Hogan Lovells has expanded its Paris finance practice with the hire of a dedicated Business Restructuring and Insolvency (BRI) partner, Cecile Dupoux. Cecile, currently a partner at Linklaters, will join Hogan Lovells today, 1 November 2012.
Cecile has more than 15 years’ experience as a BRI lawyer, specialising in multi-creditor rescues and restructurings particularly those involving cross-border aspects, including areas such as workouts, debt restructurings, standstill arrangements and schemes of arrangement. She was involved in the restructuring of Moulinex, Brandt and Léon de Bruxelles, as well as in the Eurotunnel, Coeur Défense and Auto Distribution matters.
Before joining Linklaters, Cecile spent more than ten years at Sonier & Associés, one of the most respected French firms specialising in BRI matters.
Commenting on Cecile’s arrival, David Hudd, co-Head of Hogan Lovells’ finance practice, said:
“Cecile is a highly regarded BRI lawyer with a strong track record. She will be a welcome boost to our global finance practice and provide us with a dedicated BRI capability in Paris to complement our established European BRI offering.”
Commenting on Cecile’s arrival, Richard Jadot, partner of Hogan Lovells’ Paris finance practice, said:
“Cecile’s expertise and connections in the BRI market will complement very well our existing capacities in a market which requires and increasing level of expertise in all relevant areas of law (finance but also corporate, litigation, employment, tax etc.). We share the same values and our permanent goal to satisfy our clients’ needs, as well as a collective approach of the development of a strong BRI practice in and from Paris. We are delighted to welcome her.”
Cecile Dupoux said:
“Hogan Lovells has a highly regarded BRI practice globally, and in France it is backed by strong areas such as banking, corporate and capital markets, but also employment and litigation practices. This is crucial as restructurings in France will increasingly require employment law and judicial expertise. I look forward to working with my colleagues to build a market leading BRI practice in Paris.”
Hogan Lovells’ global BRI practice advises a wide variety of stakeholders in restructuring and insolvency cases, including distressed borrowers; senior, junior, and subordinated debt providers; shareholders; directors; suppliers to a distressed borrower and insolvency practitioners. The team also act for investors looking to buy into a distressed situation at either the debt or equity level and are increasingly called upon to advise less traditional stakeholders including pension trustees and governmental and quasi-governmental bodies. High profile on transactions on which the practice has recently advised include:
- The Trustees of the Nortel Networks UK Pension Plan and the Board of the Pension Protection Fund in relation to the claims of the Nortel Networks UK Pension Plan against the Nortel Group
- Advising the ad hoc committee of bondholders in relation to defaults by Sino-Forest Corporation
- Bahner Group on its restructuring with protective shielding period
- The restructuring and subsequent administration of the Peacocks Group and the pre-packaged administration sale of Bon Marche
