Can you tell us about Van Campen Liem?

Van Campen Liem was founded in Amsterdam in 2012 through the spinoff of the entire private equity and M&A team of Baker McKenzie. The Luxembourg office opened shortly after that, in April 2013. For a firm whose strategy is focused on alternative funds and asset managers, there was no question about the Luxembourg office opening. Luxembourg complements the Netherlands perfectly: a lot of our clients appreciate us having both jurisdictions on offer, which enables to provide non-biased advice.

Where does the focus of the Luxembourg office lie?

The Luxembourg office consists of more than 25 lawyers within three core practices: funds and asset management, corporate and tax. The firm provides niche expertise to alternative asset managers and investors in the context of fund formation, fund review, corporate transactions and structuring, regulatory compliance, financial law and international tax structuring. 2019 has been and continues to be a year full of changes, with the firm growing significantly in Luxembourg through the addition of a two partners’ team from Stibbe in the funds practice (with overall nine new members joining Van Campen Liem’s funds practice this year) and one partner (from White & Case) and four lawyers joining the corporate practice this year. 

How have you positioned yourselves in the Luxembourg market? 

We are one of only few Luxembourg boutique alternative asset management firms. All our practices share the same vision and strategy: to be the single point of contact for asset managers and investors in the alternative asset space. With our client-focused, cross-practice approach, we are a one-stop shop that offers a 360-degree vision of all corporate, tax, regulatory and transactional work involved in the setup and operation of alternative fund or asset management firms.

You describe yourselves as a firm with a boutique spirit. What does this mean exactly?

We are eager to develop long-term, personal relationships with our clients, whilst remaining a relatively small firm with a startup spirit, where partners work hands-on alongside their teams. Our target clients typically look for tailor-made, individualised services with a personal touch and we treasure those relationships – we put more emphasis on the trusted adviser relationship than on numbers. A large part of our clients is comprised of smaller venture capital firms or so-called first-time teams looking to launch their asset management business. Our clients like the availability of senior lawyers and our entrepreneurial spirit, which is a trait we share with them. Additionally, we have a very low staff turnover, which also facilitates this longstanding, direct contact with our clients.

What’s on your horizon for the future?

Our aim is to keep doing what we do well, both in Luxembourg and Amsterdam. We’re not looking to grow in terms of numbers and locations, but rather in a gradual way that matches our philosophy. In this respect, the growth of our firm this year was rather exceptional. We want to carry on offering the quality advice, experience and sophistication of a large firm with the intimacy, in-depth knowledge and personal attention of a boutique firm – because this is what makes us truly stand out in Luxembourg and beyond.

The partners

Christophe Balthazard

Raffaele Gargiulo

Renaud Graas

Jérémy Muszkatblit

Aldo Schuurman

William Tanguy

Olivier Wuidar

Marcello Distaso

Andrew De Vries

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