Winston & Strawn LLP > Paris, France > Firm Profile
Winston & Strawn LLP Offices
68 RUE DU FAUBOURG SAINT-HONORÉ
75008 PARIS
France
Winston & Strawn LLP > The Legal 500 Rankings
France > Industry focus: Healthcare and life sciences Tier 2
Winston & Strawn LLP covers all key aspects of the healthcare sector in a cross-disciplinary manner, with a particular focus on advisory, litigation and corporate matters, including mergers and acquisitions and private equity. The team has been handling several large and complex cross-border transactions, such as the €447m restructuring of Ascendis Health or the €900m tentative acquisition of a medtech group by an SBF 120 client. Department head Gilles Bigot leads the team which includes Julie Vern Cesano-Gouffrant, Jean-Patrice Labautière and Sara Susnjar, who have expertise in acquisitions, dispositions, leveraged buyouts, joint ventures, recapitalisations, restructuring, and debt finance transactions.Practice head(s):
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘Super knowledgeable and excellent negotiators.’
Key clients
Biofutur
EverImmune
Groupe NEHS
Imapole Lyon-Villeurbanne
Ipsos
JUUL Labs
La Croix Rouge Française
Ogènes
Omnes
Partners Group
Pint Pharma
PointVision
Proveca
Ramsay Générale de Santé
Sarah Santé Group
Sevene
Telemos Capital / MedEuropa
Vivalto Santé
CRF Jeanne d’Arc
MBO & Co.
Dentius
Core Equity Holdings
Medipass
Centres de médecine nucléaire
PlusDental
Work highlights
- Advised the medical imaging company Imapole Lyon-Villeurbanne on the restructuring of its capital ownership.
- Represented the MedEuropa group, a Switzerland-based pan-European radiotherapy group, on its acquisition of a minority stake in CWDM.
- Advised la Croix-Rouge Française in connection with the acquisition by Cofinimmo of a stake in a real estate company created by la Croix-Rouge Française.
France > Dispute resolution: Commercial litigation Tier 3
Winston & Strawn LLP is capable to handle the full range of disputes, spanning corporate, securities, commercial and regulatory issues. The firm has established niche expertise in the healthcare sector where it is the go-to-practice for many investors, clinics, mutual insurers, medical and healthcare manufacturers. The team is often acknowledged for its very creative practice, with several of the practice's past disputes having broken new ground in the healthcare sector. In parallel, the team manages a large caseload in relation to many other fields; its ability to handle financial and corporate disputes alongside investment funds must be noted in particular. The practice is led by the excellent Gilles Bigot who is surrounded by Anne-Carine Ropars-Furet, Mathilde Lefranc-Barthe and Sara Susnjar.Practice head(s):
Gilles Bigot
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘Anne-Carine Ropars-Furet distinguished herself by the quality of her listening skills and her understanding of issues, her analytical capacity, her legal competence, her ability to explain the strategy she proposes and her assessment of risks and costs.’
‘The team is of high quality and appreciated for its professionalism and thoroughness. Its lawyers always deliver excellent work. The partners are very involved and know their files inside out.’
‘Gilles Bigot is a litigation specialist, particularly in the healthcare sector, but not only. He intervenes in complex and high-level cases. He is an excellent professional that I recommend with my eyes closed. His strategic proposals are decisive. His judgement of the situation is always perfectly correct. Anne-Carine Ropars-Furet and Mathilde Lefranc-Barthe are also excellent. They are particularly experienced in alternative dispute resolution methods that they have been practicing for several years.’
Key clients
MNH/Groups NEHS
PointVision
Ramsay Générale de Santé
SC Johnson
OPCO EP
PrivatBank
Vert Marine
GEN BIO
Union Asset Management Holding (UAMH)
Vivalto Santé
Biopath
Holding Portugal Luxembourg
Work highlights
- Representing two private hospitals, members of the Ramsay Générale de Santé (Clinique Iris Marcy Etoile and Hôpital Privé Jean Mermoz) in two disputes with ambulance companies regarding alleged wrongful termination of commercial relationship.
- Representing German pension fund Union Asset Management Holding (UAMH) in the aftermath of the Vivendi scandal.
France > Banking and finance: transactional work Tier 4
Winston & Strawn LLPPractice head(s):
Mounir Letayf
Testimonials
‘Very accessible team that guided us throughout the process and then on post-transaction issues.’
‘Mounir Letayf knows how to be pragmatic. It is always a pleasure to work with him.’
Key clients
Ardian
Kartesia
Munich & Co
123 Investment Managers
Omnes Capital
Imapole Lyon-Villeurbanne
Pierre Fabre
Cabestan Croissance
Andera Partners
Galiena
HIG
Eurazeo
Pytheas Capital Advisors
Work highlights
- Advised Ardian Private Debt on the financing of the acquisition by the unitranche issuer of the Lagarrigue group through the 100% acquisition of the share capital and voting rights of Ovalie Développement 2.
- Assisted HIG on the banking and finance aspects of its acquisition of Quick Restaurants from Groupe Bertrand.
- Acted for Pierre Fabre on the renegotiation of its long-term revolving credit facility by linking it to CSR criteria.
France > Mergers and acquisitions Tier 4
Winston & Strawn LLPPractice head(s):
Jérôme Herbet
Other key lawyers:
Jean-Patrice Labautière; Sara Susnjar; Nicola Di Giovanni; Julie Vern Cesano-Couffrant
Testimonials
‘W&S lawyers specialising in M&A have great business acumen and a global vision of cases. They are very involved and devoted to their clients, making them real partners of the companies they support. The success of operations is very important to them. A recent sale was carried out brilliantly, to my greatest satisfaction.’
‘Jérôme Herbet is very client-oriented. He is intelligent, pragmatic, available and sympathetic.’
‘Friendly team and close to its clients. Good analysis.’
‘Jérome Herbet is very talented, with rare intellectual flexibility. He finds solutions to any problem.’
Key clients
ACON Investments
Danfoss
MedEuropa
Croix-Rouge Française
Motorola Solutions, Inc.
I@D International
Aliactor
Chart Industries, Inc.
Double A
Amphenol Corporation
Teréga
Work highlights
- Advised Motorola Solutions, Inc in connection with its acquisition of Pelco, Inc., a video surveillance specialist.
- Advised la Croix-Rouge Française in connection with the acquisition by Cofinimmo of a stake in a real estate company.
- Advised Amphenol Corporation in connection with its acquisition of Positronic Industries, Inc., including Positronic Industries SAS.
France > Private equity: LBO Tier 4
Winston & Strawn LLPPractice head(s):
Nicola Di Giovanni
Key clients
Andera Partners
Apax Partners
Ardian Growth
Ardian Private Equity
Ardian Private Debt
Barings
Galiena Capital
HIG European Capital Partners
Idinvest
Kartesia
Kepler Cheuvreux Invest
LBO France
MBO & Co
Muzinich & Co
Omnes Capital
Seer Capital
Siparex Intermezzo
Stags Participations
Stephens Capital Partners
Telemos Capital
Work highlights
- Advised HIG on the approximately €250m acquisition of Quick Restaurants.
- Assisted Andera Expansion with the LBO acquisition of Spengler Holtex Group.
Winston & Strawn LLP > Firm Profile
The firm: Founded in 1853, Winston & Strawn LLP has offices across the Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the US. Acting for businesses of all types and sizes, as well as financial institutions and government entities around the world, the firm’s lawyers recognise that clients are looking for value beyond legal expertise and take time to understand their businesses and objectives.
Established in 1995, the Paris office of Winston & Strawn is composed of lawyers who are well-versed in European and foreign business law, litigation and arbitration. All of the lawyers in the office are members of the Paris Bar and several have been admitted to Bars in the US and other countries.
Areas of practice
Corporate: Our corporate (M&A and private equity) team, comprising 21 lawyers, including seven partners, handles M&A operations of all sizes and of all levels of complexity for a wide variety of clients.
Our team maintains strong relationships with clients specialising in different industrial sectors, with cross-border activity significantly on the rise.
Thanks to the synergies with other Paris departments, as well as with other Winston & Strawn international offices, the Paris Corporate (M&A and PE) team is able to provide a full, efficient and coordinated legal services offer that is completely integrated. Transparent and proactive, the team matches the major international law firms on the European market.
Litigation and international arbitration: Our Paris litigation and arbitration team assists clients in connection with disputes before state courts and within the framework of domestic or international arbitration proceedings involving large industrial, telecommunication, and media organisations. The firm is known for its representation of large French and international groups and their managers in contentious matters related to M&A and restructurings. Additional areas of experience include: civil and criminal law; contractual and commercial litigation and litigation on financial transactions; national and international arbitration; shareholder conflicts; competition and distribution; intellectual property and internet; and media, entertainment, and advertising. The firm also regularly counsels multinational companies on how to transfer personally identifiable data effectively and legally between countries, including EU member states and the United States, as well as assisting clients with preparation for GDPR compliance and counselling clients with respect to privacy shield, model contracts, and binding corporate rules.
Health care: Our health care team, led by managing partner Gilles Bigot, continues to be one of the leading teams in the market in terms of the matters handled and turnover generated, and has more than 25 years of dedicated sector-specific experience.
Our Paris lawyers have leading expertise and cover key aspects of the health sector in a cross-disciplinary manner, with a particular focus on advice and litigation, corporate (including mergers and acquisitions and private equity), business law, public and private law and the issue of the manager status.
Main Contacts
| Department | Name | Telephone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Litigation/Corporate | Gilles Bigot | GBigot@winston.com | |
| Managing Partner | Jérôme Herbet | JHerbet@winston.com | |
| Litigation | Mathilde Lefranc-Barthe | MLeFranc@winston.com | |
| International Arbitration | Maria Kostytska | MKostytska@winston.com | |
| Corporate | Sara Susnjar | SSusnjar@winston.com | |
| Corporate | Julie Vern Cesano-Gouffrant | jvern@winston.com | |
| Labour and Employment | Virgile Puyau | VPuyau@winston.com | |
| Tax | Edouard De Rancher | EDeRancher@winston.com | |
| Finance | Mounir Letayf | MLetayf@winston.com | |
| Corporate/capital market | Annie Maudouit-Ridde | AMaudouit@winston.com | |
| Finance | Adeline Roboam | ARoboam@winston.com |
Lawyer Profiles
| Photo | Name | Position | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Mr Gilles Bigot | Partner | View Profile |
 | Mr Jérôme Herbet | Paris Managing Partner & Chair | View Profile |
 | Ms Maria Kostytska | Partner | View Profile |
 | Ms Mathilde Lefranc-Barthe | Partner | View Profile |
|
| Ms Mathilde Lefranc-Barthe | Partner | View Profile |
 | Mr Mounir Letayf | Partner | View Profile |
 | Mme Annie Maudouit-Ridde | Partner | View Profile |
 | Mr Virgile Puyau | Partner | View Profile |
 | Mme Adeline Roboam | Partner | View Profile |
 | Mme Sara Susnjar | Partner | View Profile |
 | Mme Julie Vern Cesano-Gouffrant | Partner | View Profile |
 | Mr Edouard de Rancher | Partner | View Profile |