The team at Orrick routinely advises corporate groups, financial institutions and investment funds on a broad range of tax mandates that includes M&A transactions, fundraisings, refinancings, VAT matters and tax litigation. Practice head Laurent Olléon specialises in tax litigation and frequently assists corporations and financial institutions with tax audits. The team was notably strengthened with the January 2025 arrival of transactional tax specialist Cécile Mariotti from Latham & Watkins.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Accolades
Client satisfaction: Lawyer & team quality
Client satisfaction: Billing & efficiency
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- ‘A comprehensive and highly business-oriented team. They demonstrated an ability to share benchmarks and an ease in working with highly confidential dynamics and issues.’
- ‘Jessie Gaston, with her assertiveness, easily convinces a company's leadership. She is a particularly good listener. She is reliable in her recommendations and follow-up on actions.’
- ‘Cécile Mariotti is both a strategic and practical tax lawyer who helped me successfully navigate multiple favourable tax rulings.’
- ‘Laurent Olléon possesses exceptional quality, both in terms of legal expertise and industry knowledge. In this complex field, Laurent Olléon demonstrates a highly instructive and patient approach with his clients, ensuring they fully grasp the legal strategy and the implications of the arguments he presents in his conclusions.’
- ‘The team is highly competent on many tax matters. It was recently strengthened with the arrival of Cécile Mariotti, a very experienced professional.’
- ‘The team is always available to discuss a variety of topics, depending on the partner involved.’
- ‘Cécile Mariotti is a very pleasant and competent young partner, with excellent connections within various professional tax bodies, which allows for proactive discussions on technical and current issues, often in anticipation of regulatory changes.’
- ‘Within the tax department, Jessie Gaston particularly distinguished herself through her strong expertise, responsiveness, and availability. We continue to consult her regularly on the complex tax issues we encounter.'
Key clients
- 3i Infrastructure
- AIG Europe
- Akeneo
- Akiem
- Altitude Infrastructure THD
- Ambridge
- Anaplan
- Anthropic AI
- Antin Infrastructure
- Ardian
- Axa-REIM France
- Azora Capital
- Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance
- BEO Healthcare
- BNP Paribas
- Boralex
- Boubyan Bank
- BPCE Group
- Bridgepoint
- Canal Plus
Work highlights
Representing BNP Paribas, Europe's leading banking group in all its tax disputes before the administrative courts: withholding tax, corporate income tax, VAT and local taxes.
Advised Sequans Communications S.A. (NYSE: SQNS) on the disposal of its 4G IoT technology to Qualcomm for €200 million.
Advising TwentyTwo and Azora Capital on the strategic acquisition of the Emeis senior services residences platform (formerly Orpea) for €250 million.
Lawyers
Leading partners: Tax litigation
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Next Generation Partners: Transactional/corporate tax
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Practice head
Laurent Olléon
Other key lawyers
Jessie Gaston; Cécile Mariotti