Firm Profile > DLA Piper > Paris , France

Aviation Tier 1

Litigator Vonnick Le Guillou heads up DLA Piper's aviation practice, which is well-known for its expertise in international product liability claims. The team's recent caseload includes a long list of litigation and arbitration mandates under Le Guillou's lead, but also shows transactional strength, with a team led by corporate partner Jeremy Scemama advising China Eastern Airlines on its global joint venture with Air France-KLM and Delta Airlines and on its acquisition of 10% of the share capital of Air France-KLM. Other key lawyers are commercial contract practice head Gregory Tulquois and joint global intellectual property and technology head Stéphane Lemarchand, who advised Airbus on contractual matters relating to the appointment of Google as a preferred service provider for the company's digital workplace. The team's client list also features La Réunion Aérienne, Allianz and XL Catlin.

Industry focus: IT, telecoms and the internet Tier 1

DLA Piper's IT and data offering is headed by Jonathan Rofé and Stéphane Lemarchand, who acts as the firm's global co-chair of the intellectual property and technology group. An outfit including recently promoted counsel Caroline Goupil assisted Airbus with the contractual matters arising from its decision to appoint Google as preferred service provider for its digital work space, and Fabienne Panneau defended Sopra Steria against a claim that the client failed to deliver a project to implement SAP. Gregory Tulquois is currently advising on the digital transformation of a leading global luxury group, including the contractual aspects of its e-commerce structures, and Denise Lebeau-Marianna is the name to note for GDPR and data privacy matters.

Derivatives and structured finance Tier 2

Employment Tier 2

DLA Piper's large 20-lawyer team primarily handles stand alone work, as well as providing some corporate support. The practice advises longstanding international clients including key names in the aviation sector and was recently retained by a high-profile French company. It recently handled high-stakes matters including a highly sensitive mass litigation relating to a health issue and advice on intra-mergers. Other work includes securing a victory for a client in a dispute with several hundreds of former employees and advising on several restructuring and mass redundancy matters. EasyJet, Microchip and MoneyGram are clients. Philippe Danesi  is the practice head. Bijan Eghbal, Marine Gicquel and Jérôme Halphen are the other names to note at partner level.

Industry focus: Healthcare and life sciences Tier 2

Headed by Sonia de Kondserovsky, the dedicated healthcare and life sciences team at DLA Piper is comprised of five partners, including intellectual property expert Karine Disdier-Mikus, who recently teamed up with de Kondserovsky to advise Pierre Fabre on its long-term R&D agreement with Foresee for the development of oncology products. Also notable is Disdier-Mikus' work in the patent litigation space. On the data side, Denise Lebeau-Marianna, Jonathan Rofé and associate Yaël Hirsch - who recently arrived from Simmons & Simmons - collaborated to advise on a number of GDPR compliance programmes. Marine Gicquel is the name to note for employment issues while private equity specialist Xavier Norlain and Jeremy Scemama advise on corporate matters.

Insurance Tier 2

DLA Piper is 'a multinational practice with capabilities to handle multiple and competing coverage disputes in multiple jurisdictions'. Active in litigation and advisory work, the recent caseload shows a predominance of cross-border highlight matters interspersed with strong domestic stand-out instructions. With Vonnick Le Guillou and Fabrice Armand at the helm and Bruce Mee as another key contact, the practice has a deep bench, which continues to grow at junior level. In a recent highlight transaction, Armand advised AON Brokerage on the reorganisation of its Tunisian subsidiary. Another stand-out matter was advising Generali on a contractual scheme set forth with asset managers of underlying unit-link life insurance policies. Allianz, Wells Fargo and AIG Europe are also clients.

Private equity: LBO Tier 2

DLA Piper impresses with its 'very business-oriented team' that is 'very aware of the market practices in France'. Traditionally strong in the mid-cap market, the group has recently gained traction in the large-cap space. The team's client portfolio spans private equity houses, management teams, debt providers and portfolio companies, with especially strong expertise in the retail, technology and manufacturing sectors. 'Industry veteran' and practice head Xavier Norlain, whose 'knowledge of the French market makes him a great addition during negotiations', recently advised the founders and management team of French telecoms infrastructure player Circet on the sale of its majority stake in Circet to Advent International and their reinvestment alongside the private equity house. Jeremy Scemama led in assisting The Carlyle Group and Montefiore Investment with the sale of a 40% stake in European Camping Group to Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan (OTPP) and the reinvestment of the remaining shares into a new holding vehicle alongside OTPP. Abénex Capital, Cathay Capital and Ardian also feature on the client roster. Matthieu Lampel made counsel. Michel Frieh left to found Frieh Associés.

Real estate Tier 2

DLA Piper's ‘comprehensive team has particular strength advising on complex real estate projects and investment deals’. The sizeable practice advises a large client base made up of leading French and Anglophone insurers, asset managers and other types of investors. Its recent work includes advising on matters spanning office, residential, retail and logistics assets. The practice notably advised on several major investment and portfolio deals, as well as property financings. It assisted Aermont with obtaining mortgage facilities from BNP Paribas and assisted Cacib with the financing of the acquisition and renovation of the Aurore tower in la Défense. The firm also has strong development expertise. It is advising on several office tower projects, and acted for Sogelym on setting up a joint venture concerning the Pleyel St Denis office building project. Practice head Antonia Raccat and Olivia Michaud who focuses on development work stand out for their ‘longstanding experience and know-how’. Other key members are Antoine Mercier, Lionel Rosenfeld and newly promoted partner Myriam Mejdoubi.

Banking and finance: transactional work Tier 3

DLA Piper specialises in leveraged finance and real estate finance, but the group's broad portfolio of expertise also includes restructuring, project finance and general lending. Practice head Maud Manon advised Bridgepoint Development Capital on a series of matters relating to 5àSec Group, including the private equity investor's acquisition of the cleaning company, the refinancing of its debt and the financing of its capital expenditures. Erwan Lacheteau and real estate partner Antoine Mercier assisted Carlyle Europe Real Estate with a mortgage financing by HSBC for the aggregate acquisition of several logistics portfolios of assets located in France. Other clients include LBO France, Ardian and Harrison Street Real Estate Capital.

Capital markets: debt capital markets Tier 3

Dispute resolution: International arbitration Tier 3

DLA Piper ‘provides useful advice and is always in good control of the way its cases are going forward’. The 12-lawyer Paris team is ‘great, co-operates excellently, has a lot of experience and always stands with you when you have a problem to solve’. The practice handles commercial and investment arbitration. It also does a large amount of Africa-related work, touching upon sensitive mining and defence issues, environmental liabilities, construction, telecoms and commercial partnerships. Guinea is a key client which has instructed the team in several highly strategic matters, including a long-running multibillion-dollar ICSID arbitration brought by BSG Resources over the expropriation of one of the world's most important mining concessions. The firm is also representing Hungary in ICSID proceedings and is handling a case relating to a major renewable energy construction project in North Africa. Finally, the team is acting in several enforcement proceedings, including for Vodacom and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Paris team is co-headed by Michael Ostrove, who is also global head of the firm's arbitration group, and the ‘very good’ Alexander Brabant, whose ‘ideas and advice are very convincing and work well’. Théobald Naud was promoted to partner.

Industry focus: energy Tier 3

Private equity: Fund formation Tier 3

Project finance Tier 3

Tax Tier 3

DLA Piper now houses one of the leading teams in the market for tax-related private equity tax matters following the arrival of a group from the now defunct King & Wood Mallesons Paris, after a brief period at Reed Smith. The new team stands out for high-profile private equity fund structuring and is equally a strong name for LBO transactions, acting for many leading private equity houses. The ‘dedicated and reliable’ ten-lawyer team has ‘solid execution capabilities’, ‘outstanding out of the box thinking’ and 'a drive to find a solution when facing complex issues’. It recently advised on a number of transactions and on the market's largest fund creation work. The practice notably advised PAI Partners on the tax structuring of PAI VII, and Antin Infrastructure Partners on the structuring and the fundraising of their new fund. It also assisted Carlyle and Montefiore Investment with the sale of a minority stake in European Camping. The practice also assists clients with tax audits and handles some property tax work. Fanny Combourieu leads the team. Sylvie Vansteenkiste is a market leader in fund structuring work. Raphaël Béra is also highly regarded.

Dispute resolution: commercial litigation Tier 4

EU, competition and distribution Tier 4

DLA Piper's Edouard Sarrazin heads the competition and antitrust offering in Paris; he recently advised Michelin on its acquisition of Camso, which created a leader in the off-road mobility sector, as well as its creation of a joint venture with Sumitomo in the US. Further recent merger control highlights include assisting Bridgepoint with the European Commission's approval for its investment in French company Promonial, which Sarrazin also advised on its own investment in La Financière de l'Echiquier. On the contentious front, the group is representing a company in the context of FCA raids conducted on its premises, and a high-profile technology company appointed the group to handle its response to a DGCCRF investigation into its commercial policies in France. Associates Camille François and Clara Deveau are also noted. A number of associates recently arrived to bolster the practice's junior ranks.

Mergers and acquisitions Tier 4

Diversity/Community

At DLA Piper we are firmly committed to diversity and inclusion. For us, diversity isn’t just about visible differences, it’s the unique blend of talents, skills, experiences and perspectives that makes each of us an individual and we know it’s crucial to have a culture and environment where those differences are genuinely valued. As a global business law firm, with a diverse client base, we know that our clients expect our people to represent the communities in which we work and value our ability to advise them on both local and global cultures and markets. We believe that our approach to diversity and inclusion enables us to attract the best talent, build the most effective teams and deliver the highest level of client service.

For more information on our specific D&I initiatives please see www.dlapiper.com