Herbert Smith Freehills bolsters private capital offering with European expansion into Luxembourg and three partner hires

Note: The Herbert Smith Freehills office in Luxembourg officially opened in February 2025 following approval by the Luxembourg Bar.

Leading international law firm Herbert Smith Freehills is strengthening its private capital offering and its presence in Europe with the opening of an office in Luxembourg, alongside the hire of three partners in the funds, M&A and tax teams within its Corporate practice. 

The firm plans to open the Luxembourg office in early 2025, subject to approval by the Luxembourg Bar. 

Joanna Pecenik Vergès d'Espagne, a funds specialist, and Marc Tkatcheff, a private capital/M&A lawyer, will join the firm from A&O Shearman where they are currently Counsel while tax expert Jean-Dominique Morelli will join from Maples & Calder where he is a partner.  

This move is driven by Herbert Smith Freehills' commitment to further strengthen capability and quality in the world's key markets, offering unparalleled support for clients, and follows the firm's recent announcement of plans to combine* with Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel in the US. 

Justin D'Agostino, Global CEO, Herbert Smith Freehills, commented:  

"Private capital is one of our key strategic growth areas. We are delighted to have Joanna, Marc and Jean-Dominique leading us in this important expansion of our platform and network – another milestone in our international growth plans, underpinned by a commitment to service clients wherever they operate." 

Alison Brown, Executive Partner, EMEA, UK and US, Herbert Smith Freehills, said: 

“The key growth driver for us is investing in areas where our clients need us, building strong leading practices that excel in the relevant markets. Establishing a presence in Luxembourg and the hire of Joanna, Marc and Jean-Dominique, all highly regarded practitioners in the market, are testament to our strategic and targeted growth and continued commitment to the EMEA region.”  

Mike Flockhart, Global Co-head of Corporate, Herbert Smith Freehills, said:  

“Luxembourg is an attractive financial centre and a hub for fund and broader corporate groups operating across Europe. Having a presence there enables us to extend our European offering and provide greater support to our private capital clients on complex, cross-border deals. We are excited to have Joanna, Marc and Jean-Dominique on board with us at this pivotal moment for our firm.” 

The firm has been investing significantly in private capital in recent years, including 26 partner promotions and 13 lateral hires in the past two years. The lateral hires include Gregor Klenk and Fritz Kleweta (Frankfurt), Anthony Vasey and Benjamin Lohr (Hong Kong), Eleanor Shanks, Dylan Doran Kennett and Ambarish Dash (London), Sergio Cires (Madrid), Augusto Santoro (Milan), Laure Bonin (Paris) and Peiwen Chen (Singapore) Amit Jois and Jay Prasad (Sydney). 

Herbert Smith Freehills has approximately 400 fee earners, including 99 partners, across the EMEA region. 

* The proposed combination is subject to customary closing conditions, including a vote of the Partners of each of the respective firms.