VLO Law Firm works with individuals. The firm accepts instructions from private persons — not only from corporate entities, funds, or institutional buyers. Control over a company is not always exercised through a corporate structure. An individual shareholder, a beneficial owner, or a private buyer conducting pre-acquisition review has the same need to establish what official sources show — and the same right to know where those sources stop.
The angle of this page is control: who holds it, what the sources confirm about it, and what an individual can establish before committing to a transaction or a dispute.
Client type acceptedIndividuals and legal entities. No minimum transaction size is stated. Source: VLO Law Firm engagement policy · verified 2026-09-23 Coverage35 jurisdictions. Registry-layer analysis, ownership structure, filed financial statements, court and insolvency records. Source: VLO Law Firm service scope · verified 2026-09-23 Price tiersFixed prices are published per report type where the scope is defined in advance. Where price_tiers are not set for this page, price is communicated in response to a request. Ceiling of knowledgeThe limit of what official sources allow is stated before payment. No report promises a result beyond what the source discloses.Who submits instructions
Individual clients at VLO Law Firm include:
- Private buyers conducting pre-acquisition review of a target company
- Minority shareholders seeking to establish who controls the voting majority
- Beneficial owners verifying that their recorded position matches the registry
- Heirs and estate administrators confirming corporate assets in foreign jurisdictions
- Individuals named as directors or shareholders who need to verify what the public record shows about them
The firm does not require a corporate intermediary. An individual submits a request directly, identifies the object — a company, a registry entry, a filed document — and receives a factual report drawn from official sources.
What "working with individuals" means in practice
Instructions from an individual follow the same analytical process as instructions from a corporate client. The object of analysis is the company or registry entry, not the client's legal form.
An individual asking who controls a company in Germany receives the same registry extract from handelsregister.de as a fund asking the same question. The sources are official and public. What VLO Law Firm provides is the removed path: identification of the correct national identifier, navigation of the registry interface, extraction of filed documents, translation where required, and a structured report stating what the source shows and where it stops.
The firm does not conduct activities that fall under licensed investigation in any target jurisdiction. Analysis is drawn from official registers, filed corporate documents, and public court records.
Control: what the sources show for an individual client
When an individual needs to establish control over a company, the relevant sources depend on the jurisdiction. Across the 35 jurisdictions covered, the following layers are typically available from official sources:
| Layer | What it shows | Typical source type |
|---|---|---|
| Shareholders of record | Named shareholders and their registered holdings | Commercial or company registry |
| Directors and officers | Appointed directors, their term, and filing history | Commercial or company registry |
| Filed financial statements | Equity structure, related-party transactions, auditor notes | Registry or official gazette |
| Insolvency and enforcement | Pending or concluded proceedings | Insolvency register or court portal |
| UBO / beneficial ownership | Recorded beneficial owner, where the register is accessible | UBO or PSC register, jurisdiction-specific |
For each layer, the report states: what the source shows, the date of extraction, and the condition of access. Where a layer is not accessible — because the register is closed to foreign applicants, because the jurisdiction does not maintain it, or because the data is redacted — the report names that limit explicitly.
The limit of what the sources allow
Official sources show what has been filed and what access rules permit. They do not show what has not been disclosed, what was filed incorrectly, or what sits behind a nominee arrangement that has not been challenged.
Specific limits that apply across jurisdictions:
- UBO registers in EU member states are not uniformly open to public access following CJEU case law. Where a register is closed to foreign applicants without a demonstrated legitimate interest, the report states that limit and identifies the highest accessible layer of the ownership chain.
- A negative result in an insolvency register does not confirm the absence of a filed application. Processing delays and cross-border recognition gaps exist in every jurisdiction covered.
- Certain jurisdictions do not disclose the members of limited liability structures in the public registry. The report identifies the level at which the chain stops and the reason.
- Filed financial statements reflect what was submitted to the registry. They do not reflect transactions that occurred after the last filing date.
The ceiling of what the sources allow is stated before payment. An individual client receives that statement as part of the scope confirmation, before the report is commissioned.
Jurisdiction coverage for individual clients
VLO Law Firm covers 35 jurisdictions. The coverage is not segmented by client type. An individual verifying a company in Austria, Poland, the UAE, or Singapore accesses the same analytical scope as an institutional buyer.
The jurisdictions covered include common-law and civil-law systems, EU and non-EU registries, and jurisdictions where registry access requires a national identifier or a declaration of legitimate interest. Where such conditions apply, the firm navigates them as part of the engagement.
Individual clients frequently instruct reports on objects in multiple jurisdictions within a single transaction. The firm handles cross-jurisdictional scope under a single instruction.
FAQ
Does VLO Law Firm require a company to submit a request? No. Individuals submit requests directly. There is no requirement for a corporate intermediary or a local entity in the target jurisdiction.
Is there a minimum transaction size or asset threshold? No minimum transaction size is stated. The scope of the report — and its fixed price, where published — depends on the object and the tier selected, not on the size of the underlying transaction.
What does the report contain for an individual verifying a company? The report contains factual extracts from official sources: registry entries, filed documents, and public records. Each extract is dated and sourced. The report states what the source shows and where it stops. It does not contain legal advice or qualification of the facts established.
Can an individual request a report on a company where they are already a shareholder? Yes. Shareholders — including minority shareholders — frequently instruct reports to verify the current state of the registry, confirm that filed documents match their records, or establish who holds the controlling position.
What if the relevant register is not accessible to foreign applicants? The report states that limit explicitly. Where a register requires a national identifier, a declaration of legitimate interest, or in-country registration, the firm identifies the highest accessible layer and names the condition that blocks further access.
How long does a report take? Turnaround depends on the jurisdiction and the tier. Where registry access is electronic and documents are filed in a searchable format, standard turnaround is shorter. Where access requires a formal request or a paper submission, the timeline is longer. Estimated turnaround is confirmed at the scope stage, before the report is commissioned.
Sources:
VLO Law Firm service scope and engagement policy · verified 2026-09-23
Official registries referenced in reports are identified per jurisdiction at the scope stage. Registry names and official URLs are provided in the delivered report. No registry-specific tariff or fee is stated on this page; access conditions and costs are described in the relevant jurisdiction report.
Request this report
Disclaimer: This report is a factual compilation from official registers and public sources. It is provided for informational purposes only, does not constitute legal advice, and contains no legal qualification of the facts established. VLO Law Firm assumes no liability for actions taken or not taken based on this material. For advice regarding your particular situation, please contact info@vlolawfirm.com.
Author: Elena Moretti — Partner, Continental Europe, VLO Law Firm
