Ms Mathilde Damon > BDGS Associés > Paris, France > Lawyer Profile

BDGS Associés
51 RUE FRANCOIS 1ER
75008 PARIS
France

Work Department

Competition & Regulatory

Position

Partner specialising in all aspects of French and EU competition law with extensive experience of complex merger control and state aid issues, as well as a deep knowledge of public procurement and corporate law matters in the public sector.

Recent work includes advising: the French government regarding aid measures granted to Air France-KLM; EDF regarding envisaged new regulation of its nuclear power generation assets; SNCF and La Poste on state aid issues in the context of the Covid-19 crisis; an interested third party in the context of the abandoned Fincantieri/Chantiers de l’Atlantique Phase 2 merger review before the European Commission; CMA CGM on various antitrust and regulatory aspects of its business and strategic development; and Musée Rodin on potential legal structures for the evolution of its business model.

Career

Prior to joining BDGS Associés as partner in 2013, Mathilde Damon spent 6 years as a lawyer at Bredin Prat within the Competition Law department in Brussels and in Paris, where she worked on many high-profile merger control and antitrust cases. From 2009 to 2013, she was Head of Legal of the French State’s Shareholding Agency where she gained significative experience in state aid issues and a practical understanding of business issues, as Director representing the French State on a number of boards.

Languages

French and English

Memberships

Association des Avocats Pratiquant le Droit de la Concurrence.

Education

Paris Bar (2004)
Master’s degree in European Business Law from Paris II-Panthéon Assas University (2000)
LLM in International Business Law from King’s College London (1999)
Diploma in Legal Studies from Oxford University (1998)

Lawyer Rankings

France > EU, competition and distribution

BDGS Associés‘ wide-ranging practice covers merger control, antitrust litigation and investigations and state aid, particularly for retail and transportation clients but also for financial institutions, with the firm representing seven banks in litigation against the Single Resolution Board and European Central Bank. The firm counts Engie as a key client, advising the energy company on both M&A and state aid. In the M&A sphere, the team covers cross-border M&A deals, which involve notifying competition authorities in multiple jurisdictions including the European Commission and obtaining clearance decisions; co-head Maria Trabucchi is a key name in this area. In the antitrust litigation and investigations space, Trabucchi and fellow co-head Antoine Gosset-Grainville assist with FCA investigations as well as representing press alliance APIG in an abuse of dominance complaint against Google. Gosset-Grainville and Mathilde Damon work on state aid matters, acting for both government agencies and recipients of the aid, including advising the French State Shareholding Agency on emergency measures in favour of Air France, while Jérôme Fabre advises on anticompetitive practices, including proceedings before the FCA.

Paris > Droit européen, concurrence et distribution

La pratique de BDGS Associés une couvre une large gamme de problématiques : contrôle des concentrations, enquêtes antitrust ou encore aides d’état. Le cabinet assiste plusieurs entreprises commerciales et de transport, ainsi que des institutions financières. Il représente sept banques dans des procédures menées devant la Banque Centrale Européenne. ENGIE est un aussi client phare du cabinet pour lequel il gère des opérations de concentration et des dossiers d’aides d’état. Le cabinet intervient dans des dossiers de concentration de dimension internationale, impliquant des notifications dans plusieurs pays (y compris devant la Commission européenne). Maria Trabucchi  est une référence dans ce domaine. Elle intervient aussi dans des enquêtes antitrust aux côtés d’ Antoine Gosset-Grainville. Ils assistent ainsi ensemble l’alliance de presse APIG dans une affaire d’abus de position dominante dirigée contre Google. Antoine Gosset-Grainville  et Mathilde Damon traitent aussi des dossiers d’aides d’état. Ils conseillent des organismes gouvernementaux et des bénéficiaires d’aides – comme l’Agence des Participations de l’État français sur l’octroi de fonds d’urgence en faveur d’Air France. Enfin, Jérôme Fabre traite des dossiers de pratiques anticoncurrentielles et des procédures devant l’Autorité de la Concurrence.