Martin Desautels > DFDL Legal & Tax > Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam > Lawyer Profile
DFDL Legal & Tax Offices
FLOOR 12A, OPAL OFFICE TOWER
92 NGUYEN HUU CANH STREET, WARD 22, BINH THANH DISTRICT
HO CHI MINH CITY
Vietnam
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Martin Desautels
Work Department
Cambodia, Vietnam
Position
Senior Partner
Career
Martin is a Senior Partner at DFDL. He served as the Managing Partner of the firm for almost two decades, during which he led the firm’s regional expansion from one office to 12 offices in ASEAN and Bangladesh. He continues to advise clients and lead transactions, as well as support the new Managing Partner of the firm. He also plays a leadership role in overseeing employees, key clients, and, more specifically, the firm’s growth strategy and regional expansion. Recently, he spearheaded the firm’s expansion into new jurisdictions, such as Malaysia and Indonesia, where DFDL established its own new offices.
He is the founder and leader of the Connector Unit, an award-winning, innovative DFDL platform that helps clients find new business leads in regional markets. Building on the successes of the Connector Unit, Martin will be supporting the newly launched Corporate Advisory Business Unit, a new line of services offered by DFDL to its clients that will expand the range of DFDL’s existing legal and tax offerings to include strategic and transactional advice services. He will notably focus on advising clients on regional expansion, growth strategy, and M&A approaches throughout ASEAN.
Martin is a banking and finance lawyer and has a wealth of experience in the infrastructure and energy sector, including renewable energy projects in the emerging markets of Asia. He has been practicing law in ASEAN for more than 20 years and has worked with investments funds, international banks and sizeable Asian investors on their investments and expansion strategies across the ASEAN region. He has also provided technical assistance to various governmental bodies (such as the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and Agence Française de Dévelopement) on various aspects of the development of investment, regulatory and legal frameworks.
Languages
English, French
Memberships
Martin is ranked as a leading lawyer by renowned legal directories such as Chambers Asia Pacific, IFLR, Asialaw and Legal 500.
Lawyer Rankings
Vietnam > Corporate and M&A
DFDL Legal & Tax houses a well established corporate practice that regularly advises local and international clients on M&A, joint ventures and foreign investments. The group has particular expertise in the TMT, manufacturing, real estate, oil and gas and renewables sectors. In Ho Chi Minh City, practice head Jérôme Buzenet focuses on M&A, private equity and restructuring, and Martin Desautels is an expert in corporate and M&A. Other key figures in the corporate team include Hanh Tran and Kevin Hawkins, both of whom are based in Ho Chi Minh City, and Thang Huynh in Hanoi.
Vietnam > Projects and energy
DFDL Legal & Tax has a skilled corporate and M&A group that has particular expertise in the oil and gas and renewables industries. The team regularly advises on joint venture and foreign investment matters in industries such as aviation, infrastructure, manufacturing, power and transportation. Leading the group from Hanoi is Phong Anh Hoang who has extensive experience in power plant projects and other energy mandates, and Dave Seibert who is an expert in corporate and M&A work in the energy sector with broad experience in industries like gas, solar and hydropower, and who is also knowledgeable in infrastructure projects. Another key contact is Martin Desautels in Ho Chi Minh City who is an expert in corporate and M&A with considerable experience in projects and energy matters.