Commercial and Corporate governance disputes
Martin Pradel
A member of the Paris Bar, Martin has been a lawyer for over twenty years.
He boasts a strong and recognized expertise in white-collar crime, internal investigations, business and human rights disputes, and international criminal litigation. He is well-versed in cases involving corruption, money laundering, terrorist financing and international sanctions. He has represented French and foreign companies, senior executives and political figures, in some of the most complex and sensitive cases with high reputational stakes in the French market.
Martin also has extensive experience in the recognition and enforcement of foreign court judgments in France, whether these relate to commercial, civil or criminal matters. As regards civil and commercial cases, he is regularly mandated to defend against bank account or real estate seizures. As regards criminal proceedings, he often acts in the defence against extradition requests and assets forfeitures.
Furthermore, Martin offers a wealth of experience in commercial and corporate governance disputes. He assists businesses of all sizes in the resolution of their disputes, whether these concern relations between partners or shareholders, or contractual and commercial disputes. He has a rare and strong sector-specific expertise in inter-lawyer disputes, particularly concerning group practice issues.
He acts before French and foreign courts, including in French-speaking Africa, where he has built up strong and lasting professional relationships with the legal and judicial community.
Prior to founding our firm in 2022, Martin was a partner at a leading international dispute resolution boutique firm and practiced criminal labour law with a leading player in the field in France for several years.
Martin is regarded as a leading practitioner by his peers. He was elected as a member of the Conseil de l’Ordre du Barreau de Paris (The Paris Law Society) between 2018 and 2020. He is currently the Chairman of the Conseil National des Barreaux’s Legal Practice Commission. In addition, for many years, he has held managerial positions in leading lawyers’ associations and is currently serving as the Managing Director of the International Association of Lawyers - Institute for the Rule of Law (UIA-IROL).
An outstanding litigator, Martin was admitted to the Concours de la Conférence (the most prestigious criminal law mooting competition in France), which, each year, selects twelve lawyers to provide emergency criminal defence in particularly sensitive cases, as well as represent the young Paris Bar in France and abroad.
Having been involved in some of the most sensitive cases of the last fifteen years in France, he has been listed since 2017 in GQ magazine’s ranking as one of the 30 most powerful lawyers in France.
Marina Matousekova
A member of the Paris and the New York Bars, Marina boasts twenty years’ experience and a recognized expertise in international arbitration and international commercial and corporate governance disputes.
She represents French and international businesses, and public entities, in ad hoc and institutional arbitration proceedings. She has acted in proceedings under the rules of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA), the Camera Arbitrale di Milano (CAM), and the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).
She also regularly sits as arbitrator in international commercial arbitrations, including as chair and sole arbitrator.
Marina is a specialist of disputes with a nexus to Italy.
In support of her international arbitration practice, Marina also acts in arbitration-related proceedings regarding the recognition and the enforcement and setting aside of arbitral awards.
In addition, she acts in complex cross-border commercial disputes involving issues of private international and public international law.
She brings a wealth of experience in disputes affecting economic operators in the energy, construction and aeronautics sectors, as well as in investment and shareholders’ disputes.
Prior to founding our firm, Marina headed the international arbitration and litigation department of the Franco-Italian law firm Castaldi Partners from 2019 to 2022. She also practiced with Shearman & Sterling LLP’s international arbitration team in Paris and Milan between 2011 and 2018, and with Castaldi Mourre & Partners from 2005 to 2010.
Marina is deeply involved in the international arbitration community. She served as the Co-Chair of ArbIt, the Italian arbitration and ADR forum, between 2022 and 2023. She is the Treasurer of the International Arbitration Academy, a non-profit association founded by Professor Emmanuel Gaillard that offers students from all over the world courses and lectures given by internationally renowned teachers each summer.
She is a regular speaker at international arbitration conferences and symposia.
Marina also holds a number of academic positions. She teaches international arbitration at the Université Paris Cité and at the Paris Bar School. She is a member of the Editorial Board of the Revue de Droit des Affaires Internationales.
Marina is a graduate of the Université Paris XI and holds an LL.M. from Northwestern University School of Chicago.
Team Services
Our Commercial & Corporate governance disputes’ practice is co-headed by Martin Pradel and Marina Matousekova.
Our lawyers act before civil and commercial courts in all types of business-related disputes, with a particular focus on commercial and corporate governance matters.
We advise and represent businesses of all sizes, operating in France and across the world, in disputes relating to the performance or termination of contracts (sale of goods and services, agency, partnership, cooperation, joint venture, licensing of patents, know-how or trademarks, etc.).
We have significant experience in resolving disputes involving long term agreements affected by the occurrence of unforeseen events.
Our team has also developed an expert line of work advising companies in disputes with foreign entities under economic sanctions.
Our team finally offers a strong expertise in:
- shareholders’ disputes;
- disputes between partners, relating in particular to the application of a shareholders’ agreement, the sharing of profit and loss, the withdrawal or exclusion of a partner, or the transfer of shares; and
- disputes between law firm partners, including issues specific to the legal profession (ethics, unfair competition, etc.).