Jean Schaffner
Partner
Luxembourg
Jean Schaffner
Partner
Luxembourg
Contact Details
Jean heads the Luxembourg tax practice and has also previously been a member of Allen & Overy's global tax board, the firm-wide management body of our global Tax practice. He has extensive experience in advising institutional investors, private equity houses and alternative investment funds on cross-border investments all over Europe and abroad, including advising on the structuring of international acquisitions via Luxembourg regulated and non-regulated investment vehicles. He advises various international investment banks on tax structured finance schemes (including securitisations) and has expertise in EU tax and state aid matters.
Jean has more than 25 years of experience as a tax lawyer and has written several books on Luxembourg and international taxation.
He heads the scientific board of the Luxembourg chapter of the International Fiscal Association (IFA), is a member of the International Bar Association (IBA) and has served as a member of the Luxembourg Bar Council.
“Hailed by clients as ‘the best tax lawyer in Luxembourg’, Jean Schaffner is an experienced adviser for investment banks and private equity funds, assisting with a range of tax mandates. His recent work has included acting for corporations on state aid investigations, VAT and tax disputes. He also has an outstanding reputation for advice on the tax aspects of transactions.” Chambers & Partners
The ‘hardworking and efficient’ team at Allen & Overy Luxembourg leverages its M&A, tax, finance and investment funds expertise to provide ‘responsive’ and ‘relevant advice’ to an impressive roster of leading sponsor clients […] ‘pragmatic’ Jean Schaffner is a key name for tax structuring. Legal 500, 2018
Clients enthuse that the lawyers are "always available" and also value the team's "short response times, high quality, and helpful and creative approach to business development." Chambers Europe, 2017
Practice head Jean Schaffner advises many international investment banks on the tax structuring of finance schemes. He also has considerable experience of assisting institutional investors and private equity funds with cross-border investments. Clients offer glowing praise for his practicality: "His communication skills are very good. He explains things in a way that's easy to understand." Chambers Europe, 2016
Qualifications
Professional
Academic
Docteur en Droit (Ph.D), Luxembourg, 2012
HEC, Paris, 1991
DESS, International Taxation Law, University of Paris-Sud XI, 1991
Maîtrise, Political Science, University of Strasbourg, 1989
Maîtrise, Law, University of Strasbourg, 1989
Experience highlights
Advising McDonald’s in the preparation of the response to the EU Commission investigation regarding tax and state aid which was filed by the Luxembourg Ministry of Finance.
Advising on cross-border re-domiciliation of an international metal group.
Advising the Luxembourg steelmaker Ternium on the acquisition of thyssenkrupp Slab International and its wholly-owned subsidiary CSA Siderúrgica do Atlântico in Brazil, a steel slab producer with a steelmaking facility located in the state of Rio de Janeiro, with an annual production capacity of 5 million tons of high-end steel slabs, from thyssenKrupp AG. thyssenKrupp AG will assign to Ternium a two-million-ton per year agreement to supply slabs to thyssenkrupp’s former Calvert re-rolling facility in Alabama, U.S..
Advising Saham Group, Africa's leading multiservices group, on the merger of Bertelsmann's and Saham Group's CRM businesses. The two companies will each hold 50 percent of the shares in the new company, which will employ almost 48,000 employees in 25 countries in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas. The new company will generate an annual turnover of around EUR1.2 bn.
Qualifications
Professional
Academic
Docteur en Droit (Ph.D), Luxembourg, 2012
HEC, Paris, 1991
DESS, International Taxation Law, University of Paris-Sud XI, 1991
Maîtrise, Political Science, University of Strasbourg, 1989
Maîtrise, Law, University of Strasbourg, 1989
News & insights
Publications: 21 DECEMBER 2020
Luxembourg budget law for 2021 adopted
As announced in October, new tax measures are included in the Luxembourg budget law for 2021 which was adopted by the Luxembourg Parliament on 17 December 2020 (the Law). The Law will be published in…
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Publications: 20 OCTOBER 2020
Luxembourg government’s draft budget law for 2021
As announced by the Prime Minister last Tuesday, new tax measures are included in the Luxembourg government’s budget bill for fiscal year 2021 which has been submitted to the Parliament on 14 October…
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Publications: 14 JULY 2020
The Luxembourg law dated 18 June 2020 amends the FATCA and CRS legislations with effect from 1 January 2021.
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Publications: 18 MAY 2020
Podcast: State aid and transfer pricing: Fiat and Starbucks decisions
The European Commission has been using state aid law to challenge advance pricing agreements (APAs) given by some member states to multinationals over the last few years.
Read morePublished work
- Jean Schaffner (Head of editorial board) « Livre jubilaire de l’International Fiscal Association Luxembourg » Legitech 2018
- Jean Schaffner (2013) "How fixed is a permanent establishment?", Luxembourg Kluwer, 2013
- Jean Schaffner (2010) "General Principles of Luxembourg Taxation", Anthemis
- Jean Schaffner (co-author) (2009) "Dossiers Internationaux Luxembourg", 8th edition, Francis Lefebvre
- Jean Schaffner 1999 (1st edition), 2005 (2nd edition), 2013 (3rd edition) "Droit fiscal international (Luxembourg and international tax law issues)", Promoculture
Recognition
Highly Regarded
ITR / World Tax 2019
The ‘creative and practical’ Jean Schaffner is, according to one client, ‘the best tax lawyer in Luxembourg’.
Legal 500, 2016
Hailed by clients as 'the best tax lawyer in Luxembourg,' Jean Schaffner is an experienced adviser for investment banks and private equity funds, assisting with a range of tax mandates.
Chambers Europe, 2018
An outstanding reputation for advice on the tax aspects of transactions.
Chambers Europe, 2018
