BDGS Associés > Paris, France > Firm Profile
BDGS Associés Offices
51 RUE FRANCOIS 1ER
75008 PARIS
France
BDGS Associés > The Legal 500 Rankings
France > Dispute resolution: Commercial litigation Tier 1
BDGS Associés is entrusted by high-profile companies or shareholders facing high-stakes M&A litigation and other complex proceedings. The litigation team, which works in close collaboration with the corporate, restructuring and antitrust practices, also handles challenging disputes linked to large debt restructuring proceedings and several high-stakes antitrust-related damages follow-on cases. The team is also retained to manage high-profile commercial litigation opposing leading industry champions, such as in retail. Practice head Kyum Lee is highly recognised. Also involved are the highly experienced Antoine Gosset-Grainville, who is a key name for regulatory disputes and senior associate Florian Dessault.Practice head(s):
Kyum Lee
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘Kyum Lee is an excellent business litigation lawyer. He is a fine technician and excellent litigator. Kyum covers many aspects of business law with equal competence and rigor. He masters the mysteries of civil procedure which makes him a formidable adversary.’
‘Kyum Lee is excellent and in particular in dealing with financial and stock market litigation. He certainly stands out through his legal and strategic analysis.’
‘Good availability, relevance and support on very difficult files. Kyum Lee manages cases with rigor. ’
‘An exceptional team that stands out for their strategic approach to files. They perfectly anticipate opposing positions. They never lose sight of the big picture. They are very flexible and adapt to customers’ constraints. The team is always very available.’
‘Kyum Lee and Florian Dessault stand out because of their strategic approach to cases. They are not only excellent lawyers. They always try to give advice and recommendation, without being afraid of getting involved.’
‘Excellent professionals, always available, very responsive and able to anticipate clients’ needs.’
‘Amazing team; brilliant and dedicated lawyers.’
‘Kyum is an amazing attorney and a great person. Always involved’.
Key clients
Engie
Carrefour
Caisse des Dépôts et Consignation
Lov Group
Equitis Gestion
Bpifrance
Ceva Santé Animale
MBDA France
Société Générale
CMA CGM
Crédit Agricole Assurances (Predica)
Airseas
La Banque Postale
Christian Dior Couture
Lanvin Group
EIM Capital
Groupe Partouche
The Bureau (GPG group)
Diageo
Neovacs
Campofrio Food Group
Work highlights
- Representing Carrefour in multiple proceedings initiated both by Carrefour and Systeme U in connection with the performance of a major international purchasing agreement.
- Representing the board members of Bourrelier Group (formerly Bricorama) in connection with a claim for mismanagement brought by JG Capital Management (minority shareholder).
- Representing MBDA France in connection with several claims and proceedings for fraud and conspiracy, brought by minority shareholders of Dolphin Integration who challenge the court-approved transfer of Dolphin Integration’s assets to MBDA FRANCE in the context of Dolphin Integration’s insolvency proceedings.
France > EU, competition and distribution Tier 1
BDGS Associés' wide-ranging EU and competition law practice is well regarded for its advice to leading French multinationals across a broad array of sectors, most notably transport, energy, retail and financial services. Merger control cases are a prominent area of expertise for the team, which is well versed in handling notifications to the FCA, the European Commission and to antitrust authorities worldwide, and it is also widely recognised for its strength in state aid, with Antoine Gosset-Grainville and Mathilde Damon representing SNCF and the French State Shareholding Agency in high-profile recent cases. In addition, the firm is highly active in significant antitrust investigations and litigation. Maria Trabucchi and Jérôme Fabre are also noted practitioners across the full range of EU and competition law.Practice head(s):
Antoine Gosset-Grainville; Maria Trabucchi
Other key lawyers:
Mathilde Damon; Jérôme Fabre; Camille Petiau
Testimonials
‘Team with remarkable technical competence, covering all aspects of competition law (merger control, anti-competitive practices and state aid). Excellent knowledge of the functioning of European institutions and competition authorities. Team is available, efficient and attentive to the customer.’
‘Mathilde Damon has very in-depth expertise in state aid and the ability to work quickly to propose pragmatic and effective solutions.’
‘Maria Trabucchi has very great expertise in merger control. Calm, efficient and rigourous.’
‘Very impressed by the quality and availability of the team, which is of a very high technical level, always available and educated on complex subjects, with a strategic vision.’
‘Maria Trabucchi is an outstanding practitioner who has mastered her subject and who has an unusual ability to understand industry sectors. She is extremely rigorous and hardworking, and she knows how to anticipate issues and be pragmatic and creative. She will always give the best advice to her clients by demonstrating constant and unfailing dedication.’
‘Very pragmatic and efficient. It is one of the best teams on the market for European merger control.’
‘Antoine Gosset-Grainville, Maria Trabucchi and Jérôme Fabre have strong expertise in both European litigation and merger matters, and in anti-competitive practices, and a strategic vision.’
‘A reliable and competent team.’
Key clients
CMA CGM
Meta
Thales
Publicis
SNCF
Carrefour
Engie
Safran
French State Shareholding Agency
La Poste/La Banque Postale
BPCE
Crédit Mutuel
Société Générale
Crédit Agricole
BNP Paribas
Crédit Agricole Assurances/Predica
Campofrío
Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations
Fédération du Commerce et de la Distribution
Séché Environnement
Bpifrance Investissement
Sagard
Sopra Steria
Lanvin
Work highlights
- Advising CMA CGM on obtaining clearance from the European Commission and 18 other antitrust authorities worldwide for its €5 billion acquisition of Bolloré Logistics.
- Representing Meta in the context of an investigation launched by the FCA in the online advertising verification sector for alleged abuse of dominant position and a request for interim measures.
- Advising SNCF in the context of an in-depth investigation opened by the European Commission regarding alleged state aid amounting to €5 billion received in the past by Fret SNCF, a subsidiary of SNCF active in the railway freight sector.
France > Mergers and acquisitions Tier 2
BDGS Associés fields ‘a high-level team with exceptional legal technique combined with leading transactional experience’. The group acts for CAC 40 companies as well as state-owned companies and investors. The firm has strong credentials in public and private M&A transactions as well as corporate reorganisations, and recently advised on high-profile deals across various sectors and industries (internet, renewables, transport, telecoms, finance). It is also the go-to-firm for high-end work involving the public sector with Jean-Emmanuel Skovron an expert in this area. Skovron jointly heads the practice alongside the highly regarded Marc Loy
, Antoine Bonnasse and Youssef Djehane. Other key names include Thomas Méli, Lucile Gaillard , François Baylion, Jérôme du Chazaud and David Andréani. Practice head(s):
Antoine Bonnasse; Youssef Djehane; Jean-Emmanuel Skovron; Marc Loy
Other key lawyers:
Lucile Gaillard; Thomas Méli; François Baylion; Jérôme du Chazaud; David Andréani; Hannah Cobbett
Testimonials
‘High-level team with exceptional legal technique combined with leading transactional experience.’
‘Team members are highly qualified and are top of the class legal practitioners. They are truly more than just legal advisers but business partners. They are very strong in connecting all the business aspects to the legal matters.’
‘Marc Loy is very experienced and always find solutions and is reassuring. David Andréani offers innovative proposals to difficulties.’
‘Jean-Emmanuel Skovron stands out for his interpersonal qualities and intimate understanding of top business issues and top of the class legal expertise. David Andréani stands out for his exceptional combination of top legal expertise and financial skills. ’
‘Thomas Méli has a very good understanding of clients’ constraints and excellent ability to find secure and innovative legal solutions, even in complex or even contentious situations.’
‘Jérôme du Chazaud is a brilliant young partner.’
‘Lucille Gaillard is competent, available, caring in complex matters that required a political and strategic approach beyond simple technical competence.’
‘Jean-Emmanuel Skovron is particularly innovative, agile with a detailed understanding of the issues and business, associated with unfailing kindness and benevolence. ’
Key clients
ADEME Investissement
Bouygues Telecom
Bpifrance
Butler Industries
Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations
Canal+
CMA CGM
Crédit Agricole Assurances
ENGIE
Evolis
Icade
La Banque Postale
Louis Dreyfus Armateurs
LOV Group
Paprec
Publicis
Sagard
SNCF
Sopra Steria
Thales
Work highlights
- Advising Icade on the sale of its stake in Icade Santé.
- Advising LBP on the reorganisation of LBP’s insurance branch.
- Advising Crédit Agricole Assurances (Predica) on the transfer of all assets and liabilities attached to Predica’s retirement business to another affiliate of CAA.
France > Insolvency Tier 3
BDGS Associés' insolvency and restructuring team takes on high-profile, cross-border cases, showcasing a particular prowess in international matters involving strategic or politically sensitive assets. Guided by the seasoned Henri Cazala, who is praised for his 'inventiveness and determination to find solutions in complex situations', the team provides counsel to major shareholders, leading corporations, as well as debtors and bondholders. They have recently been instrumental in debt restructuring cases within the public events and healthcare sectors. Noteworthy figures in the practice also include Laurène Boyer and Antoine Gosset-Grainville.Practice head(s):
Henri Cazala
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘Extremely efficient and responsive team, making strong progress in the difficult restructuring market.’
‘Henri Cazala is particularly service-oriented and responsive.’
‘Professional, competent and friendly team. Quality services provided, good project monitoring, business developers.’
‘A leading team, technically sound and benefits from a formidable network. It’s a pleasure to work with them.’
‘I often work with Henri Cazala. I appreciate his inventiveness and determination to find solutions in complex situations. It is a trusted partner for our strategic choices.’
‘Laurène Boyer is excellent.’
‘A remarkable team. The work is clear and always done on time.’
‘Henri Cazala is a very high-level lawyer. He always understands our needs and is efficient in all circumstances.’
Key clients
Aether Financial Services
Agence des Participations de l’Etat
Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations
Canal+
CMA CGM
Crédit Agricole Assurances
Eiffel Investment Group
Equitis Gestion
Mutares
Raise Impact
SNCF
Stokomani
Accor
Work highlights
- Advising the Canal+ Group, a French audiovisual group, as part of the acquisition from Orange of OCS (a French pay-TV package dedicated to series and movies) and Orange Studio (a French film and series production company), following a competitive bid process.
- Acted as mediator at the request of Orpea, a listed group and a leading global player in care and living pathways for vulnerable people, as part of the restructuring of its indebtedness and the research of new money under conciliation proceedings.
- Advising SNCF, the French public railway group, in the context of in-depth investigation opened by the European Commission on 18th January 2023 regarding alleged State aid amounting to €5 billion received in the past by Fret SNCF, a subsidiary of SNCF active in the railway freight sector, especially on the strategy and arguments for challenging the alleged state aid, and on the implementation of a plan for the economic discontinuation of Fret SNCF announced by the French government last May to avoid any risk of the company being wound up.
France > Banking and finance: transactional work Tier 4
BDGS AssociésPractice head(s):
Yaëlle Cohen
Key clients
Agence des Participations de l’Etat
Bouygues Telecom
Bpifrance
Butler Industries
Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations
Crédit Agricole Assurances (Predica)
Icade SA
Sagard
Eiffel Investment Group CONFIDENTIAL
Enedis CONFIDENTIAL
Raise Impact CONFIDENTIAL
Sopra Steria
Work highlights
- Advised Bouygues Telecom on the financing of the acquisition, via a joint venture with Phoenix Tower International (PTI), of circa 2,000 telecoms sites.
- Advised Icade SA on the debt portability of circa €1,5 billion financial indebtedness and the implementation of a €550 million bridge term loans facility.
- Advising Epic Bpifrance, Bpifrance Investissement and L-GAM on the financing of their direct and indirect acquisition of a stake in Biose Industrie.
France > Tax Tier 4
The tax practice at BDGS Associés works closely with the firm's M&A practice to provide comprehensive transactional tax advice on M&A transactions, public offerings, private equity and restructurings. Outside of the M&A sphere, the team also advises on the structuring and financing of real estate activities, private equity, HNWIs and tax litigation. Practice head Guillaume Jolly's 'skills are not limited only to the transactional aspects of files but also involve a strong knowledge of corporate finance and personal taxation'.Practice head(s):
Guillaume Jolly
Testimonials
‘Very proactive vis-a-vis clients with a deep technical understanding.’
‘Guillaume Jolly and his team are very pragmatic and try to find the efficient solutions for clients.’
‘Guillaume Jolly’s skills are not limited only to the transactional aspects of files but also involve a strong knowledge of corporate finance and personal taxation. ’
‘Very technically strong and very available. Top service.’
‘Great competence, conciseness and clarity, efficiency and responsiveness.’
Key clients
Crédit Agricole Assurances (Predica)
McArthurGlen
Opengate Capital
French State / Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations
Bouygues Telecom
Engie
EIM Capital
Total
SNCF
EPIC Bpifrance
Sagard
CMA CGM
Canal +
ADEME Investissement
Evolis
Work highlights
- Advising Crédit Agricole Assurances (Predica) as part of an internal reorganisation of the transfer of all assets and liabilities attached to Predica’s retirement business for a total value of approximately EUR18,100,000,000 to another affiliate of CAA fully dedicated to this business, namely Crédit Agricole Assurances Retraite.
- ]Advising LBP on the reorganisation of LBP’s insurance branch via the establishment of an overarching division to wholly own and group its insurance subsidiaries, in order to set up a single insurance vehicle for the LBP group.
- Advising Evolis on its acquisition by HID Global (HID), an American manufacturer of secure identity products owned by Assa Abloy.
BDGS Associés > Firm Profile
Firm overview: BDGS Associés is one of France’s leading independent law firms which handles its clients’ most strategic and complex matters, across all areas of mergers and acquisitions and company law, competition law and regulatory, tax law, dispute resolution, restructuring and insolvency and finance.
BDGS Associés was founded in 2013 by four prominent actors in French business law, Antoine Bonnasse, Youssef Djehane, Antoine Gosset-Grainville and Jean-Emmanuel Skovron, and today the firm has around fifty lawyers.
BDGS Associés offers a tailor-made service delivered by the partners themselves who work in small and highly responsive teams and who benefit from a deep understanding of the French economic and regulatory environment.
BDGS Associés regularly represents its clients in their international transactions and disputes, benefiting from the skills of its lawyers, several of whom are bicultural, multilingual and/or dual qualified and the strong personal relationships of its partners with leading law firms in key foreign jurisdictions, allowing the firm to work alongside the most suitable correspondents based on clients’ needs.
Main areas of practice
- Mergers and acquisitions and corporate law
- Competition and regulatory
- Tax
- Dispute resolution
- Restructuring and insolvency
- Finance
Mergers and acquisitions and corporate law: BDGS Associés’s mergers and acquisitions and corporate law practice, headed by founders Antoine Bonnasse, Youssef Djehane and Jean-Emmanuel Skovron, together with Marc Loy, Thomas Méli, Lucile Gaillard, François Baylion, Jérôme du Chazaud and David Andreani is a leader on the Paris market.
Our highly experienced and qualified team of lawyers represents French and international clients in their most strategic domestic and cross-border transactions, including acquisitions, mergers, public offers, private equity, corporate reorganisations, corporate governance, joint ventures and partnerships.
The practice notably has unique experience with regards to transactions involving listed companies, State-owned entities or regulated companies and accompanies clients on all aspects of corporate law, governance and shareholder-relation matters, as well as on their financing and capital restructuring transactions.
Competition and regulatory: BDGS Associés’s competition and regulatory practice benefits from a unique position due to its dual presence in Paris and Brussels and the experience of its partners Antoine Gosset-Grainville, Maria Trabucchi, Jérôme Fabre and François Gordon in all competition law and regulatory matters, including merger control, antitrust, state aid, sectorial regulation, competition litigation, as well as distribution law and foreign investments.
The practice is particularly renowned for its work in complex merger control and foreign investments with a strong risk of prohibition or remedies and in State aid.
BDGS Associés’s competition and regulatory practice also has significant experience in sectorial regulation both nationally and at EU level, notably in the telecommunications, energy, transport and broadcasting sectors.
Tax: BDGS Associés’s tax practice provides advice on all aspects of French and international tax law relating to mergers and acquisitions and corporate reorganisations for both industrial groups and private equity funds, including LBOs, tax structures and management packages.
The tax practice also provides standalone tax advice regarding real estate activities (including listed real estate companies or REITs) and to high net worth individuals and also regularly represents clients in tax litigation.
Dispute resolution: BDGS Associés’s dispute resolution practice handles a wide range of complex disputes. Our team of litigators assists companies and executives during pre-litigation stages and also in their most strategic litigation before the French civil, commercial, criminal and European courts and arbitration tribunals, as well as in investigations and administrative proceedings.
The dispute resolution practice is best known for corporate and listed company related disputes (M&A and shareholder litigation), commercial litigation, pre-action discovery measures and white-collar criminal proceedings.
Restructuring and insolvency: BDGS Associés restructuring and insolvency practice is led by partner Henri Cazala, who has extensive experience of acting in high profile restructuring cases.
The practice advises distressed companies, their boards, their shareholders, their creditors or industrial or financial investors in respect of out-of-court debt restructurings (mandat ad hoc, conciliation) and insolvency proceedings (sauvegarde, redressement judiciaire or liquidation judiciaire).
The practice is particularly renowned for its work in complex financial or industrial restructurings, including cross-border restructurings and related disputes, which require high-level legal and financial technical skills.
The team also assists clients in their mergers and acquisitions or financing transactions with distressed company law components. The team is composed of lawyers who have invaluable experience and can provide clients with the perspective and insight required to formulate creative solutions to best preserve their interests and maximize value.
Finance: BDGS Associés’s finance practice advises clients on a wide range of finance transactions and banking and bonds refinancing.
The team primarily assists companies (listed and unlisted), public entities and private equity funds as well as private debt funds on complex financing transactions in the context of domestic and cross-border corporate, M&A and leveraged and project financing transactions.
The team also advises distressed companies or their shareholders on restructuring transactions involving recapitalisations or debt conversions alongside the Restructuring and Insolvency practice in the context of out of court debt restructurings (mandat ad hoc or conciliation) or insolvency proceedings (sauvegarde et sauvegarde accélérée).
Main Contacts
| Department | Name | Telephone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mergers and acquisitions | Antoine Bonnasse | ||
| Mergers and acquisitions | Youssef Djehane | ||
| Mergers and acquisitions | Jean-Emmanuel Skovron | ||
| Mergers and acquisitions | Marc Loy | ||
| Mergers and acquisitions | Thomas Méli | ||
| Mergers and acquisitions | Lucile Gaillard | ||
| Mergers and acquisitions | François Baylion | ||
| Mergers and acquisitions | Jérôme du Chazaud | ||
| Mergers and acquisitions | David Andreani | ||
| Competition and regulatory | Antoine Gosset-Grainville | ||
| Competition and regulatory | Maria Trabucchi | ||
| Competition and regulatory | Jérôme Fabre | ||
| Competition and regulatory | François Gordon | ||
| Tax | Guillaume Jolly | ||
| Dispute resolution | Kyum Lee | ||
| Restructuring and insolvency | Henri Cazala | ||
| Financing | Yaëlle Cohen |
Lawyer Profiles
| Photo | Name | Position | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|
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David Andreani | Partner specialising in French and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, reorganisations and joint ventures,… | View Profile |
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François Baylion | Partner specialising in corporate governance and transactions involving listed companies, including takeovers… | View Profile |
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Antoine Bonnasse | Partner specialising in complex mergers and acquisitions (listed and unlisted companies), corporate… | View Profile |
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Laurène Boyer | Senior associate advising debtors, shareholders, investors and creditors on all aspects of… | View Profile |
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Henri Cazala | Partner advising distressed companies, their boards, their shareholders, their creditors and industrial… | View Profile |
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Yaëlle Cohen | Partner advising investment funds, corporates, private debt funds and financial institutions on… | View Profile |
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Youssef Djehane | Partner focusing on matters concerning listed companies, including listed companies, including takeovers,… | View Profile |
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Jérôme Fabre | Partner specialising in all aspects of French and EU competition law with… | View Profile |
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Lucile Gaillard | Partner specialising in mergers and acquisitions, in particular corporate restructurings and spin-offs… | View Profile |
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François Gordon | Partner advising French and international companies on all aspects of competition law:… | View Profile |
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Antoine Gosset-Grainville | Partner specialising in all aspects of French and EU competition law with… | View Profile |
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Guillaume Jolly | Partner specialising in French and international tax law with intensive experience in… | View Profile |
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Kyum Lee | Partner – Head of Litigation | View Profile |
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Marc Loy | Partner specialising in public and private mergers and acquisitions focusing on transactions… | View Profile |
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Thomas Méli | Partner specialising in securities law as well as public and private M&A… | View Profile |
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Jean-Emmanuel Skovron | Partner specialising in mergers and acquisitions focusing on State investments and transactions… | View Profile |
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Maria Trabucchi | Partner specialising in French and EU competition law, advising on complex merger… | View Profile |
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Jérôme du Chazaud | Partner specialising in mergers and acquisitions and restructurings of both listed and… | View Profile |
Staff Figures
Number of lawyers : 49Languages
Chinese English French Italian SpanishOther
Other offices : Brussels- Dispute resolution: Commercial litigation
- EU, competition and distribution
Top Tier Firm Rankings
- Mergers and acquisitions