Nicolas Mennesson

Partner

Bar admission: Paris

Nicolas co-heads the firm’s civil, commercial and stock market litigation team.

He is involved in civil, commercial and administrative proceedings (notably before the Autorité des Marchés Financiers, the French financial markets authority) with high strategic stakes. In particular, he handles litigation relating to mergers and acquisitions, stock market law, shareholder activism and shareholder relations.

In addition to his litigation work, Nicolas regularly advises on corporate law, stock market law and corporate governance. He is a member of the legal committee of the Association Nationale des Sociétés par Actions. An alumnus of the École Normale Supérieure, he holds a degree in philosophy.

In particular, he was involved in the following transactions and/or related litigation, as an advisor to:

– Sanofi’s Board of Directors on the sale of Opella (2024);
– the Fortenova Group in the litigation related to the restructuring of its capital (2023);
– Suez in its defense against Veolia’s takeover bid (2020-2021);
– Capgemini in its acquisition of Altran (2019-2020);
– Safran in its acquisition of Zodiac (2017);
– XPO in its acquisition of Norbert Dentressangle (2015-2019);
– the Crédit Agricole Group in connection with the reclassification of CCI (2016-2024).

A partner with the firm since 2016, Nicolas was seconded to Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz in New York in 2010-2011.

Main areas of expertise

Stock exchange law
Company law
Contract law
Civil and commercial litigation

Education

École Normale Supérieure (Ulm-B/L)
Agrégation in philosophy
DESS-DJCE in business law, Panthéon-Assas University (Paris 2)

Languages

French / English

Contact

Phone : +33 1 45 02 19 19
Mail : nmennesson@darrois.com

Publications

“France”, in Securities Litigation, Law Business Research, May 2025 (11th Edition)
« Le droit répressif des offres » (“The enforcement law for takeover bids”), OPA, Lefebvre Dalloz, 2024, p. 452
« Affaire EEM : Réflexions sur la compétence du tribunal de commerce en matière boursière » (“EEM case: Considerations on the Commercial Court’s Jurisdiction in Securities Law Issues”), Bulletin Jolly Bourse, Mai 2024, n°201u6, p. 40
« Défenses anti-OPA : état des lieux après l’opération Veolia / Suez » (“Anti-Takeover Measures: an Overview after the Veolia/Suez Takeover”), Bulletin Jolly Bourse, Mai 2022, n°200s3, p. 52
« Aspects procéduraux des recours contre les décisions de l’AMF » (“Procedural Aspects of the Appeals against the French Financial Market Authority’s decisions”), Bulletin Jolly Bourse, Novembre 2019, n°118r7, p. 33
« L’extension de la composition administrative aux abus de marché » (“The Extension of the Administrative Settlement to Market Abuse”), Bulletin Joly Bourse, Novembre 2017, n° 117d0, 380
“France”, in Mergers & Acquisitions, Thomson Reuters, April 2016
« La définition et l’utilisation de l’information privilégiée à l’épreuve du changement » (“Definition and Usage of Inside Information put to the Test of Change”), Bulletin Joly Bourse, September 2015, n°112h4, p. 385
« Nul n’est présumé initié » (“No one is Presumed to Hold Inside Information”), Bulletin Joly Bourse, Avril 2015, n°112h4, p. 178
« La CJUE redéfinit l’information privilégiée » (“The ECJ Redefines Inside Information”), JCP E, nº 12 p.9-1, 2015, act. 219
« Non bis in idem : vers une double condamnation de la France ? » (“Ne Bis In Idem: Will France be Condemned Twice?”), JCP E n°45, 2014, act.829
« Franchissements de seuils et abus de marché » (“Information about Major Holdings and Market Abuse”), Revue de droit bancaire et financier n°2, Mars-Avril 2013, dossier 21
« Information privilégiée: bonne ou mauvaise nouvelle? » (“Inside Information: Good or Bad News?”), JCP E n°22, 2012, 1348
« Abus de marché : vers une refonte du régime communautaire ? » (“Market Abuse: Towards a Recast of the European Regime?”), JCP E n°49, 2011, 1881
« Programmes de rachat d’actions et manquement d’initié » (“Share Buy-back Programs and Insider Trading”), JCP E n°26, 2011, 1510