions, including takeovers and shareholder activism. Jean-Baptiste is particularly noted for his work with securitisation transactions and private debt offerings, where his analytical approach and attention to detail are instrumental. During his time as head of the Luxembourg office, Jean-Baptiste's leadership skills were brought to the fore. He continues to apply his strategic acumen as a member of the Firm’s Global Relationship Committee, focusing on international strategy and operations of the Firm. Jean-Baptiste is also committed to legal education, sharing his knowledge as a visiting scholar at ESCP Business School – Sup de Co Paris, among other institutions. His academic involvement demonstrates his dedication to nurturing the professional growth of the next generation of legal experts. With bar admissions in both France and Luxembourg, and an educational background that includes Columbia Law School, Jean-Baptiste's international legal experience is extensive. His active participation in the Luxembourg Capital Markets Association and his comprehensive legal practice underscore his commitment to providing high-quality legal services. · Corporate Law
Jorge Alemán Juárez
Before joining our Firm, Jorge worked at a large international law firm in Mexico, focusing on general corporate transactions, debt financing, project finance, M&A, and assisting in the development of large-scale international projects, primarily in the energy, infrastructure, and natural resources sectors. Jorge holds an LL.M. degree in International Business Law from Université Paris II-Panthéon-Assas and an LL.B. from Universidad Panamericana in Mexico. He is a native Spanish speaker and speaks English and French. In addition to his experience in Luxembourg, Jorge has relevant experience in the Latin American market and has advised clients on energy and infrastructure transactional and regulatory matters and compliance. Jorge is admitted to practise in Mexico. · Corporate
Phillip Basler-Gretić
Philip is Principal at the corporate department of the Luxembourg office. Philip’s practice areas are general corporate and financial transactions, with particular emphasis on cross-border restructurings and acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, cross-border financing and voluntary insolvency procedures. Philip regularly advises on complex international restructuring matters for multinational corporate, private equity and real estate clients in Europe, the United States and Asia. Prior to joining Charles Russell Speechlys in 2016, Philip worked in the corporate mainstream department at a magic circle law firm and two of the top 10 independent law firms in Luxembourg. Philip is fluent in German, French, English and Croatian. Philip is admitted to practise in Luxembourg. · Corporate Law
Tobias Niehl
Tobias heads the Financial Services Regulation and Funds practice in the Luxembourg office. His practice focuses on regulated and unregulated Luxembourg investment funds. With his team, Tobias assists clients on the structuring, formation, distribution, and ongoing operation of investment vehicles (inter alia RAIF, SIF, SICAR, Part II fund, securitisation vehicle) across a broad range of asset classes. Tobias also advises on regulatory matters applicable to investment funds and their managers (e.g., AIFMD, SFDR, PRIIPs and related legislation). Tobias has more than 20 years of experience in Luxembourg. He is a member of several working groups of the Luxembourg investment fund association (ALFI), including the “AIFMD review and developments” and “Debt Funds” working groups. Tobias is admitted to practise in Germany and Luxembourg. He is fluent in German, English and French. · Investment Funds
Victor Regnard
Victor’s practice focuses on cross-border restructurings, acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, cross-border financing and insolvency with a particular focus on unregulated funds, financing and other transactional activities. · Cross-Border Restructuring
Yacine Diallo
Yacine is the head of our Luxembourg office. He advises a broad client base on a wide range of tax matters. He provides Luxembourg direct and indirect tax assistance for private equity and real estate investment funds. Yacine also advises ultra-high-net-worth individuals, family offices and family backed multinational groups on the structuring of M&A, real estate and venture capital transactions as well as on multifaceted family governance and wealth planning topics. When advising international clients, Yacine often works as part of a cross-border team. Yacine is admitted to practice in Luxembourg. · Corporate Tax