Osborne Clarke opens second European office in a week

Osborne Clarke has opened its second European office in a week as the firm steps up its push into private markets and investment funds.

The firm launched in Luxembourg days after opening a new office in Frankfurt, giving it a presence in two major European financial centres.

Luxembourg is the world's second-largest investment fund domicile after the US and a major hub for private equity and cross-border investment structures.

The new office will advise on fund formation, private equity and M&A transactions, cross-border structuring and restructuring, and financing.

Building the team

The Luxembourg office will be led by partners Anne-Gaelle Delabye and Gerard Maitrejean, who both joined Osborne Clarke this month.

Delabye joins from offshore firm Ogier, where she was a partner in the investment funds team, and will lead Osborne Clarke's investment funds and regulatory group. Maitrejean, formerly head of corporate at CMS in Luxembourg, will lead the firm's corporate and M&A group.

Also joining as partners are Mathilde Ostertag, who will lead the Luxembourg tax practice, and Nicolas Mille, who will head banking and finance.

What they said

Delabye said Luxembourg was "far more than a fund domicile", describing it as a global centre for designing, launching and distributing investment strategies.

Maitrejean said the jurisdiction was a key destination for international sponsors looking to structure and deploy capital across Europe. “Pragmatic regulation, robust governance and financing mechanics help align interests, manage control and allocate returns,” he said.