The Legal 500

Within Administrative and public law Other recommended firms

Within Banking and finance, Ashurst LLP is a second tier firm,

Ashurst LLP’s 20-lawyer team is highly regarded for its LBO finance and restructuring practice under Laurent Mabilat, Diane Sénéchal, James Collis and Michael Lancaster. Additionally, property finance expert Hassan Javanshir is a ‘very forward-thinking and extremely client-oriented’ partner who advised Landesbank Berlin on the financing and refinancing of properties for SEB. The practice is also involved in renewables and other project finance.

Within Capital markets, Ashurst LLP is a third tier firm,

Ashurst LLP ranks among the market’s top advisers for derivatives work, and displays ‘excellent response times and industry knowledge’. Clients include LCH.Clearnet and JPMorgan Chase. Practice head Julien Bacus is ‘very responsive’, and newly promoted partner Hubert Blanc-Jouvan is also recommended. Yann Gozal and new recruit Joël Corcessin, who joined as counsel from Bredin Prat, are the key contacts for ECM work.

Within Commercial litigation , Ashurst LLP is a second tier firm,

Ashurst LLP’s ten-lawyer practice continued its winning trend in 2011, obtaining great results for a growing client base of French and international clients. Practice head Jean-Pierre Farges, an ‘intellectually rigorous lawyer’, and Eric Bouffard are highly rated.

Within International arbitration Other recommended firms

Within EU competition and distribution, Ashurst LLP is a third tier firm,

Ashurst LLP’s up-and-coming practice shows ‘perfect understanding of matters in their legal, political and economical dimensions’, and has ‘very good regulatory’ expertise. It is handling some major cartel and state aid matters in the rail, energy and telecoms fields, and assisted Novacap with the acquisition of several businesses from Rhodia. Other clients include GDF Suez and SNCF Voyages. Practice head Christophe Lemaire and counsel Thierry Dahan are the key figures.

Within Insolvency, Ashurst LLP is a second tier firm,

Ashurst LLP is among ‘the top firms for banking institutions, while the team’s great understanding of companies also makes it a good adviser to debtors’. The firm, which shows ‘great creativity in rare restructuring matters’, owes much of its reputation to Jean-Pierre Farges, ‘an excellent and very convincing lawyer’, ‘highly technical’ and ‘forward-thinking’. Eric Bouffard is also a key contact on the procedural side, and finance experts Laurent Mabilat and James Collis ably assist on the debt restructuring side. The firm is a leading adviser in LBO restructuring, and assisted the senior lenders on the restructuring of Frans Bonhomme.

Within Mergers and acquisitions, tier 5

Ashurst LLP has a ‘very responsive, efficient and imaginative practice’ for domestic and cross-border transactions and corporate restructuring. Nicolas Barberis, Yann Gozal, Guy Benda and Bertrand Delaunay are key figures in the team, which serves private equity funds and various large corporations. It recently advised Veolia Water Solutions and Technologies on the sale of its activated carbon production business. Frédéric Pinet joined Desfilis & McGowan.

Within Fund formation, Ashurst LLP is a second tier firm,

Ashurst LLP’s ‘tax and fund formation teams are among the most qualified in the French market’, show pan-European business acumen, and provide the ‘highest standard of service’. It advises on investment fund formation and secondary transactions. Key clients include Qualium Investissement, LBO France and CDC Entreprises. ‘Rising star’ Xavier Comaills and tax expert Catherine Charpentier lead the team.

Within Private equity, Ashurst LLP is a second tier firm,

Ashurst LLP is praised for the ‘excellent quality of its service and very high responsiveness’. Its main focus is large-cap transactions but it is increasingly involved in the mid-cap market. The team advised key client Charterhouse on the acquisition of a majority stake in Webhelp. The practice leaders are ‘very reliable and creative lawyer’ Nicolas Barberis, Guy Benda, Bertrand Delaunay and Yann Gozal, who is ‘a great team leader’. Frédéric Pinet joined Desfilis & McGowan.

Within Energy Other recommended firms

Within Project finance Other recommended firms

Within Real estate, Ashurst LLP is a third tier firm,

Ashurst LLP’s ‘customer-tailored, all-round service’ practice is led by Philippe None, who has ‘outstanding legal and client skills’ and ‘in-depth knowledge of the market’. The ten-lawyer practice also includes property finance expert Hassan Javanshir, the ‘best “bad guy” for hard negotiations’ and a ‘very forward-thinking’ lawyer. The client portfolio of investors, funds and banks includes CBRE Investors and Landesbank Berlin. The team also advised Citigroup Property Investors on restructuring a loan.

Within Tax, Ashurst LLP is a third tier firm,

Ashurst LLP’s ‘high-level’ team is very strong on LBO transactions and fund structuring work, thanks to practice head Catherine Charpentier and Nadine Gelli. The four-lawyer practice advises all types of funds work, including handling restructuring and tax litigation. It advised CHG Participations on the sale of Compagnie Européenne de Prévoyance.