Bignon Lebray > Paris, France > Firm Profile

Bignon Lebray
75, RUE DE TOCQUEVILLE
75017 PARIS
France

France > Media and entertainment: Sports Tier 2

With particular industry expertise in rugby, Bignon Lebray acts on behalf of several elite professional clubs. This year, the firm acquired La Rochelle and FIFA, adding to an illustrious roster of clients. Golf is another key area of expertise, advising on both contractual matters and sports infrastructure. The team is led by Neil Robertson, who acts as a sports agent, overseeing the drafting and negotiation of sponsorships agreements, employment contracts and services agreements.

Practice head(s):

Testimonials

‘English-speaking team, with in-depth knowledge of European disciplinary bodies in the field of rugby. Availability, efficiency to deal with emergency disciplinary matters taking into account the imperatives and specificities of sport. Adaptability and understanding of club issues.’

‘Neil Robertson has a good knowledge of the disciplinary regulations of French and European Professional Rugby. Pleading before the European Disciplinary Bodies for the Defense of Players (EPCR). Good contact with English-speaking foreign players.’

Key clients

Brive

Golf de Maisons Laffitte

Toulouse

Racing 92

La Rochelle

Boulogne FC (US Boulogne Côte d’Opale)

NBC Sport

Work highlights

  • Assisted Brive rugby with a significant investment into the club by a British investor and by Vivendi.
  • Advised French international rugby player, Antoine Dupont, in connection with a disciplinary hearing before World Rugby following receipt of a red card in the match France v South Africa.
  • Advised La Rochelle rugby player, George-Henri Colombes, in connection with a disciplinary hearing before the Appeal Committee of the EPCR.

France > Intellectual property: Patents Tier 3

Bignon Lebray is home to a robust patents practice. The team is adept at advising on a broad spectrum of matters, including R&D agreements, trade secrets matters and licensing issues, and has recognised strength in handling patent litigation, including infringement claims and validity and nullity actions. Under the leadership of life sciences expert Barbara Bertholet, the group is regularly instructed by start-ups, public sector companies, government entities and investment funds in work within both France and the EU.

Practice head(s):

Other key lawyers:

Key clients

Dedienne Santé

Etablissement Jean Villeton

Hengelhoef concrete joints NV

Sandoz

Systosolar

YPOSKESI

NETRI

Etablissements Lamaison

Work highlights

  • Representing Dedienne Santé in patent litigation brought by a competitor company, Amplitude.
  • Acted as counsel to YPOSKESI on development agreements.

France > Private equity: venture/growth capital Tier 3

Practice head(s):

Key clients

Tangent Line, Finindus and Ciech

SPARKLING PARTNERS

EIC FUND

Aventim

TIKAMOON

SIGHOR – HOSPITALITY

RODRICAP

Société Générale Capital Partenaires (SGCP) et Capelia

VITALIS

Work highlights

  • Advised Tangent Line, Finindus and Ciech on their investment in MagREEsource among other investors (Business Angels and industrial investors).
  • Advised the EIC Fund on its investment in Ganymed Robotics.
  • Advised Aventim, its founder and key executives, on its €25m fund-raising with Omnes Capital, a player dedicated to sustainable investments.

France > Industry focus: Healthcare and life sciences Tier 4

The team at Bignon Lebray regularly assists clients with IP agreements, including licenses and series fundraisings, in addition to representing clients in disputes concerning SPC infringements and unfair competition claims. Working out of the Lyon office, practice head Barbara Bertholet handles the full gamut of IP issues for pharma laboratories, medical device manufacturers, and stakeholders in the e-health sector.

Practice head(s):

Key clients

Laboratoires Cooper

Sandoz

Yposkesi

NG Biotech

Dedienne Santé

Weleda

Medac

Hospices Civils de Lyon (HCL)

Gattefossé

Netri

Viatris

Work highlights

  • Advising Yposkesi on IP strategic issues and contract negotiations with pharmaceutical companies and biotechs, such as the negotiation of a collaborative contract with a non-profit pharmaceutical institution for the development of a specific cell bank, including the assignment of the ownership of the results and the intellectual property rights related to these results; and the negotiation of master development services and manufacturing agreements.

France > Intellectual property: Trade marks and designs Tier 4

Practice head(s):

Key clients

ANDERSEN TAX LLC

Work highlights

  • Assisting Andersen with operations on titles and opposition / cancellation procedures before the IP offices on both national and EU level.

France > Private equity: LBO Tier 4

Practice head(s):

Key clients

Tikamoon

Rabot Dutilleul

Rodricap

Work highlights

  • Advised Tikamoon on its acquisition by the LFPI group.
  • Advised RABOT DUTILLEUL, an independent family-owned construction group, on its €6m fund-raising from four investors in the Hauts-de-France region.

France > Data privacy and data protection

Frequently sought out by clients from the health sector, Bignon Lebray‘s practice, helmed by Elise Dufour and Benjamin Mourot, is well placed to advise on matters such as the processing and reuse of health data.

The firm: Bignon Lebray is a French law firm established more than 40 years ago that provides business law services to large and medium-sized companies. The firm is recognised for delivering creative, cost-effective solutions that are tailored to the individual needs of its clients. Its fully integrated offices in France (Paris, Lille, Lyon, Aix-Marseille), its strategic presence in China (Shanghai) and India(New Delhi) and its active involvement in the Meritas International Network provide the firm with a clear overview of its clients’ markets, as well as a good understanding of the clients’ roles within those markets.

Areas of practice: The firm has 110 lawyers, including 32 partners, working within 11 practice areas.

Corporate law – mergers and acquisitions: the firm advises clients on transactions involving the purchase or sale of private and listed companies, and creation of partnerships and joint ventures. The M&A department also assists with public tender offers, audits, corporate restructuring, acquisition financing, and risk and development capital.

Private equity: Bignon Lebray is also recognised for its expertise in the field of private equity, in particular in venture capital, development capital and LBOs for small and mid-cap transactions (companies valued up to €100m).

Tax law: the firm advises companies on corporate, transactional and strategic tax matters, including transfer pricing issues. The team has extensive experience representing companies in the context of tax investigations and negotiations with tax authorities and appearing on their behalf in courts. The firm’s tax experts also provide assistance with property transactions and with matters relating to employee benefits and estate planning.

Employment and social security law: Bignon Lebray is equipped to respond to all challenges faced by companies and their management in terms of employment law, human resource management and social security. The team advises clients on both negotiations and disputes.

Banking, finance and capital markets: Bignon Lebray advises financial institutions and private and public borrowers on all types of financing, including structured finance, derivatives and capital markets. The firm’s expertise extends to regulatory and UCITS-related issues, with significant experience in managing banking and financial disputes.

Competition and distribution law: the firm has considerable expertise in distribution and competition law. The firm assists clients with the management of their contractual relationships and the implementation and enhancement of distribution techniques, as well as with compliance issues.

Property law and property management: the firm works with both institutions and professionals on property transactions. The firm’s expertise extends to mergers and acquisitions, commercial leases, construction contracts, construction claims and disputes, and co-ownership management and disputes.

Public, environmental and PPP law: the firm offers extensive experience in all areas of public and environmental law, in both transactional and litigious contexts. It assists clients with development and promotional projects, preemptions and expropriations, PPPs, project finance, mergers and acquisitions and environmental audits.

Intellectual property and technology law: Bignon Lebray assists clients with identifying, protecting and enhancing the value of their trade marks, patents, designs and models, and databases, etc. The department also has extensive experience in the advanced technologies field, notably as related to information technology and the internet.

Transport and logistics: the firm has both in-house and private practice experience, and extensive experience in the risk management and insurance fields. This allows it to assist clients in the shipping and logistics industries with both transactional and contentious matters.

Litigation and arbitration: the firm acts in disputes in all areas of business law across sectors including food, wine and spirits, industrial, transport, energy, health, urban planning, public and banking. Its lawyers assist and defend both companies and their management before civil, commercial and criminal courts.

Health: Bignon Lebray has developed specific savoir-faire and advises figures from this market throughout their projects: ensuring that the strategy is consistent with legal and regulatory frameworks, advising founders on choosing a suitable legal structure, assisting in the social management of strategic reorganisation: Acquisition or transmission of essential intellectual property for these kinds of projects, protection of enterprise-specific knowledge, marketing of products and, if required, assistance with litigations.

Sport: Sportsmanship and sporting values are profoundly embedded into Bignon Lebray’s mindset, as demonstrated by the numerous projects initiated by the firm. Our savoir-faire applies to all sports (e.g. football, rugby, golf, tennis, motorsport, equestrianism), and includes all areas of French and international business law (contracts, corporate law, taxation, competition law, intellectual property, public law, association law, mediation and litigation).

Department Name Email Telephone
Corporate – mergers and acquisitions
Private equity
Tax law
Employment and social security law
Banking, finance and capital markets
Competition and distribution law
Property law and property management
Public, environmental and PPP law
Intellectual property and technology law
Transport & Logistics
Litigation and arbitration
Photo Name Position Profile
Antoine Arminjon photo Mr Antoine Arminjon Partner, Competition and distribution law
Antoine Benoit photo Mr Antoine Benoit Partner – Employment Law
Jérémie Boublil photo Mr Jérémie Boublil Partner, Employment Law
Paul  Brisset photo Mr Paul Brisset Counsel, Litigation & Arbitration
Thomas Buffin photo Mr Thomas Buffin Partner, Corporate law
Matthieu Bultel  photo Me Matthieu Bultel Counsel, Tax Law
Caroline Cazaux photo Mrs Caroline Cazaux Partner, Competition & Distribution law
Frédéric Coulon photo Mr Frédéric Coulon Partner, Competition and distribution law
Bertrand Debosque photo Mr Bertrand Debosque Partner – Employment Law
Florence Dedieu photo Mrs Florence Dedieu Partner, Corporate law
Laurence Defontaine photo Mrs Laurence Defontaine Partner, Real Estate law, Banking and finance law
Marie-Charlotte Diriart photo Mrs Marie-Charlotte Diriart Partner, Employment & Social security law
Elise Dufour photo Mrs Elise Dufour Partner, Intellectuel Property et Technology Law
Xiao-Lin Fu-Bourgne photo Mrs Xiao-Lin Fu-Bourgne Of Counsel, China desk
Alexandre Ghesquière photo Mr Alexandre Ghesquière Partner, Corporate law
Jacques Goyet photo Mr Jacques Goyet Partner, Corporate law
Jérôme Granotier photo Mr Jérôme Granotier partner, Tax law
Philippe Larivière photo Mr Philippe Larivière Partner, Public and Environmental law
Julien Lecat photo Mr Julien Lecat Partner, Distribution and competition law
Nicolas Moreau photo Mr Nicolas Moreau Partner, Intellectual property & Technology law
Benjamin Mourot photo Mr Benjamin Mourot Partner, IP/IT
Delphine Nowak photo Mrs Delphine Nowak Partner, Distribution and competition law, Real estate law
Thierry Permezel photo Mr Thierry Permezel Partner, Corporate law
Sébastien Pinot photo Mr Sébastien Pinot Partner, Public and Environmental law
Ondine Prévoteau photo Mrs Ondine Prévoteau Partner, Competition & Distribution law, Property law & Property management
Serge Rastorgoueff photo Mr Serge Rastorgoueff Partner (Ongoing partnership process), Banking, Finance & Capital markets
Neil Robertson photo Mr Neil Robertson Partner, Corporate law
Pierre-Emmanuel Scherrer photo Mr Pierre-Emmanuel Scherrer Partner, Tax law
Louis  Vallet photo Mr Louis Vallet Counsel, Corporate Law, Mergers & Acquisitions Private Equity
Alain Vamour photo Mr Alain Vamour Partner, Public and Environmental law
Alban Van de Vyver photo Mr Alban Van de Vyver Partner, Corporate law – Mergers & acquisitions
François Vignalou photo Mr François Vignalou Partner, Tax law
Edouard Waels photo Mr Edouard Waels Partner, Corporate Law – Mergers and Acquisitions
Number of lawyers : 110
at this office : 42
Chinese
English
French
German
Spanish
Meritas International
Other offices : Aix-Marseille
Other offices : Lille
Other offices : Lyon
Other offices : Shanghai