Agefi Luxembourg - avril 2026

AGEFI Luxembourg 38 Avril 2026 Droit & Travail By Gabriela N GUYEN -G ROZA , Managing Partner and NamN GUYEN -G ROZA ,Partner,AmropLuxembourg L ateral partner hiring is less about legal expertise andmore about managing complex, often un- derestimated risks around business portability, cultural alignment, collaboration, and leadership impact. After hiring lateral partners, law firms are often disappointed by client porta- bility, cross-selling, integra- tion dynamics and professio- nal behaviours. A disciplined, insight-driven executive search approach adds value by rigorously testing these less visible dimensions, en- abling firms to make more grounded, stra- tegically sound hiring decisions. Lateral partner hiring is a slightly uncomfortable ne- cessityforlawfirms.Mostfirmswouldprefertogrow their own talent andpromote fromwithin. The reali- tiesofthemarket,however,oftenmakethatapproach insufficient.Whenafirmneedstobuildapracticethat doesnotyetexistinternally,orreplaceapracticeleader whohasleft,internalpipelinesdonotalwaysprovide the answer quickly enough. This is where lateral hiring comes in, and where trusted advisors doing executive search at its best, prove their value. Their value is not merely sourcing potential candidates, but ask the right questions on what thefirmis actuallybuying. The risk is not that a candidate lacks technical ability.At partner level, this is a given. The real risk lies in everything that sur- rounds it: business generation, the ability to integrate inthenewfirmandthecapacitytolead.Thesearethe key challenges, harder tomeasure and farmore con- sequential than legal skill alone. Why firms look outside, evenwhen theywould rather not There is still, in many partnerships, a strong cultural preference for internal promotion. This is normal. It feels safer and it rewards loyalty. It also reinforces a shared way of working. Similarly, hiring through knownnetworks(i.e.formercolleagues,clientrecom- mendations, alumni) can feel more controlled than running a full external search. These channels have limits, though. Internal pipelines do not always pro- ducetherightcapabilitiesattherightmoment.Build- ing a credible practice in a new area can take years. Entering a newmarket without an established local figure is slowanduncertain. Professionalnetworks,fortheirpart,tendtoreplicate what the firmalready knows. Similar profiles, simi- lar backgrounds and similar ways of thinking. That can be comfortable, but it is not always what the business requires. Lateral hiringfills gaps and intro- ducesnewcapabilitiesthatwouldotherwisetaketoo long to build. Technical expertise is never the issue One of the more persistent misconceptions in lateral hiring is that strong lawyerswill naturally succeed in a newfirm. Technical expertise is never the issue. It is a prerequisite, not a differentiator. What matters far more is whether the partner can function effectively in a different environment. Can they build, not just execute? Can they bring clients withthemandthengrowthebusiness?Cantheycon- nect into the broader network, rather than operating inasilo?Thesequestionscannotbeansweredthrough aCV. They require a different kindof assessment. Portability andBusinessDevelopment: what sits behind the numbers A partner’s book of business is usually the starting point for any discussion. Nevertheless, headline fig- ures can be misleading. What matters most is how thatrevenueisgeneratedandhowrealistictheporta- bility really is. Is it true origination or relationship in- heritance?Istheworktiedcloselytotheindividualor to the brand of their current firm? Are relationships deepandlongstandingormoretransactional?Hasthe partner demonstratedanability to attract newclients or mainly to service existing ones?Are revenues sta- ble, growing or quietlydeclining? Diggingintothesequestionsinastructuredwayisthe keyof any successful lateral partner recruitment.Not toundermine the candidate, but tobuildamore real- isticpicture ofwhatmight actually transfer andwhat might not. It is often in this gap between expectation and reality thatmishires begin. Cross-selling and referrals: the often overestimatedupside Firms frequently justify lateral hires not only on the basis of the partner’s own practice, but on what that practicemightgenerateforothers.Cross-sellingop- portunities and internal referrals are all part of the business case. They are also, more often than not, overestimated. Somepartners arenatural collab- orators. They introduce colleagues, share clients and actively look for ways to embed themselves within a wider offering. Others operate far more independently, even if they do not present themselves thatway initially. Understandingthisdistinctioniscrit- ical. Past behaviour is usually the best indicator. Has the partner worked across teams before? Do formercolleaguesdescribethemas openandinclusiveorprotectiveof their relationships? Do they see value in a broader network or simply a newstep in their own career? These are subtle points, but they make a significant difference once the partner joins. Cultural fit: the factor firms underestimate at their ownperil Ifthereisoneareawherelateralhiringmostoftengoes wrong, it is cultural fit. Lawfirms like to believe that culture is too intangi- ble, very hard to define and apprehend. That it is secondary to financial performance. In reality, it is often decisive. Differences in how partners collab- orate, handle tensions, how decisions are made, how credit is shared or how clients are managed can very quickly create friction. Howdo they typi- cally collaboratewith partners outside their imme- diate practice area? How do they approach cross-selling or joint client development? How do theyhandle conflicts or tensions betweenpartners? Howdo theyhandle differingviewpoints orwork- ing styles within a team? Apartnermoving fromahighly individualistic envi- ronmentintoamoreintegratedfirm(ortheopposite) may struggle, regardless of their technical ability or client portability. The firm needs to be clear about what they are looking for. Vague notions of “fit” are notenough.Whatmattersishowthefirmactuallyop- eratesdailyandwhetherthecandidate’sinstinctsalign with that reality. Leadership andmanagement: more than a by-product of seniority Another area that deserves closer scrutiny is leader- ship. Not all successful partners are effective leaders. Someareexceptionalindividualperformersbuthave limitedexperiencemanagingteamsorcontributingto firm-wide initiatives. Others play a more active role inmentoring, buildingpractices or shaping strategy. Asfirmsplacegreateremphasisoncollaborationand institutional strength, these qualities matter more. A lateral hire who cannot (or does not want to) engage beyondtheirownpracticemaystillgeneraterevenue, but they are unlikely to strengthen the firm in a broader sense. Executive search processes tend to explore this throughacombinationoftrackrecordandreputation. Howhasthepartnermotivatedanddevelopedjunior lawyers?Howaretheyperceivedinternally?Dothey influence others or operate largely independently? Howdo they address underperformance or difficult behaviorwithin their team? Again, the aim is not to find a perfect profile, but to understandwhat the firmis actually bringing in. Detecting and testing what is not immediately visible Perhaps the most important is also the least visible: pickinguponthingsthatdonotappearinformaldis- cussions. Why is the partner really considering a move? Are there internal dynamics at play in their current firm? Istheirpracticeasstableasitseems?Howaretheyre- gardedbypeers and clients? These insights rarely come from direct questioning. They emerge throughmarket conversations, pattern recognition and experience. They are also where muchof the real risk sits. The cost of getting it wrong When a lateral hire does not work out, the financial cost is usually the most obvious consequence. Inte- gration expenses and lost time add up quickly. But the less visible costs tend to be more damaging. In- ternal tensions buildwhen expectations are not met. Confidence in leadership decisions erodes. In some cases clients are affected through conflicts or simple disruption. None of this is inevitable. But it does un- derline the importance of approaching lateral hiring with genuine discipline and a willingness to chal- lenge assumptions. Amore grounded viewof executive search At itsmost useful, executive searchbrings adegreeof objectivityintoaprocessthatcanotherwisebedriven by optimismor urgency.Whendone properly, lead- ership assessments tools and onboarding programs can also mitigate risks. It does not eliminate risk. No process can. But it does make that risk more visible, moremeasurable and thereforemoremanageable. Thatmeanslookingbeyondtechnicalexpertise,ques- tioning revenue assumptions and paying proper at- tention to cultural fit. It alsomeans recognisingwhen a hire makes sense and when it does not, even if the profile looks attractive onpaper. In a market where lateral moves are both common andconsequential,thatkindofgroundedperspective is not a luxury. It is a necessity. Lateral Partner Hiring: Technical Excellence is Never the Issue L e ministre de l'Économie, des PME, de l'Énergie et du Tourisme, Lex Delles, a présenté le 25 mars 2026 le bilan de l'appel d'offres lancé en 2025 pour soutenir la décarbonation de l'in- dustrie manufacturière luxembour- geoise. Deux projets parmi les six retenus ont été illustrés par leurs respon- sables : Fabrice Marcotty et Ihsan Goksu pour Amer-Sil, ainsi qu’Adrien Villani pour Avery Dennison. Cette initiative s’inscrit dans la stratégie du minis- tère visant à accompagner concrètement les entre- prises industrielles dans leur transition énergétique, en particulier via l’électrification des procédés de production et la réduction des émissions de gaz à effet de serre. L’appel d’offres répondait également à un cadre temporaire européenmis enplace après l’agression russe contre l’Ukraine, afin de renforcer la résilience des entreprises et réduire la dépen- dance aux énergies fossiles. Ouvert du 22 août au 31 octobre 2025, l’appel ciblait les entreprises établies au Luxembourg et actives dans l’industrie manufacturière. Les projets éligi- bles devaient permettre une réduction d’au moins 40 % des émissions directes de gaz à effet de serre par rapport aux années 2020-2024, principalement grâce à l’électrificationdes procédés industriels. Un suivi annuel sera effectué pour vérifier la réduction réelle des émissions. Le budget total alloué s’élevait à 132,25 millions d’euros, sous formede subventions destinées à cou- vrir le déficit de financement des projets sur dix ans. Les projets ont été sélectionnés selon des cri- tères compétitifs, notamment le coût par tonne de CO₂ évitée sur dix ans. Septprojetsontétésoumis,etsixontétéretenuspour bénéficier dusoutien financier. Ensemble, cesprojets permettrontderéduire271.107tonnesdeCO₂surdix ans, soit une moyenne annuelle de 27.110,7 tonnes, l’équivalent d’environ 150.000 à 200.000 vols Luxem- bourg-Paris. Le montant total des subsides alloués par l’État s’élève à 102.217.515,72 euros, correspon- dant à un coût moyen de 377,04 euros par tonne de CO₂ évitée. Les six projets concernent les entreprises suivantes : -ArcelorMittalBissen&Bettembourg:galvanisation des fils alimentée à l’électricité au lieudugaznaturel. -Amer-Sil : productiondevapeur viaune chaudière hybride électrique/gaz. - Avery Dennison : électrification partielle du sé- chage d’une ligne d’enduction. - Goodyear Colmar-Berg : boilers électriques pour la production de vapeur. - Goodyear Dudelange : boilers électriques pour la production de vapeur. - Tarkett GDL : partie de la chaleur pour les revête- ments de sol produite par boiler électrique. LeministreLexDelles adéclaré : «Décarboner notre industrie, c’est lui permettre de rester compétitive, demoderniser ses procédés et de renforcer sa rési- lience dans un contexte de transition énergétique et technologique accélérée. Maintenir et moderni- ser notre base industrielle, c’est aussi renforcer notre autonomie stratégique et sécuriser les emplois de demain. » Les entreprises disposent d’un délai maximal de trois ans pour mettre en œuvre leurs projets, le soutien étant ajusté si les délais ne sont pas respec- tés, afin de lier l’aide publique à des résultats concrets et rapides. Le ministère de l’Économie réaffirme sa volonté de poursuivre et renforcer le soutien à la décarbona- tion, y compris pour les PME, via d’autres appels à projets et dispositifs ciblés, tels que les installations photovoltaïques de 30 à 200 kW, les bornes de rechargeACet pour camions, ainsi que les camions à zéro émission. Lenouveaucadreeuropéen,leCleanIndustrialDeal State Aid Framework (CISAF), sera mis en œuvre pour mieux répondre aux besoins des entreprises. Source : ministère de l’Économie Six projets luxembourgeois pour accélérer la décarbonation industrielle (de g. à dr.) n.c. ; Raphaël Vertommen, ministère de l’Économie ; Françoise Gaasch, ministère de l’Économie ; Lex Delles, ministre de l’Économie,desPME,del’ÉnergieetduTourisme;FabriceMarcotty,ManagingDirector,Amer-Sil;IhsanGoksu,ProductDevelopment and InnovationManager,Amer-Sil ;AdrienVillani, Director Digital Transformation and Lean Sigma,AveryDennison ©MECO