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France

Our Paris team focuses on serving the technology, energy and infrastructure and finance sectors, acting for multinationals, leading venture backed companies, infrastructure funds and financial institutions. We collaborate with Orrick’s teams worldwide to deliver forward-thinking commercial advise on the transactions, disputes and regulatory matters that are shaping the French economy and driving international investment.

Corporate, M&A, Capital Markets and Private Equity

Our corporate team handles multi-billion M&A transactions, fund structuring, financing, public law, and litigation for domestic and global clients. We advise on a range of strategic investments, joint ventures and innovative corporate structures as well as securitization and debt capital market transactions. Orrick is particularly active in the technology, telecoms, financial services, energy, infrastructure, life sciences, sport, transport, aerospace and defence sectors. In the renewables space we have advise French industrials with the acquisition of alternative energy projects including biomass, wind and solar energy. The Private Equity team acts for buyers, sellers, investors and lenders advising on LBOs, OBOs or secondary buyouts. We are equally adept at acting for European corporates with an eye on the U.S. as U.S. corporates looking to Europe.

Technology and Innovation

France, the second largest tech market in Europe, is consistently home to over a fifth of the 100 most promising scaleups in Europe. Recently Orrick was involved in 16 of the 21 French companies considered most likely to become future unicorns, acting on behalf of both clients and investors. We have dominated the European venture capital market since 2015, ranked No.1 by deal volume (PitchBook), advising early-stage and emerging fintech and biotech companies, future unicorns and scaleups, at the cutting edge of their field on seed to growth capital financings, cross border M&A and IPOs.

Energy & Infrastructure

Our Paris team is recognized for pioneering work in the energy and infrastructure sector and involved in project development and finance in the conventional and renewable energy, digital and transport infrastructure, and social or municipal infrastructure sectors. Orrick is at the forefront of some of the most innovative projects in Europe, including sea urbanization projects, the first bond-financed public-private partnership in France, and the first project finance transaction in France. We have advised on many renewable energy projects, including the financing and acquisition of wind farms and solar power facilities and have significant experience in concessions and PPP projects. We have been involved in some of the most important public procurement contracts PPPs and concessions involving the European Commission, public authorities, and independent administrations as well as states and advise on related regulatory and compliance issues.

Finance

Our Finance team acts for leading international banks, private equity funds, alternative credit providers, and other corporate borrowers on everything from straight-up large lending or borrowing to cutting-edge structured finance. Our structured finance and securitization team have advised on many groundbreaking transactions, including in covered bonds, corporate structured bonds, and the establishment of dedicated origination and refinancing platforms. Orrick lawyers helped draft French legislation on securitization and structured finance, were the architects of the Macron Ordinance, chairing the EUROPLACE committee responsible for drafting regulations that allowed non-banks to make loans available to French borrowers and includes the founder and General Secretary of the Paris Structured Finance Institute (IFSP).

International Arbitration and Commercial Litigation

We represent corporations, state-owned entities and governments in high-value domestic and cross-border investment and commercial disputes to resolve complex multijurisdictional matters through international arbitration and litigation around the world appearing before all major arbitral institutions and in national court proceedings when enforcement or setting aside actions are necessary. We excel at risk mitigation, mediation, adjudication and arbitration proceedings under common, civil and Islamic law. We also advise on administrative, constitutional and contract law as well as public law matters relating to energy, environment, data protection and privacy and foreign investment. We have recently arbitrated long term gas price review disputes worth billions of dollars as well as investment treaty arbitrations relating to the renewable energy sector under the Energy Charter Treaty.

  • Employment

    Orrick’s employment team represents international and domestic companies on contentious and non-contentious matters relating to all employment law issues, including employee representation, collective bargaining, restructuring or downsizing and crisis management. We advise clients, often national champions, in the financial services, pharmaceutical, automotive, leisure and food industries on defining employment and labour relations’ strategy and assisting with cross border employment issues including litigation. We have the specialist knowledge necessary to guide clients through the whole spectrum of employment legislation from social security obligations to more complicated individual and collective preventative measures to avoid litigation as well as cases involving harassment, discrimination and remuneration packages.

    Tax

    Orrick’s tax practice advises industrial companies, financial institutions and investment funds on financing French and cross border transactions working seamlessly with capital markets, structured finance, private equity and venture capital lawyers. We also assist with tax inspections and tax litigation offering clients advice on compliance and risk prevention, complex restructuring transactions, and management incentive plans.

    Emerging Markets

    Our Paris team is very active in high growth regions accompanying clients that see the potential in all corners of the globe. Our Africa team advises governments, corporations, private equity funds, major development banks and other lenders on project financings and M&A and private equity transactions. We play an active role in some of the most significant and innovative projects underway on the continent. We are also helping our clients develop Africa’s telecoms infrastructure, tech and fintech markets. Members of our international arbitration team were instrumental in helping OHADA reform its arbitration and mediation rules, which resulted in the revised Uniform Act on Arbitration Law, the revised Rules of Arbitration of the CCJA, and the new Uniform Act on Mediation.

    Community/Pro Bono

    We participate actively in the community and our commitment to help create a better society can be seen in our actions, whether it is offering free legal consultations to disadvantaged individuals in the Bus de la Solidarité programme in the 17th district of Paris, victims of domestic violence with Juris Secours, or assisting NGOs and charities on matters involving victims of child trafficking and unaccompanied minors as part of the Alliance des Advocats pour les Droits de l’Homme. Orrick created a programme with Droits d’urgence and Emmaus Solidarity where our lawyers volunteer twice a month at a shelter for isolated and vulnerable men giving advice in immigration law. We have set up a partnership with La Clinique Juridique de la Sorbonne, an association of law students providing advice to low-income individuals and participate in the Greece Collaborative Project, which we run with five other law firm partners and the NGO European Lawyers in Lesvos, to help address the current access to justice crisis for asylum seekers in Greece. We also advise a number of NGOs and social enterprises on an ad hoc basis including the International Service for Human Rights, Center for Reproductive Rights and Acting for Life.

    Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

    Orrick believes diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) should be at the forefront of our thinking. Each year Orrick takes a day globally to examine what DEI really means to us individually as part of its Dive/In program. The Paris office takes this a step further and has created an additional awareness program whereby every year, we all reflect on diversity in an attempt to challenge our own assumptions and listen to others, to see where we can make a difference through our own behavior.

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