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Classement Legal 500 Europe, Middle East & Africa 2022

13.04.2022 · De Pardieu

Concurrence - Concentration - Distribution

Home > Classement Legal 500 Europe, Middle East & Africa 2022

Legal 500 EMEA classe De Pardieu Brocas Maffei en tant Top Tier Firm en Banque-Finance, en Droit Européen, Concurrence et Distribution, en Energie, en Entreprises en difficulté et en Immobilier pour l’année 2022.

Banking & Finance : Transactional work (Tier 1)

De Pardieu Brocas Maffei is very active in syndicated lending and corporate financing, including capital markets work. The banking practice is also a strong option for leading French banks and corporates on acquisition finance and leveraged finance transactions in the mid-cap space. As part of its broad offering, the team also stands out for its work in restructuring financing and real estate financing and refinancing. Of particular note are the team’s cross-practice capabilities, as was evidenced by it advising a banking pool including Natixis and Credit Suisse on the financing, private equity and restructuring elements of the acquisition of Camaïeu by Financiere Immobiliere Bordelaise. Team head Christophe Gaillard focuses on acquisition finance, syndicated facilities, structured finance and derivatives transactions. Emmanuel Fatôme is a key contact for real estate finance matters.

EU, Competition and distribution (Tier 1)

The EU and competition law group at De Pardieu Brocas Maffei specialises in advising major corporates involved in high-profile investigations by the competition authorities, as well as in cartel state aid and merger control matters. The team is headed by antitrust litigation and competition authority Philippe Guibert and Barbara Levy, who leads the group’s distribution and IP cases. Anti-competitive practices expert Laëtitia Gavoty Tolot was promoted to partner in July 2021. The team’s client portfolio spans the e-commerce, banking, insurance, transport, telecoms, energy, pharmaceuticals and retail sectors.

Industry focus: Energy (Tier 1)

De Pardieu Brocas Maffei ranks among the top firms energy matters in France. The firm is particularly renowned for the state-of-the-art regulatory expertise of expert Christine Le Bihan-Graf , who is ably supported by counsel Laure Rosenblieh. The practice acts for a high-profile client base of leading French power producers and distributors, as well as renewables developers and the French state, frequently on highly strategic regulatory files, including proceedings before the energy regulator, but also on the development and restructuring of some energy projects. Several disputes concerning energy tariffs stand out in the recent caseload. Additionally, the practice acts alongside the firm’s corporate and finance colleagues on project and transactions work. Project finance experts Jean-Renaud Cazali and Antoine Payen, who made partner in 2021, shoulder a very busy practice, assisting lenders and developers alike with the financing of renewables projects and asset portfolio deals. The M&A practice is often involved in strategic deals, especially in the renewables sector, with Thomas Bréart de Boisanger, who co-heads the practice with the Le Bihan-Graf and Cazali, as the key contact.

Insolvency (Tier 1)

De Pardieu Brocas Maffei is one France’s most established names in the field of restructuring and insolvency. The firm has a particular focus on advising banks and banking pools on the market’s largest cases, but is also regularly appointed by debtors. The firm’s impressive caseload includes many high-profile cases pertaining to the retail, maritime transport, oil, tourism and hospitality sectors which have been particularly impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. The team is co-headed by the highly regarded Philippe Dubois and Joanna Gumpelson and also includes Ségolène Coiffet and counsels Simon Le Wita and Clément Maillot-Bouvier. The practice can rely on strong support from the firm’s banking expertise with notably Corentin Coatalem, as well as from the corporate department. Former counsel Alexis Rapp left in 2020.

Real estate (Tier 1)

A stand-out firm regarding all aspects of real estate sale and purchase transactions, De Pardieu Brocas Maffei advises key players in the sector such as Blackstone and Allianz. Leading the practice alongside acclaimed real estate lawyer Emmanuel Fatôme, Paul Talbourdet is recognised as ‘an extraordinary lawyer’ with ‘vast knowledge’ in both real estate and other aspects of corporate law. With dedicated real estate finance experts such as Pierre Gebarowski and Yannick Le Gall, the firm also has extensive experience in this field, namely advising Tishman Speyer on the acquisition of a new office building.

Le cabinet est également classé dans 10 autres domaines d’activités dont 6 en Tier 2 :

Derivatives and structured finance (Tier 2)

De Pardieu Brocas Maffei is especially well known for its OTC derivatives expertise. The practice is able to assist with public and private issues of debt and equity securities as well as hybrid securities and provides regulatory advice on clearing houses and custodial services. Securities lending and repo transactions are other areas of strength. Practice head Corentin Coatalem and Olivier Hubert, who specialises in structured finance and securitisation as well as regulatory matters, are the key contacts.

Dispute resolution: Commercial litigation (Tier 2)

De Pardieu Brocas Maffei is a great choice for high-stakes commercial disputes, regularly involving complex international aspects. Notable recent work includes a high-stakes case concerning supply issues in the automobile parts sector and several particularly strategic private enforcement claims in competition law, following condemnation by regulators. Barbara Levy is the key contact. Dominique Lefort excels in banking disputes while Paul Talbourdet is particuarly active in real estate-related litigation. Finally, the firm also manages corporate litigation.

Mergers and acquisitions (Tier 2)

A single office firm in Paris, De Pardieu Brocas Maffei is geared to act on the full array of corporate transactions including mergers, acquisitions, sales, joint ventures, restructurings, distressed M&A and stock exchange deals. The group is adept at representing all parties to a transaction, including listed and unlisted companies, investors, investment funds and financial players. Guillaume Touttée, whose focus is on the financial services, agribusiness and technology fields, co-leads the team alongside Patrick Jaïs , Jean-François Pourdieu and Nicolas Favre who is principally active within the real estate, hospitality, insurance and retail sectors. Cédric Chanas is a star name at junior-partner level and is acclaimed for his ‘strong client involvement‘.

Private equity: LBO (Tier 2)

De Pardieu Brocas Maffei is particularly active in the mid-cap space, where it advises lenders, sponsors and target companies. Clients benefit from the firm’s ability to draw upon cross-practice capabilities to provide full-service support; areas of strength include bankruptcy and restructuring, competition, litigation, employment law and capital markets. The team excels in distressed LBO mandates and is equipped to advise clients on the full lifecycle of their investments. The department is co-led by Jean-François Pourdieu and Cédric Chanas.

Project finance (Tier 2)

De Pardieu Brocas Maffei is a sure bet for project finance in France. The firm is particularly popular with sponsors and lenders regarding the financing of renewables projects and asset portfolios, spanning solar, wind, biogas, and hydrogen projects. The team is also well versed in advising lenders on French public infrastructure projects. It recently worked on the financing of several broadband projects and also on the refinancing of a motorway. Practice head Jean-Renaud Cazali ranks among the best in his field, followed in his path by Antoine Payen who was promoted to partner in 2021.

Tax (Tier 2)

De Pardieu Brocas Maffei is home to the market’s most sought after tax real estate practice thanks to practice head Emmanuel Chauve and Alexandre Blestel who are both legends in the field. Working alongside the firm’s property practice, the duo advises leading investors on the market’s largest asset and portfolio transactions. They handle a high amount of high-end work, such as advising recently on landmark deals in the healthcare, office, hotel, retail and data center sectors. The team was also involved in a high-profile real estate M&A transaction. The tax real estate practice fits in well with the firm’s high-level M&A and private equity tax expertise. Priscilla van den Perre notably assists leading investment funds involved in large LBO transactions. Anne-Laure Drouet is another strong reference for M&A and private equity tax structuring. Counsel Arthur Leclerc is also involved.