McDermott Will & Emery is pleased to announce the expansion of its international platform with the opening of its office in Paris on May 2, 2011.  With Paris, McDermott now has seven offices across Europe, including Brussels, London, Milan, Rome, Düsseldorf and Munich.

 

The new Paris office is key to achieving the Firm’s strategy of being capable to give quality local advice to clients in all the major economies where they conduct their business. To better meet the needs of multinational clients operating in France, McDermott’s Paris office will focus on cross-border transactions, offering the services of a number of the Firm’s key practice groups, notably corporate, tax, competition, employment and litigation.

 

McDermott’s Paris office will be led by Jacques Buhart, previously head of the Corporate and Competition Groups at the Paris office of Herbert Smith, and one of France’s leading international lawyers. Mr. Buhart, who advises a wide range of French, European, Japanese and U.S. blue-chip companies, will lead a team of five partners joining McDermott’s Paris office.

 

The other partners joining the Paris office include Thibaud Forbin, co-head of the Corporate Mergers & Acquisitions practice at Delsol Avocats, who advises French and international businesses and private equity funds on M&A, securities and listing transactions, corporate restructuring and bankruptcy law.

 

Jacques and Thibaud will be joined by Hervé Bidaud, a leading tax lawyer with extensive experience in international taxation, from the set-up of companies to mergers & acquisitions, restructuring and transfer pricing. Before founding specialist tax firm, ArtemTax International, Mr. Bidaud was an international partner at Arthur Andersen International where he was Practice Director and member of the Management Committee. In addition, Jilali Maazouz, a partner in the Paris office of Bryan Cave, who represents French as well as international corporate clients in collective and individual labor and employment law matters, will join the McDermott team in Paris. Jilali also handles all types of employment and commercial litigation cases.

 

The four new partners will be joined by one of-counsel and associates from their own teams making a total of twelve lawyers in the Paris office. An additional partner will join the new office imminently.

 

“We’re delighted to welcome Jacques and his team to the Firm,” said Peter J. Sacripanti and Jeffrey E. Stone, co-chairs of McDermott Will & Emery.  “Opening in Paris with such a high level and well-regarded team of experienced partners is an important strategic move with numerous benefits to our clients. The Paris office will allow us to service our multinational clients across all the major European financial and commercial centers while offering our French clients access to our international capabilities across the EU, the United States and Asia.”

 

“We are all delighted to join McDermott,” said Jacques Buhart. “The Firm’s strong capabilities in the U.S. as well as its presence across key European countries, provide an overarching platform for each of us to service French and international clients in their French and international operations and litigations. Additionally, we believe that our longstanding relationships, as former colleagues who share the same vision of advising and assisting French and international clients on their most challenging legal issues, will help us quickly become one of the major players in the Paris market.”   

 

“This is a significant development for McDermott and, with over 120 lawyers now working in our European offices, is a milestone in our strategic development,” observed Hugh Nineham, head of McDermott’s European practice based in London. “With the opening of our Paris office and our distinguished new partners now onboard, McDermott can broaden the range of capabilities and services that we are able to offer our clients.”