Bignon Lebray > Paris, France > Firm Profile

Bignon Lebray
75, RUE DE TOCQUEVILLE
75017 PARIS
France

France > Media and entertainment: Sports Tier 2

Neil Robertson heads the sports practice at Bignon Lebray, which acts for sports clients, clubs, professional sportsmen and event organisers. The group advises on the creation, structuring and day-to-day operation of sports companies and clubs, sponsorship agreements and employment contracts, predominantly concerning golf, football and rugby. It has a strong focus on defending individual sportspeople at disciplinary hearings.

Practice head(s):

Neil Robertson

Key clients

CA Brive

Golf de Maisons-Laffitte

Stade Toulousain

Vivendi

Racing 92 Rugby Club

Work highlights

  • Advising Brive Rugby on a significant investment by a foreign investor in the club.
  • Advising the Argentinean professional rugby player Juan Cruz Mallia, in a disciplinary hearing by the Disciplinary Committee of the EPCR.
  • Defended professional rugby player Kurtley Beale in a disciplinary hearing before the Federation Française de Rugby.

France > Intellectual property: Patents Tier 3

Bignon Lebray‘s IP practice advises clients on a range of issues and provides representation in patent infringement claims and validity and nullity actions, where it acts on behalf of start-ups, SMEs and multinational corporations in addition to public bodies and investment funds. Practice head Barbara Bertholet advises life sciences clients on licensing, collaboration agreements and patent litigation in France and the EU.

Practice head(s):

Barbara Bertholet

Key clients

NG Biotech

Sandoz

Dedienne Santé

Etablissement Villeton

Vicat

Systosolar

Work highlights

  • Defended Sandoz as a generic drug manufacturer within the framework of an SPC infringement claim.
  • Advised Systosolar, a French company specialised in the distribution of solar panels, against a Chinese supplier.
  • Advised Dedienne Santé, part of MENIX Group, as defendant in a patent litigation introduced by Amplitude, a competitor.

France > Private equity: venture/growth capital Tier 3

Practice head(s):

Edouard Waels

Other key lawyers:

Laetitia Benoit; Tanguy Dubly; Alexandre Ghesquière; Jacques Goyet; Neil Robertson; Thierry Permezel; Alban Van de Vyver

Testimonials

‘The associate lawyers of Bignon Lebray are specialized in many sectors of activity and have very good expertise in legal corporate private equity.’

‘For my part, I exchange regularly with Alexandre Ghesquière in Lille. He is competent and efficient on the transactions he manages, finance advisory M&A expertise.’

Key clients

Altima

WayKonect

Unaide

CapHorn

NewCard

Hootside

Perspective Habitat

Elysis

Faber France

Dentelia

Cabaia

Work highlights

  • Advised Crédit Mutuel Arkéa on the C series of Yomoni, a fintech company.
  • Advising private equity firm Turenne Capital in the context of a minority takeover of Kali Group.
  • Advised the investment funds Demeter and Capagro, historical shareholders of Naio Technologies, a Toulouse-based manufacturer of autonomous agricultural robots, in a new €14M round of financing.

France > Industry focus: Healthcare and life sciences Tier 4

Bignon Lebray's cross-practice team advises life science clients on intellectual property disputes, regulatory issues, and competition matters. The practice is led by Barbara Bertholet, who assists clients with the structuring of their projects with regard to innovation and its protection, regulatory constraints, and product distribution.

Practice head(s):

Barbara Bertholet

Other key lawyers:

Thomas Buffin; Caroline Cazaux; Tanguy Dubly; Elise Dufour; Nicolas Moreau; Sébastien Pinot; Edouard Waels

Key clients

Laboratoires Cooper

Sandoz

Yposkesi

NG Biotech

Dedienne Santé

Weleda

Medac

Hospices Civils de Lyon (HCL)

Gattefossé

Netri

Viatris

Work highlights

  • Representing SANDOZ before the French courts in a litigation for SPC infringement and unfair competition against DAIICHI SANKYO, a “princeps” pharmaceutical company, and SANOFI, further to the forfeiture decision of the SPC by the French Patent Office (INPI), the validity of this decision being also currently challenged before the Court.
  • Advising Dedienne Santé, a Menix Group company, defendant in patent litigation brought by Amplitude, a competitor. Also advising the client regarding intellectual property matters (patent licence, patent co-ownership agreement) and regulatory matters.

France > Intellectual property: Trade marks and designs Tier 4

Practice head(s):

Nicolas Moreau

Other key lawyers:

Benjamin Mourot

Testimonials

‘Great responsiveness and efficiency, recognised skills.’

‘United team, more fluid than the competition. Available by video, telephone, physical appointment, whatever the moment.’

Key clients

Agence Nationale pour la Cohésion des Territoires

Work highlights

  • Advised the French national urban planning agency in regard to protecting its trade mark portfolio.

France > Private equity: LBO Tier 4

Practice head(s):

Edouard Waels

Other key lawyers:

Laetitia Benoit; Tanguy Dubly; Alexandre Ghesquière; Jacques Goyet; Neil Roberston; Thierry Permezel; Alban Van de Vyver

Key clients

Altima

Capital Croissance

Turenne Capital Partenaires

Axialease

NewAlpha Verto

Financière Fonds Privés

Bolk

Ween

Cap Horn

123 Roulement

EIC Fund (European Commission)

Jagger & Lewis

Work highlights

  • Advising Jérémy Guffroy and Michael Dumas, shareholders of 123 Roulement, in the context of the sale of their stake to Trajan, LT Capital and BPI (investment fund).
  • Advising private equity firm Capital Croissance in the context of the majority takeover of France-based ad-tech firm Smart AdServer in a funding round that also involves Idinvest and Adelie Capital.
  • Advising EIC Fund (European Commission) in the context of multiple investments in France and, in particular, its investment in Karos, Netswave, Osivax, and Altaroad.

France > Administrative and public law Tier 5

Bignon Lebray

Practice head(s):

Sébastien Pinot

Testimonials

‘Responsive team, attentive to customer needs and very competent’.

‘Small team but very efficient and provides clear advice’.

‘Availability; clarity.’

‘Good quality of work, very reactive and specialized’.

‘Sébastien Pinot is an excellent litigator and negotiator.’

Key clients

Accor

Action Logement

Agence française de l’environnement et de la maîtrise de l’énergie

Direction Générale des Finances Publiques (DGFIP) – Ministry of budget

Fusion for Energy

Ministry of Defense

Radio France

Région Ile de France

Agence Nationale de la Cohésion des Territoires

Agence Nationale de l’Habitat

France > Mergers and acquisitions Tier 6

Practice head(s):

Edouard Waels

Other key lawyers:

Testimonials

‘Hands-on mentality. Great understanding of the client’s business needs. Available thoughout the process to make the deal work.’

‘Alexandre Gesquière: experienced top-notch lawyer. Best price/quality ratio in the market.’

‘Agility and adaptability.’

‘Efficient and available.’

Key clients

Dentelia

NEHS MNH

Securilog

Parkki

Groupe Lebreuilly

HLD

Groupe Ambulancier Grand Nord (GAGN)

Les Petites Canailles

Leroux

For talents

Rabot Dutilleul

Swell

Colisweb

Arcapix

Accent Global Learning, Inc.

Stratus Packaging Group

Exer Group

Satys

Tikamoon

Work highlights

  • Advising Grope Ambulancier Grand Nord (GAGN) as part of its acquisition of the SOS Ambulance Group.
  • Advising Parkki’s founders in connection with the acquisition of the majority of its shares, capital and voting rights by the Colas Group.
  • Advising Leroux, the European leader in chicory, in connection with its acquisition by Ghislain Lesaffre, private investor and former CEO of Chocmod, the chocolate truffle specialist.

The firm: Bignon Lebray is a French law firm established more than 40 years ago that provides business law services to large and medium-sized companies. The firm is recognised for delivering creative, cost-effective solutions that are tailored to the individual needs of its clients. Its fully integrated offices in France (Paris, Lille, Lyon, Aix-Marseille), its strategic presence in China (Shanghai) and India(New Delhi) and its active involvement in the Meritas International Network provide the firm with a clear overview of its clients’ markets, as well as a good understanding of the clients’ roles within those markets.

Areas of practice: The firm has 110 lawyers, including 32 partners, working within 11 practice areas.

Corporate law – mergers and acquisitions: the firm advises clients on transactions involving the purchase or sale of private and listed companies, and creation of partnerships and joint ventures. The M&A department also assists with public tender offers, audits, corporate restructuring, acquisition financing, and risk and development capital.

Private equity: Bignon Lebray is also recognised for its expertise in the field of private equity, in particular in venture capital, development capital and LBOs for small and mid-cap transactions (companies valued up to €100m).

Tax law: the firm advises companies on corporate, transactional and strategic tax matters, including transfer pricing issues. The team has extensive experience representing companies in the context of tax investigations and negotiations with tax authorities and appearing on their behalf in courts. The firm’s tax experts also provide assistance with property transactions and with matters relating to employee benefits and estate planning.

Employment and social security law: Bignon Lebray is equipped to respond to all challenges faced by companies and their management in terms of employment law, human resource management and social security. The team advises clients on both negotiations and disputes.

Banking, finance and capital markets: Bignon Lebray advises financial institutions and private and public borrowers on all types of financing, including structured finance, derivatives and capital markets. The firm’s expertise extends to regulatory and UCITS-related issues, with significant experience in managing banking and financial disputes.

Competition and distribution law: the firm has considerable expertise in distribution and competition law. The firm assists clients with the management of their contractual relationships and the implementation and enhancement of distribution techniques, as well as with compliance issues.

Property law and property management: the firm works with both institutions and professionals on property transactions. The firm’s expertise extends to mergers and acquisitions, commercial leases, construction contracts, construction claims and disputes, and co-ownership management and disputes.

Public, environmental and PPP law: the firm offers extensive experience in all areas of public and environmental law, in both transactional and litigious contexts. It assists clients with development and promotional projects, preemptions and expropriations, PPPs, project finance, mergers and acquisitions and environmental audits.

Intellectual property and technology law: Bignon Lebray assists clients with identifying, protecting and enhancing the value of their trade marks, patents, designs and models, and databases, etc. The department also has extensive experience in the advanced technologies field, notably as related to information technology and the internet.

Transport and logistics: the firm has both in-house and private practice experience, and extensive experience in the risk management and insurance fields. This allows it to assist clients in the shipping and logistics industries with both transactional and contentious matters.

Litigation and arbitration: the firm acts in disputes in all areas of business law across sectors including food, wine and spirits, industrial, transport, energy, health, urban planning, public and banking. Its lawyers assist and defend both companies and their management before civil, commercial and criminal courts.

Health: Bignon Lebray has developed specific savoir-faire and advises figures from this market throughout their projects: ensuring that the strategy is consistent with legal and regulatory frameworks, advising founders on choosing a suitable legal structure, assisting in the social management of strategic reorganisation: Acquisition or transmission of essential intellectual property for these kinds of projects, protection of enterprise-specific knowledge, marketing of products and, if required, assistance with litigations.

Sport: Sportsmanship and sporting values are profoundly embedded into Bignon Lebray’s mindset, as demonstrated by the numerous projects initiated by the firm. Our savoir-faire applies to all sports (e.g. football, rugby, golf, tennis, motorsport, equestrianism), and includes all areas of French and international business law (contracts, corporate law, taxation, competition law, intellectual property, public law, association law, mediation and litigation).

DepartmentNameEmailTelephone
Corporate – mergers and acquisitions
Private equity
Tax law
Employment and social security law
Banking, finance and capital markets
Competition and distribution law
Property law and property management
Public, environmental and PPP law
Intellectual property and technology law
Transport & Logistics
Litigation and arbitration
PhotoNamePositionProfile
Antoine Arminjon photoMr Antoine ArminjonPartner, Competition and distribution law
Antoine Benoit photoMr Antoine BenoitPartner – Employment Law
Jérémie Boublil photoMr Jérémie BoublilPartner, Employment Law
Paul  Brisset photoMr Paul BrissetCounsel, Litigation & Arbitration
Thomas Buffin photoMr Thomas BuffinPartner, Corporate law
Matthieu Bultel  photoMe Matthieu Bultel Counsel, Tax Law
Caroline Cazaux photoMrs Caroline CazauxPartner, Competition & Distribution law
Frédéric Coulon photoMr Frédéric CoulonPartner, Competition and distribution law
Bertrand Debosque photoMr Bertrand DebosquePartner – Employment Law
Florence Dedieu photoMrs Florence DedieuPartner, Corporate law
Laurence Defontaine photoMrs Laurence DefontainePartner, Real Estate law, Banking and finance law
Marie-Charlotte Diriart photoMrs Marie-Charlotte DiriartPartner, Employment & Social security law
Elise Dufour photoMrs Elise DufourPartner, Intellectuel Property et Technology Law
Xiao-Lin Fu-Bourgne photoMrs Xiao-Lin Fu-BourgneOf Counsel, China desk
Alexandre Ghesquière photoMr Alexandre GhesquièrePartner, Corporate law
Jacques Goyet photoMr Jacques GoyetPartner, Corporate law
Jérôme Granotier photoMr Jérôme Granotierpartner, Tax law
Philippe Larivière photoMr Philippe LarivièrePartner, Public and Environmental law
Julien Lecat photoMr Julien LecatPartner, Distribution and competition law
Emilie  Lesné photoMrs Emilie LesnéCounsel, Employment law & Social protection
Nicolas Moreau photoMr Nicolas MoreauPartner, Intellectual property & Technology law
Benjamin Mourot photoMr Benjamin MourotPartner, IP/IT
Delphine Nowak photoMrs Delphine NowakPartner, Distribution and competition law, Real estate law
Thierry Permezel photoMr Thierry PermezelPartner, Corporate law
Sébastien Pinot photoMr Sébastien PinotPartner, Public and Environmental law
Ondine Prévoteau photoMrs Ondine PrévoteauPartner, Competition & Distribution law, Property law & Property management
Serge Rastorgoueff photoMr Serge RastorgoueffPartner (Ongoing partnership process), Banking, Finance & Capital markets
Neil Robertson photoMr Neil RobertsonPartner, Corporate law
Pierre-Emmanuel Scherrer photoMr Pierre-Emmanuel ScherrerPartner, Tax law
Louis  Vallet photoMr Louis ValletCounsel, Corporate Law, Mergers & Acquisitions Private Equity
Alain Vamour photoMr Alain VamourPartner, Public and Environmental law
Alban Van de Vyver photoMr Alban Van de VyverPartner, Corporate law – Mergers & acquisitions
François Vignalou photoMr François VignalouPartner, Tax law
Edouard Waels photoMr Edouard WaelsPartner, Corporate Law – Mergers and Acquisitions
Number of lawyers : 110
at this office : 42
Chinese
English
French
German
Spanish
Meritas International
Other offices : Aix-Marseille
Other offices : Lille
Other offices : Lyon
Other offices : Shanghai