Pinsent Masons builds out its Luxembourg office with the hire of funds specialist Dr Jan Saalfrank LLM

Multinational law firm Pinsent Masons has hired partner Dr. Jan Saalfrank, LLM in its Luxembourg office. 

With an established funds practice, Jan will boost the firm’s financial services sector capabilities in Luxembourg joining the six-partner team on 1 February 2023. In addition, Jan will have a special focus on connecting the firms Luxembourg funds practice with Pinsent Masons multiple German and international offices.

Moving from Arendt & Medernach S.A. in Luxembourg, Jan specialises in advising international fund sponsors, investment managers and investors on all legal, corporate, transactional and regulatory matters across all asset classes of the alternative investment fund space (both regulated and unregulated AIFs), with a particular focus on real estate, private equity, debt and venture capital funds. 

Pinsent Masons’ Luxembourg office, which launched in July 2022 with an initial focus on the financial services sector, is the firm’s 7th office in Continental Europe enabling the firm to better support corporate and fund clients in Ireland, Germany, Luxembourg, Spain, the Netherlands, France and the UK. 

Office head at Pinsent Masons, Michel Bulach, said: “As a multinational professional services business with law at its core our Luxembourg capabilities enables us to strengthen the delivery of cross border legal services to a wider range of clients.

“As we focus on embedding our team, Jan’s international experience, dual-national qualification, technical ability and multi-jurisdictional expertise in delivering complex funds work will make a valuable contribution to driving forward our funds offering.” 

A dual German and Luxembourg-qualified lawyer, Jan also holds the title of Accredited Specialist in Commercial and Corporate Law (Fachanwalt für Handels- und Gesellschaftsrecht) and has practiced as a lawyer in multiple jurisdictions.

Commenting on his appointment, Jan said: “I look forward to joining Pinsent Masons’ highly regarded team and its unique purpose-led business. Luxembourg is an economic and trading centre of global importance and is the perfect base for international collaboration across the firm’s network. I am delighted to work with Michel, the wider Luxembourg team and the international Pinsent Masons colleagues to meet the ever evolving and complex client needs in a particular dynamic time in the funds industry.” 

Since its launch, the firm’s Luxembourg team has advised on a number of mandates including advising on: 

• Compose group (Coliving Factory), a company active in the real estate sector, on the Luxembourg legal aspects of the opening of its capital to the investment company JCDecaux Holding.
• Natural Gas Partners, a private equity firm that makes investments in oil and gas production, and oilfield service companies, on the restructuring of their investments.
• Systemiq Capital, a climate-tech VC fund, on the $70 million first close of its second fund, targeting $200 million to continue backing the best early-stage climate tech entrepreneurs.