The Legal 500

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

Salans is praised for its ‘invaluable knowledge of PPP deals’, while the practice also covers public contract, litigation and regulatory matters. The team is led by François Froment-Meurice and Marc Fornacciari who has ‘long experience drafting contracts’ and ‘in-depth knowledge of the current market standards’. The group brings ‘innovative solutions’ to sponsors, public entities and lenders. It assisted Vinci concessions on its bid for Le Mans’ stadium project, the Education Ministry on the first PPP ever signed for a university, and French Guiana on the merger of the Guiana Région with the Guiana Département.

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

Led by Jean-Marc Allix and Philippe Max, Salans’ ten-lawyer practice serves leading banking institutions on corporate, asset, acquisition and property finance work. Highlights included assisting Caisse Régionale de Crédit Agricole Mutuel Centre and Société Générale on the LBO financing for the acquisition of Bouny.

Within Dispute resolution Commercial litigation Other recommended firms

Within Dispute resolution International arbitration, tier 4

Salans has a ‘solid’ and comprehensive 13-lawyer team, led by global practice heads Brenda Horrigan and Jean-Christophe Honlet, while Barton Legum manages the investment treaty practice. The firm is handling several key commercial and investment matters in Romania and Western Europe.

Within EU competition and distribution Other recommended firms

Within Employment , Salans is a second tier firm,

Salans’ team consists of four partners; practice head Jean-Louis Magnier, Katell Déniel Allioux, Frédérique Meslay-Caloni and newly promoted partner Julie Caussade. The group serves prestigious clients from the banking, hotel, pharmaceutical and luxury sectors, handling large redundancy and litigation cases.

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

Salans has a global life-sciences practice led by a well-organised group of ten partners in Paris. The firm has strong corporate expertise in practice head François Vignaud and Jean-Marc Grosperrin, and is also renowned for its regulatory and litigation capabilities in Pascale Poupelin. IP and distribution law are two other areas of expertise, as well as pharmacy tax and transfer pricing thanks to the hiring of Jean-Luc Cuadrado from DLA Piper in 2010. The practice serves a fine client base including Johnson & Johnson, Schering Plough, Procter & Gamble and GlaxoSmithKline. Highlights included advising Pfizer on the acquisition of Wyeth and on its joint venture with GlaxoSmithKline for AIDS treatment, and Warner Chilcott on the acquisition of the ethical pharmaceuticals division of Procter & Gamble.

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

Salans advises a large base of IT manufacturers and users through global practice co-head Gérard Delile and David Masson. The five-lawyer group is also very active in the area of e-commerce, acting for luxury and food brands.

Within Insolvency Other recommended firms

Within Intellectual property: Full-service firms , Salans is a second tier firm,

Salans’ seven-lawyer team focuses on trade marks, advising leading clients from various industries including from the luxury and food sectors, and handling community trade mark disputes across European jurisdictions. The practice also deals with patent work. David Masson who heads the global IP, technology and communications practice, is recommended along with Gérard Delile.

Within Media and entertainment: Full-service firms Other recommended firms

Within Mergers and acquisitions, tier 5

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.

Within Private equity Other recommended firms

Within Private equity: Fund formation Other recommended firms

Within Project finance and energy: Project finance, Salans is a second tier firm,

Salans has ‘excellent knowledge of the problems raised by industrial and financial projects’. The ‘reactive’ nine-lawyer team has an integrated PPP practice through financial experts Philippe Max and Jean-Marc Allix, and public law specialist Marc Fornacciari. The firm is assisting lenders, sponsors and public entities on numerous high-profile infrastructure projects.

Within Real estate, Salans is a third tier firm,

Salans’ full-service practice spans investment, financing, asset management and taxation work. Led by Henry Lazarski and François Verdot, the team consists of five partners including Pascale Poupelin, newly promoted partner Antoine Mercier and tax advisor Sybille Salmon-Legagneur – Antonia Raccat joined Lefèvre Pelletier & Associés. The group advises leading property investors (Kenmore, ING Reim), companies (Pfizer, Chanel) and some prestigious hotel brands. It assisted Corio on the projected acquisition of a a shopping centre in France, and Blackstone on the acquisition and financing of a portfolio of 23 hotels in France.

Within Tax, tier 5

Sandra Hazan leads Salans’ practice in Paris and co-heads the firm’s global group. The department has good resources with 15 lawyers including five partners. Sybille Salmon-Legagneur specialises on corporate and property tax, while new hire Jean-Luc Cuadrado, who joined from DLA Piper, has a strong practice in the life-sciences field, advising leading laboratories (Bayer Healthcare, GlaxoSmithKline) on corporate transactions and handling litigations. Managing partner Benoit Giraux focuses on private clients, while François Froment-Meurice has expertise in public tax law.