Martin Desautels > DFDL Legal & Tax > Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam > Lawyer Profile
DFDL Legal & Tax Offices
UNIT 2, 19TH FLOOR, GREEN POWER BUILDING
35 TON DUC THANG STREET, DISTRICT 1
HO CHI MINH CITY
Vietnam
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Martin Desautels
Work Department
Cambodia, Vietnam
Position
Senior Partner
Career
Martin is a Senior Partner at DFDL. He served as the Managing Partner of the firm for almost two decades, during which he led the firm’s regional expansion from one office to 12 offices in ASEAN and Bangladesh. He continues to advise clients and lead transactions, as well as support the new Managing Partner of the firm. He also plays a leadership role in overseeing employees, key clients, and, more specifically, the firm’s growth strategy and regional expansion. Recently, he spearheaded the firm’s expansion into new jurisdictions, such as Malaysia and Indonesia, where DFDL established its own new offices.
He is the founder and leader of the Connector Unit, an award-winning, innovative DFDL platform that helps clients find new business leads in regional markets. Building on the successes of the Connector Unit, Martin will be supporting the newly launched Corporate Advisory Business Unit, a new line of services offered by DFDL to its clients that will expand the range of DFDL’s existing legal and tax offerings to include strategic and transactional advice services. He will notably focus on advising clients on regional expansion, growth strategy, and M&A approaches throughout ASEAN.
Martin is a banking and finance lawyer and has a wealth of experience in the infrastructure and energy sector, including renewable energy projects in the emerging markets of Asia. He has been practicing law in ASEAN for more than 20 years and has worked with investments funds, international banks and sizeable Asian investors on their investments and expansion strategies across the ASEAN region. He has also provided technical assistance to various governmental bodies (such as the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and Agence Française de Dévelopement) on various aspects of the development of investment, regulatory and legal frameworks.
Languages
English, French
Memberships
Martin is ranked as a leading lawyer by renowned legal directories such as Chambers Asia Pacific, IFLR, Asialaw and Legal 500.
Lawyer Rankings
Vietnam > Corporate and M&A
A firm that has witnessed a wave of internal promotions including partnership for both Dave Seibert and Paul Volodarsky in January 2023, DFDL Legal & Tax possesses a strong and experienced bench that has a wide sector breadth and engages with a number of premium domestic and cross-border deals across the Southeast Asian region. Beyond continued distinguished work in the energy sector, the team is a go-to for aviation expertise as well as telecommunications, manufacturing, real estate, and finance-related corporate issues. Spearheading the practice is Jérôme Buzenet, whose banking and capital markets knowledge ensures he is a regular port of call for the group’s growing list of longstanding multinational platform investor clients. Both Martin Desautels and PhongAnh Hoang possess broad practices and have been engaged in a variety of foreign investment deals, whereas Kevin Hawkins is principally noted for his acumen regarding energy and infrastructure assets.
Vietnam > Projects and energy
DFDL Legal & Tax provides a wide offering owing to its depth and breath of practitioners located in and beyond Vietnam, and is particularly geared to act on major renewable projects, most notably solar and wind. Beyond established expertise in M&A, capital markets and financing, the firm has been active on regulatory and project development aspects of builds, including project structuring, document preparation and investment structuring. PhongAnh Hoang co-leads the practice alongside Dave Seibert, with both possessing a broad practice working closely with a stellar range of developers and investors. Martin Desautels is an M&A specialist, with proficiency across the relevant due diligence and regulatory aspects, while Kevin Hawkins has been primarily active on solar rooftop projects.
Vietnam > Real estate and construction
DFDL Legal & Tax advises domestic, Asian and European investors on large-scale development projects, including hotel and resort constructions, expansive office developments, and rebranding and renovation work. The firm has started 2023 with a string of promotions, including Dave Seibert and group head Paul Volodarsky elected to the partnership. Martin Desautels continues to be the leading figure alongside Thang Huynh on the team’s most consequential matters, while Hanh Tran has been a strong supporting member of the group.