The founding partners of the Luxembourg office of Pinsent Masons, from left to right: Yann Payen, Michel Bulach, Giuseppe Cafiero, Isabelle Charlier, David Maria and Éric Perru. (Photo: Romain Gamba/Maison Moderne)

The founding partners of the Luxembourg office of Pinsent Masons, from left to right: Yann Payen, Michel Bulach, Giuseppe Cafiero, Isabelle Charlier, David Maria and Éric Perru. (Photo: Romain Gamba/Maison Moderne)

International law firm Pinsent Masons opened an office in Luxembourg on 1 July, integrating a large part of local firm Wildgen and with a focus on the financial sector.

Luxembourg on Friday became the seventh office in continental Europe of the full service firm Pinsent Masons. The firm has has 26 offices in total, including in Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and Africa. Its presence in the US market is achieved through collaborations with third-party partner firms.

“The partners of the two firms had been working together regularly for several years on various matters and when Pinsent Masons’ intention to set up an office in Luxembourg became apparent, we explored this option with the partners and associates and ultimately realised this opening,” said  partner at Pinsent Masons and managing partner of the new local office.

The financial sector at the forefront

This opening is in line with the desire of the London-based integrated law firm, founded in 1769, to continue its international expansion by exploiting the specific dynamics of each jurisdiction. In Luxembourg, the financial centre and the fund industry in particular are a logical priority, especially for the firm’s existing clients in Ireland, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, France and the UK.

“Financial services is one of the five pillars on which the firm is built. The partners and teams in Luxembourg will primarily focus their services on this pillar,” said Bulach. “The strategy of Pinsent Masons is set at a global level. The same goes for the definition of services, which are then adapted locally, according to the specificities and, in our case, the history of the office, which will have the necessary latitude to manage its day-to-day activities.”

In addition to the financial sphere, Pinsent Masons covers the sectors of infrastructure, real estate, energy and technology industries, which it identifies as global (83% of its revenues). “We will also intervene in other areas depending on the dimensions of the country’s activity,” added Bulach.

Evolution of local landscape

The creation of the office is a continuation of the history of Wildgen, which would have celebrated its 100th birthday in 2023. “We are not starting from scratch, far from it. From day one, this Pinsent Masons office has been fully operational with a knowledge of the market and an existing culture,” said Bulach. Some of the partners and associates wanted to start a new professional project in the context of this change.

The arrival of this new name is bound to be of interest to a market that has seen several episodes of local firms joining forces with big foreign names since the early 2000s. At the same time, foreign firms have also created their own structure in Luxembourg, a sign of the constant and growing interest in the country.

“There will also always be room for independent firms catering to specific needs and clients and, at the same time, I am convinced that we will see a consolidation of medium-sized independent firms which, through their consolidations, will be able to maintain the role they currently play,” said Bulach.

Business ambitions and collective perspectives

For the team in place--some fifty people, including 16 lawyers--this announcement is synonymous with opportunities in terms of the cases handled and a stronger international orientation.

“Many of our employees are quite young and they are enthusiastic about the innovative elements and technological tools presented by Pinsent Masons,” said Bulach. “Our ambitions will gradually translate into organic growth of our teams, mainly in the fund area, with a focus on experienced profiles familiar with our clients’ home countries.”

Of the 10 partners at the beginning of the year, six ex-Wildgen partners make up the Pinsent Masons Luxembourg structure by joining the global firm: Bulach, Giuseppe Cafiero, Isabelle Charlier, , Yann Payen and Éric Perru.

Previously based in the London office of Wildgen, Mark Shaw is the seventh Luxembourg partner of Pinsent Masons. He will retain his position in the UK capital, but will join the offices of his new colleagues.

“This is a new step that I am looking forward to with great interest and excitement,” said Bulach. He joined Wildgen in 2000, was made a partner in 2005 and became a shareholder in 2009. “After half a career, it’s a new dimension that opens up, while preserving our culture, our way of doing things and working with our teams. We are marrying the two worlds.”

As for his new role, it will be to “enable all associates and partners to practice their profession and evolve in the best possible conditions while ensuring that our work is part of the global perspective of Pinsent Masons.”

The next step will be to publicise the new identity in the autumn, starting from a headquarters that will be retained, with a view over the valley. 

This story was first published in French on . It has been translated and edited for Delano.