Gowling WLG > Paris, France > Firm Profile

Gowling WLG Offices

Gowling WLG
38 AVENUE DE L'OPÉRA
75002 PARIS
France
Visit website 33 1 42 99 35 00 33 1 42 99 35 01

Gowling WLG > The Legal 500 Rankings

France > Intellectual property: Trade marks and designs Tier 1

The team at Gowling WLG is a popular choice to handle simultaneous litigation, pre-litigation mediation, as well as depositions and oppositions at a US, EU and French level. Litigator Céline Bey combines her trademarks and design practice with advice on privacy, marketing, advertising and unfair competition law. The practice was bolstered by the addition of Marianne Schaffner in May 2024 from Reed Smith; she leverages her knowledge of both the US and EU litigation systems to act for clients in sectors including electronics, telecoms pharmaceutical, chemistry and consumer products. Alexis Augustin provides additional support.

Practice head(s):

Céline Bey; Marianne Schaffner

Other key lawyers:

Alexis Augustin

Testimonials

‘Always available and very good advice .’

‘Fabulous team – love Céline Bey – what a quality – she really understands what clients care about without any arrogance.’

‘The practice is extremely efficient and always offers highly practical solutions to legal problems. They are highly responsive as well and every email is well thought out and adds value to client’s business.’

‘Celine Bey is recommended highly as a strategist with great legal and business acumen.’

Work highlights

  • Obtained the cancellation of Somfy’s blue colour trademark registered since 1996.
  • Represented Noah Clothing LLC, against Mr Yannick Noah in a trademark dispute before French courts.
  • Assisted the Ritz group before the French courts in a trademark infringement matter.

France > Intellectual property: Patents Tier 3

Bolstered by the arrival of industry heavyweight and heavily lauded Marianne Schaffner, the patent law offering at Gowling WLG advises some of the most forefront players in the chemical, biochemistry, pharmaceuticals, electronics, and biotech industries on their patent issues. The firm is regularly sought after to handle complex, high-value patent litigation for its clients at both a French and European level, and has gained experience with UPC litigation. Alongside Schaffner, the team is led by Céline Bey, who in addition to being a patent expert, also handles IP issues pertaining to privacy, marketing and advertising law, and unfair competition. Alexis Augustin is also a key name to note in the team and advises on both litigation and contractual mandates, and leverages his educational background in health products and industries.

Practice head(s):

Céline Bey; Marianne Schaffner

Other key lawyers:

Alexis Augustin

Testimonials

‘Well organized team which acts proactively and takes into account the client‘s needs.’

‘Céline Bey, very sharp and strategic thinker.’

‘An excellent knowledge of law, and an ability to adapt to unfamiliar technology.’

‘Céline Bey was able to use her familiarity with court procedure to inform a settlement strategy to achieve a good outcome for the client.’

‘Marianne Schaffner is my “go to” for ANY type of IP challenge in France. I love working with her because she is hyper-direct, frank and very talented. Now that I have the support of a firm like Gowling, I can only imagine that Marianne will reach the highest level of service, advice and support that she will ever offer.’

‘Very good team, headed by Marianne Schaffner. We worked together on many cases over the years and she always was responsive and to the point.’

‘Marianne Schaffner is a very good lawyer and an excellent team player.’

‘Gowling is clearly one of the best patent teams in France. They practice patent litigation on the highest level. Their combination of technical and legal knowledge is exceptional and ensures the best possible results for the client.’

Work highlights

France > Dispute resolution: Commercial litigation Tier 4

Practice head(s):

Marie-Aude Ziadé

Testimonials

‘Marie-Aude Ziadé: strong legal competence, ability to understand industrial issues, work force, respect for deadlines.’

Key clients

SIEMENS GAMESA RENEWABLE ENERGY

NV BESIX

LAMINAK

SAPMER INVESTISSEMENT

PEIKER CONSUMER ELECTRONICS EVOLUTIONS

CROSTA & MOLLICA

BPCE

ALSTOM

ORANO DEMANTELEMENT

ORANO MINING

ORANO EST CANADA

SMURFIT KAPPA

GREENYELLOW

OBERTHUR FIDUCIAIRE

SAFRAN ELECTRONICS & DEFENCE

IDEMIA FRANCE

France > Dispute resolution: International arbitration

Gowling WLG‘s Marie-Aude Ziadé, who has strong construction arbitration expertise, is developing a promising practice, acting for several large companies in commercial and investment disputes.  

Gowling WLG > Firm Profile

The firm: Gowling Paris can assist you in all areas of business law. Our lawyers have a thorough understanding of your strategic and operational issues and a perfect command of legal, tax and employment issues in order to offer you appropriate solutions to help you successfully carry out your projects.

They combine their expertise and offer you tailor-made and innovative legal solutions.

Gowling’s Paris office’s approach and organisation is specifically tailored to what you expect from your lawyers: involvement, proximity, trust and creativity.

      • We work in synergy with your teams and favour direct contact by formulating clear, tailored and pragmatic advice;
      • We support you at every stage of your projects: from strategy development to execution; in times of growth as well as resilience;
      • Our partners are involved in each of your projects and invest the time and energy required to ensure their success;
      • We have chosen a lean and agile organisation, and share with you an entrepreneurial spirit.

For us, human values are part of the exercise of our profession.

      • We attach great importance to human relations, to empathy and solidarity, both with our teams and in our dealings with our clients.
      • United by our passion for the legal profession, we promote the power of teamwork and consider that success is always the result of collaborative work.

Our firm is committed to CSR with a view to be translated into tangible actions and results.

Areas of practice
Innovative solutions: Innovation means finding solutions where others see only problems. In Paris, the team of renowned and seasoned specialists assists all client projects in order to define the solutions that are best adapted to the situation.

Speaking your language: With a bilingual team at the clients’ service, they can be sure of working with lawyers who speak their language. As well as language skills, the firm’s lawyers pride themselves on getting to know clients’ organisations. As part of a team, they can provide advice that suits every need.

The firm also keeps things simple, making sure lawyers avoid legal jargon. This might be interpreting bilateral tax treaties, restructuring a leveraged buy-out or acting in very tight time frames to obtain measures of conservation in the clients’ favour. Whatever the issue, clients can be sure of receiving clear, practical advice that meets their commercial needs. Gowling WLG is an international law firm created by Gowlings, a leading Canadian law firm, and Wragge Lawrence Graham & Co (WLG), a leading UK-based international law firm.

Gowling WLG was built to provide clients with legal services at home and around the world, and to help its clients succeed no matter how challenging the circumstances.

The firm structure is explained in more detail at www.gowlingwlg.com/legal

Main Contacts

Department Name Email Telephone
Co-managing Partner Céline Bey [email protected] +33 (0)1 42 99 35 44
Co-managing Partner Patrick Mousset [email protected] +33 (0)1 42 99 35 33

Languages

English
French
German
Spanish

Memberships

ABA (American Bar Association)
Association des investisseurs pour la croissance (AFIC)
AIPPI (Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property)
APRAM (Association des Praticiens des Marques et Modèles)
IBA (International Bar Association)
EELA (European Employment Lawyers Association)
INTA - International Trademark Association