Jones Day > Paris, France > Firm Profile

Jones Day > The Legal 500 Rankings

France > Administrative and public law Tier 1

Jones Day's very established practice thrives in the public procurement field where the firm regularly advises on large mandates, often linked to urban transport, rail, energy and TMT infrastructure. In addition, the team is able to draw on its high-end regulatory know-how to assist leading corporations in challenging the current regulatory framework governing various industry sectors including the healthcare, energy and banking ones, while its expertise in the energy sector is particularly established and extends beyond regulatory issues. The highly experienced Philippe Delelis and the excellent Nicolas Brice jointly head the practice, with counsel Pierre Barthélemy also a key names. Of note, the team further strengthened its capabilities through the hiring of Xavier Domino as of counsel, a former magistrate of the Conseil d’Etat (France’s highest administrative court) in 2023.

France > Derivatives and structured finance Tier 1

Jones Day fields a comprehensive derivatives and structured finance practice that serves leading French banks as well as international credit institutions and some companies. In the derivatives field, Alban Caillemer du Ferrage and Qian Hu are sought out to provide strategic regulatory guidance and assistance with complex debt and corporate restructuring and transactions. In the securitisation and structured finance area, Christine Van Gallebaert often advises arrangers and some issuers on mid to large size securisation transactions, spanning a whole range of products including auto lease, project, consumer, mortgage and SME loans. The Paris team also benefits from a strong pan-European platform.

France > Environment Tier 1

Jones Day’s ‘proactive and responsive’ environmental group is regularly instructed by multinational corporations, government entities and public bodies for its advisory, transactional, and contentious support. Core areas of expertise include the handling of matters relating to chemical substances and product safety, environmental crisis management, and assisting with the development of renewable energy projects. Françoise Labrousse heads the team and focuses on environmental, crisis management, and health and safety-related mandates. Additional key contacts include Armelle Sandrin-Deforge and Elodie Simon, who major on environmental-related M&A and health and safety issues, respectively.

France > Industry focus: Telecoms  Tier 1

France > Intellectual property: Patents Tier 1

At Jones Day, the practice has solid experience in working in tandem with the firm's German and UK teams to assist with pan-European patent litigation. The team is well known for its strength in handling infringement proceedings and seizures before UK and German courts, and is very experienced in assisting pharmaceutical companies with patent matters, including freedom-to-operate analyses. Thomas Bouvet, who has established expertise in French and European patent litigation proceedings, co-heads the department with transactional expert Edouard Fortunet. Eddy Prothiere is sought after for advising on validity and infringement claims, and Colin Devinant's practice takes in national and international patent litigation.

France > Intellectual property: Trade marks and designs Tier 1

Jones Day is a recognised leader in trade mark and design disputes and transactions across France and Pan-Europe. They offer their expertise on an international scale, capitalising on the harmonisation of intellectual property laws within the EU to provide coordinated multi-office teams that advise and contribute to complex, multi-jurisdictional matters. The team, co-led by litigation expert Emmanuel Baud and IPO handling specialist Edouard Fortunet, adeptly manages a spectrum of both contentious and non-contentious issues, including infringement proceedings, revocation actions, license agreements, and due diligence related to M&A transactions and joint ventures. They possess notable sector-specific knowledge, particularly in the wine and spirits industry, and have established experience in the life sciences sector.

France > Private equity: venture/growth capital Tier 1

Praised by one client for its 'very detailed knowledge of venture capital market practices' and billed by another as 'the reference in Paris’, the Jones Day team excels at delivering counsel on venture and growth capital matters, from seed to late stage financing. The group assists start-ups and multinationals alike and has particular expertise with regards the tech and biotech segments. The practice is jointly led by a group of four partners, comprising: Renaud Bonnet, Charles Gavoty, Jean-Gabriel Griboul, and Geoffroy Pineau-Valencienne. Anne Kerneur is an additional key contact. Alexandre Wibaux relocated to the firm's New York office.

France > Capital markets: equity capital markets Tier 2

Jones Day combines strong US and French ECM expertise within its Paris office, and has a strong involvement alongside issuers including a number of startups and biotech companies, while also assisting several banks and arrangers. The practice regularly assists clients with share capital increase and IPO transactions and also handles convertible work. On the US front, it assists clients with SEC registration and US private placement needs. The team also stands out for its ability to assist dual-listed French issuers on their US registered Yankee bond programmes. The team is jointly headed by US expert Linda Hesse, Florent Bouyer, and Renaud Bonnet. Charles Gavoty also contributes.

France > Compliance Tier 2

The compliance team at Jones Day ‘continues to gain momentum on the Paris scene’, assisting with anti-corruption compliance programmes and international sanctions mandates, in addition to handling compliance audits led by the AFA. The practice is also well placed to leverage the firm’s international footprint when acting for domestic and multinational companies across the energy, technology and telecoms sectors. Bénédicte Graulle is praised for her ‘unrivalled commitment to protect and defend her clients’ in internal investigations involving issues such anti-corruption and anti-money laundering. Graulle leads the team alongside Françoise Labrousse, the co-head of the firm’s global government regulation practice, Linda Hesse, Jean-Michel Bobillo and Emmanuelle Rivez-Domont.

France > EU, competition and distribution Tier 2

Jones Day fields a diverse EU and competition law practice which encompasses merger control, state aid, and antitrust investigations and litigation at the national and EU levels, with particularly significant experience in handling cases before the European courts. Leading French-based multinationals make up a key proportion of the team's client base, and it has notable strength in highly regulated sectors such as energy, pharmaceuticals, telecoms, banking and technology. Eric Barbier de la Serre is well regarded for his expertise in antitrust and state aid cases, particularly before the EU courts. Charlotte Breuvart (who is based in Brussels) and Eileen Lagathu are also noted.

France > Industry focus: Energy Tier 2

Jones Day‘s energy offering is underpinned by its regulatory expertise and in-depth knowledge of the global financial markets. Key contacts at the firm include M&A specialists Alexandre de Verdun and Audrey Bontemps, project and asset finance expert Nicolas Brice, and public law authority Philippe Delelis. Rémy Fekete, Qian Hu, Florent Bouyer and Armelle Sandrin-Deforge are further practitioners capable of leading big-ticket matters in the energy sector. Significant areas of activity for the firm include the creation of joint ventures, corporate and tax restructurings, and equity financings.

France > Private equity: Fund formation Tier 2

Jones Day's group is routinely instructed by GPs and LPs seeking support with the legal, tax and regulatory aspects of investment fund formation and fundraising. The team, which is equipped to handle the formation of venture, growth, infrastructure, mezzanine, debt, and real estate funds, is directed by Florence Moulin, who is noted for her 'very strong experience'. Moulin specialises in setting up regulated portfolio management companies and regulatory matters. Marine L’Hostis is an additional key contact.

France > Banking and finance: transactional work Tier 3

Jones Day assists banks, alternative debt providers and borrowers, notably startups and technology companies, with the negotiation of loan facilities and refinancing, as well as with acquisition and property finance transactions. The Paris team mostly advises on mid-cap transactions and regularly combines forces with colleagues from the firm’s other international offices. Co-heads of practice Frédéric Gros and Diane Sénéchal and of counsel Isabelle Maury  are the key names in the team. Of note, the firm strengthened its practice in December 2023 through the hiring of Carine Mou Si Yan, who was previously with Orrick.

France > Capital markets: debt capital markets Tier 3

Jones Day assists issuers and arrangers with the set up of EMTN programmes and subsequent issuances, as well as with covered bonds, convertibles and ESG bond work. The team handles a steady stream of hybrid and non-standard work requiring the input of the firm’s derivatives and structured finance experts. The group also shows good ability to handle innovative work such as advising on digital token and bonds issuances through the blockchain. Of counsel Natalia Sauszyn is the key figure in the team and co-heads the DCM practice alongside US capital markets specialist Linda A Hesse.

France > Dispute resolution: Commercial litigation Tier 3

Jones Day houses a comprehensive litigation practice that manages commercial, banking, corporate and product liability cases. The group has particular strength handling product liability and ESG disputes relating to environment and pollution issues through tort specialist Françoise Labrousse and Cyril Philibert whose range of expertise also extends to many other areas. The team's caseload also includes commercial disputes and it has recently been entrusted to assist with a case concerning the theft of trade secrets. Clients include many leading French and international industrial and manufacturing companies. Ozan Akyurek is a key name in the team and Frédéric Gros has been defending several banks in ‘toxic’ loan cases granted to French municipalities prior to the 2009 financial crisis.

France > Dispute resolution: International arbitration Tier 3

Jones Day acts for a prominent client base, comprising large telecoms, energy, engineering and defence companies. The Paris-based team has a strong involvement in commercial arbitration disputes relating to North Africa and the Middle East and is managing high-stakes cases linked to Iraq and Algeria, notably concerning construction work. The practice also deals with significant matters relating to joint venture and M&A transactions. Elie Kleiman and Jean-Pierre Harb head the team, which also includes of counsel Claire Pauly.

France > Employment Tier 3

Leveraging its cross-border expertise and global network, Jones Day acts on a wide range of matters spanning employee benefits and executive compensation to compliancy issues and social security matters. The team is well positioned to advise on labour and employment issues relating to corporate mergers and multijurisdictional transactions. The group is led by Emmanuelle Rivez-Domont and Jean-Michel Bobillo.

France > Industry focus: Healthcare and life sciences Tier 3

Leveraging their European network of offices, Jones Day acts for its lucrative client base on a broad range of IP disputes and transactions. The group regularly advises on IPOs, M&A, and disputes concerning patent infringements and license agreement breaches. Practice co-head and environmental law specialist Françoise Labrousse maintains a strong reputation for handling contentious matters. Co-head Renaud Bonnet is known for his deep knowledge of private equity related issues, and for advising a broad array of technology and life sciences clients, and investors.

France > Industry focus: IT and internet  Tier 3

Jones Day is experienced in handling IT law, with particular expertise in e-commerce, software distribution and digital transformationissues, as well as a burgeoning practice in blockchain, NFTs, facial recognition and AI matters. The group is headed up by Rémy Fekete, an expert in IT law in cross-jurisdictional settings. Other key names to note are Olivier Haas and Nicolas Brice.

France > Insolvency Tier 3

Jones Day possesses a distinctive ability to respond swiftly and effectively to both French and cross-border restructuring cases. Under the leadership of Fabienne Beuzit, the team has played a pivotal role in numerous transactional restructurings and bankruptcies over the past decade, providing counsel to a diverse array of stakeholders, including debt and investment funds, banks, debtors, and corporations, across various aspects such as bankruptcy proceedings, in and out-of-court restructurings, M&A, and insolvency-related litigation. Notably, Rodolphe Carrière has been involved in matters concerning start-up and tech companies in recent months.

France > Real estate Tier 3

Singled for its ‘excellent knowledge of the field, responsiveness and pragmatism’, the team at Jones Day takes care of real estate matters such as the acquisition, leasing and sale of assets, property development and financing, plus related tax structuring and litigation. Practice head Erwan Le Douce-Bercot has both advisory and contentious real estate credentials. Flavia Poujade and Solène Maulard also receive client praise. Carine Mou Si Yan joined the practice in December 2023 from Orrick.

France > Dispute resolution: White-collar crime Tier 4

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France > Mergers and acquisitions Tier 4

France > Project finance Tier 4

Jones Day's practice is well-versed in matters involving the financing of infrastructure, renewable energy, waste, and transportation projects. The group is jointly led by energy and infrastructure project specialist Rémy Fekete; Nicolas Brice, who has broad expertise in concession contracts, and infrastructure and utilities-related PPPs; regulatory expert Philippe Delelis; and Florent Bouyer, who is known for his expertise in capital markets transactions. Sophie Chevallier left the team for an in-house position in October 2023, while Carine Mou Si Yan joined the practice in December 2023 from Orrick.

France > Tax Tier 4

Typical mandates for the tax team at Jones Day include advising on financing rounds, equity incentives and M&A. Other areas of practice include assisting with the tax aspects of funds formations and investments, including private equity, real estate and venture capital, and advising on capital markets transactions. Emmanuel de La Rochethulon  has significant experience advising clients on the tax structuring of M&A transactions. He jointly leads the team alongside Nicolas André, who is a key contact for technology and venture capital clients.