DSM Avocats à la Cour is pleased to announce the following promotions: Mr. Jean-Philippe FRANCOIS as Partner, Ms. Héloïse CUCHE and Mr. Quentin MARTIN as Counsels, Ms. Mélissa CHITO and Mr. Gianluca LAERA as Senior Associates, and Ms. Tram TRAN as Jurist. Currently, DSM Avocats à la Cour has 6 partners, as well as 19 attorneys and 18 administrative team members.


Partner: Jean-Philippe FRANCOIS

For over 17 years, Jean-Philippe FRANÇOIS has advised daily on national and cross-border restructuring transactions for companies as well as international groups listed on regulated stock exchanges and private investors. His area of activity covers a wide range of legal issues associated with companies, more specifically M&A, demergers, recapitalisations, and more generally, all issues related to business law, at both the local and international level.

On the strength of his experience and recognised by his peers and clients in corporate law, Jean-Philippe FRANÇOIS has advised the firm’s client companies, certain of them for over 15 years, with respect to their daily issues but also with respect to more complex international transactions involving legal expertise in several jurisdictions.

His expertise has been recognised by the Legal500 2024 ranking, describing him as a “Key Lawyer” in Corporate M&A in Luxembourg. In 2022, IFLR1000 described him as “A phenomenally nice guy and a very capable lawyer”.

During his career, he has had the opportunity to practice in the legal department of an international conglomerate in Paris, give company law courses for the Luxembourg Chambre des Salariés and be a substitute teacher in commercial and financial law at the University of Lorraine. Holding a double Master II “Corporate lawyer” and “Strategic and legal management of companies” from ESAM (School of Management, Finance and law), and having received a Master II in private law and economy from the University of Reims, he participates in numerous conferences and webinars and, in that regard, on 7 May he hosted a webinar entitled “Mastering the key issues in approving annual and consolidated accounts as well as the distribution of dividends” (Maîtrisez les points clés de l’approbation des comptes annuels et consolidés ainsi que de la distribution de dividendes).


Counsels:

  • Héloïse CUCHE joined the firm in May of 2017 and advises in the context of fundraising transactions, intragroup financings, national and international M&A as well as the establishment and management of joint ventures. She also advises her clients in new technologies law (IT). Thanks to her experience with large international groups and investment funds, she advises the firm’s clients on complex structuring transactions in the EMEA region. Recognised in 2024 as a “Key Lawyer“ by Legal500 in Corporate M&A in Luxembourg, IFLR1000 described her in 2021 as “Very quick and responsive“. Beyond her legal practice, Héloïse is involved in several professional associations including the International Business Law Consortium (IBLC), where she is part of the “Future Leaders” initiative and the Luxembourg Business Angels Association (LBAN). Héloïse participates regularly in conferences, recently touching on subjects such as business transfers, and gives courses at the IUIL – Institut Universitaire International Luxembourg.
  • Quentin MARTIN joined the firm in July of 2018, and is Avocat à la Cour in the Real Estate and Construction, Commercial and Business Law, Administrative and Public Law, and Dispute Resolution departments. Recognised for his expertise in real estate law and the author of numerous publications in the field, Quentin mostly advises actors in construction (developers, entrepreneurs, insurers, landlords, investors, etc.) and public entities. He regularly advises in real estate disputes, on both the civil and administrative side, as well as large-scale real estate transactions. In 2024, his professional excellence was welcomed by Legal500 which distinguished him as a “Key Lawyer” in real estate law. Quentin holds a Master 2 in civil and criminal justice from the Catholic University of Louvain-la-Neuve, as well as a B.A. in law from the University of Namur.


Senior Associates:

  • Mélissa CHITO joined DSM Avocats à la Cour’s Dispute Resolution and Employment and Social Security Law departments in 2021. Ms. CHITO holds a Master 2 in cross-border business from the University of Lorraine, an LL.M. from the University of Trier and a Master 1 in corporate law from the University of Lorraine, as well as a double B.A. in law from the Metz Faculty of Law, Economy and Administration and the University of Sarre and a French-German legal studies certificate from the University of Sarre. She speaks French, German, English and Italian.
  • Gianluca LAERA joined the firm in 2018 and advises on Real Estate and Construction, Commercial and Business Law, Employment and Social Security Law, Banking and Financial Law, as well as EU & Competition Law. Mr. LAERA holds a Master 2 in banking and financial law from the Montpellier Faculty of Law and Political Science, a Master 1 in business law from the University of Strasbourg as well as a B.A. in private and business law from the University of Strasbourg. He speaks French, English, German, Italian and Luxembourgish.



Jurist: Tram TRAN

Ms. Tram TRAN joined DSM Avocats à la Cour in 2021. Prior to that she worked for a fiduciary and a Family Office. She holds a Master’s in media and communication law from the University of Toulouse, and a B.A. in international law from the Hô Chi Minh City University in Vietnam. She speaks French, English and Vietnamese.


About DSM Avocats à la Cour:

DSM Avocats à la Cour is an independent business law firm that advises its clients in Luxembourg and internationally. The firm’s 25 lawyers, of which 6 are partners, counsels businesses and their management in both advisory and dispute resolution capacities in numerous legal practice areas such as financial law, tax law, real estate law, M&A, employment law and digital law. DSM is a member of international networks of independent law firms and offers full-service business law services. DSM’s values for over 20 years: excellence, proximity, international, reactivity and availability.