Jean-Philippe Smeets is now a partner in Ashurst’s corporate team based in Luxembourg as part of the law firm’s strategy to invest in and expand its global corporate and M&A offering.

“I’m excited to join the Ashurst team,” said Smeets in a press release from the law firm on 9 February. “The firm’s global outlook, strength and expertise in the Luxembourg market and industry focus makes it a compelling platform for me to continue to build and expand my practice. I am eager to embrace the firm’s strong collaborative culture, and look forward to working with the team to continue to drive forward the growth of the Luxembourg office and wider global corporate and M&A practice.”

Smeets has over 20 years of experience in domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, private equity and commercial transactions under both Luxembourg and Belgian law. He previously held roles at Baker McKenzie Luxembourg, PWC Legal Luxembourg and MNKS.

“Since launching five years ago our Luxembourg practice has gone from strength to strength, and Jean-Philippe's arrival, which follows the promotion of Arnaud Julien, further boosts our growing platform.” said Antonios Nezeritis, managing partner of Luxembourg. “With the firm’s dedicated focus on financial services and real estate, Jean-Philippe's expertise is perfectly aligned, and enables us to expand our capabilities and respond to rising client demand.”

Ashurst has 31 offices in 18 countries. Its Luxembourg office, which opened in 2018, specialises in banks and private capital & funds.