DLA Piper has a solid track record in handling real estate and project finance deals, however the team is also sought after by banks, private debt funds, borrowers and sponsors to advise on a broad range of matters. Key areas of instruction for the group include advising on the refinancing of upper- and mid-cap LBO financings and assisting banks with the granting of loans to companies. The practice is headed by real estate finance expert Erwan Lacheteau. Sophie Lok is highly regarded for her corporate and acquisition financing expertise, and Eric Villateau focuses on project financing work. Romain Guénin left the firm in January 2026.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- ‘The team is very responsive and readily brings together all stakeholders to discuss complex issues in order to reach a swift and effective conclusion for the successful completion of the project.’
- ‘Erwan Lacheteau has extensive experience and uses this experience to highlight risks.’
- ‘Sophie Lok is a standout for lenders and credit funds alike; she is commercially minded, technically gifted and a lawyer that always "has your back" when things get bogged down or difficult. Sophie has amazing communication skills and really cares about achieving optimum outcomes for her clients. She is a pleasure to work with.’
- ‘Professionalism, efficiency, speed and agility.'
- ‘Availability, reliability, pragmatism.’
- ‘A reputed practice offering expertise in various aspects of real estate financings.'
- ‘Erwan Lacheteau has some huge expertise in real estate financing transactions, often assisting clients with complex, high-value cross-border financings.'
- ‘Technical skills are second to none, they view issues not just from the legal but also from the commercial viewpoint, seamless coordination across the team from junior associate to partner, and speed to respond to queries. They value client care and service.'
Key clients
- BNP Paribas
- Société Générale
- Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Banking
- BPCE Group
- Crédit Industriel et Commercial
- Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations (Banque des Territoires)
- Crédit Lyonnais
- International Financial & Banking Institutions
- Goldman Sachs
- ING Bank N.V.
- HSBC France
- Norddeutsche Landesbank Girozentrale (Nord/LB)
- Blackstone Group International Partners LLP
- The Carlyle Group
- Vauban Infrastructure Partners
- IDI
- Metric Capital Partners
- GLP (Gazeley)
- Brookfield/Edyn
- Fortress
Work highlights
Advised 26 banks on two corporate financings in the nursing home sector, worth €1 billion.
Advising Group Proxiserve on its €606 million financing from a pool of banks and institutional lenders .
Advised Sodeval France on a €155,000,000 facility granted by Starwood for financing and refinancing the acquisition of a portfolio of 12 self-storage assets.
Lawyers
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Practice head
Erwan Lacheteau
Other key lawyers
Eric Villateau; Sophie Lok