The firm’s public and regulatory law team is led by Henri Savoie and includes three partners (Henri Savoie, Brice Bohuon and Frédéric Mion, each of whom are former members of the Council of State), one of counsel and several associates. Altogether, they comprise a leading team in tackling some of the most complex operations in France, combining their legal expertise with a deep understanding of institutional and strategic issues to serve their clients.
1- The team works very closely with the firm’s M&A team on transactions requiring regulatory or institutional expertise. In particular, it assists transactions that involve companies whose activities are regulated or are state-owned (nationalisation, privatisation, reorganisation and governance). The team has secured some of the most complex transactions in these demanding regulatory environments.
2 - The firm assists its clients with all issues relating to the main regulated sectors, regardless of their transactional context: energy, transport, telecommunications, media, utilities (water, waste, heating and cooling networks), gambling and sports.
In this regard, the team has developed extensive expertise in banking and financial regulation and assists leading institutions in their dealings with the main regulatory bodies (the ECB, the ACPR, the AMF and foreign regulators), particularly in connection with transformative transactions at both the French and European levels.
3 - The team is also involved in the preparation and execution of public contracts (tenders, concessions and other complex arrangements), particularly in the context of major infrastructure projects.
4 - The firm has acclaimed expertise in litigation before administrative courts (Council of State, Administrative Courts of Appeal, Administrative Tribunals) and European courts (Court of Justice of the European Union, European Court of Human Rights), as well as before sector-specific regulatory authorities. The firm is particularly valued for its ability to handle high-stakes litigation, sometimes across multiple jurisdictions, often in sensitive or high-profile contexts.
5 - As a pioneer in the field of foreign investment control in France, the team has unrivalled expertise in the market and acts either on behalf of the firm’s clients or as a correspondent for foreign law firms in their most sensitive transactions involving France. Our work covers the following matters: (i) analysis of the applicability of the FDI regime to the transaction; (ii) request for authorization; (iii) monitoring of the proceedings with the French Treasury and the French Direction Générale des Entreprises; and (iv) negotiation of the commitments requested by the French State. Our team’s proven ability to obtain approvals within tight deadlines, including in the most sensitive cases, is especially well regarded.