A multidisciplinary practice, grounded in Luxembourg Law, economics, mediation, compliance — a multidisciplinary approach in Luxembourg
An Attorney at Law at the Luxembourg Bar, Me Vella combines legal rigour with hands-on knowledge of the financial sector. After more than fifteen years in banking, including over ten as Head of Compliance, she founded Étude Vella in 2015. A lawyer and economist by training, she approaches every case from every angle (legal, regulatory and operational) to build a comprehensive strategy tailored to each client's stakes. Trained in mediation at the CMCC, she uses it as a genuine negotiation tool, seeking the most effective solution — both at the negotiating table and before the courts.
Academic and professional background
- UCLOUVAIN
Master's degree in Economics
Université catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain), Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.
- LUXEMBOURG
Bachelor's & Master's in European Banking Law
Université du Luxembourg.
- 10+ YEARS
Head of Compliance
Across several financial institutions in Luxembourg's financial centre, before moving to the Bar.
- 2015
Founding of Étude Vella
After several years within a Luxembourg law firm, in the litigation and business law department.
- CMCC
Mediator training — CMCC
Mediator training completed at the Centre de Médiation Civile et Commerciale du Luxembourg (Luxembourg Civil and Commercial Mediation Centre) — skills directly useful in handling complex cases and conducting negotiations.
- FORMER ROLE
Trainer — IFBL (House of Training)
AML/CTF and banking ethics rules, at the Institut de Formation Bancaire du Luxembourg.
- CURRENT
Trainer — LC Académie
Accredited training in AML/CTF and professional obligations for lawyers and financial sector professionals.
A distinctive perspective on your case
Each stage of this journey built on the one before rather than replacing it. The result is not a stack of diplomas, but a unique and pragmatic way of approaching a case — always starting from the same point: what is the client's real stake, beyond the legal question alone?
Economics
Reading a balance sheet, assessing a risk, understanding what a decision really costs — even before framing it in legal terms.
Law & Compliance
The legal framework, and ten years experienced from inside a financial institution: knowing what a regulator truly expects, not just what a text provides for.
Mediation
Mediation brings the keys to constructive dialogue and a truly effective negotiation tool: looking beyond what is legally winnable to what is genuinely negotiable — and therefore what resolves a conflict faster, at lower cost, and for good.
Three principles, not a slogan
Straight talk
From the very first conversation, you know what the case will cost, how long it will take, and what your real room for manoeuvre is.
Direct availability
No delegation to a junior associate: Me Vella remains your point of contact from the first day of the case to the last.
Financial overview
Every legal recommendation is checked against its economic soundness — a reflex inherited from fifteen years in finance.
« Usque ad finem. »
To the very end — the motto of Étude Vella