Mélanie Bercot

As a Counsel in the Tech & Comms group in Paris, and a member of the Paris Bar, Mélanie advises our telecoms clients on a wide range of issues and represents them in litigation. She assists telecom operators in all kinds of projects. In particular, she advises our clients in their projects and issues related to network telecoms (deployment and maintenance of telecom networks), in drafting and negotiating sales contracts of telecom services (contracts with operators and B2B/B2C end-users), procurement contracts (contracts with other operators related to network and wholesale purchase, contracts with providers such as subcontractors or telecoms equipment providers). She also supports telecom operators on regulatory issues (licence, access to resources, discussions with regulators, lobbying related to frequency allocations). She is also experienced in supporting public authorities in their projects to roll out electronic communications networks, especially when there is a lack of private initiative. In this regard, she has gained expertise defining the legal strategy, drafting tenders and selecting operators, as well as monitoring the execution of public contracts. More recently, she has represented Bird & Bird's clients in litigations before administrative and commercial courts and assisted them in their dispute settlements before the national regulatory authority (the ARCEP). She previously held various positions within the legal department of a public authority and worked for a major French telecoms operator. From these past experiences, she has gained the ability to understand and identify legal and operational problems faced by her clients. · Bird & Bird