Investors & Corporate
Lawyer for investors and corporate transactions in Luxembourg
The firm advises investors, executives and family offices on the most structuring matters of the marketplace: holding companies and SOPARFIs, investment funds, mergers and acquisitions, private equity, wealth management and investor immigration.
Legal content reviewed by Maître Cora Maglo, Avocate à la Cour, Liste I du Barreau de Luxembourg depuis 2009.
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Immigration & residence
Structuring & holding
Investment funds
Investing, acquiring, structuring an estate or establishing a business in Luxembourg requires a precise interplay between company law, taxation, financial regulation and, often, immigration. The Luxembourg marketplace is attractive precisely because it offers flexible vehicles (SOPARFI, SPF, RAIF, SIF, SICAR) framed by demanding law.
Cerno Law Firm brings these competencies together for investors and businesses: a single point of entry to structure, secure and execute the transaction, in coordination with tax and financial advisers when the matter requires it. The firm is the investor's lawyer; it does not manage funds and is not a regulated service provider.
Who this practice is for
Whether you are a foreign investor, a fund, an executive, a family holding company or a family office, you are putting together a transaction in Luxembourg (acquisition, structuring, fund, establishment) and looking for a firm able to handle the entire legal chain.
Without coordination between corporate structuring, the investment vehicle and, where applicable, the residence permit, the transaction is weakened and loses effectiveness.
The risk of a fragmented approach
A poorly chosen vehicle, unbalanced investment documentation, insufficient substance in light of ATAD III, governance that becomes a source of deadlock, investor immigration poorly aligned with the structuring.
A transaction split among uncoordinated parties costs time, security and value.
How the firm intervenes
The firm structures the vehicle (SOPARFI, SPF, holding company), documents the transaction (M&A, shareholders' agreements, fundraising), supports funds (RAIF, SIF, SICAR) in coordination with the authorised AIFM, organises governance and, where needed, secures the immigration of the investor and their family.
Cerno is a law firm registered with the Luxembourg Bar: the digital tools serve only to simplify the collection of information, the assessment of the matter and the tracking of the steps; they never replace the lawyer's advice, which structures and negotiates each transaction.
Practice areas
When to call on the firm
- Structure an investment through a Luxembourg holding company or SOPARFI.
- Launch or document a fund (RAIF, SIF, SICAR) with an authorised AIFM.
- Carry out an acquisition (M&A), a fundraising or a build-up.
- Set up a family office and the protection of an estate.
- Obtain an investor residence permit and establish the operation.
Method
Our engagement process
- 1 Initial response within 48 hours
Understanding your situation
You set out your need through our secure form or during an initial discussion with the firm. We gather the essential information to quickly identify the issues, the risks and your objectives. Our digital tools serve only to organise this information.
A first clear view of your matter, with no wasted time.
- 2 Consultation within 72 hours
Legal analysis by the lawyer
Every matter is reviewed personally by Maître Cora Maglo, attorney at the Court. This analysis precisely characterises your situation, identifies the possible solutions and determines the strategy best suited to your interests.
Securing your approach before any action.
- 3 Quote within 24 hours after assessment
A clear proposal with no surprises
Before any intervention, you receive a detailed quote: scope of the engagement, planned steps, estimated timelines and applicable fees. No work is undertaken without your prior approval.
Deciding with full transparency.
- 4 Simple contract: 3 to 5 business days
Acting and defending your interests
The firm drafts, negotiates, advises or represents depending on the nature of the matter: contracts, companies, immigration, employment law, litigation or debt recovery. Every document and every strategy is developed under the responsibility of a lawyer registered with the Luxembourg Bar.
A legally sound and operational solution.
- 5
Follow-up through to resolution
You stay informed at every important step. The firm handles the follow-up of the procedures, answers your questions and delivers the documents or decisions, together with clear and actionable explanations.
Visibility, security and peace of mind through to the completion of your matter.
Documents required
- • Description of the transaction and the investment objectives
- • Intended holding structure and identity of the parties
- • Financial and valuation information where applicable
- • Immigration needs of the investor and their family where relevant
Deliverables
- • A documented structuring scheme and the vehicle put in place
- • Transaction documentation drafted and negotiated
- • Coordination of advisers and, where needed, an immigration file
Indicative timing
The structuring and the first documentation are delivered within a few business days; execution is scheduled according to the timetable of the transaction and the parties.
Stated fees
Consultation from 175 EUR excl. VAT; structuring and transaction documentation on a tailored quote depending on complexity. Everything is priced before any engagement.
Holding companies and structuring (SOPARFI, SPF)
The SOPARFI is the most common vehicle for holding participations; the SPF addresses the management of private wealth. The firm selects and puts in place the appropriate structure, with compliant substance.
Investment funds (RAIF, SIF, SICAR) and AIFM
Luxembourg offers flexible fund vehicles. The firm structures the fund and its documentation, in coordination with an authorised AIFM manager, a condition for several of these vehicles. Cerno does not present itself as an AIFM.
Mergers and acquisitions and transactions
Target acquisition, disposal, build-up, joint venture: the firm conducts due diligence, negotiates the SPA and organises the closing.
Private equity and venture capital
From the seed round to the LBO, the firm documents term sheets, investors' agreements and management packages, on the side of investors as well as executives.
Family office and wealth protection
The firm structures the holding and transmission of an international estate and supports family governance.
Investor immigration and relocation
The residence permit of the investor and their family is secured and aligned with the structuring of the transaction, for a coherent establishment.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Does Cerno manage investment funds?
No. Cerno is a law firm: it structures and documents vehicles and transactions. The regulated management of a fund falls to an authorised AIFM manager, with whom the firm works in coordination.
Does the firm handle both structuring and immigration?
Yes. That is the value of this practice: aligning corporate and wealth structuring with the investor's immigration, for a coherent operation and a single point of contact.
Which vehicle should I choose to invest in Luxembourg?
It depends on the objective: SOPARFI for participations, SPF for private wealth, RAIF/SIF/SICAR for a fund. The firm identifies the structure suited to your situation.
Do you work with my tax and financial advisers?
Yes. The firm coordinates the legal work with your tax and financial advisers, in Luxembourg and internationally.
Which profiles do you act for?
Foreign investors, funds, executives, family holding companies, family offices and businesses structuring a transaction in Luxembourg.
Is Cerno a software product or a platform?
No. Cerno is a law firm registered with the Luxembourg Bar. The digital tools serve only to organise the information and the follow-up; the advice remains that of the lawyer.
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Free guide · PDF
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Choosing Cerno means choosing over 17 years of experience
- 2013
- independent firm
- 2009
- at the Bar since 2009
- 7
- working languages
- 100+
- companies & SOPARFI structured
- 200+
- visas & residence permits obtained
- 170
- client nationalities served
- 300+
- due diligence reviews conducted
Around twenty M&A transactions supported · one of the best visa approval rates in Luxembourg.
Since 2009, we devote our expertise to your satisfaction: more than 85% of our clients renew their trust in us.
Our work
Representative matters, anonymised
Typical examples of engagements handled by the firm, presented in an anonymised and illustrative manner. Each matter is handled and validated by a lawyer registered with the Luxembourg Bar.
A holding company and a residence permit, in a single process
Incorporation of a SOPARFI for a non-resident investor, combined with obtaining their residence permit. A single point of contact across both fronts.
Permit obtained in 6 weeksA similar matter? Companies & governanceFounders protected before the funding round
Structuring a shareholders’ agreement and governance for a young company with several founders, ahead of a funding round.
Shareholders’ agreement signed before the roundA similar matter? Debt recoveryA debt recovered across borders
Cross-border recovery of unpaid debts for an SME, through an order for payment and coordination with a foreign colleague.
Receivable recovered in full (100%)A similar matter? Employment lawAn executive defended before the Labour Tribunal
Supporting an executive in a contested dismissal, from strategy to representation at the hearing.
Case argued at the hearingA similar matter? ContractsA secured international distribution
Negotiating and securing an international framework distribution agreement, from liabilities through to the competent jurisdiction.
Competent jurisdiction securedA similar matter?Typical, anonymised examples, for illustration only. They do not prejudge the outcome of a matter, which depends on each situation.
Entrust my matter to the firmExpertise & authority
Ongoing review and analysis of Luxembourg and European case law
Avocate à la Cour, List I of the Luxembourg Bar since 2009
Trained at the London School of Economics, formerly at Clifford Chance and Bonn Steichen & Partners
Member of international networks: EILN, AEA, Cross Border Advisory Solutions
Every matter handled and approved by a lawyer admitted to the Bar
Support in 7 languages, clients of 170 nationalities
Testimonials
What our clients say
Had a consultation with Me Cora Maglo about my Luxembourg Blue Card application. She explained everything clearly: the process, timeline and documents I need, and helped me with my wife’s family reunification too. Honest and practical advice. I felt confident after talking to her.Farshid Pourlatifi
J’ai beaucoup apprécié le service de Maître Maglo : son sérieux, sa sympathie, son professionnalisme et sa disponibilité. Toujours répondu rapidement et clairement, avec des conseils pragmatiques, sans pousser à des procédures longues et coûteuses lorsqu’elles ne sont pas justifiées.Nathan Wirtzfeld
Super assistance and great support! Highly recommend. All my questions were answered, Cora and her team kept me updated all the time. I will definitely reach out to them next time for my residency.Tatiana
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The firm referenced and cited
Professional directories, business press and legal publications where Cerno Law Firm and Maître Cora Maglo are referenced.
Do you have a legal question in Luxembourg?
Describe your situation and receive an initial legal orientation and a fee estimate, before any engagement. Every request is reviewed by Maître Cora Maglo, attorney at the Court, List I of the Luxembourg Bar since 2009.