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.
In short
An investor structuring a transaction in Luxembourg must combine company law, the investment vehicle and, often, immigration. The firm advises on holding companies and SOPARFIs, funds (RAIF, SIF, SICAR), mergers and acquisitions, private equity, family offices and the investor residence permit, with a consultation from 175 € excl. VAT.
Responsible for legal content: Maître Cora Maglo, Avocate à la Cour, Liste I du Barreau de Luxembourg depuis 2009. · Applicable law: Luxembourg
Fees, timeframes, documents and deliverables
| Item | What to know |
|---|---|
| Fees | 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. |
| 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. |
| Documents required |
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| Deliverables |
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Where to start
What is your project?
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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 the anti-abuse rules, 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.
Start online
Start your case in under 5 minutes
A simple, transparent process supervised by a lawyer admitted to the Luxembourg Bar.
Today, most cases can be initiated entirely online. Our digital tools streamline administrative steps so the lawyer can focus on the legal analysis of your situation.
Step 1 of 5 · 3 to 5 minutes
Describe your need
Select your issue, answer a few simple questions and share your documents if needed.
What you get
- Initial qualification of the case
- List of useful documents
- Secure transmission
What reassures our clients
Confidentiality
Lawyer’s professional secrecy.
Speed
Start your case online 24/7.
Transparency
Fees communicated before engagement.
Expertise
Review by a lawyer of the Luxembourg Bar.
Simplicity
Under 5 minutes to open your case.
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.
Lawyer for investors and corporate transactions in Luxembourg: which documents should you prepare?
The firm usually asks for: (1) Description of the transaction and the investment objectives; (2) Intended holding structure and identity of the parties; (3) Financial and valuation information where applicable; (4) Immigration needs of the investor and their family where relevant. Further documents may be requested once your situation has been reviewed.
Lawyer for investors and corporate transactions in Luxembourg: what timeframes should you expect?
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.
Lawyer for investors and corporate transactions in Luxembourg: what does the firm’s support include?
The firm’s support usually includes: (1) A documented structuring scheme and the vehicle put in place; (2) Transaction documentation drafted and negotiated; (3) Coordination of advisers and, where needed, an immigration file. The exact scope is set out in the quote, before any engagement.
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Choosing Cerno means choosing over 17 years of experience
- 2013
- independent firm
- 2009
- at the Bar since 2009
- 4,7/5
- 80 Google reviewsRead reviews
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 French and English
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
They talk about us
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.
Why contact us?
- Response within 48 working hours
- Professional secrecy guaranteed
- Fees announced in advance
- A single dedicated lawyer
- Companies, investors and individuals
It only takes a few minutes to submit your matter.