Maëlle Hamma: What do you think of initiatives that focus on women?
: Anything that advances the representation of half the population in decision-making bodies is crucial. But it’s not enough to want to put women on the top step. Above all, we need to improve the career development of young women, adapt education and training so that their contributions and skills become visible and their appointment to decision-making bodies natural.
Are you in favour of quotas?
Personally, I’ve made a big U-turn. When I started my career, I was totally against it. Today, I’m radically in favour of quotas because they force decision-makers to ask themselves the right questions and not just say: ‘We don’t know any women.’ Men and women who say that to me, I just want to laugh in their faces. Quotas lead to professionalism in the selection of board members. This ultimately benefits the quality of the board’s decisions because it adds other sensibilities and skills to the boards. So I’m in favour of quotas. But it’s not just about sitting on a board. You need to be able to speak out, to be listened to, to feel empowered. To do that, you need three women on a board. That’s the minimum.
It’s a divisive issue. For many women, these quotas run counter to the principles of merit and competence...
It’s true that it’s divisive, but it’s enough to take women who have merit and skills. In that case, quotas are just a means of transition. Since quotas have been introduced in some countries, representation statistics have improved. As for skills, do you really believe that boards without women necessarily have the necessary skills? It’s presumptuous to say that quotas would work against merit and skills. I’m convinced that the opposite is just as true.
Do you think things are changing fast enough? How can we speed things up?
No, clearly, we’re not moving fast enough. I advocate a real awareness of the benefits of diversity, which many studies have already demonstrated. And we mustn’t confine these considerations to boards: they also apply to executive committees, managers and teams. Men and women decision-makers must take responsibility for their career advancement policies, for training in unconscious bias, for gender representation in the media and for the cultural narrative of companies.
What other levers could be used?
Formal and non-formal education and the visibility of role models are essential. Take books for small children, where the heroes are strong men while the heroines wait for their Prince Charming. In literature, women play a supporting or coveted role, or worse, are mistreated. Does this do justice to the abilities and the crucial role in transmitting culture that women play in our societies? To rebalance this image of women and men, we need to have the courage to address the issue clearly, with concrete action plans.
But it’s not enough to educate our girls to be capable and strong as well as beautiful and cute. We also need to enable our boys to remain capable and strong while accepting to be sensitive and collaborative, and allow them to develop skills and access roles often reserved for women.
I like to think of the three ‘Cs’ that are necessary for any innovation: conviction, commitment and courage.
In your sector, it seems that things have moved faster. In 2023, the bar association reported that 49% of lawyers were women and 51% were men. What has contributed to this?
Today, on the benches of law universities, there are many women, many more than those who are called to the bar. We are closer to 70% for the legal professions. But the statistics are misleading, because we are losing a lot of women who leave the bar for careers that are easier to reconcile with family life or more rewarding for their managerial skills. The surplus of women in the legal profession is undoubtedly a consequence of their under-representation in finance and Stem professions in general.
With a trio of women at the helm, the question of parity no longer seems to arise at Elvinger Hoss Prussen... How did you instil this spirit?
In the 1990s, the first female partner was Martine Elvinger, then me. So it wasn’t me initially who instilled this spirit, but the male partners at the time who put a strong emphasis on and admitted female partners and gave us their confidence and the platform to develop our careers. Subsequently, together, we were able to attract and retain extremely talented and committed young women lawyers who are now undisputed leaders in their fields alongside their male peers.
I’d like to pick up on the word ‘inspired’ that you used. I like to think of the three ‘Cs’ that are necessary for any innovation: conviction, commitment and courage. The men and women who make up our study have all three. On my own, I could never have done it.
Beyond quotas, are we going far enough on the political front, with measures to promote women’s careers, for example?
When I look at the percentage of women among our political or economic leaders, there is an obvious disproportion. If we look at the poverty line for women compared with that for men (I’m specifying the level of disposable income, not the level of pay per hour), we find the same disproportion. On the other hand, if we look at the statistics for victims of violence, we find women at the top of the list. So, yes, I think we need to do more, and one of the levers that is still often forgotten (in addition to education and performance indicators on diversity) is to tackle more resolutely the scourges of physical and moral violence against women and the consequences it can have on their careers.
What is your definition of feminism?
Feminism is the conviction that men are equal to women. So I’m very feminist, because I’m convinced that men are equal to women!
You are vice-president of the Red Cross. Why this commitment?
My involvement comes from a great lady, my mother. She was active in the local section. I came to the Red Cross through her commitment. I stayed because of the values and principles of the Red Cross. I’ve gone through all the levels of voluntary work, the collection, the parties, the Bazaar, the presidency of the local section... I’m still active in the local section, but has bravely taken over the presidency. I’m more active on the board, where I’m vice-president.
Bringing teams together is a thousand times more effective than being tough.
Do you think a woman prime minister would be a milestone?
Certainly, a tremendous milestone. A role model and a different vision. Not all countries are ready for it. Clearly, the United States is not.
What about Luxembourg?
The electorate seems to me to be ready. The question is: is the political class ready for it? After all, we have some very fine female career politicians, such as (DP), (LSAP), (déi Gréng) and Colette Flesch (DP), not to mention the current ministers, who have significant influence. They are all role models.
Men and women now run in pairs in elections. Is this a step forward?
I don’t know whether it’s for electoral reasons or out of conviction. It’s still rare for the only candidate to be a woman.
In your role, have you experienced any obstacles or challenges as a woman? Do you necessarily have to be more assertive?
I don’t like to talk about being tough. I’m very determined, but I wouldn’t call it tough. My strength lies in combining determination with collaboration. Bringing teams together is a thousand times more effective than being tough.
The firm celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2024. How do you maintain your leadership position in an increasingly competitive environment?
The quality of our services and the commitment of the men and women who make up our team are our greatest assets. The key for us is to have a comprehensive strategy and a client base to whom we must offer the best service, in addition to the best advice.
How do you do this?
By remaining agile and close to our customers and our teams. We have many professions, with a diversity of genders, profiles and practices that enable us to be fairly specialised and ultra-connected with each other so that we can work very effectively across the board internally. The professions within law firms are changing a lot. It’s a constant challenge to strike the right balance between legal advice, service and client support.
Do you have a specific example?
Yes, everything to do with artificial intelligence and IT tools is becoming increasingly important. But there are also all the professions that complement the consulting professions and that need to be integrated: change management, project management. Law firms are on the move, and it’s very exciting.
What do you see as the major challenges facing the firm and the marketplace?
Overregulation and being able to keep talking to each other to find pragmatic solutions. Being a small country allows us to be agile. Attracting and developing talent is obviously one of the biggest challenges.
How do you view the omnibus legislation, which is designed to reduce bureaucratic complexity and administrative constraints?
Sound regulation allows clients and prospects to develop their businesses, and hence the financial centre. It is this development that drives the growth of law firms. Regulation that is perceived as too restrictive or unreasonable puts the development of the marketplace at risk, and therefore also that of law firms.
Regulation that is perceived as too restrictive or unreasonable puts the development of the marketplace at risk.
You also spoke of the importance of ‘continuing to talk to each other to find pragmatic solutions,’ Has this ‘dialogue’ been lost?
I wouldn’t say that the dialogue has been lost, but it has become institutionalised. While in the 1980s the players were strongly motivated by the idea of helping the country and financial centre to progress; today the quest for profitability and certain political choices can sometimes take over. On the other hand, we remember that it’s the country and the marketplace that need to be developed, and that's why we try to support the other players. We are active within institutions such as Alfi, LFF, LPEA and many others, but also at the bar. We must not forget that we are lawyers. That’s why we are committed at the highest level to maintaining the quality of our work.
How many people are there in the firm today, and how do you define your strategy?
We passed the milestone of 500 in 2024. We have had an office in Hong Kong since 2012 and in Paris since 2023, and we have been working with our partner in New York since 2018. We only do Luxembourg law, and therefore promote Luxembourg in these jurisdictions, with a service around the globe, which always operates 24 hours a day, in this strategy of being as close as possible to clients, listening to them so that we can react promptly with quality work. And it’s not just when a client refers a case to us: we go further, we talk about what’s new in the market and how to develop the client’s strategy.
What are you particularly proud of in your career with the firm?
First, the quality of the advice we provide to our clients, through the empowerment of our partners, our lawyers and each member of the team. We attract the best legal experts who have a perfect command of regulations and who guide our clients and propose pragmatic solutions. Then there’s the quality of our team of legal professionals, without whom we wouldn’t be able to offer our clients the best possible service.
You also mentioned talent as a challenge in the legal profession. How do you assess the quality of the talent you want to recruit when the profession varies from one country to another?
Law is a field where skills are perhaps less easily exported than in IT, for example. We recruit at universities all over the world, to attract talent to Luxembourg by showing them the advantages of our professions and our financial centre. We encourage lawyers to become members of the Luxembourg bar, which gives them access to a range of additional training courses in Luxembourg law, and we also offer a lot of formal and non-formal in-house training. We are recognised in the market for this effort.
Doesn’t the fact that you’re an independent firm based in ‘little Luxembourg’ help to stand out from some of the behemoths with a global footprint?
The challenge is different, but an independent firm also offers many competitive advantages, and our independence and excellent reputation of over 60 years in the market remain major assets.
What has enabled this international expansion?
The firm’s founders, André Elvinger and Jean Hoss in 1964 and from 1974 onwards focussed on excellence in legal and tax work from the outset. We have maintained this strategy by focusing on the quality of client service and the personalised support of our teams. And we mustn’t forget that we have been a driving force in the development of the financial centre. I would remind you that we were advisers to the first Luxembourg investment fund as early as 1966, and that we worked with the government and the supervisory authorities on the first Luxembourg legislation on investment funds as early as 1983.
Mini bio
4 June 1965: Manou Hoss was born
1990: called to the Luxembourg Bar
2006: appointed managing partner of Elvinger Hoss Prussen
Inclusion
When it comes to the inclusion of women, Elvinger Hoss Prussen is a benchmark in Europe. Of the 500 people who work for the firm, 63% are women and 45% are partners. Within its ranks, the proportion of women is as follows: 73% of counsels, 58% of associate lawyers, 56% of senior lawyers and 72% of staff. The firm appointed its first female partner in 1992. Manou Hoss has been managing partner for more than 15 years.
Distinction
Among its most recent accolades, in February the firm was ranked among the best in Chambers Global 2025. The ranking is based on assessments conducted in interviews with clients and colleagues. Elvinger Hoss Prussen has been distinguished in particular in the investment funds, banking and finance, capital markets, corporate/M&A and international cross-border capabilities departments, and in the Fintech Guide 2025. In 2024, the firm was also ranked in the Legal 500 and IFLR 1,000.
This article was written in for the magazine, published on 26 February. The content of the magazine is produced exclusively for the magazine. It is published on the website as a contribution to the complete Paperjam archive. .
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