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HSF expands into Luxembourg
International law firm Herbert Smith Freehills has strengthened its private capital offering with the addition of a new office and three partners in Luxembourg.
Lauren Croft
Set to open in 2025 – and subject to approval by the Luxembourg Bar – Herbert Smith Freehills has strengthened its presence in Europe with a new office in Luxembourg, as well as the addition of three partners in the funds, M&A and tax teams within its corporate practice.
Joanna Pecenik Vergès d’Espagne, a funds lawyer, and Marc Tkatcheff, a private capital/M&A lawyer, will join the firm from A&O Shearman, where they are currently counsel, while tax lawyer Jean-Dominique Morelli will join from Maples & Calder, where he is a partner.
This move comes after HSF revealed its plans to merge with US-based firm Kramer Levin, creating a firm with more than 2,700 lawyers and over US$2 billion in revenue, and making it “the largest global law firm in Australia”, the firm said earlier this month.
Speaking about the new office, global co-head of corporate Mike Flockhart said: “Luxembourg is an attractive financial centre and a hub for fund and broader corporate groups operating across Europe. Having a presence there enables us to extend our European offering and provide greater support to our private capital clients on complex, cross-border deals. We are excited to have Joanna, Marc and Jean-Dominique on board with us at this pivotal moment for our firm.”
The firm has also been investing significantly in private capital in recent years, including 26 partner promotions and 13 lateral hires in the past two years, including Amit Jois in Sydney in October, as well as Jay Prasad, also based in Sydney, in September. HSF global CEO Justin D’Agostino said the new appointments would further bolster this area.
“Private capital is one of our key strategic growth areas,” he said.
“We are delighted to have Joanna, Marc and Jean-Dominique leading us in this important expansion of our platform and network – another milestone in our international growth plans, underpinned by a commitment to service clients wherever they operate.”
Lauren Croft
Lauren is a journalist at Lawyers Weekly and graduated with a Bachelor of Journalism from Macleay College. Prior to joining Lawyers Weekly, she worked as a trade journalist for media and travel industry publications and Travel Weekly. Originally born in England, Lauren enjoys trying new bars and restaurants, attending music festivals and travelling. She is also a keen snowboarder and pre-pandemic, spent a season living in a French ski resort.
