International law firm McDermott Will & Emery is pleased to announce the arrival of three new partners and four new associates at its rapidly growing Paris office. As the office recently celebrated its first anniversary, the new arrivals strengthen the Firm’s capabilities in the areas of corporate, tax and dispute resolution law.
Bertrand Delafaye will join the Paris office as a partner in the Corporate Advisory Practice Group. Bertrand has spent 12 years at Rambaud Martel and Orrick Rambaud Martel and 8 years as a partner. Bertrand advises private and listed companies on corporate, M&A and securities law matters. He also has significant experience in the area of joint ventures, post-closing reorganizations, as well as in negotiating major industrial and commercial agreements. In addition, Mr. Delafaye is experienced in handling pre- and post-closing disputes in the context of M&A transactions, and advises on conflicts among shareholders and between joint-venture partners.
Antoine Vergnat, who will also join McDermott from Orrick Rambaud Martel, will be a partner in the U.S. and International Tax Practice Group. Antoine assists French and foreign investment funds, corporate groups and entrepreneurs operating in the industrial, service and real estate sectors on a broad range of domestic and international tax matters. His practice focuses on transactional tax law, in particular on matters relating to the acquisition and sale of assets, the financing and the restructuring of groups, as well as the management of tax affairs and controversies. Antoine has also developed a strong background in the structuring of private equity and real estate investment funds and equity compensation schemes as well as in tax advice to high-net-worth individuals.
Antony Martinez will join McDermott Paris as a partner in the Trial Practice Group, after spending 6 years at Orrick Rambaud Martel. Antony, who is admitted to the Paris Bar and the New York Bar, has a broad-based commercial litigation practice on behalf of French and international companies and Private Equity funds, handling international disputes relating to all types of complex commercial contracts involving multiple jurisdictions. He also has extensive experience in the areas of shareholder litigation and disputes arising in the context of M&A transactions in France and Europe.
The new partners will be joined by 4 associates coming from Orrick Rambaud Martel, SJ Berwin and Reed Smith.
“We are delighted to welcome Bertrand, Antoine, Antony and our new associates to the Firm,” said Jacques Buhart, partner-in-charge of the Firm’s Paris office. “The expansion of the Paris office is key to achieving the McDermott’s strategy of being able to give high-quality advice to multinational corporate clients in all the major economies in which they conduct their business.”
“Our aim is to be recognized as one of the leading firms in the Paris legal market, and the arrival of Bertrand, Antoine and Antony adds tremendous capabilities to a number of the Firm’s key practice groups, notably corporate, tax and trial,” adds David Goldman, partner and head of the Firm’s Corporate Advisory Practice Group.
The new partner arrivals in Paris come during a period of significant growth for McDermott in Europe. In recent weeks, the Firm announced the opening of a new Frankfurt office led by corporate finance partner Philipp von Ilberg and highly respected corporate and securities partners, Joseph Marx, Dr. Martin Kniehase and Dr. Moritz von Hutten. Additionally, the Firm has recently brought on public law partner Sabine Naugès, international arbitration partner Jacob Grierson in Paris, private equity partners Mark Davis and Russell Van Praagh in London, corporate partner Giovanni Nicchiniello in Milan, intellectual property partner Alexander Harguth in Munich, corporate and real estate partner Holger Weiss in Düsseldorf and energy partner Michael Ruoff in Munich.
