The Legal 500

France

Administrative and public law

Administrative and public law - ranked: tier 4

FTPA

FTPA has ‘a remarkable and high-level team’ of four that is ‘equally reliable for advisory and contentious work’. The practice ‘intervenes in close collaboration with its clients and provides solutions to problems’. It is assisting several prestigious French cultural institutions with strategic matters and is sought out by public sector entities and major engineering companies to handle significant public projects and litigation, particularly in the rail sector. Raphaël Crespelle is ‘a recognised public procurement contract expert who heads a remarkably efficient and high-quality team’.

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Aviation

Aviation - ranked: tier 3

FTPA

At FTPA, the team handles product liability issues; aircraft accidents; the construction, operation and maintenance of aircraft; aircraft lease agreements; and sales and purchase agreements. Its recent work has a strong litigation focus, but the group also undertakes significant advisory work. Robert Corcos is a key practitioner in a team that also includes Serge-Antoine Tchekhoff.

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Construction

Construction - ranked: tier 2

FTPA

FTPA represents companies and several leading engineering contractors in litigation linked to industrial and public sector projects. Serge-Antoine Tchekhoff, Robert Corcos, Emmanuel d’Antin and Raphaël Crespelle are the key contacts.

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Employment

Other recommended firms - ranked: tier 1

FTPA

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Insolvency

Insolvency - ranked: tier 3

FTPA

FTPA advises debtors, investors, shareholders, non-banking creditors as well as French trusts and administrators on a broad range of matters, including insolvency proceedings, complex restructuring and cross-border insolvency work. The practice recently assisted Duc with its conciliation proceedings and takeover by Plukon. Serge-Antoine Tchekhoff, Bruno Robin who has rare fiducie expertise, Edouard Fabre and Sandra Esquiva-Hesse are all highly experienced.

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Media and entertainment

Sports - ranked: tier 2

FTPA

FTPA has an ‘outstanding appreciation’ for its clients. Intangibles law department co-head Fabrice Lorvo, noted for his ‘strong responsiveness, excellent organisational skills and outstanding technical prowess’, specialises in advertisement, marketing and communications law. The group regularly assists sports organisers with day-to-day advice regarding their activities, including commercialisation of media rights, sponsorship contracts, organisation of events, and Lorvo recently advised a media company on the negotiation of television broadcasting rights in Africa. Other work included assisting a leading sports marketing entity with its effort to recover media rights in foreign jurisdictions, and advising a client on the sale of a European football club. Data protection in connection with athletes’ e-health devices, sponsorship contracts and dispute resolution also feature in the group’s recent caseload.

Next generation lawyers

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Mergers and acquisitions

Other recommended firms - ranked: tier 1

FTPA

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Tax

Other recommended firms - ranked: tier 1

FTPA

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France: Dispute resolution

Commercial litigation

Dispute resolution: Commercial litigation - ranked: tier 3

FTPA

FTPA provides ‘business-oriented’ advice and acts for various high-profile French companies. The practice handles commercial litigation and has recognised expertise managing industrial cases involving long-term judicial discovery procedures. It is also appointed to deal with crisis situations and handles matters abroad. British American Tobacco, Areva, Nortel and SNCF are clients. Serge-Antoine Tchekhoff, Edouard Fabre, the ‘highly knowledgeable’ Robert Corcos and Bruno Robin are all highly regarded.

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International arbitration

Dispute resolution: International arbitration - ranked: tier 4

FTPA

FTPA provides ‘excellent services’ thanks to an ‘extremely dynamic’, ‘highly ethical and culturally sensitive’ ten-lawyer team. The firm mainly acts in ICC disputes often dealing with construction, energy and commercial issues arising in Africa, the Middle East and other parts of the world. Several leading French corporations are clients while international companies also use the firm. Practice head Serge-Antoine Tchekhoff ‘has a natural ability to resolve complex and sensitive international disputes in a commercial way’. Robert Corcos is the other key name in the practice, along with Rajeev Sharma Fokeer who ‘has a truly international and technically sound approach, and can devise effective strategies when facing both common law and civil lawyers’.

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France: Intellectual property

Trade marks, designs and copyright

Trade marks, designs and copyright - ranked: tier 2

FTPA

FTPA’s intellectual property co-head Boriana Guimberteau represented a client in four separate trade mark infringement and unfair competition litigation cases against four different entities involving seizure operations and criminal charges, and together with corporate partner Nathalie Younan she also assisted a major global fashion retailer with a global agreement and the transfer of a competitor’s trade mark rights. In other recent work, Antoine Gautier-Sauvagnac regularly advises a high-end jewellery start-up company on copyrights issues and licensing agreements and also handled numerous infringement disputes. Fabrice Lorvo is one of the key contacts in the firm’s intangibles law department.

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France: Private equity

Venture and growth capital

Other recommended firms - ranked: tier 1

FTPA

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