Firm Profile > De Gaulle Fleurance & Associés > Paris, France

Data privacy and data protection Tier 1

The specialist data privacy and data protection team at De Gaulle Fleurance & Associés advises clients across a wide range of sectors, including energy and environment, banking, e-commerce, and healthcare. Its strengths lie in contentious matters, transactions, and day-to-day data protection advice. The group has offices in Paris and Brussels as well as an alliance with a network of international law firms, which allows it to handle cross-border matters. Key contacts are Cécile Théard-Jallu, Jean-Sébastien Mariez, and Georgie Courtois.

Intellectual property: Trade marks and designs Tier 1

De Gaulle Fleurance & Associés assists with litigation, transactional work and trade mark and design portfolio development and management. With its wide sector offering and experience in advising French and international clients, the well-rounded practice -led by Louis de Gaulle, Francine Le Péchon-Joubert, Julien Horn and Serge Lederman- offers clients flexibility on the staffing of each case to ensure optimal outcomes. Additionally, the firm also offers an AI tool, LitiMark®, to assess the likely outcome of trade mark infringement proceedings before the French courts; similar tools are in the pipeline for design and patent infringement matters. The practice can also call on the expertise of colleagues across the firm's wider service offering on an as-required basis. However, Jean-Sébastien Mariez left in September 2020 to co-found Momentum.

Media and entertainment: Cinema Tier 1

Representing both international and domestic clients, De Gaulle Fleurance & Associés negotiates motion pictures and series' production, distribution and IP rights contracts. Contentious proceedings are another key area for the team. Co-head Charles-Edouard Renault is the key litigation contact and is an arbitrator at both the IFTA and WIPO. On the financing side, the practice is well versed in structuring international productions as well as in soft money and tax relief matters. Julien Horn, the other co-head of the practice, has developed particular expertise in digital counterfeiting to complement his broad practice in IP and IT law. Louis de Gaulle is another key name.

Media and entertainment: Sports Tier 1

Best known for its work assisting major sporting events, De Gaulle Fleurance & Associés is also increasingly involved in the challenge against third-party resellers of sports tickets, this year representing the French Tennis Federation in its claim against Viagogo. Another area in which the practice excels is integrity-related issues, where it is typically retained by several leading sport governing bodies. The team has capabilities across the main areas of practice, spanning commercial law, IP and TV rights issues and has experience advising foreign investors in order to clarify national sporting regulations. Department head Louis de Gaulle regularly appears before civil, administrative, criminal and arbitration courts. Other key contacts include IP and IT specialist Serge Lederman and public law expert Jean-Louis Valentin. Agnès Macaire is also active. Rhadamès Killy left the firm.

Media and entertainment: Television/radio Tier 1

De Gaulle Fleurance & Associés' longstanding involvement in the media and entertainment sector has led to it representing a diverse client base including content designers, producers, distributors and publishers. The group's offering spans the full range of related matters, with a strong track record in financing productions, IP litigation and regulatory advice. It has also emerged as as a go-to firm for video-on-demand (VOD) and subscription-video-on demand (SVOD) platforms. Charles-Edouard Renault is increasingly involved with significant media platforms, currently acting as counsel to Spotify, notably assisting it with the development of podcasts for the French market. IP specialists Louis de Gaulle and Julien Horn are the other key names.

Industry focus: Healthcare and life sciences Tier 2

E-healthcare makes up a key part of work of the 'particularly technology-savvy' team at De Gaulle Fleurance & Associés, which brings together experts in data protection, regulatory and IT matters to assist clients such as L'Alliance Digitale contre le Covid-19 with the contractual, regulatory and personal health data issues surrounding product launches. The practice is jointly led by Jean-Marie Job and Cécile Théard-Jallu, both of whom are recognised regulatory and IT specialists, and Blandine Fauran, who has a strong track record in competition matters.

Industry focus: IT and internet  Tier 2

De Gaulle Fleurance & Associés houses an experienced IT practice, representing a diverse client list ranging from start-ups to large multinationals, including a longstanding relationship with Microsoft. The team, which provides 'thorough and pertinent answers' according to one client, covers regulatory, transactional and contentious work, with a strong track record negotiating digital platform contracts. A niche area of specialism is in the e-health sector, where the department benefits from the expertise of the firm's leading healthcare practice group, to advise on issues related to health data protection. Julien Horn and Louis de Gaulle lead the team.  Georgie Courtois and Cécile Théard-Jallu are also highly regarded in this field. Jean-Sébastien Mariez departed the firm in 2020 to co-found Momentum.

Intellectual property: Copyright Tier 2

De Gaulle Fleurance & Associés stands out for its cross-practice approach and wide sector expertise, including in the fashion and consumer goods segments. The litigation strength of the team is, by nature, more visible in the market, but the team also assists with advisory work. The quartet at the helm of the practice consists of Louis de Gaulle, Francine Le Péchon-Joubert, Julien Horn and Serge Lederman. However, Sandra Strittmatter moved to Franklin in July 2020, while Jean-Sébastien Mariez left in September 2020 to co-found Momentum.

Administrative and public law Tier 3

De Gaulle Fleurance & Associés handles a good amount of public infrastructure work and is notably advising on major projects spanning various fields, including the telecoms, road and wider transport infrastructure sectors.  A good amount of work is also done in France overseas’ territories where the firm is involved in several major infrastructure modernisation projects in French Guyana and New Caledonia. The practice also advises on public funding, urban law issues and has specific regulatory expertise in the health sector. Recently, the team was particularly sought after to handle urgent related Covid-19 situations in the transport and healthcare sectors. The client base consists  of public sector clients and private companies. Frédéric Destal, Agnès Macaire and Gaïa Witz co-manage the practice. Louis de Gaulle also contributes.

Industry focus: Energy Tier 3

Intellectual property: Patents Tier 3

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.

Banking and finance: transactional work Tier 4

Dispute resolution: Commercial litigation Tier 4

Employment Tier 4

Dispute resolution: International arbitration Tier 5

Tax Tier 5