At August Debouzy, practice heads Grégoire Desrousseaux and François Pochart lead a deep bench of patent specialists, including both lawyers and patent attorneys, which allows for a particularly broad sector scope. Clients from the medical device, chemicals, energy, telecoms and agri-food sectors rely on the team with particular frequency, both for advisory work and disputes. The group is well versed in transactional work and licensing matters, including the transfer of technology and know-how, and holds its own in cross-border litigation, with particularly strong experience in coordinating multi-jurisdictional disputes in the pharmaceutical and telecom sectors. Leveraging its full-service positioning, the practice is able to draw on colleagues from other departments for optimal case staffing, with the competition teams a key asset for matters involving FRAND issues. Counsel Lionel Martin is dual-qualified as both a lawyer and a European patent attorney.

Bird & Bird is an excellent address for clients seeking experts in complex patent matters, both for contentious and non-contentious work. With the office's specialisms in the life sciences and healthcare, technology, communications and media, and entertainment and sports sectors, the practice is aligned with the firm's wider international platform and able to draw on its longstanding track record of coordinating high-stakes cross-border disputes. Less visible in the market, but no less powerful is the group's advisory practice which includes licensing agreements as a core line of work. Practice heads Yves Bizollon and Anne-Charlotte Le Bihan direct the team, one of the largest in the Paris market, which includes counsel Laurent Labatte, a dual-qualified patent attorney and lawyer.

Gide Loyrette Nouel A.A.R.P.I. stands out for its versatile partner bench and its focus on the medical device, pharmaceutical and telecommunications sectors. The practice demonstrates particular strength in contentious work, as reflected in the track records of practice heads Grégoire Triet, Jean-Hyacinthe de Mitry, Arnaud Michel, Emmanuel Larere and Raphaëlle Dequiré-Portier; the latter four, however, also manage a substantial transactional caseload. Overall, mandates include both domestic and cross-border cases, with a particularly strong focus on multi-jurisdictional matters involving other European states. Internally, the firm's commitment to forming versatile lawyers is reflected in the training of its associates, all of whom work on the gamut of intellectual property matters, involving both soft and hard IP.

At Jones Day, practice heads Emmanuel Baud and Thomas Bouvet lead a distinctly international practice. With their extensive experience in multi-jurisdictional matters, Baud and Bouvet and their team are very much in step with the firm's wider international set-up, making the France team a valuable guide and advisor in cross-border disputes not only in Europe, but also in the Americas and Asia. The practice demonstrates particular strength in the life sciences sector, including experience in plant variety rights, but is active across a broad range of industry sectors, with technology and medical devices both stand-out areas of work.

Aramis has seen an uptick in work from the life sciences, biotechnology and cosmetics sectors, with instructions frequently including a cross-border element. The team's busy international caseload attests to the reliability of its network of partner firms in foreign jurisdictions and its experience in assisting foreign firms with their French patent matters. Benjamin May directs the team which includes Louis Jestaz who made counsel in 2020. Together with their associates, the pair cover a wide range of industries, including the food and beverage, construction, pharmaceutical and fashion sectors. In addition to the litigation practice, the group also undertakes advisory work, both in a transactional context and in relation to licensing agreements.

Independent firm DTMV & Associés acts in contentious and non-contentious matters, and has built a particularly good reputation for its litigation expertise. The group assists a varied client list that includes major French and international companies, as well as small and medium-sized enterprises, particularly from the pharmaceutical, automotive, telecoms and mechanical equipment sectors. In October 2019, digital entertainment specialist Julien Grosslerner joined the team from his own firm, Grosslerner Avocats, bringing the firm's partner count to five, with founding partner Thierry Mollet-Viéville, Thomas Cuche and Pascal Lefort as the key patent contacts, and Eléonore Gaspar and Laurine Janin-Reynaud the main names to note for trade mark and copyright matters.

Hogan Lovells (Paris) LLP focuses on cross-border litigation for major international companies, predominantly from the automotive, life-science, energy, chemicals and electronics industries - all areas the firm counts among its core areas of activity. The practice is particularly busy with pharmaceutical clients for which it has secured a string of innovative decisions. Paris practice head Stanislas Roux-Vaillard frequently joins forces with his colleagues abroad, especially with the teams in Germany, the UK and Italy. His experience in arbitration and mediation complements his court litigation capabilities. In addition to the busy contentious caseload, the practice is also involved as IP counsel in transactions, including major transactions in the technology sector where the team assists its corporate colleagues.

Abello specialises in patent litigation regarding telecom and mechanics patents (its traditional areas of strength), but continues to build its reputation in disputes involving life sciences and pharmaceutical clients. Employee invention matters and infringement seizures are other areas of expertise strength. The team consists of lawyers and patent engineers and is active in domestic and multi-jurisdictional matters, often involving parallel proceedings in other European countries. Michel Abello directs the practice in conjunction with Marie Liens and Guillaume Dubos, who were both promoted to the partnership in January 2020.

With core areas of expertise in the pharmaceutical, medical device, biotechnology, chemicals, mechanical and electronics sectors, the team at Altana offers strength in both litigation and transactional matters. This breadth ensures a varied caseload and attracts established French and international companies, as well as start-ups. Practice heads Armand Aviges, Pierre Lubet and Jean-Guy de Ruffray assist with a wide range of matters, including infringement and invalidity proceedings as well as preliminary injunctions, and are all experienced in cross-border matters. The group's transactional practice also handles research and development agreements, audits and technology transfers. Frank Valentin joined DLA Piper in February 2021.

The Paris practice of IP boutique Bardehle Pagenberg unites lawyers and patent attorneys under one roof, allowing clients to receive prosecution and litigation services from a single firm. As a key hub of the firm's international presence, the Paris office specialises in multi-jurisdictional disputes, especially from the telecommunications, electronics and consumer goods sectors. Practice head Julien Fréneaux is a seasoned litigator who also offers longstanding experience in licensing agreements, technology transfers and other patent licensing contracts.

Bignon Lebray bolstered its IP bench in January 2020 with the arrival of Barbara Bertholet and her team who joined the firm from Adaltys Avocats. With Bertholet's dual expertise in patents and healthcare law, the practice is a natural fit for clients from the healthcare and life sciences sectors, including biotechnology players, e-health providers and medical device manufactures. The caseload includes infringement and validity disputes as well licensing matters, often involving high-stakes and foreign jurisdictions. Research and development agreements, employee invention agreements and technology and know-how transfer agreements are all areas in which the team has expertise. Nicolas Moreau is the head of the intellectual property and information technology group.

De Gaulle Fleurance & Associés sets itself apart through its "project approach" to staffing patent matters, choosing the necessary experts individually for each new case. The practice assists with transactions, portfolio management and disputes, handling matters for a broad range of industries including the technology, software, medical device and automotive sectors. Licensing agreements, particularly in the context of research and development agreements, are another key area of strength. Louis de Gaulle, Francine Le Péchon-Joubert, Julien Horn and Serge Lederman make up the quartet of co-practice heads.

At Dechert LLP, practice head Marie Fillon and her team focus on the life sciences sector where they assist with litigation and non-contentious matters, including the IP aspects of transactions and licensing agreements. With clients including pharmaceutical, cosmetics, biotechnology and medical device companies, as well as private equity investors, the practice provides a comprehensive offering on patent licensing, supported by Fillon's experience in patent disputes. In line with the firm's positioning, the group is also an excellent choice for start-ups, especially French med-tech and biotech players, seeking assistance with their agreements with big companies, academic institutions or public research centres. Cross-border matters are also part of the practice's DNA thanks to the firm's longstanding international positioning.

European IP boutique Taliens offers specialists in cross-border litigation and transactional work, including due diligence. Since its foundation in 2017, the firm has established itself as a renowned address for patent disputes in the Paris market, not least since it can also call on offices in Munich and Madrid and also attends a great diversity of clients, from telecoms, aerospace and AI to veterinary products, construction and steel. Jean-Frédéric Gaultier heads the practice, which works in conjunction with a specialised French firm for its clients' prosecution requirements.

At CMS, counsel and patent practice head Jean-Baptiste Thiénot continues to increase the practice's market share. Founded in 2018, the group specialises in litigation concerning the life-sciences sector, an area of particular strength thanks to Thiénots additional experience not only in life sciences regulatory matters, but also the mechanics and electronics sectors. The litigation caseload forms the core pillar of the practice, but the team is also active in technology transactions and tax matters requiring patent expertise - such as disputes regarding research and development expenses, for example. The firm's international office network allows for seamless cross-border coverage. Anne-Laure Villedieu is the head of the overall technology and IP practice.