The Legal 500

‘Absolutely world class’, Bredin Prat ‘sets the benchmark for service’ in France. This ‘fully dedicated’ team brings ‘a breadth of experience, technical expertise and sound judgement that are rarely seen at other firms’. This independent French firm is the reference for strategic domestic and cross-border transactions. Recent highlights include advising GDF Suez on its business combination with International Power, and Rhodia on Solvay’s takeover bid. The practice fields 20 heavily involved partners who are able to litigate as needed. These include the ‘smart’ Patrick Dziewolski, who adds his ‘high tactical input’ in deals; Didier Martin; Sébastien Prat; Olivier Assant; Benjamin Kanovitch, who ‘always provides smart and efficient solutions’; and the ‘very reliable’ Matthieu Pouchepadass. The firm has US law capabilities through the ‘superb’ and ‘fiercely intelligent’ Kate Romain, who ‘always gives the right advice’.

Darrois Villey Maillot Brochier’s 12-partner group advises on top-end transactions and is outstanding for public tender offers involving potential litigation or complex securities matters. Clients praise the high level of partner involvement in deals. It recently handled high-profile work for Casino in Brazil and Thailand. It also acted for Hermès during LVMH’s unsolicited acquisition of a 20% stake in the company. This first-class team includes leading names Jean-Michel Darrois, Olivier Diaz, Alain Maillot, Emmanuel Brochier, Bertrand Cardi, Ben Burman and newly promoted partner Hugo Diener. Hervé Pisani joined Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP, while David Scemla founded a new boutique firm along with six colleagues.

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP is marked by the ‘outstanding technicality, business acumen and attention to details shown by each of its lawyers’. It is a prominent player in French deals and, increasingly, in the emerging markets. The practice advised Groupama on its possible acquisition of a minority interest in Premafin, and Lafarge on its joint venture with PLC. Pierre-Yves Chabert is exceptional, and Marie-Laurence Tibi, John Brinitzer, François Jonemann, Jean-Marie Ambrosi, Andrew Bernstein and Fabrice Baumgartner are also recommended.

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP is back among the market’s leading corporate firms following the recruitment of the highly respected Hervé Pisani, who joined from Darrois Villey Maillot Brochier to head the firm’s practice. Also recommended are Antoine Vignial, Patrick Bonvarlet, Jean-Claude Cotoni, Alan Mason and the ‘rigorous and very nice’ Fabrice Cohen. The 35-lawyer team advised General Mills on its purchase of a 51% stake in Yoplait, and Solvay on its acquisition of Rhodia.

Gide Loyrette Nouel A.A.R.P.I.’s 60-lawyer French practice is underpinned by the firm’s extensive network of offices internationally. In addition to French deals, the firm is also highly involved in transactions abroad, especially in Eastern Europe and China. In 2010 and 2011, it completed several strategic transactions for Areva, and recently advised it regarding the Kuwait Investment Authority’s investment in its share capital. The practice’s key partners are Youssef Djehane, Antoine Bonnasse, Christophe Eck, Didier Martin, Jean-Emmanuel Skovron, Serge Tatar, Jean-Marc Desaché and Guillaume Rougier-Brierre.

Linklaters LLP’s ‘excellent’ and ‘reliable’ team of 50 lawyers advises leading French companies and international corporations on strategic transactions, such as GDF Suez’s takeover of International Power. Practice head Fabrice de la Morandière is recommended along with Marc Loy, Thierry Riguet, Pierre Tourres, Bruno Derieux and Alain Garnier, who is praised for his ‘business acumen and willingness to find creative solutions to intricate problems’.

The ‘excellent’ Sullivan & Cromwell LLP handles high-end French and European transactions, and recently assisted EDF with its tender offer for the shares of EDF Energies Nouvelles. The key partners are Gauthier Blanluet, Richard Vilanova, Olivier de Vilmorin and William Torchiana and Dominique Bompoint, who is ‘an outstanding adviser for securities issues’.

Traditionally renowned for its finance practice, Allen & Overy LLP has quickly established itself as a heavyweight player in the French M&A market through a number of significant lateral hires including the recruitment of Marc Castagnède from Debevoise & Plimpton LLP in 2011. The 30-lawyer practice has particular strength in the energy, finance, health and property sectors. Highlights included advising General Electric on the acquisition of 90% of Converteam. Practice head Frédéric Moreau is recommended, as are Jean-Claude Rivalland and Marcus Billam.

Clifford Chance’s ‘extremely responsive’ and ‘business-oriented’ practice fields some 30 lawyers led by nine partners, most notably Thierry Schoen, Yves Wehrli, Gilles Lebreton, Laurent Schoenstein and Pierre Gromnicki. Mathieu Remy, who joined from Shearman & Sterling LLP, strengthened the firm’s existing practice in the banking sector. The Paris office is often involved in large cross-border deals as part of the firm’s global approach. It advised International Power on its combination with GDF Suez Energy International, and handled several transactions for Carrefour including assisting with the sale of its hypermarket business in Thailand.

Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP’s high-calibre group focuses on strategic transactions, and recently advised EDF on purchasing 50% of EDF Energies Nouvelles. Christophe Perchet, Arnaud Pérès, Andrés Gil and ‘rainmaker’ Georges Terrier are recommended. Jacques Naquet-Radiguet joined from Shearman & Sterling LLP.

De Pardieu Brocas Maffei A.A.R.P.I’s greatest strengths lie in the property, banking and insurance sectors. It advised Carrefour on distributing 25% of Carrefour Property’s equity to shareholders, and Oddo on the acquisition of Banque d’Orsay. The team’s key figures are Patrick Jaïs, Thierry Brocas, Guillaume Touttée and Jean-François Pourdieu, who shows a ‘persistent willingness in trying to find solutions’.

Orrick Rambaud Martel’s 12-partner practice acted on various high-profile matters in 2011, notably advising Rhodia’s board of directors on Solvay’s takeover bid. ‘Extra-sharp star partner’ Jean-Pierre Martel is recommended, as are Simon Charbit, whose technical ability and business acumen are highly regarded, and Alexis Marraud des Grottes. Arnaud Larrousse joined Bird & Bird.

August & Debouzy’s 25-lawyer team advises on major transactions in France and the Maghreb. It recently completed work for RATP and Compagnie des Alpes, and also assisted France Télécom with buying 49% of Dailymotion. Gilles August, Valéry Denoix de Saint Marc and Pierre Descheemaeker are recommended.

Brandford-Griffith & Associés’ ‘very good practice shows strong dedication’. It has extensive experience advising listed companies and handling complex or politically sensitive public offers, and defended Seloger.com against Axel Springer’s hostile offer. PPR and Crédit Agricole are also clients. Henri Brandford-Griffith ‘ranks among the top lawyers in town’, particularly for complex transactions, and Jérôme Brosset and Roland Poirier are also recommended.

CMS Bureau Francis Lefebvre shows ‘pragmatism’ and ‘flexibility’ on deals. It handles a high number of mid-cap deals and has capability to handle cross-border transactions through the CMS network. The team assisted Media Saturn with the sale of 34 stores to HTM. Philippe Rosenpick leads the 35-lawyer team, in which Jacques Isnard is also a key figure.

Debevoise & Plimpton LLP’s ‘great’, compact team fields well-regarded advisers in Pierre Clermontel, Antoine Kirry and Raman Bet-Mansour. Its cross-border capabilities and French and US expertise make the practice popular with CAC 40 companies including Air France-KLM, Alstom and PPR. It advised Lagardère on transferring to Hearst its foreign activities and subsidiaries pertaining to Elle magazines. Patrick Laporte joined Latham & Watkins.

Gibson Dunn’s 18-lawyer team ‘punches far above its weight’ and stands out for its ‘excellent client service’. It advised the Kuwait Investment Authority on Areva’s €600m capital increase and shareholders’ agreement with the Commissariat à l’énergie atomique (CEA) and the French state. Other clients include Canal+ and Vivendi. Bernard Grinspan shows an ‘innate understanding of business and human relationships’, Ariel Harroch is ‘a strong negotiator with a business-oriented approach’, and Benoît Fleury and Marie-Charlotte Trebuchet are also recommended.

Shearman & Sterling LLP has a following among banks, including key client Société Générale, and is also involved in deals in the technology sector. The practice has experience handling transactions in North Africa, and advised the Algerian government on its acquisition of Djezzy. Practice head Cyrille Niedzielski, Guillaume Isautier and John Madden are the key figures. Mathieu Remy and Jacques Naquet-Radiguet joined Clifford Chance and Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, respectively.

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP provides ‘top-class, smart, commercial and solid advice’. It has excellent international resources internationally, and its lawyers impress clients with ‘how incredibly fast they respond all around the globe and clock’. It recently advised PPR on the sale of Conforama. Scor, Renault and Capgemini are also clients. The four partners are Armand Grumberg, whose main assets are ‘his negotiation skills, speed and language skills’, and Christopher Baker, whose ‘technical knowledge’ impresses clients as well as Pierre Servan-Schreiber and Pascal Bine.

Weil, Gotshal & Manges is recommended for ‘strategic M&A deals and corporate issues’. It represents leading French and international corporations, and advised Sanofi on its acquisition of Genzyme. Practice head Claude Serra is ‘clearly one of the best French business lawyers’, and is recommended along with Arthur de Baudry d’Asson, Laurent Faugérolas and Agathe Soilleux, who has ‘exceptionally strong M&A expertise’.

Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP recently advised France Télécom on its joint venture with Deutsche Telekom, and its other clients include Arkema and Sanofi. Daniel Hurstel and the ‘very reliable’ Eduardo Fernandez are recommended, as is Cédric Hajage, who shows ‘strong expertise on deals’.

Ashurst LLP has a ‘very responsive, efficient and imaginative practice’ for domestic and cross-border transactions and corporate restructuring. Nicolas Barberis, Yann Gozal, Guy Benda and Bertrand Delaunay are key figures in the team, which serves private equity funds and various large corporations. It recently advised Veolia Water Solutions and Technologies on the sale of its activated carbon production business. Frédéric Pinet joined Desfilis & McGowan.

Baker & McKenzie SCP has a strong French client base, including Veolia, and Indian, Chinese and Japanese clients are increasingly turning to the firm. The group advised Veolia on the strategic merger of Veolia Transport with Transdev. Practice head Alyssa Gallot is recommended along with Alain Sauty de Chalon, David Haccoun, Bruno Bertrand and Raphaële François-Poncet, who advises on public M&A.

Dechert is a leading choice for deals in the pharmaceuticals and life sciences industry, although its experience is much broader and it is able to handle cross-border mandates. It advised France Télécom on reorganising its joint venture with Orascom in Egypt, and other key clients include Air Liquide. Alain Decombe heads the seven-partner team, which also includes François Hellot and the ‘excellent’ Ermine Bolot.

Franklin’s ‘very good and pragmatic’ practice produces ‘excellent work during negotiation and in writing’. It recently completed a significant transaction in the online gaming industry and is also highly active in the telecoms and cable sectors. Tyco Electronics and Numericable are regular clients. Yam Atallah heads the practice, which also includes Mark Richardson and Alexandre Marque, who shows ‘very good commercial sense and a down-to-earth approach’.

Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP’s ‘very responsive’ and ‘client-oriented’ practice is led by the ‘sharp’ and ‘business-minded’ Eric Cafritz. The 11-lawyer team represents French corporations such as Thales, which the firm advised on the merger of one of its subsidiaries with CMT Medical Technologies. Hedge funds also turn to the firm for French deals in France, and distressed M&A is another notable area of activity.

Ginestié Magellan Paley-Vincent’s nine-partner group provides ‘outstanding and highly personalised service’. It advised the founding partners of Seloger.com on Axel Springer’s public offer. Partouche and Hermès are also clients. The team includes Jacques Salès and Philippe Ginestié, ‘a 360° lawyer’ recommended for ‘extremely complex matters’.

Herbert Smith LLP completed a high number of deals in 2011, notably for a number of new major French clients who value the firm’s cross-border capabilities. It advised Casino on the acquisition of Carrefour assets in Thailand, and Infineon Technologies on the sale of its wireless business to Intel. The team’s four partners are Bruno Basuyaux Hubert Segain, Frédéric Grillier and Philippe Trosset, who are assisted by 15 associates and recently recruited of counsel Edouard Thomas, who joined from Sullivan & Cromwell LLP. Former practice head Jacques Buhart joined McDermott Will & Emery.

JeantetAssociés AARPI handles transactions in France and in Morocco, where it has opened an office. It recently assisted CalPERS and Strategic Investment on the acquisition of majority interest in an asset management firm Tobam. Philippe Portier, Yvon Dréano, Philippe Matignon and Valérie Tandeau de Marsac are recommended.

Sophie Hagège leads Jones Day’s 30-lawyer practice, which advises large French companies such as Rhodia and EDF Environment on acquisitions in France and abroad, notably in the US. The team advised Alcatel-Lucent on the sale of Genesys to Permira, and Hervé Castelnau’s arrival from Norton Rose LLP further enhances the firm’s telecoms and media expertise. It also has a strong client base in the biotechnology sector. Wesley Johnson, My Linh Vu-Grégoire, Gaël Saint Olive and Alexandre de Verdun are also recommended.

Latham & Watkins has a strong private equity practice and is also increasingly acting for corporate clients. It recently strengthened its corporate practice by hiring a five-lawyer team from Debevoise & Plimpton LLP, including the renowned Patrick Laporte and Pierre-Louis Cléro. Thomas Forschbach leads the practice, which also includes Nicolas Bombrun, Olivier du Mottay, Gaëtan Gianasso and François Mary. Recent highlights include advising Orange on its strategic partnership with Canal+.

Thanks to a new enlarged team of some 30 lawyers, Paul Hastings LLP was able to increase its deal flow in 2011. The firm mainly handles mid-cap transactions for listed clients such as Bull, Iliad and Publicis, and advised Ausy on investments in the group by CDC and Siparex. Aline Poncelet shows ‘high business acumen’, and is recommended along with Pascal de Moidrey, Edith Boucaya and Guillaume Kellner.

Salans is a major player in the healthcare sector, advising clients such as Stryker and Servier. Highlights included assisting Crédit Mutuel Arkéa with its purchase of a majority stake in CFCAL-Banque. Paul Morel chairs the practice, which also includes François Vignaud, Jean-Marc Grosperrin, Pascal Chadenet, Muriel Goldberg-Darmon and the ‘very proactive’ Olivier Genevois.

Veil Jourde represents many leading French companies and recently assisted Altran on the sale of its Brazilian subsidiaries. The practice is led by Jean Veil, Pierre Deval, François de Navailles, Géraud Saint Guilhem, André Dupont-Jubien and newly promoted partner Laurent Jobert.

White & Case LLP’s 50-lawyer practice, led by François Leloup and Philippe Sarrailhé, handles major cross-border transactions, notably in Morocco and Asia, for major French clients including Publicis. Eric Laplante advised France Télécom on its investment in Médi Télécom. The recruitment of Hugues Mathez from Gide Loyrette Nouel A.A.R.P.I. should help the firm to boost its French corporate client base.

Ayache Salama & Associés’ ‘very efficient’ team represents investment funds and several prominent French companies. It advised Galeries Lafayette on the acquisition of 1001 Listes from Télé-Shopping. Bernard Ayache and Olivier Tordjman lead the 17-lawyer practice.

Bersay & Associés ‘highly responsive’ 12-lawyer team advises French and international companies on mid-cap transactions. It acted for Gallimard on its acquisition of Sofedis from Bayard. Yves Ardaillou and Jérôme Bersay double as corporate advisers and litigators and are recommended for difficult transactions. Sandrine de Sousa is also recommended.

Cotty Vivant Marchisio & Lauzeral stands out for its ability to advise on transactional and contentious aspects of deals. It represents several major French clients such as Sofiproteol and Unigrains, which were advised on the sale of Serasem. The firm also advises many Asian clients, sourced through its offices in Tokyo and Singapore. The renowned Thierry Cotty, Fabrice Marchisio, Philippe Lauzeral, Frédéric Beccaria, Arthur Dethomas and Hyun Chul Cho lead the Paris team.

DLA Piper’s 14-lawyer group advises several CAC 40 companies on deals in France and abroad and also represents a large base of Anglophone clients. The practice’s three partners are Lionel Koehler-Magne; François Serres, who provides ‘very good attention to clients’ and often deals with transactions involving the US; and Anne Maréchal, who handles M&A and capital markets transactions.

Foucaud Tchekhoff Pochet & Associés’ ‘really responsive and business-oriented’ team is led by Nathalie Younan and Bruno Robin. The firm is recommended for mid-cap transactions, and serves several listed French industrial companies.

Morgan Lewis is ‘recommended for small to mid-sized deals’, and notably has a good understanding of the defence sector. Jean Leygonie, Pierre-Antoine Dubecq and Anne Tolila are the key partners, along with Roland Montfort, who stands out for his ‘excellent business judgement; he understands how to get a deal done’.

After losing most of its team in 2011, Norton Rose LLP rebuilt its practice by recruiting highly rated public M&A expert Stéphane Sabatier from Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, as well as Jon Harry from Hogan Lovells (Paris) LLP. Alain Malek also remains part of the team, and leads a very active practice in the Maghreb region. Highlights for the practice included assisting BMW on the acquisition of ING Car Lease.

Racine is a good choice for mid-cap transactions, and recently advised HTM on its acquisition of Saturn’s French businesses. Bruno Cavalié, Jean-Christophe Beaury, Mélanie Coiraton-Mavré and Luc Pons are the key individuals.

SJ Berwin’s M&A activity is partly driven by the firm’s thriving private equity practice but it is also building a corporate client base with names such as Elior and Puig. It advised Barclays Private Equity and Converteam on the sale of Converteam. Maxence Bloch and Christophe Digoy co-head the team, which also includes Thomas Maitrejean and Etienne Boursican.

UGGC & Associés’ eight-partner group includes Jean-Jacques Uettwiller, Jean-François Canat and Ali Bougrine. The firm advises its loyal client base of industrial and family groups on small and mid-cap transactions. The practice acted for Bongrain during its acquisition of Italian milk producer Ferrari.

Viguié Schmidt Peltier Juvigny’s Yves Schmidt, Nicolas Viguié and Frédéric Peltier are highly regarded lawyers for contentious and non-contentious matters. The firm is highly regarded for complex transactions.