Tax boutique Arsene lures teams away from Landwell, Taj

French boutique Arsene has raided the Paris offices of Landwell and Taj for two tax specialists and their teams.

Commenting on the hires, managing partner Frederic Donnedieu de Vabres explained that the firm responded to a "huge need from clients and the market".

Alain Recoules, who joins from Landwell with a team of four assistants, brings with him over 15 years of VAT and financial services experience.

Meanwhile, François Lugand, who joins from Taj with a team of two assistants, will head the property tax department.

Tax boutique Arsene, which was created in 2004 by former Andersen Legal partners De Vabres and Olivier Vergniolle, now comprises five partners and 20 assistants.

As first revealed by The Lawyer (26 September), Arsene, which is a founding member of Taxand, the alliance of tax boutiques, recently saw its managing partner elected to dual roles of chairman and board member at Taxand.

The firm plans to continue to grow and is therefore hoping to recruit some general corporate tax lawyers.