The Legal 500 > Europe, Middle East & Africa > France > Mergers and acquisitions

‘Bredin Prat has an exceptional M&A team, supported by very strong practices in all areas of the law required to deliver an M&A transaction in its various components (corporate, tax, competition, financing, labor law, etc.) as well as in banking and financial regulation.’

‘The firm has an excellent network of foreign correspondents (the Best Friends), and is particularly well equipped to intervene in cross-border transactions.‘

‘Matthieu Pouchepadass is a creative lawyer with very good commercial sense.‘

‘Superb, light touch, not overly geared with a large number of associates vs partners.‘

‘Alexander Blackburn was superb, he represented us with a calm and pragmatic approach.‘

‘The firm offers a full range of skills and expertise in business law, offering a personalized and tailor-made service that meets all legal needs, in their national and international aspects.‘

‘Olivier Assant is the firm’s essential lawyer. He is particularly distinguished by the quality of his listening skills, by the quality of his advice and by his ability to understand the specificities and issues of our sector of activity to offer personalized solutions.’ 

‘Frédéric Bouvet is an excellent lawyer with an unparalleled capacity for work and analysis, he always manages to make himself available, and to manage each case with exceptional and constant quality.‘

‘Extremely efficient and trustworthy team with partners having a deep knowledge of the business, a flawless legal mastery, a real knowledge of the latest benchmarks and market references and above all a business sense.‘

‘Frédéric Bouvet is a very high quality partner: technical mastery, finesse, availability, team leadership, business sense, strength of proposal.‘

‘The team was very professional: available, understanding very well the issues of the various parties in place, proposing adapted solutions.’

‘Frédéric Bouvet (Partner) and Sophie de Labrouhe (Counsel) were absolutely key in the operation that we carried out. We appreciated their technical know-how, their availability, and their ability to ease any tensions that appeared.‘

‘Excellent level of the M&A team and flawless support from partners.‘

‘Hubert Segain takes each business as a new beginning and provides advice according to the context, the client, and the objective. Always fair and to the point.‘

‘Full dedication to our project. Valuable experience in high volume transactions.‘

‘Alain Garnier – impressive knowledge, very sophisticated thinker.‘

‘The team is always very well sized to optimize added value for the customer. It is always very easy to contact a member of the team at any time. The job is completed on time and on budget. Very good management of the work done by the foreign offices.‘

‘Bruno Derieux is very invested in his clients’ files and always in search of optimization and efficiency.‘

‘Armand Grumberg and François Barrière are excellent professionals in M&A. Strong ability to offer innovative and sophisticated solutions in the structuring of operations.‘

‘Global team.’

‘Good availability, sharp expertise.‘

‘Ability to quickly set up a multidisciplinary and pragmatic team.‘

‘Charles Cardon is an excellent professional who delivers a thoughtful but fast service, pragmatic and enthusiastic service, in the interest of the client.‘

‘The team is always knowledgeable and available. They always find quick and relevant solutions to the problems encountered by our company.‘

‘Competent team, dynamic and extremely available and of course pleasant. Real à la carte support.‘

‘Prompt to understand and agree the mission. Always responding to the requirements in a very short time.‘

‘Gilles Gaillard and Julie Rolet were fully committed to the work during our engagement Not only working on the file but also understanding the background.‘

‘Perfectly managed team in terms of skills, availability and commitment for acquisition files.‘

‘Competent, available, reliable, attentive to your needs and the context in which the operation takes place.‘

‘I worked in M&A with Jean-Nicolas Soret who leads discussions and negotiations with serenity and professionalism.‘

‘Excellent team, with intimate knowledge of the insurance sector and the social economy. The team also has in-depth knowledge of merger and acquisition techniques and a good knowledge of the administrative workings to negotiate with the ACPR regulator.‘

‘The lawyers with whom I have worked demonstrate excellent interpersonal skills, a very high level of availability and responsiveness and are truly committed to the client.‘

‘Availability, responsiveness, professionalism and technical skill.‘

‘Responsiveness and high quality services with a significant commercial acumen.‘

‘Alain Decombe is a top lawyer who always understands business needs. His knowledge and experience are outstanding and I can say I feel more than safe in his hands.‘

‘Full services team. Top management. Very responsive and reactive.‘

‘The M&A team led by Ermine Bolot is extremely competent, experienced and dedicated to their work for clients. They perfectly understand the industry and the market, and offer an individual approach to every problem.‘

‘A 100% dedicated team with a cutting-edge expertise on complex deals. A capacity to consider and support a transaction regardless of its financial value.‘

‘Unparalleled expertise in healthcare. Alain Decombe is THE star in the space!‘

‘Great ability to work with international companies.‘

‘Very proactive and always available. Really appreciate their advice in tense negotiations.‘

‘This practice is unique due to its international network and the extent of its skills.‘

‘We work, among others, with Maître Joffroy, Catherine and Maître Leger, Frédérique. We appreciate their availability, the relevance of their advice as well as their frank and open communication.’

‘With Dentons, we’ve never asked a question and received a law course in response – unusable and useless from a practical point of view, billed at full price. Their advice is systematically relevant, ‘solution-oriented’ and adapted to our request.‘

‘Very good team, professional, pragmatic and very focused on the activity of its customers in order to provide services best suited to their needs.‘

‘Catherine Joffroy is an excellent lawyer, available, professional and dedicated to her clients.‘

‘High-level multidisciplinary team, very available and responsive. Significant analytical skills, optimal efficiency, sense of the objective to be achieved and respect for the requested schedule.‘

‘In addition to the individual skills necessary for the success of the mission, the search for close collaboration with the internal teams, in a constructive and friendly spirit, constitutes an undeniable advantage.‘

‘A very structured team that is close to its customers, with a person in charge of coordinating all the stakeholders – which has made it possible to establish a real climate of trust at all levels of our organization and to streamline complex operations.‘

‘Maxence Bloch showed great availability, strong creativity, and determination in order to achieve success.‘

‘The team proposed a tailor-made solution taking into account the specific context,  and demonstrating professionalism, a sense of commitment, competence and responsiveness.‘

‘Very strong PE, corporate finance and regulatory team which can offer a one-stop-shop for complex transactions. The team is strong across all levels and we are always confident of great service at value for money.‘

‘Bénédicte Denis is highly impressive – both with regard to her technical skills and commercial negotiations. Time and again she focuses on the most important points of risk and value for us and fight for us on them.‘

‘Responsive and rigorous.‘

‘Its strength lies in its international network and the legal analysis of documents provided is thorough and relevant.‘

‘Availability, efficiency and attention to detail.‘

‘Professional, united, interactive, proactive and efficient team.‘

‘They are able to create a relationship and an excellent working/collaboration climate, which generates trust.‘

‘We appreciate the team’s availability, anticipation of problems and proposed solutions.’

‘High-level team, very responsive and technical.‘

‘The duo formed by Benoit Marpeau and François Dietrich is of very high technical quality, inspiring great confidence even in the face of larger teams from prestigious firms.‘

‘Good multidisciplinary team.‘

‘Within the Stehlin firm, Maitre Cyrille Boillot demonstrated very high level qualities; -financial technicality -great finesse of analysis and advice.’

‘A highly technical team, always with good advice, sympathetic, pragmatic and very available. In addition, the prices charged are very reasonable especially with regard to the excellence of the service. Would highly recommend.‘

‘The partner with whom we work in particular is Maître Laurent Jobert, an excellent deal maker, who knows how to support his clients in a rounded manner but with strength, pragmatism and efficiency. He is always surrounded by excellent associates.‘

‘Tailor-made approach to situations. Very strong capacity of the partners to make the different practices work together (M&A, Legal, Tax, Finance, Litigation) for the client’s benefit.‘

‘We work with Pierre Deval who has a very useful business acumen for negotiations.‘

‘Pierre Deval: Very fast, demanding, excellent network in Paris, business acumen, sound advice in legal and business matters.‘

‘High technical legal skill (including internationally) combined with a strong negotiating capacity and a strategic vision of cases.‘

‘Strong personal intuition aligned with strategic vision.‘

‘Very efficient and agile team. Strong knowledge of digital professions (media, e-commerce). Strong presence of partners in the course of operations.‘

‘Seniority on complex equity transactions. Understanding of the structuring of accounting and financial constraints and the structuring of post-acquisition governance.‘

‘W&S lawyers specializing in M&A have great business acumen and a global vision of cases. They are very involved and devoted to their clients, making them real partners of the companies they support.‘

‘I have forged close relations with Gilles Bigot since the beginning of our collaboration. He is brilliant, responsive and inventive! He doesn’t hesitate to be creative, he’s a strategist.‘

‘Julie Vern is very customer-oriented. She is intelligent, pragmatic, available, very technical and sympathetic.‘

‘Year after year, Almain continues to deliver what is expected of this type of firm: the quality and technicality of lawyers trained in the largest firms, combined with superior agility, the partners being systematically on the front line.‘

‘Cécile Davanne-Mortreux combines extreme rigour of reasoning and analysis with great pragmatism in the search for solutions, which makes her a more than appreciable partner in negotiations.’

‘Edgard Nguyen is greatly appreciated for his pragmatic approach to cases, his adaptability (regardless of his interlocutors) and his negotiating skills.‘

‘Very competent and responsive team.‘

‘Almain’s M&A team is obviously an expert in the field, enabling it to quickly understand the expectations and challenges of its clients and to respond to them in a completely appropriate manner.‘

‘Edgard Nguyen is formidably efficient in operations. He delivers on time and knows the market practice inside out which is useful in negotiations.‘

‘Almain has a very strong M&A team with tons of experience. We see them in many mid-market deals and PE transactions. In my opinion they are the best M&A boutique in Paris, which competes with some of the big names in town.‘

‘The partners of this firm work together and with us in a fluid and rapid manner. When they do not have the expertise in-house, they know how to say it unlike other firms.‘

‘Hyper efficiency resulting in time savings for clients.‘

‘Constructive attitude, efficient, very quick turnaround of drafts when needed, and unpretentious.‘

‘Close team with complementary and complete visions.‘

‘Raphaël Dalmas, Alma Nicolai and Margot Blondel are efficient, complete and very attentive.‘

‘Partners present on cases, human-sized team with good communication allowing fluid exchanges.‘

‘Great technical competence, responsiveness and accuracy of feedback and follow-up.‘

‘Astura is unique in their responsiveness, agility and creativity. They are creative, commercial and effective negotiators and work very well alongside other counsel.‘

‘The quality of large multidisciplinary firms with a pricing model of small firms. The best of both worlds. Employees committed and dedicated to the satisfaction of their clients.‘

‘Available, precise, competent, relevant, Stanislas Richoayez has all the qualities required to support his clients in M&A operations. We were very satisfied with his work and his good advice.‘

‘Coblence Avocats is a proactive firm that is interested in business issues, understands the ecosystem and has a global strategic vision. They are real partners in an M&A operation.’

‘Ludovic Dorès and Alexandre Polak have great technical skills. With great availability, they were able to provide us with legal solutions that were both adapted to our problems but also constructive and innovative with regard to the timing of our operation.‘

‘The strength of the team is in its approach to manage a deal. Ultra-efficient, always well argued and very smooth. Allowing a quick closing of the deal in very good conditions.‘

‘Henri Louis Delsol is always available, responsive and provides good advice, which greatly reduces any stress that this type of situation generates.‘

‘Delsol is able to provide advice adapted to smaller structures better than traditional firms.‘

‘Philippe Malikian is a very good professional with whom it is easy to establish a bond of trust. He is very available and proactive.‘

‘Efficient team with first-rate services equivalent to the best Anglo-Saxon firms, but with a better value for money.‘

‘Great listening quality, pragmatism and availability.‘

‘Philippe Malikian is a great professional in corporate law and mergers and acquisitions. Always available. Clear. Specific. Concise.‘

‘Philippe Malikian is an outstanding negotiator. Comfortable in a wide variety of situations. With a sense of humour and timing that comes in handy in sometimes tense negotiations.‘

‘Excellent value. Very good capabilities in M&A, corporate and employment.‘

‘Fieldfisher Paris’ Corporate M&A team is led by Philippe Netto who demonstrates great professionalism. He perfectly understands the stakes and problems of the market in which we operate and has proven to be just as effective in supporting us in the context of domestic operations as in larger-scale international operations.‘

‘Philippe Netto and his team have shown their availability, responsiveness and great adaptability to meet the challenge of these acquisitions in the midst of a health crisis.‘

‘The team is multidisciplinary, which saves time in the management of the file. Even the finance/tax due diligence can be entrusted to them.‘

‘Stéphane Bénézant is a pleasure to work with due to his extensive experience in the field.‘

‘The culture of the law firm allows it to have a good knowledge of financial issues which is essential in the management of an M&A operation.‘

‘Ability to provide a tailor-made response, adapted to the specifics of the acquisition project. Ability to respond to unexpected requests with precision, responsiveness and availability.‘

‘Multidisciplinary firm, transversal skills (auditors, financial advice, compliance consultants, GDPR, cybersecurity) Ability to manage multi-jurisdictional cross-border operations.‘

‘In addition to their experience and recognized competence, the essential and much appreciated differentiating characteristics of Stéphane Bénézant and his team reside in their availability and their resilience.’

‘The team offers good professionals, available for their clients.‘

‘Stéphane Bénézant is a good negotiator.‘

‘Extremely available, friendly and knowledgeable.‘

‘My interlocutors are not stilted, they are happy to joke and it allows you to stay calm even when the pressure mounts.‘

‘Great availability.‘

‘Excellent and competent team, always available. Very good relationship with the client.‘

‘Always looking for the most protective solution, but at the same time the easiest to implement for the customer. Excellent technical level. Very fluid relationship with the client. They know how to remain calm and pragmatic in any situation.‘

‘Team made up mainly of senior partners with in-depth expertise. They have a very strong mobilization capacity, including in related fields, and can seek in their global network the lawyer or the external professor able to deal with a complex problem.‘

‘They are ‘deal-oriented’ and able to compromise when necessary, with the confidence of their client. Nicolas Lafont is particularly involved in the negotiations, with great rigour coupled with real honesty, to which is added an impressive capacity for work.‘

‘Jacques Buhart is a great globally well-connected and seasoned partner who I trust to get me the advice and contacts I need.‘

‘Osborne Clarke is very responsive and available and their analysis is thorough and relevant.‘

‘Osborne Clarke was able to respond to various issues encountered by our group in a precise, detailed and rapid manner.‘

‘Ready to follow different channels of action in order to get to the point.‘

‘They represented our interests until the end of the transaction and were able to demonstrate their expertise in this area through their pointed and wise advice.‘

‘The team with which we worked showed great listening and availability during our numerous discussions.‘

‘A close-knit responsive team with very good interactivity.‘

‘High level of responsiveness and relevance.‘

‘The people of Osborne Clarke show great availability, great listening skills, pedagogy and a lot of flexibility to consider multiple scenarios.‘

‘Knowledgeable, available, professional and technically astute.‘

‘They key thing I like about Racine is the team’s ability to guide clients based in the UK – who may not be familiar with cultural and legal differences – through challenging transactions in France by adapting their advice to their audience.‘

‘Jean-Christophe Beaury is very impressive and has a strong command of cross-border transactions.‘

‘Alexia Ruleta works very effectively on behalf of her French clients in instructing us on English law matters and has an excellent attention to detail.‘

‘Excellent negotiation skills: beyond the technical skills of the lawyers, which is beyond doubt, they were able to accompany us in strategic negotiations with flying colours!‘

‘A real ability to work effectively in project mode. Great responsiveness and proximity to the whole team.’

‘The team is perfectly composed in terms of senior and junior partners/associates, in order to be able to deal with the most complex files in an extremely efficient manner.‘

‘Jean-Christophe Beaury has recognized and deserved experience in the most complex M&A cases.‘

‘They are longstanding trusted advisors of the company and that sets them apart.‘

‘We recommend Pierre-Menno de Girard because of his availability, his attention to detail, his professional rigour and his concern for budgetary issues.’ 

‘We greatly appreciate Pierre-Menno de Girard’s intelligence, his rigour, his competence, his attention to detail, his benevolence and his commitment in the proposed solutions while leaving the client in control of decision.‘

‘Having Pierre-Emmannuel Chevalier on board is essential for us. He does good work, has deep knowledge of the sector and the law and provides practical solutions with a client focus.‘

‘Very professional, responsive, available, efficient, while remaining simple.‘

‘The responsiveness and availability shown by the firm is remarkable. Expertise and innovation meet expectations on all the projects we have entrusted to them.‘

‘The staff and partners  are always of an excellent quality.‘

‘Agile, efficient and multidisciplinary firm.‘

‘Responsiveness, technicality and extreme availability.‘

‘Human-sized firm with reasonable fees, but offering a range of services worthy of large firms. The partners are very competent with a high level of demand on the quality of services.‘

‘Very good human contact. Excellent business vision and excellent knowledge of the sector and issues of the film industry.‘

‘Very responsive and very business-oriented team. Always looking for pragmatic solutions for its clients.‘