Watson Farley & Williams LLP — France
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About
- The Firm Watson Farley & Williams is a leading international law firm advising clients operating in the energy, infrastructure and transport sectors. With a network of offices spanning Asia, Europe and the USA, we bring together technical excellence and deep industry knowledge to deliver unparalleled advice on complex transactions and disputes. - Principal Areas of Work In all our core sectors, we provide integrated and commercially focussed advice across a broad range of capital markets, corporate, finance, dispute resolution, employment, real estate, regulatory and tax matters. - Senior Partner: George Paleokrassas - Managing Partner: Lindsey Keeble Energy (Mining; Oil and Gas; Power and Renewables; and Commodities and International Trade) - key contacts: Henry Stewart; María Pilar García Guijarro; and Clarinda Tjia-Dharmadi Infrastructure (Airports; Digital and E-Infrastructure; Ports and Terminals; Roads, Bridges and Tunnels; and Social Infrastructure) - key contacts: Florian Kutzbach and José María Anarte Transport (Aviation and Aerospace; Maritime; and Rail) - key contacts: Jim Bell and George Macheras - Energy – Mining We leverage the wealth of experience across our global network to support industry players across the whole mining life cycle, including in the emerging sectors of seabed and space mining, as well as investor-state dispute settlement. We are the go-to advisors for all mining participants from owners/licensees, developers and sponsors to financiers, contractors and governments. Operating globally and in areas beyond national jurisdiction enables us to advise on complex, multi-jurisdictional matters in all the major mineral-producing areas of the world, from Africa and Australasia to Asia and the Americas. - Energy – Oil & Gas We have over 30 years’ direct industry experience advising clients across the whole of the oil and gas value chain, covering upstream, midstream and downstream. We also have in-depth knowledge of new fuels and gases such as LNG, hydrogen, ammonia and SAF to help support the industry’s energy transition. Clients include exploration, development and production companies, traders, offshore services, storage and distribution companies, refinery developers and operators, funds and investors, banks and governments. - Energy – Power and Renewables With an international offering of sector specialist lawyers, we are the natural choice for clients across the power and renewables space. We have long been at the forefront of new technology and developments in the industry and have a successful track record advising on all aspects of the value chain and life cycle of projects from conventional power to renewables such as onshore and offshore wind, solar, biomass, and waste to energy. By leveraging our regulatory, transactional, ESG and dispute resolution experience, we offer an unrivalled full service in sector to clients including developers, investors, sponsors, financiers, contractors and both governments and government entities. - Energy – Commodities and International Trade We offer a comprehensive sector offering covering disputes, structured trade finance, sanctions and regulatory, ESG, project development & finance, and corporate matters. Our historical focus on the energy, infrastructure and maritime sectors, which each have strong synergies with commodities and international trade, give us a unique 360-degree perspective, allowing us to support our clients operating in these sectors across all key service lines. Clients include major corporates, trading houses, mining majors, energy traders, banks, independent trade financiers, investment funds and agricultural and food companies. - Infrastructure With the global demand for infrastructure rapidly increasing, we support our clients on major projects around the world. We act for a broad range of participants across transport-relevant infrastructures ranging from airports, ports and terminals, rail and roads, bridges and tunnels. We also work on energy-relevant projects ranging from transmission and storage, water and waste management and renewable energy assets, as well as social infrastructure to emerging sub-sectors such as smart and digital infrastructure. Our multi-disciplinary team, based across our global network of offices, provides first-rate advice and guidance to all participants in the infrastructure sector. - Transport - Aviation and Aerospace Always abreast of trends within the aviation and aerospace sectors, we have over 40 years’ experience advising key industry stakeholders. These include aircraft and engine leasing companies, banks and financial institutions, funds and investors, export credit agencies, airlines, tour operators and manufacturers. What propels our service beyond that of our competitors is our active involvement in making impactful changes to the industry at a global level. This includes being the principal advisors to the Aviation Working Group (AWG) and the prime choice for legal advice focussing on the decarbonisation of the industry, alternative fuels and emissions reduction. - Transport - Maritime With the largest dedicated maritime legal practice worldwide, we have been helping clients address the industry’s ups and downs for over 40 years. Our unrivalled shipping experience attracts clients including shipowners, charterers, ship managers, P&I and FD&D insurers, investors, banks and financiers with substantial shipping portfolios. Areas of special expertise include maritime infrastructure, commercial shipping, container shipping and logistics, offshore oil & gas, cruise, commercial contracts, sanctions, disputes and regulatory, loan portfolios and restructuring. We are at the forefront of the industry move towards decarbonisation, including having advised on the development of the Poseidon Principles to support the IMO’s goal to reduce shipping’s annual greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50% by 2050. ### Languages - 25+ languages ### Staffing Figures - 0 Partners - 19 Offices
Office locations
Paris
Paris
Watson Farley & Williams LLP 28 Avenue Victor Hugo 75116 Paris Paris France
Practice areas
Lawyers in this office
Alexia Russell
Alexia specialises in asset finance, leasing and project finance, where she acts primarily for banks and other financial institutions, equity investors, export credit agencies, and other lenders and lessors. Her asset finance and leasing practice focusses on transactions in the shipping, aviation and rail sectors, while in the project finance sphere she has developed strong expertise in the energy sector, especially as relating to renewables. Alexia has extensive experience in structuring, documenting and negotiating acquisitions, financing and leasing transactions and has been involved in numerous complex restructurings in the last few years. She has also developed a strong track record advising on ECA-backed financings. · Asset Finance
Arnaud Troizier
A specialist in economic public law, Arnaud has particular expertise advising on public-private partnerships and public contracts in France on matters as diverse as transport infrastructure, municipal and state equipment and buildings, electronic communication networks, and defence and energy-related transactions. He also has strong focus on projects of a similar nature in francophone Africa. He assists manufacturers, investors, banks and public entities during the procurement phase and execution of concession and partnership contracts, including brownfield deals and refinancings. Arnaud has also developed particular expertise in the drafting and negotiation of both public and industrial contracts relating to interface, design and build, operation and maintenance projects as well as in assisting in tender procedures (such as competitive dialogues and calls for tender) and public domain issues regarding such projects. He also works and provides input on finance and corporate documentation relating to the (re)financing, sale and acquisition of PPPs or renewable energy projects. Since 2013, Arnaud has lectured on complex contractual structurings (“montages contractuels complexes”) to Masters and postgraduate level students at the University of Evry and HEC Business School. · Economic Public Law
Cyrille Gogny-Goubert
Cyrille is specialized in corporate real estate law. His scope of activity mainly encompasses legal and financial structuring of development and construction operations, purchase and sale of real estate assets or real estate companies, real estate assets management in particular in the hotel industry. Cyrille graduated from the Paris II Panthéon-Assas University (Business and Tax Law Master) and from the Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne University (Real Estate and Construction Master 2). He was admitted to the Paris Bar in 2006. Before joining Watson Farley & Williams, Cyrille Gogny-Goubert worked for prestigious international and French law firms in Paris and in the United Kingdom. · Corporate Real Estate Law
Franck Poindessault
Franck has 20 years’ experience advising and representing French and international companies and their management in business and liability litigation before the judicial and arbitral courts, whilst also offering alternative dispute resolution expertise, including mediation. He has special expertise in advising banks and other financial institutions on liability and insurance disputes, especially relating to financial risk. His expertise in insurance is recognised by the French National Bar Council. Franck’s practice also focusses on contract law matters, including disputes concerning the validity, enforcement and termination of contracts; M&A disputes arising from sellers’ representations and warranties; and business principles governing professional services in the French market, such as fair competition and consumer protections. He began his career in a law firm acting before France’s Highest Court and then worked in French and international law firms. · Business Litigation
Laurence Martinez Bellet
Laurence has over 20 years’ experience advising domestic and international clients on asset and project finance, acquisition finance, export credit, leasing, debt restructuring and mezzanine debt (project/green bonds) transactions. She is especially well regarded for her shipping finance, and energy and infrastructure project finance, expertise. Her clients include banks, investment funds, ECAs, DFIs, project developers, lessors and shipowners. With regards to shipping finance, Laurence focusses on complex cross-border shipping transactions, helping on the structuring of financings through leasing, ECA or DFI-backed transactions, also involving JVs and in debt or equity investment funds. In the energy and infrastructure sectors, she specialises in renewable energy, energy infrastructure and innovative projects (energy efficiency, electricity mobility, corporate PPAs), advising on their financing or refinancing, acquisition or sale in the context of leveraged transactions. Laurence was named a Knight of the National Order of Merit (Chevalier de l’ordre national du Mérite) for her career as a finance lawyer in the shipping and energy sectors by the French Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy in July 2017. · Asset Finance
Laurent Battoue
With a strong focus on the energy and infrastructure sectors, Laurent has over a decade’s experience advising both public and private entities on the awarding and implementation of public contracts, public-private partnerships and the structuring of complex contracts. He has broad expertise in the energy sector, in particular in renewable energy, where he advises developers, industrial groups, investment funds and banks on acquisition, sale, financing and re-financing transactions. Laurent also advises on innovative projects such as electric mobility and on new electricity sale strategies such as corporate PPAs, energy efficiency and guarantees of capacity and origin. · Public Procurement
Philippe Monfort
Philippe specialises in banking and finance law. He advises on French, English and cross-border aspects of financing transactions: corporate lending, acquisition finance, tax lease transactions (including in favour of the French overseas territories) and structured finance, with a particular focus on asset finance (aviation, shipping, rail and infrastructure). Philippe is a dually qualified: he is admitted as avocat to the Paris Bar and as solicitor in England and Wales. · Banking & Finance
Philippe Wolanski
Philippe advises on a broad range of banking and finance transactions, including corporate and acquisition finance, real estate finance and project finance especially in the energy and infrastructure sectors. Philippe also has extensive experience representing both debtors and creditors on restructurings, re-organisations and insolvencies. He is recommended for his transactional banking and finance expertise by leading legal directory Legal 500. · Banking and Finance
Rachel Campbell
Both English and French law qualified, Rachel has almost 20 years’ experience advising on energy, natural resources and infrastructure finance. She regularly acts for banks and trading houses, sponsors and project developers on a wide range of international transactions, including trade and commodity finance, oil and gas, metals and mining, ECA finance and renewables. She has a strong emerging markets practice, with a special focus on Africa. She has worked for international law firms in London, Amsterdam and Paris and was seconded to the energy and commodities, export and projects legal team of a French Bank from 2008-2009. Rachel is an ESSEC MBA graduate and holds a Bachelor of Law and French from Trinity College Dublin and a Master’s in business law from Paris I Pantheon-Sorbonne. · Energy
Romain Girtanner
Romain specialises in French and international tax law. He advises on the tax aspects of M&A transactions and on structuring investments both in France and abroad, in particular in the energy, transport and private equity sectors. Romain represents a wide variety of clients such as investment funds, banks, corporate groups, entrepreneurs and family offices, notably on cross-border transactions, asset and project finance transactions, corporate restructuring schemes, international estate planning and tax litigation. · French Tax Law