Gide Loyrette Nouel

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Simon Auquier

Simon Auquier is a Partner in the Corporate/Mergers & Acquisitions team. He is the co-head of Gide's Casablanca office. He works for corporates and private equity firms on acquisitions and divestments, equity investments and industrial partnerships on the African continent. Initially focused on Morocco and North Africa, Simon is now - and has been over the years - involved in a number of large-scale transactions in Sub-Saharan Africa. Simon recently advised the Brazilian group Votorantim Cimentos on the sale of cement plants in North Africa, the IFC (World Bank) and institutional investors on their investment in Retail Holding, the Danish group DFDS in connection with the acquisition of FRS's Moroccan assets in the Strait of Gibraltar, the Crédit Agricole group in connection with the sale of Crédit du Maroc, the investment fund SPE in connection with acquisitions in Côte d'Ivoire, and groups such as AXA and ENGIE in connection with disposals or acquisitions, etc. Simon is a graduate of ESSEC and the Magistère de Juriste d'Affaires / DJCE (University of Paris II). He was admitted to the Paris Bar in 2006.

Wacef Bentaibi

Wacef Bentaibi is a Partner in the Projects and Project Finance team and co-head of Gide's Casablanca office. He specialises in project finance and public law and focuses on the energy, infrastructure and transport sectors (ports, airports, desalination and irrigation). He assists governments, public authorities, sponsors and lenders with their various projects. He has developed experience in foreign investment in the industrial and real estate sectors, and in particular in structuring and negotiating complex industrial agreements and contracts for the construction of public or private works in Morocco. He also works in the mining, oil and gas sectors and regularly assists international operators and public entities in Morocco and the MENA region. Wacef holds a Master's degree in business law from the University of Paris Nanterre and an LL.M from the University of Oslo. He was admitted to the Bar in 2005, and has been practising with the firm since 2006.

Sibylle Chomel de Varagnes

Admitted to the Paris Bar, Sibylle Chomel de Varagnes joined Gide's Real Estate Transactions & Financing practice group in 2017. She specialises in real estate, construction and corporate law, assisting French and international operators in real estate operations and commercial leases. She graduated in law and finance from the University of Lyon III Jean-Moulin.

Chloé Joachim De Larivière

Chloé Joachim de Larivière is a Partner in the Corporate/Mergers & Acquisitions team in Gide's Casablanca office. For more than thirteen years, she has been involved in acquisitions/divestitures (share deals or asset deals), investments and partnerships for foreign investors wishing to expand or sell their businesses in Morocco or in sub-Saharan Africa. She also assists Moroccan clients with their internal or external growth projects. Chloé also has a recognized and established expertise on(i) listed M&A in Morocco and (ii) M&A transactions in "regulated" sectors (bank, insurance and pharmaceutical sector). Chloé co-heads Gide's Corporate/Mergers & Acquisitions department in Casablanca. She holds a Master II in Business Law and a Magistère in Business Law from the University of Paris II Panthéon Assas and a Diplôme de Juriste Conseil d'Entreprise (DJCE). She was admitted to the Paris Bar in 2012.

Dounia El Aissaoui

Dounia El Aissaoui practices within Gide’s Real Estate Transactions & Financing practice group. Based in Casablanca since 2019, she assists and advises Moroccan and international clients on all types of real estate transactions involving a wide range of asset classes (industrial, office, retail, shopping centers, logistics, residential, hospitality, etc.) in Morocco and across Africa. Dounia also advises a broad range of clients on commercial and contractual matters, including franchising, distribution and service agreements. Over the years, she has further developed recognized expertise in personal data protection law. Before joining Gide, she practiced at De Pardieu Brocas Maffei in Paris. She also served as a teaching assistant in contract law and tort law at the University of Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne.

Elizabeth Gautier

Elizabeth Gautier est associée au sein de l'équipe "Concurrence et commerce international" de Gide à Paris. Elle est spécialisée en droit français et européen de la concurrence (ententes, abus de position dominante et contrôle des concentrations) et réglementations FSR et FDI. Elle intervient pour le compte d'opérateurs nationaux et internationaux, en conseil et en contentieux devant les tribunaux français, l'Autorité de la concurrence, la Commission européenne et leurs juridictions de recours. Elle assiste par ailleurs les entreprises dans le cadre d'opérations de concentrations devant les autorités de concurrence pouvant donner lieu à des engagements et / ou l'ouverture d'une phase d'examen approfondi. Enfin, Elizabeth assiste les opérateurs dans le cadre de leurs obligations de notifications au titre des réglementations FDI et FSR. Elizabeth est récemment intervenue dans de nombreux dossiers antitrust emblématiques face à l'Autorité de la concurrence : les affaires de l'électroménager, de l'équarrissage, du Bisphénol A, des produits d'hygiène et d'entretien, Echange Image Chèque, etc. Elle est par ailleurs intervenue récemment dans plusieurs affaires de recours indemnitaires devant les juridictions civiles et commerciales, notamment dans les secteurs des paris en ligne, des produits d'hygiène et d'entretien, des informations juridiques et économiques sur les entreprises, bancaire, des produits de grande consommation, etc.

Mounia Larhrissi

Admitted to the Paris Bar, Mounia Larhrissi joined Gide's Banking & Finance practice group in 2016. She acts primarily for sponsors, senior and/or mezzanine lenders as part of asset, corporate and project financing operations. Mounia holds a Master's degree in corporate law from Paris II - Panthéon-Assas University, and speaks French, English and Arabic.

Jean-François Levraud

Jean-François Levraud is a partner in Gide's Real Estate team in Paris and has been the firm's managing partner since 2021. He is mainly involved in property transactions and assists his clients with construction and development operations. In recent years, Jean-François has worked with AccorInvest, Blackrock Investment, BNP Paribas, DWS GmbH, Pernod Ricard, PSA Peugeot Citroën, Seafrigo Investment, Union Investment Real Estate and Unibail-Rodamco. Jean-François joined Gide's Morocco office in 2013 to strengthen the real estate practice. He headed the Casablanca office until summer 2018, before returning to practise in Paris. Admitted to the Paris Bar in 2003, he is a graduate of IEP of Bordeaux, ESCP Business School and the Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne and Paris 5 Universities.

Loris Marghieri

Loris Marghieri is a Partner in the Real Estate team in Casablanca. He has headed the Casablanca office's real estate practice since 2015 after spending several years in the Real Estate department in Paris. He advises a wide range of Moroccan and international operators on all aspects of real estate transactions and on all types of assets. He is mainly involved in asset acquisitions and disposals, real estate financing, construction operations and leases. Loris has developed leading expertise in the industrial sector in Build to Suit transactions, as well as in the tourism and hotel sector, regularly assisting owners and operators with the development of hotel projects and the preparation and negotiation of franchise and hotel management contracts. Loris recently assisted Atlanta Sanad, alongside Arkhè Real Estate, in several Build to Suit transactions for APTIV, Leoni and Gentherm. Loris regularly advises the Onomo Hotels group on its various hotel projects in Africa, and recently assisted Réalités Maroc and the M'Fadel Group on a large-scale operation involving a hotel complex in Casa Anfa. Loris holds a Master's degree in International Business Law from the Université Paris V René Descartes and is a graduate of the Ecole Supérieure de Commerce Audencia (France), the University of Deusto (Spain) and the University of Bradford (UK) as part of a joint Master's programme. He was admitted to the Paris Bar in 2010.

Julien Nouchi

Julien Nouchi is Of Counsel in the Tax Law team in Gide’s Casablanca office. He advises on both domestic and cross-border transactions with tax and foreign exchange implications, including acquisitions, disposals, mergers and restructuring operations. He also handles matters relating to Moroccan customs regulations and the implementation of free trade agreements. In addition, Julien's practice covers obtaining and implementing the authorizations required for employee share ownership plans for foreign listed and private companies. He has advised many Moroccan and foreign clients on their dealings with the tax authorities, including during audits and obtaining tax rulings. Julian also advises on efficient tax structures for foreign investments and managing permanent establishment risk. He works closely with the Projects and Project Financing teams on negotiating engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts and their tax structuring, and with the M&A department on tax due diligence and the tax aspects of SPAs. Julien is a graduate of Université Paris-Dauphine (Corporate Taxation (2012) and Estate Management (2011)). He is a member of the Paris Bar. Specializing in corporate tax, he joined Gide’s Casablanca office in 2017.

Frédéric Pia

Frédéric Pia is Counsel in the Projects (Finance & Infrastructure) team in Casablanca. He advises governments, international financial institutions and sponsors in relation to projects in the energy (mainly PV and wind) and infrastructure sectors (ports, airports, roads, water desalination and treatment plants, airports and roads). He assists the clients in relation to all development stages of these projects (development phase, drafting and negotiating of project and financing documents). Frédéric mainly works on African projects. He has recently advised clients such InfraCo Africa, ALSF, AMEA Power Engie and Vinci Concession with respect to solar and wind projects on the continent. With respect to infrastructure projects, he has acted notably for MSC Group, Egis Projects and Global Ports Holding on transport projects, Suez International, Nareva Holding, ALSF and Meridiam on water projects. Frédéric also advises companies and public players in the natural resources, defence and other public infrastructure sectors. Frédéric holds a Master's degree in International Business Law and Management from business school ESSEC, and is a graduate of Paris West University Nanterre La Défense and Ecole des Ponts ParisTech (Master's degree in project financing and structured financing). He is a member of the Paris Bar since 2012.