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Freshfields in France
Freshfields is one of the leading law firms in France. With a presence in the country dating back over 40 years, we are involved in some of the most strategic transactions in the French market.
Our clients come from a wide range of sectors including energy and natural resources, infrastructure and transport, consumer goods, healthcare, telecommunications, technology and media, general industries, and financial services. As well as French and foreign public and private companies, financial institutions, we advise private equity funds, states and state entities, governments and non-governmental organisations.
Clients rely on us for strategic advice on their domestic and international transactions and disputes. They also seek our help when expanding their operations, consolidating their market positions and planning for the future.
We have deep knowledge and have built strong relationships with French regulatory authorities and public bodies such as the agency for state participations (Agence des Participations de l’Etat), the stock market authority (Autorité des Marchés Financiers), the competition authority (Autorité de la Concurrence), the data protection authority (Commission Nationale de l'Informatique et des Libertés), the energy regulator (Commission de Régulation de l’Énergie) and the rail regulator (Autorité de Régulation des Activités Ferroviaires et Routières).
Client successes
Advising La Française des Jeux, the fourth-largest lottery company in the world, on its privatisation, the launch of its Initial Public Offering (IPO) on the Euronext Paris stock exchange and on the redefinition of its regulatory framework applicable to France’s gaming industry, as well as on its relations with the State.
Advising Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) on the sale of the railway operations of Bombardier, Bombardier Transport, by Alstom for $8.4bn.
Advising Antin Infrastructure Partners on the acquisition of a stake in Babilou Family, Europe’s leading provider of company and community nurseries and major player in Early Years Education throughout the world.
Advising LVMH Moët Hennessy - Louis Vuitton S.E in relation to the notifications to the antitrust authorities of the acquisition of joint control along with Ms. Stella McCartney over Anin Star Holding Limited, holder of the “Stella MacCartney” fashion brand line of business.
Advising one of the world’s largest food companies and its French subsidiary, a producer of fresh dairy products, in relation to several follow-on claims brought by companies active in the mass retail sector before the Paris Commercial Court following the decision of the French Competition Authority sanctioning the cartel in the fresh dairy products sector.
Advising Bristol-Myers Squibb on a number of local and international HR legal projects.
This included: the employment aspects of its internal reorganisation and associated collective redundancies; two parallel social plans of two of its French companies (Bristol-Myers Squibb SARL and UPSA); the sale of its global diabetes business to AstraZeneca in 2014; and the setting up of its diabetes commercial alliance with AstraZeneca.
Representing Total in ICSID arbitration proceedings under the France–Argentina bilateral investment treaty.
Representing East Mediterranean Gas and its foreign shareholders in four parallel arbitrations under ICC, CRCICA, ICSID and UNCITRAL rules against Egypt and its state-owned entities.
Offices
- Paris
- Back to Europe
Our team
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New York, Paris
Paris, Brussels
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- Resources
- Recognitions
- Awards
- Fusion/absorption : les acquéreurs désormais responsable des fraudes des sociétés acquises Guillemette Burgala, Emmanuelle Brunelle, La Tribune, November 2020
- Infrastructure: les rencontres d’experts Pascal Cuche, October 2020
- Getting The Deal Through Merger Control2021 Jérôme Philippe and François Gordon, October 2020
- Covid-19 La responsabilité pénale de l’employeur face au défi du déconfinement Emmanuelle Brunelle, May 2020
- Covid-19 Ordonnance relative à la prorogation des délais échus Dimitri Lecat, Julien Rebibo, May 2020
- Covid-19 Interim rules applicable to general meetings and meetings of collegiate corporate bodies of French unlisted companies, Guillemette Burgala, Guy Benda, Arnaud Mouton April 2020
- Covid 19 Restrictions to distributions of dividends and reserves and to share buybacks for large companies in France benefiting from liquidity supporting measures of the French government Guy Benda, Guillemette Burgala, Vincent Daniel-Mayeur, Christel Cacioppo, Jérôme Philippe, April 2020
- Covid-19 Directors’ Duties Nicolas Barberis, Guy Benda, Yann Gozal, Florent Mazeron, Hervé Pisani, April 2020
- Covid-19 What should directors of businesses impacted by Covid-19 be thinking about? French sociétés par actions simplifiées Guy Benda, Nicolas Barberis, Yann Gozal, Florent Mazeron, April 2020
- Covid-19 Conditions d’exécution des contrats publics Pascal Cuche, Tanguy Bardet, Louise Bragard, Ori Enrique Ulloa Castro, March 2020
- Faut-il élargir les seuils de notification des concentrations devant la Commission européenne ?,Angélique de Brousse and François Gordon, La Semaine Juridique, April 2017
- Et le cauchemar devient réalité…Hervé Pisani, Les Echos, March 2017
- Numérique : attention à l’excès de règlementation, Jérôme Philippe, Le Monde, February 2017
- Faut-il élargir les pouvoirs de Bruxelles en matière de concentration d’entreprises, François Gordon and Angélique de Brousse, Le Monde, January 2017
- Investment Treaty Arbitration 2016 –Russia Chapter, Noah Rubins andEvgeniya Rubinina, Global Arbitration Review, October 2016
- Getting the Deal Through -Merger Control 2017 - France, Jérôme Philippe andFrançois Gordon, Law Business Research - GTDT, September 2016
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- "Excellent, very available, creative and spot-on…ability to get onboard several other practices of the firm and offices is very helpful."Chambers Europe 2021, France (Banking & Finance)
- "It is a very impressive firm with a top-quality service and in which partners take a very active role on transactions. I also like their international footprint and I see them as a true international law firm." Chambers Europe 2021, France (Corporate/M&A: High-end Capability)
- "They have a great team…[they] were really there for us from the very beginning." Chambers Europe 2021, France (Competition/European Law)
- "Solid legal knowledge and skills, international network and reputation, good reactivity and very good availability." Chambers Europe 2021, France (Employment)
- Clients report that the lawyers are "sharp and very reactive," adding: "They perfectly take into account the global strategy and positioning of their client." Sources also laud the practitioners for their "excellent knowledge and vast experience." Chambers Europe 2021, France (International Arbitration)
- "They have a real strategic intelligence; they are very flexible and reactive," and add that the lawyers are able to use the resources of the firm to "find the best team possible to win the case." Chambers Europe 2021, France (Litigation)
- The firm is valued by clients for its thorough manner, one calling it "highly attentive, detail-oriented and responsive," and adding that the lawyers "have good relationships with the most important players in the French market." Chambers Europe 2021, France (Private Equity)
- "The lawyers were very proactive and were able to give us reliable opinion based on sound knowledge of French tax regulation and practices." Chambers Europe 2021, France (Tax)
- 'High level of integration’ and the ability to 'provide seamless advice to the client.' Chambers Europe 2020, France (Corporate/M&A: High-end Capability)
- 'Flawless, it is full-service and they know the standard of Anglo-Saxon private equity funds as well as knowing the French market.' Chambers Europe 2020, France (Private Equity)
- 'The team is praised for its 'responsiveness and business-minded' approach.' Chambers Europe 2019, France (Corporate/M&A: High-end Capability)
- 'Very easy to work with and solution- driven with great communication.' Chambers Europe 2020, France (Banking & Finance)
- 'It is a firm that offers customised solutions, adjusts to the issues of the client, has a good experience of the topic and market practice.' Chambers Europe 2019, France (Banking & Finance)
- 'Active on significant merger control matters at a national, European and global level. Fine competition litigation practice, including cartel and abuse of dominance cases, often advising on follow-on damages actions before the French courts.' Chambers Europe 2019, France (Competition/European Law)
- 'Their level of expertise and the capacity to negotiate from a commercial point of view is really the key competitive advantage when using Freshfields.' Chambers Europe 2020, France (Tax)
- Clients also describe the team as 'responsive, practical and pragmatic.' Chambers Europe 2020, France (Employment)
- 'Really significant legal expertise which they combine with a very strategic and practical approach. They are always accessible, responsive and highly communicative.' Chambers Europe 2020, France (International Arbitration)
- Sources praise the lawyers' ability to navigate different legal systems, saying: 'They have been able to explain the process to foreign clients who are not as familiar with the civil law practice. They were excellent at explaining the differences.' Chambers Europe 2020, France (Dispute Resolution: Litigation Elite)
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Magazine des Affaires
2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 & 2019
Ranked No 1 in brownfield acquisitions in the infrastructure sector
International Tax Review 2019, (recognition received for the third time in six years)
France Tax Firm of the Year & Impact Deal of the Year
Global Competition Review Awards 2015
European Merger Control Matter of the Year (Holcim/Lafarge)
Who’s Who Legal Awards 2015
Global Law Firm of the Year
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