Osborne Clarke has opened two offices in the space of a week, launching in Luxembourg today (3 September) after opening in Frankfurt on Tuesday, with a spokesperson telling LB that ‘international expansion is a priority’ for the firm.
The openings take Osborne Clarke, which operates as a Swiss verein, to 26 international offices.
The firm has hired a four-partner team to launch its Luxembourg office.
Anne-Gaelle Delabye joins from Ogier to lead the Luxembourg investment funds and regulatory group, while Gerard Maitrejean, formerly head of corporate at CMS Luxembourg, will head the corporate and M&A team. Both joined as partners on 1 September and will co-manage the new office.
The Luxembourg team will also include partner Mathilde Ostertag, who joined from continental firm AKD and will lead the Luxembourg tax group, and finance partner Nicolas Mille, who joined from local firm VDB Law and will head up the Luxembourg banking and finance team.
The office will advise on fund formation, private equity and M&A transactions, cross-border structuring and restructuring, and financing, with the firm positioning Luxembourg as a hub for its wider European private equity, private credit and alternative investments offering.
Osborne Clarke said the launch responds to ‘growing client demand for joined-up support on private equity and credit investments across Europe, the UK, the US and Asia.’
The Luxembourg launch follows Osborne Clarke’s opening in Frankfurt on 1 September, bringing its German presence to five offices alongside Munich, Cologne, Berlin and Hamburg.
The Frankfurt launch marks 25 years since the firm first established a presence in Germany, opening in Cologne in 2001.
The Frankfurt office will advise on small and mid-cap private equity and M&A transactions, as well as acquisition and corporate financings. Osborne Clarke hired White & Case local partner Johannes Goossens to launch the office. Goossens has joined as a partner and specialises in PE and M&A, with a particular focus on the technology and financial sectors.
The firm has said it plans to develop Frankfurt in two phases. Initially, it will build a focused team of up to 20 lawyers, supported by additional partners from across its German offices. In the longer term it plans ‘a significantly larger expansion.’
