What are the most significant cases, projects and/or transactions that you and/or your legal team have recently been involved in?

Last year was particularly significant, as it saw the generational transition from Norbert Dentressangle to his two children, Marine and Pierre-Henri — a key milestone in a family investment holding company, for which the General Secretariat acted as advisor on all legal and governance aspects.

More generally, DENTRESSANGLE Legal teams are involved in investment transactions relating primarily to private equity and real estate assets, through asset or share deals, as well as equity buy-outs and secondary funds. DENTRESSANGLE Legal teams have recently advised investment teams on two acquisition deals: in ASIC design and semiconductor services, and  in software solutions for the technical platforms of public and private healthcare facilities. The Legal teams have also been working on a prime property development project in Paris, a logistics platform construction project in the Paris region, as well as providing legal advice on the development of multiple solarisation projects in France.

How do you approach managing legal aspects during periods of instability or crisis to ensure the organisation’s resilience?
 
My view is that the more the external situation becomes hectic and unstable (both from geopolitical and economic standpoints), the more internal teams must remain focused, stable, and united. As such, the approach remains largely the same: to help the business navigate a constantly evolving environment by being both a risk manager and an opportunity manager.

However, as the room for manoeuvre in terms of investment and finance shrinks, Legal teams must be particularly vigilant about the impact of legal risks on the overall economics of deals — meaning a stringent approach to risk management — while also being more flexible in deal execution in order to be as facilitative as possible (time being of the essence during periods of instability or crisis). It is therefore a subtle balance between risk and opportunity, between focus and speed.

Have you had any experiences during your career as a lawyer that stand out as particularly unique or interesting?

I would simply say that every time I have had the opportunity to both support value creation and avoid value destruction simultaneously, it has been an impactful experience. Business teams are often focused on value creation (by managing opportunities), while support functions are typically viewed as avoiding value destruction (by managing risks). My strong belief is that our value as lawyers lies in both supporting value creation and avoiding value destruction, always within an optimised and sound risk management framework.

Therefore, every day within DENTRESSANGLE Legal teams, we strive to support internal clients with the dual role of being both a risk manager and an opportunity manager. By doing so, we aim to mitigate risk while generating impact on the bottom line at the same time.
 
 
What is a cause, business or otherwise, that you are passionate about? Why is this?
 
DENTRESSANGLE has created an endowment fund called DENTRESSANGLE Solidarité, whose main purpose is to promote equal opportunities in life, and of which I am a member of the committee. This is a cause that has been close to my heart for a long time, particularly in making art and culture (music, painting, reading, etc.) accessible to disadvantaged young people. I am a firm believer that easier access to art and culture can open up new horizons and dramatically change the lives of those who do not currently have access.

What factors influence your team’s decision to use external legal services versus handling matters in-house, and what criteria are used to evaluate their performance?
   
Law firms are regularly engaged by DENTRESSANGLE to act as partners during our investment deals (private equity or real estate). The complexity and sophistication of these deals often require legal teams to be assisted by external firms.

There are three main factors that influence the DENTRESSANGLE Legal team’s decision to use an external law firm for a particular legal case or project rather than handling it in-house. The first factor relates to the need for a legal opinion or analysis on very specific and complex legal matters for which the legal teams do not have the relevant expertise, primarily in IP, tax, or criminal law. The second factor concerns situations where a claim or litigation is involved and we require an analysis of the strength of our rights in that case, allowing us to consider whether to settle or litigate. The third factor is more pragmatic and relates to instances where the in-house legal team has little or no capacity due to the substantial daily workload.

However, as a general rule, the DENTRESSANGLE Legal team is a full-service team and provides a wide range of legal advice and support without recourse to external law firms.