The Legal 500

Back to Legal500 home

Latham & Watkins

45 RUE SAINT DOMINIQUE, 75 007 PARIS, FRANCE
Tel:
Work +33 1 40 62 20 00
Fax:
Fax +33 1 40 62 20 62
Web:
www.lw.com
Washington DC, Tokyo, Singapore, Silicon Valley, Shanghai, San Francisco and 25 more

France : Banking and finance

Within Banking and finance, Latham & Watkins is a first tier firm,

Latham & Watkins’ responsive and focused team has leading expertise in LBO financing, and also advises on asset, property and project finance, and has a thriving high-yield bonds practice. Recent work includes advising leading banks on senior credit facilities and on the high-yield bond financing of the acquisition of Spie. Xavier Farde heads the 16-lawyer practice, in which Etienne Gentil and structured finance expert Basil Zotiades are key partners. Lionel Dechmann was recently promoted to the partnership.

France : Capital markets

Within Capital markets, Latham & Watkins is a second tier firm,

Latham & Watkins stands out for its high-yield bonds practice and, more generally, is also recommended for complex DCM and structured finance advice. The team advises financial institutions and also represents corporate issuers. Highlights included advising the joint bookrunners and initial purchasers, including JPMorgan Chase and Deutsche Bank, on a €324m high-yield bond offering by Europcar; and Air Liquide on its first renminbi bond issuance. Basil Zotiades, who co-chairs the firm’s structured finance practice, is recommended along with John Watson, Thomas Vogel and Thomas Margenet-Baudry.

France : Dispute resolution

Within Commercial litigation, Latham & Watkins is a third tier firm,

Latham & Watkins’ practice is led by Valérie Bouaziz Torron and Myria Saarinen, who represent large French and international technology clients in corporate and commercial litigation, including contractual disputes.

Within International arbitration, tier 4

Latham & Watkins’ Rachel Thorn represents international corporations in ICC disputes. The firm’s caseload includes energy price reviews and breach of long-term supply agreements.

France : EU competition and distribution

Within EU competition and distribution, tier 4

Latham & Watkins’ six-lawyer practice, which is headed by Hugues Vallette Viallard and Frédéric Pradelles, has strong expertise in antitrust law and is involved in key matters at French and EU levels. Highlights included representing Groupement des Cartes Bancaires in the payment card cartel investigation before the EU Courts and EC. The firm also handles some merger control work.

France : Employment

Within Employment, Latham & Watkins is a first tier firm,

Latham & Watkins advises high-profile clients such as Axa, Accenture and Airbus. This highly dynamic team has recently handled major restructuring work and has experience of managing mass litigation. The team is led by compliance and discrimination specialist Agnès Cloarec-Mérendon and Matthias Rubner, who is an expert in code of ethics and discovery practises.

France : IT, telecoms and the internet

Within IT, telecoms and the internet, Latham & Watkins is a second tier firm,

Latham & Watkins’ ‘quick and efficient’ seven-lawyer team has ‘a global approach on matters’ and ‘client-oriented advice’. ‘Great negotiator’ Jean-Luc Juhan, who is ‘very sharp and down-to-earth’ and has ‘a very good knowledge of the industry’, advises high-profile French and international groups on large outsourcing and integration system projects. Myria Saarinen, who specialises in data protection issues and handles litigation for large international companies, shows ‘a very high level of technical knowledge’ and ‘a constant positive attitude even in difficult situations’.

France : Insolvency

Within Insolvency, Latham & Watkins is a third tier firm,

Latham & Watkins attracts instructions on major LBO and property cases. The team mainly acts for creditors but also assisted Materis with its restructuring. Hervé Diogo Amengual heads the practice and is supported by Xavier Farde on the finance side.

France : Mergers and acquisitions

Within Mergers and acquisitions, tier 4

Latham & Watkins’ team shows ‘deep expertise and a great sense of service’. The practice recently advised Oberthur Technologies on its acquisition of US-based MoreMagic Solutions. Patrick Laporte is highly regarded, and Olivier du Mottay, Thomas Forschbach, Alexander Benedetti, Denis Criton and Gaëtan Gianasso are also recommended.

France : Private equity

Within Private equity, Latham & Watkins is a first tier firm,

Latham & Watkins performed very well in 2012 despite challenging market conditions. It advised Bridgepoint on the sale of Alain Afflelou, and also acted on a substantial volume of mid-cap transactions for clients including Cinven and Axa Private Equity. Thomas Forschbach co-chairs the firm’s global corporate practice. Olivier du Mottay, Nathalie Alibert, Gaëtan Gianasso and Denis Criton are also recommended. Nicolas Bombrun joined Shearman & Sterling LLP.

France : Project finance and energy

Within Energy Other recommended firms

Within Project finance Other recommended firms

France : Real estate

Within Real estate Other recommended firms

France : Tax

Within Tax, Latham & Watkins is a third tier firm,

Latham & Watkins’ nine-lawyer team has particular strength in the LBO and structured finance fields, and also handles tax controversy work. Clients included AXA Private Equity, AIG and Pernod Ricard. Xavier Renard, Olivier Delattre and practice head Olivia Rauch-Ravisé are recommended.

Further information on Latham & Watkins LLP

Please choose from this list to view details of what we say about Latham & Watkins LLP in other jurisdictions.

United Arab Emirates

Offices in Dubai and Abu Dhabi

Belgium

Offices in Brussels

China

Offices in Shanghai and Beijing

Germany

Offices in Hamburg, Frankfurt, and Munich

Spain

Offices in Madrid and Barcelona

France

Offices in Paris

Hong Kong

Offices in Hong Kong

Indonesia

Latin America: International firms

India

Italy

Offices in Milan and Rome

Japan

Offices in Tokyo

London

Offices in London

Philippines

Qatar

Offices in Doha

Russia

Offices in Moscow

Singapore

Offices in Singapore

Saudi Arabia

Offices in Riyadh

United States

Offices in Chicago, Washington DC, Silicon Valley, Costa Mesa, Newark, New York, San Diego, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Houston, and Boston

Search News and Articles

Legal Developments in France

Legal Developments and updates from the leading lawyers in each jurisdiction. To contribute, send an email request to

  • The new French regulation applying to national insurance contributions for managers and shareholders

    French insurance contributions on executive and shareholder remuneration (pay + dividends) have been substantially increased by the National Insurance Funding for 2013 Act, No. 2012-1404, of 17th December 2012. Until 31st December 2012, all dividends were subject to national insurance contributions on unearned income but henceforth, under Article L136-3 of the National Insurance Code, amended by Act No. 2012-1404, certain dividends   are considered as pay received by executives and shareholders and are therefore subject to the national insurance contributions on pay. The Act also abolished the ceiling on health insurance contributions payable by the self-employed and all this means that businesses must rethink the way that they have been structured until now.
    - EMMANUEL JACQUES Avocats – Law Firm

  • CHINA - PERSONAL TAXATION AND SOCIAL SECURITY : CHINESE AND FOREIGN NATIONALS ON AN EQUAL FOOTING

    The People's Republic of China has initiated an overhaul of its social security system, reformed the personal taxation regime and has extended the scope of these laws to foreigners residing in China.
    - Lefèvre Pelletier & associés

  • MOROCCO TO BECOME THE LEADING FINANCIAL PLACE IN AFRICA

    The Kingdom of Morocco is supporting the ambition of becoming the leading financial place for Africa. In this context, a wave of draft laws is to be passed and implemented within the following months, amongst which, the Law No. 53.08, setting up a new financial authority, and the Law No. 54.08, reforming public offering rules, are of paramount importance to Moroccan and foreign issuers, and financial institutions.
    - Lefèvre Pelletier & associés

  • ACQUISITIONS IN CHINA : ASSET OR SHARE DEAL?

    The opportunities offered to foreign investors by the Chinese mergers and acquisitions market are increasing every year: in 2010, transactions involving foreign companies came to 60.1 billion euros, an increase of 21.2% compared with 2009. Seen from the West, where markets are declining, all sectors of the Chinese economy seem to be undergoing promising development and the statistics indicate that the Middle Empire will be a lasting springboard for growth.
    - Lefèvre Pelletier & associés

  • Prime de Partage des Profits

    Le dispositif L’article 1er de la loi de financement rectificative de la Sécurité sociale pour 2011 oblige les sociétés commerciales de 50 salariés et plus, dont les dividendes par part sociale ou par action sont en augmentation par rapport à la moyenne des deux années précédentes, à verser une prime à l’ensemble de leurs salariés
    - Sarrau Thomas Couderc

  • BULGARIA MARKET OVERVIEW

    Types of investors The private equity (PE) funds that are active in Bulgaria are not raised or registered in the country. Some Bulgarian PE funds were raised recently, but there are no statistics as to the sources of their funding, their number, the funds that were accumulated, etc.
    - BOYANOV & CO.

  • RECENT DEVELOPMENTS REGARDING COMMITMENTS

    THE PROCEDURE IS CLARIFIED, BUT MAY COMMITMENTS APPLY WITHOUT LIMIT?
    - Vogel & Vogel

  • Landmark decision by French Competition Authority in conditioned LPG case

    cartel case closed after discovery that leniency application was largely based on forgeries and rejection of collective dominant position objection.
    - Vogel & Vogel

  • 2012 supplementary budget

    The second supplementary budget published in the Official Gazette September 19, 2011 provides for two key measures that affect the deferral of tax losses and taxation of capital gains realized on the sale of equity securities .
    - Sarrau Thomas Couderc

  • Actualité législative fiscale

    Au delà des mesures applicables à l’ensemble des contribuables (telles que la limitation du report des déficits ou la réforme du mode de calcul des plus values sur cessions de participations),le plan de réduction des déficits annoncé le 24 août dernier par le gouvernement comprend des mesures qui intéressent spécifiquement les acteurs du secteur financier.
    - Sarrau Thomas Couderc
© 2013 www.legal500.com