Corporate & Business Law · European Union
Design a Corporate Structure That Serves Your Business, Not the Other Way Round
The right group, holding and ownership structure can protect assets, reduce friction and support growth — the wrong one is costly to unwind. We match you, free of charge, with a vetted lawyer who designs corporate structures in your country every day.
- 155+ legal services, 14 practice areas
- Lawyers across the EU & EEA
- No fee to get matched
No commitment. No hidden fees.
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Tell us about your situation and receive a free, confidential case review.
Who this is for
Structure is a strategy decision, not just paperwork
Corporate structuring is the design of how a business and its owners are organised across legal entities — whether that means a holding company above an operating company, a group of subsidiaries across several countries, or a founder deciding how to hold shares for investment or succession. The structure determines where profit is earned, how liability and assets are separated, how easily you can bring in investors, sell or pass it on, and how much administrative and tax burden you carry across jurisdictions. Because company law, tax and disclosure rules differ across Europe, a structure efficient in one country can be inefficient or problematic in another. Restructuring later is usually more expensive than designing it well at the outset. A corporate-structuring lawyer maps your goals — ownership, growth, risk, exit — and designs an entity arrangement that supports them, then implements it correctly across the relevant jurisdictions.
Why structures underperform
A structure built for today rarely survives
investment, expansion or succession.
What worked when you started — a single company, informal holdings — often becomes a liability once you raise money, hire abroad or plan an exit.
Assets and risk not separated
Running the business and holding its valuable assets — property, IP — in the same entity exposes everything to the trading company’s risks. Separating them is a common reason to restructure, and harder to do later.
Not ready for investors or exit
Investors expect a clean, understandable ownership structure. Mixed personal and business assets, or a tangled group, can delay or derail funding and complicate any sale.
Cross-border tax and compliance drift
Operating through entities in several countries without a deliberate group design can create unintended tax exposure and duplicate reporting. The cost of unravelling this grows over time.
What you get
A corporate structuring lawyer who designs for your goals
We only match you with lawyers who design and implement corporate structures, so the arrangement fits your objectives rather than defaulting to habit.
Structure designed to your goals
Your lawyer maps your ownership, growth, risk and exit plans, then designs a group and holding arrangement that supports them — not a generic template.
Asset & liability protection
Operating and asset-holding entities are separated carefully where it makes sense, shielding your valuable assets from the trading risks while keeping the overall structure practical.
Investor & exit readiness
The structure is built clean and understandable, so it stands up to due diligence and does not become an obstacle when you raise funding or sell.
Cross-border coordination
Where entities span several countries, your lawyer coordinates all the corporate, tax and compliance steps so the structure works across jurisdictions rather than against them.
Coverage
Corporate structuring lawyers across Europe
Company law, tax and disclosure rules are set nationally, so the right lawyer is one who practises in the country or countries where your entities are based. We match cases across the following countries and beyond:
Frequently asked
Corporate structuring — common questions
What is a holding company and do I need one?
A holding company is an entity that owns shares or assets rather than trading itself. It can help separate valuable assets from trading risk, centralise ownership and manage dividends tax-efficiently in some countries. Whether it benefits you depends on your goals — a lawyer will assess it against your situation.
When should I restructure my business?
Common triggers include raising investment, expanding into a new country, acquiring or separating assets, bringing in partners, or planning succession or a sale. Restructuring earlier is generally cheaper and easier than unpicking a structure that has grown informally over years.
Can a corporate structure reduce my tax burden?
A well-designed structure can be tax-efficient, but it must have real commercial substance and comply with anti-avoidance rules across jurisdictions. A lawyer will design a structure that is lawful and defensible, not one that merely chases the lowest headline rate.
How does structure affect raising investment?
Investors expect a clean, understandable ownership structure with assets and liabilities clearly separated. A tangled or informal structure slows due diligence and can reduce valuation or derail a deal — structuring properly before you approach investors removes that friction.
What are the risks of a poorly structured group?
A poorly structured group can expose valuable assets to trading risk, create unintended tax exposure across countries, duplicate reporting, and complicate sales or succession. These problems compound over time and are more costly to fix the longer they are left.
Can I change my structure later if I get it wrong?
Yes, restructuring is possible, but it can trigger tax costs, transfer duties and administrative work, and the complexity grows with each added entity and country. Designing the structure well at the outset is almost always cheaper than correcting it later.
Free case review
Build a corporate structure that works for your goals
Tell us about your business and plans, and we’ll connect you with a structuring lawyer who designs corporate arrangements in your country daily — free of charge, with no obligation to hire.