The Legal 500

Few firms can match Bredin Prat’s track record on high-profile public M&A transactions. But besides the credentials, what sets the firm apart in the market is its ‘special touch’, ‘responsiveness’, ‘commitment’ and ‘very commercial’ approach. The firm ‘always delivers an outstanding level of service’, while its first-class expertise in litigation is another asset to the practice. The team is made up of 20 partners with Patrick Dziewolski, Didier Martin, the ‘outstanding’ Sébastien Prat, Olivier Assant and Benjamin Kanovitch ranking among the market’s finest corporate lawyers. Newly promoted partner and French and American-qualified Kate Romain also deserves mention. Highlights included advising the French State on the sale of Areva T&D business to Alstom-Schneider, and Honeywell on its acquisition of Sperian Protection.

With its top-heavy model (12 partners for 13 associates), Darrois Villey Maillot Brochier remains at the top of its game even in a difficult market. The firm further boosted its practice by attracting Bertrand Cardi, one of Linklaters LLP’s former young star partners. The team includes several of France’s leading corporate lawyers in Jean-Michel Darrois, Philippe Villey, Alain Maillot, Emmanuel Brochier, Hervé Pisani, Olivier Diaz and dual-qualified Ben Burman. The firm is systematically instructed on the most strategic deals in France, recently assisting Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations on the merger of Veolia Transport with Transdev, and Alstom on its joint acquisition of Areva’s T&D business.

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP is an ‘outstanding’ firm for high-profile and complex M&A transactions which are handled by ‘very technical lawyers’. The team includes some of the market’s most respected corporate advisors in the ‘very commercial’ Pierre-Yves Chabert, John Brinitzer, François Jonemann, Jean-Marie Ambrosi and Andrew Bernstein. The firm assisted Veolia on Veolia Transport and Transdev’s merger, and Accor on its spinoff.

Gide Loyrette Nouel A.A.R.P.I.’s ‘very high-level team’ consists of some 70 lawyers who handle strategic French and cross-border transactions through the firm’s international network of offices. The 17-partner practice includes Youssef Djehane, Antoine Bonnasse, Christophe Eck, Didier Martin, Jean-Emmanuel Skovron, the ‘hard working and great advisor’ Serge Tatar and Guillaume Rougier-Brierre. Highlights included advising Areva on the sale of its T&D business, and SNCF on the creation of Eurostar International Limited.

Linklaters LLP has a ‘remarkable team’ led by ‘very reactive and outstanding professionals’ who combine ‘legal techniques and business vision’. With some 50 corporate lawyers, the firm is at ease handling large transactions. The nine-partner team includes practice head Fabrice de la Morandière, Marc Loy, Alain Garnier, Thierry Riguet, Pierre Tourres and Bruno Derieux. The firm assisted Schneider Electric on the acquisition of Areva T&D, and Sperian Protection on its public takeover by Honeywell.

Sullivan & Cromwell LLP receives some of the most high-profile instructions in France and in Europe, while also advising France’s leading companies on cross-border transactions. The team is led by first-class partners including Gauthier Blanluet, Dominique Bompoint, Richard Vilanova and Olivier de Vilmorin. Highlights included assisting Renault-Nissan on its alliance with Daimler, and Crédit Agricole on the combination of its asset management business with Société Générale’s.

Allen & Overy LLP’s practice is ‘customer-oriented’ and delivers ‘high standards in terms of response time and accuracy’. The six-partner team is increasingly involved in strategic deals for leading French and international companies. Jean-Patrice Labautière and Frédéric Moreau assisted Honeywell on its takeover of Sperian Protection, while Marcus Billam advised Compagnie La Lucette on its merger with Icade. Nicolas Bichot left the team to create his own practice.

Led by Fabrice Cohen, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP’s corporate group numbers 35 lawyers including six partners with key figures in the practice being Antoine Vignial and Patrick Bonvarlet. The firm focuses on advising large corporate clients on key acquisitions in France and abroad, assisting Daimler on its partnership with Renault-Nissan and Icade on its tender offer on Compagnie la Lucette.

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP’s seven-lawyer team is led by four partners; Pierre Servan-Schreiber, Armand Grumberg, Christopher Baker and Pascal Bine. The firm assists blue-chip French companies, advising Renault on the sale of a 14.9% stake in Volvo.

Through Claude Serra, Agathe Soilleux and Arthur de Baudry d’Asson, Weil, Gotshal & Manges has a leading French corporate client base (Vinci, GDF Suez). The firm assisted Safran on the acquisition of a significant part of L-1 Identity Solutions. Laurent Faugérolas joined the firm from Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP.

August & Debouzy is regularly involved in strategic transactions in France and the Maghreb region for major industrial clients. Led by Gilles August, the 33-lawyer team also includes Valéry Denoix de Saint Marc and Pierre Descheemaeker. Highlights included advising RATP on its exit from Transdev.

Thanks to a large 35-lawyer team, CMS Bureau Francis Lefebvre is a leading firm in the mid-cap market, also demonstrating great capability to handle cross-border deals. Philippe Rosenpick’s team, in which Jacques Isnard also plays a pivotal role, advises French and foreign groups on deals and restructuring projects. The firm was recently involved in one of the first transactions enforcing the European directive on M&A deals in the banking sector through its assistance to Sygma Banque, in the context of its merger with Cetelem Bank.

Clifford Chance’s 35-lawyer team handles a high volume of transactions and has strong cross-border capabilities. The six-partner practice, including Thierry Schoen, Gilles Lebreton, Laurent Schoenstein and Pierre Gromnicki, advises international groups and large French companies. Highlights included advising Gas Natural on the sale of parts of its Mexican power assets to Mitsui and Tokyo Gas.

Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP is an adviser to US and French blue-chip companies on large and strategic acquisitions. The team, led by the ‘excellent’ Georges Terrier and Christophe Perchet, offers a strong mix of transactional and litigation expertise. Highlights included assisting Areva on several transactions including the high-profile sale of its T&D division, and, PartnerRe on its acquisition of Paris Re.

De Pardieu Brocas Maffei’s seven-partner team includes Patrick Jaïs, Thierry Brocas and Guillaume Touttée. The 20-lawyer practice advises on major transactions in the insurance and property sectors. It assisted Allianz on the transfer of AGF Private Equity to IDI and Oddo & Cie on the acquisition of Banque d’Orsay from West LB.

At Debevoise & Plimpton LLP, Patrick Laporte, Pierre Clermontel, Antoine Kirry and Raman Bet-Mansour lead a practice with strong cross-border capabilities, and French and US expertise. Highlights included assisting Shlumberger on its acquisition of Geoservices.

Gibson Dunn is ‘well placed to assist clients on complex transactions’ providing ‘creative advice that goes beyond the pure legal aspects’. The 22-lawyer team is made up of five partners including Bernard Grinspan, Ariel Harroch and Benoît Fleury. The ‘very committed’ Marie-Charlotte Trebuchet is also recommended. The firm advises leading French and international corporations, recently assisting CACEIS on the acquisition of HSBC’s French custody-depositary business.

The newly merged Hogan Lovells (Paris) LLP now has a large eight-partner team. The practice is led by Isabelle MacElhone, and includes key partners Pierre Todorov and Jean-Marc Franceschi. The team advised Edenred on the demerger of Accor’s two core businesses, and the management of Sperian on Honeywell’s takeover offer. The financial, retail and life-science sectors are notable areas of focus for the team. Pascal de Moidrey joined Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker (Europe) LLP in 2011.

JeantetAssociés AARPI’s ‘overall service is very good’ and includes ‘great client attention’ and a ‘team spirit’ approach. The practice, led by Philippe Portier, is made up of six partners including Yvon Dréano, Philippe Matignon and Valérie Tandeau de Marsac. The group is adept at advising on strategic transactions, recently assisting Compagnie des Alpes on its acquisition of 90% of the shares of Deux Alpes Loisirs. The firm also handles an increasing amount of cross-border work, notably in Morocco where the firm has an office, assisting Portugal Telecom on the sale of its shares in Medi Telecom.

Orrick Rambaud Martel’s ‘proactive’ corporate group includes forty lawyers with six partners driving the practice. The firm handled a deal of restructuring work in 2010, notably acting for financial institutions. It also advised some large French companies with Jean-Pierre Martel and Jean-Michel Leprêtre assisting SNCF-Geodis on the acquisition of the logistic division of Italian BFH.

Headed by Jacques Naquet-Radiguet, Shearman & Sterling LLP’s five-partner team is regularly involved in high-profile domestic and cross-border transactions, especially in the banking sector with Mathieu Remy leading the team on the acquisition of Société Marseillaise de Crédit by client Crédit du Nord. Rhodia is also a regular client, which the firm notably assists on acquisitions abroad, such as on its acquisition of Chinese Feixiang Chemicals. Cyrille Niedzielski is a key element in the team.

Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP serves an impressive client base, the firm delivering ‘very good response times and advice accuracy’. The large 31-lawyer team, including Daniel Hurstel and Stéphane Sabatier, is called upon to advise on high-profile transactions, recently assisting Essilor as main shareholder on the takeover of Sperian Protection, Total on the squeeze-out of Elf Aquitaine, and Sanofi-Aventis on the sale of Novexel to AstraZeneca. Laurent Faugérolas left the firm to join Weil, Gotshal & Manges.

Ashurst LLP’s five-partner team mainly handled cross-border transactions and restructuring work in 2010, such as Frédéric Pinet advising RBS on the disposal of RBS Factor, and Yann Gozal assisting Mecachrome on its restructuring. Bertrand Delaunay also advised the French sovereign fund FSI on the joint venture between Renault-Nissan and the CEA.

Baker & McKenzie SCP has a large 40-lawyer team including nine partners. The firm is particularly at ease handling multi-jurisdictional deals working alongside prominent French and international corporations. In 2010, it handled a strategic transaction with Alain Sauty de Chalon, David Haccoun and newly partner Bruno Bertrand assisting Veolia on its merger with Transdev. Raphaële François-Poncet is the main contact for public M&A work, assisting Geopetrol on its sale to Schlumberger.

Franklin’s Yam Atallah, Alexandre Marque and Mark Richardson co-head the 21-lawyer team. The growing practice gained further new major clients and made its first internal promotion since its creation, in Céline Maironi-Persin. The firm advised on key transactions in the energy and online-gaming sectors and assisted its existing clients on deals abroad in South America and Asia. It represented Tyco Electronics on its share acquisition of Sensitive Object, and Numericable on its restructuring.

Jones Day has a large 27-lawyer team including new managing partner Sophie Hagège, Wesley Johnson, My Linh Vu-Grégoire, Gaël Saint Olive and newly promoted Alexandre de Verdun. The firm has a strong French client base and is often involved in cross-border transactions. Highlights included advising General Motors on the acquisition of GM Strasbourg, and Sanofi Aventis on its R&D alliance with Covance.

Headed by Thomas Forschbach, Latham & Watkins’ practice focuses on private M&A deals. The eight-partner team also includes Nicolas Bombrun, Olivier du Mottay and Gaëtan Gianasso. The firm has a strong involvement in cross-border deals and often acts for foreign investors and the FSI. It also advises several French listed companies such as Accor, which it represented on the sale of Compagnie des Wagons Lits.

Morgan Lewis provides ‘excellent services and timely responses’. The team, led by Jean Leygonie, a lawyer praised for his ‘very high intelligence of human relationships and business’, Pierre-Antoine Dubecq, the ‘very pragmatic’ Roland Montfort and Anne Tolila who is ‘tough during negotiations but always keeps in mind both parties’ interests’ on a deal, often handles mid-cap transactions and has great knowledge of the defence sector. The firm assisted Inside Contactless on the acquisition of Atmel’s SMS business.

Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker (Europe) LLP is ‘deeply involved in deals and very reactive’. The team of 11 partners and 15 associates includes Aline Poncelet, Erwan Barre, who ‘impresses in cross-border situations’, and Samia Sellam, who joined the firm from the securities regulation authority. The practice has a strong international profile and was involved in a number of transactions involving distressed companies. It assisted Harris Associates as minority shareholder of Sperian Protection on its acquisition by Honeywell. The firm greatly enhanced its corporate capabilities after hiring Pascal de Moidrey and Alexis Terray from Hogan Lovells and Guillaume Kellner from Proskauer in 2011.

Salans’ team, led by Paul Morel, further strengthened its practice through hiring Jean-Luc Bedos and Pierre Lévêque from Lefèvre Pelletier & associés. The firm has good resources with key figures including François Vignaud and Jean-Marc Grosperrin, who handle key transactions in the health sector. The practice is also adept at advising on cross-border deals. It assisted Warner Chilcott on the acquisition of Procter & Gamble’s ethical pharmaceutical unit and Pfizer on the acquisition of Wyeth.

Veil Jourde has an outstanding client portfolio (Vivendi, Lagardère, L’Oréal, Total). Jean Veil, Pierre Deval, François de Navailles and Géraud Saint Guilhem lead a practice which was further enhanced in 2010 following the hire of André Dupont-Jubien. The firm assisted Eric Jacquet, JSA and Jacquet Metals on its merger project with IMS, which led to the first judicial enactment of the new public offer regulation.

Led by François Leloup and Philippe Sarrailhé, White & Case LLP’s practice has one of the largest teams in the market with 12 partners and 35 associates. Frédéric Bouvet, Nicolas Huet, Frank de Vita and Vincent Morin also deserve mention. The firm handles a high volume of transactions in France and abroad, running a busy practice in the hotel, energy and insurance sectors. Highlights included advising IMS’ managers on the takeover of the listed company by Jacquet Metals.

Renowned for its private equity practice, Ayache Salama & Associés has ‘very efficient’ corporate lawyers for mid-cap, LBO exit and private M&A transactions. The team includes the ‘very good negotiator and deal maker’ Bernard Ayache, Olivier Tordjman, Alain Levy and the ‘calm and technical’ David Ayache. The firm assisted Nexar Capital on the acquisition of Allianz Asset Management.

Bersay & Associés’ ‘reliable and efficient’ 12-lawyer team is led by Sandrine de Sousa, Yves Ardaillou and Jérôme Bersay, who is recommended for his ‘high negotiation skills’ and ‘strong leadership on deals’. The firm is a regular advisor to Total as well as French and foreign mid-cap companies. It also assisted Oversys on the sale of subsidiary Ovelia.

Brandford-Griffith & Associés’ team consists of Henri Brandford-Griffith, Vanina Paolaggi, Guillaume Kessler and Jérôme Brosset – Alexis Chahid-Nouraï joined Aramis in 2010. The firm has strong experience on public M&A transactions, and assisted Rue du Commerce on the acquisition of Alapage.

Cotty Vivant Marchisio & Lauzeral is ‘making good progress in the domestic market while having an interesting international strategy’. With offices in Tokyo, Singapore and Dubai, the firm is ‘familiar with the Japanese way of working’ and handles cross-border deals. The team, led by Thierry Cotty, Fabrice Marchisio, Philippe Lauzeral, the ‘excellent negotiator’ Frédéric Beccaria, Arthur Dethomas and Pierre-Arnaud Conchon, remains principally active on the domestic market alongside clients such as Sofiproteol, the FSI and Orange France Télécom. The practice assisted Kirin on the sale of its minority stake in Pernod Ricard.

Dechert is well-known in the life-sciences sector, the firm advising many leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. The practice is led by Alain Decombe, with François Hellot the other key element in the team. The firm also handles work in other industrial sectors and in emerging countries. Highlights included advising GlaxoSmithKline on the acquisition of Algerian company LPA

Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP’s cross-border practice is led by the ‘sharp’ and ‘business savvy’ Eric Cafritz, with David Chijner also recommended. The US firm has built long-term relationships with large American and French industrial clients. It assisted Thales on the merger of one of its subsidiaries with CMT Medical Technologies and the following delisting of CMT.

Headed by Jacques Buhart, Herbert Smith LLP’s practice comprises five partners and 16 associates, including the ‘very bright’ Hubert Segain, who is a ‘great advisor to publicly-listed firms’ and Anglo-Saxon clients. In 2010, the team was also selected by Asian clients undertaking corporate deals in France and in Europe, the firm notably advising Mitsubishi on its alliance project with Peugeot.

Norton Rose LLP’s practice is driven by Hervé Castelnau, who is strongly recommended for deals in the TMT sector, and Alain Malek, who focuses on transactions in the EMEA zone. Jean-François Mercadier and Anne-Sylvie Vassenaix-Paxton left to join Canadian firm Heenan Blaikie. The firm is a major player in the Maghreb region, handling numerous and strategic deals such as advising France Télécom on its acquisition of a 40% stake in Médi Télécom.

Racine continued to raise its profile in 2010, the firm hiring international counsel Jean-Christophe Beaury from Debevoise & Plimpton LLP, and advising the investors on the acquisition of French newspaper Le Monde. The 18-lawyer team, which includes Bruno Cavalié, Luc Pons and Mélanie Coiraton-Mavré, is strongly recommended for mid-cap transactions.

UGGC & Associés has a ‘constantly growing network of international offices’ and demonstrates a ‘profound understanding of companies’. The seven-partner team, which includes Jean-Jacques Uettwiller and Jean-François Canat, advises a faithful client base made up of industrial and family companies. The firm assisted Franprix-Leader on its partial acquisition by Casino.

Viguié Schmidt Peltier Juvigny is an ‘excellent law firm’ with complete experience on complex transactions. Yves Schmidt, Nicolas Viguié and Frédéric Peltier have strong reputations.