The Legal 500

Within Administrative and public law, Salans is a third tier firm,

Salans represented the contractors on the Tours-Bordeaux railway project, and also has notable expertise in the university and stadium sectors. Practice head Marc Fornacciari is also recommended for regulatory and litigation matters, notably in the energy and mining fields with strong expertise in energy performance agreements. Vinci Concessions, Eiffage and SNCF are all clients.

Within Banking and finance, Salans is a third tier firm,

Salans’ ten-lawyer practice, led by Jean-Marc Allix and Philippe Max, advises major financial institutions on corporate loan facilities, acquisition finance and project finance. The team assisted Société Générale with the negotiation of a €87m corporate facility for Europe Computer Systems. Key clients include Crédit Lyonnais and HSBC France.

Within Commercial litigation Other recommended firms

Within International arbitration, Salans is a third tier firm,

Salans’ ‘very good’ 11-lawyer team mainly represents corporations, and is involved in various large investment cases. It is representing Rompetrol in ICSID proceedings against the Republic of Romania regarding a bilateral investment treaty between the Netherlands and Romania. Practice co-heads Brenda Horrigan and Jean-Christophe Honlet are recommended, as are Karen Nelson and the ‘excellent’ Barton Legum, who leads the investment treaty practice.

Within White-collar crime Other recommended firms

Within EU competition and distribution Other recommended firms

Within Employment , Salans is a second tier firm,

Salans’ ‘committed’ 15-lawyer group advised BNP Paribas on a voluntary departure plan, and acts for many clients in the healthcare, hotels and banking sectors, including Warner Chilcott and Royal Monceau. Practice head Jean-Louis Magnier and global co-chair Katell Déniel Allioux are recommended, as are Frédérique Meslay-Caloni and Julie Caussade.

Within Health and life sciences, Salans is a first tier firm,

Salans provides ‘a very good level of service in terms of response time, business knowledge and appropriateness of advice’. François Vignaud leads the ten-partner life sciences group, which advises on compliance, market authorisations, distribution, advertising and reimbursement. Jean-Marc Grosperrin has strong know-how in corporate matters and Pascale Poupelin is a regulatory and litigation expert. Jean-Luc Cuadrado advises many leading companies on taxation issues. Clients include Johnson & Johnson, Procter & Gamble, GlaxoSmithKline, Sanofi, and Roche. The team also recently assisted Warner Chilcott with restructuring its French business.

Within IT, telecoms and the internet, Salans is a third tier firm,

Salans provides IT advisory and litigation support for technology providers and users. David Masson leads the practice, which also advises clients such as large healthcare companies on data protection issues.

Within Insolvency Other recommended firms

Within Full-service firms, Salans is a first tier firm,

Salans’ strong trade mark practice has prominent clients in the luxury goods and food sectors, and handles cases before the French and EU courts. It provides ‘a very good level of service in terms of response time and practical advice’, and recently acted for L’Oréal and several other luxury brands in a landmark trade mark dispute with eBay. The practice was also involved in one of the market’s most high-profile patent ownership cases. Other clients include CNRS and Merial. David Masson heads the team, which also includes the highly regarded Isabelle Leroux, recently recruited from Bird & Bird, and the ‘very committed’ Gérard Delile.

Within Patent and trade mark attorneys Leading individuals

Within Legal market overview,

‘Magic Circle’ firms Allen & Overy LLP, Clifford Chance and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP made significant lateral hires in the M&A and litigation fields, and market challengers Paul Hastings LLP, Salans and DLA Piper, determined to become heavyweights in France, stepped up recruitment drives. French firms De Gaulle Fleurance & Associés and Lefèvre Pelletier & associés also significantly strengthened their ranks, with partners joining from Anglo-Saxon and other foreign law firms.

Within Full-service firms Other recommended firms

Within Mergers and acquisitions, tier 5

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.

Within Fund formation Other recommended firms

Within Private equity Other recommended firms

Within Project finance, Salans is a second tier firm,

Salans has become a strong player for domestic projects, and this ‘excellent’ team fields Marc Fornacciari on the public law side and Jean-Marc Allix and Philippe Max for the financial aspects. Its client base includes sponsors, public entities and a growing number of banks. It is advising five commercial lenders on the French Pentagon project, and is involved in several stadium and university developments.

Within Real estate, Salans is a third tier firm,

Salans ranks ‘highly in all aspects’, and provides the ‘right advice to achieve the best outcome’. The firm advises leading players such as AEW, Blackstone, Corio and ING REIM, and recently handled major instructions in the hotel sector and advised Northwood Investors on the acquisition and financing of an office in La Défense. Practice head François Verdot is ‘a leading real estate attorney who understands very well clients’ needs’. Also recommended are of counsel Henry Lazarski, Antoine Mercier and tax expert Sybille Salmon-Legagneur.

Within Tax, Salans is a third tier firm,

Salans’ standalone tax practice now fields 20 lawyers after a five-strong team led by Anne Quenedey recently joined from Bird & Bird. Sandra Hazan is expert in representing luxury goods companies, Sybille Salmon-Legagneur specialises in property tax, Jean-Luc Cuadrado is an expert in representing pharmaceuticals companies, and Quenedey has strong know-how in the insurance and IP sectors. The practice recently advised Corio on its acquisition of a majority stake in a shopping centre in Metz. Bayer Healthcare and ING REIM are also clients.