Administrative and public law
Hall of Fame
The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.
Hall of fameClifford Chance LLP
David Préat advises public and private entities as well as financial institutions on public law matters including deregulation, energy, privatisation, state aids, public domain and public services. David specialises in public contracts (concessions, public private partnerships (PPP), public procurement) in relation to major infrastructure projects including arenas, hospitals, prisons, railways, motorways and airports.
Hall of fameDentons
Marc Fornacciari is a Partner at the Dentons Paris office. He specializes in public law and in particular in Public Business Law. He is a member of the Transportation and Infrastructures, Public Policy and Regulation, Public Procurement and Government groups. Marc has developed a recognized expertise in the infrastructure sector, in particular in project finance. He advises investors, banks and public entities on infrastructure projects (highways, railway projects, subways) or social infrastructure projects (the new Ministry of Defence in Paris, the new Justice Palace in Paris, La Santé prison, numerous universities and schools). He also advises stakeholders in the transport law practice, in toll prices and in new mobilities. Former representative of a major European electric utility company for France, Marc Fornacciari has an extensive experience in energy law, both conventional and renewable energy (solar, wind-powered, floating offshore wind energies). He also practices environmental law. Marc’s team is also very active in general public law, public domain law and in public procurement law (contracts and concessions), both in consulting and litigation. Overall, the team covers all aspects of regulatory law. Honorary judge of the Conseil d’État, the French High Court for administrative law, he has acquired a renowned expertise in public law and jurisprudence. Marc Fornacciari has rendered conclusions as an advocate general on cases that abide to be leading contract law and concession law cases. Marc also benefits from operational skills acquired in his previous professional experience. In particular, he was the operational manager of water, electricity and sanitation companies in Europe and the Middle East and was in charge of business development in these areas. Within this framework, he has extensive experience in project structuring and financing.
Rising stars
Rising stars with regular involvement in their team's key work, and recognition from peers or clients as being ones to watch.
CMS
Kawthar Ben Khelil is a Counsel within the Public law Department of CMS Francis Lefebvre Avocats. She is active in public business law and in particular in the following areas: public contracts (including public procurement contracts, concessions, public-private partnerships, contracts of occupancy of the public domain, complex contractual agreements) and other issues in relation to public law (public property law, financing of public entities, public sector entities, social housing, public subsidies, etc).
A&O Shearman
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Leading individuals
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Gide Loyrette Nouel A.A.R.P.I.
Thomas Courtel specialises in two main fields: infrastructure and public companies. As regards infrastructure and public facilities, his team offers a comprehensive service, from the contractual structuring and financing of projects, operational support, through to asset disposals and refinancing. As regards public companies, Thomas works on the nationalisation, privatisation and reorganisation of groups and supports their development: industrial partnerships, debt restructuring, public procurement.
UGGC Avocats
After working as a senior official (at the Legal Affairs Department at the Ministry for the Economy and Finance, then at the Council of State, the Administrative Supreme Court of France [Conseil d’Etat]) and as an academic (teaching at the Université de Paris II Panthéon-Assas), Thierry Dal Farra joined the Paris Bar in 1993 and created the Public Business Law department of UGGC Avocats the same year. He now oversees UGGC’s practice and department for Public Business Law and Public Criminal and Disciplinary Law. His approach to legal practice focuses on three main categories: First, for public procurement law (including procurement procedures, partnerships, concessions, and complex contractual arrangements): determining the legal framework to implement in support of a public project, assisting civil engineering firms and public utility operators with their commercial policies, conducting or monitoring procurement procedures, and, increasingly often, handling difficulties related to the performance of contracts (litigation support and using conciliation, mediation, and arbitration mechanisms). Second, for regulatory matters related to economic activities: analysing the legality of these activities, their consequences on economic operators, and establishing public authority liability. And third: compliance and the disciplinary and criminal law aspects of economic activities: public finances (litigation before the Court of Budgetary and Financial Discipline and the Court of Auditors [Cour des Comptes]), the criminal law aspects of public procurement (risks to companies and public purchasers), criminal law for senior officials (functional protection), and prevention of criminal and disciplinary risk for companies that have relations with public administrations (ethics; compliance).
OYAT
Member of the Paris Bar since 1999, Laurent de La Brosse co-founded Oyat in 2022. Laurent has previously been a partner at Latournerie Wolfrom Avocats within the public business law department since 2007. Laurent’s practice focuses on public economic law, public contracts (complex arrangements), particularly in the mobility and energy sectors, public real estate (development operations), environmental law and classified facilities. He advises both public and private clients, in both advisory and litigation matters (including judicial mediation, conciliation and settlement).
Latournerie Wolfrom Avocats
Lawyer at the Paris Bar (1990), Jean Latournerie is founder Partner of LWA and co-manages the Public Business Law practice since 1995. Jean assists his public and private clients in counselling and litigation in French public business law and general administrative law. Jean advises his clients in the field of public contract law, public services deregulation law, public competition law, the law governing public and semi-public companies, public-private partnerships and project financing law. Prior to founding Latournerie Wolfrom Avocats, Jean began his career at the law firm Siméon Moquet Borde & Associés, then at Moquet Borde & Associés prior to joining the law firm Cammarata & Montfort.
Dentons
Dorothée Griveaux, Partner in the Dentons' Paris office, specializes in public law and notably public business law. She has developed recognized expertise in the fields of public contract law and project financing. She advises public and private clients (operators, investors and banks) on infrastructure projects (motorways, railway, metro, telecom) or public buildings (universities, hospitals, high schools, courthouses). Dorothée has extensive experience in sector-based regulations: energy, transport, telecom. Her expertise covers pubic economic law (public procurement, privatizations and public sector law, foreign investments in France and public competition law) and general public law (property of public entities, relations between the public and private spheres, regulatory law). She acts as advisor and in litigation matters for French and foreign clients. Dorothée works on a voluntary basis as part of Dentons' Pro-Bono initiatives and for various associations.
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP
A&O Shearman
Leading individuals: Urban planning
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Gide Loyrette Nouel A.A.R.P.I.
Alexandre Gauthier is a partner within Gide's Public and Environment Law practice group, specialising more particularly in real estate development and public law. Alexandre advises developers, property companies and investors on their development projects, as regards land control, designing urban development concepts and the legal conditions thereof (defining the required approvals, monitoring procedures and authorisations review). He has developed a recognised expertise in the conversion and restructuring of public assets, in particular via the creation of complex contractual systems in the public or private domain of public entities with a view to enhancing value. In this regard, Alexandre has assisted in a number of public asset disposal plans, namely of real estate. Additionally, Alexandre practices litigation, giving him an overall overview of stakes when structuring operations.
Gide Loyrette Nouel A.A.R.P.I.
Emmanuel Vital-Durand is a member of Gide's Public Law and Environment, Real Estate Transactions & Financing, and Projects (Finance & Infrastructure) practice groups. He specialises in regulatory and operational urban planning, the development of the public domain, and institutional issues. He advises public and private authorities on developing and carrying out their real estate and planning projects: feasibility analysis, instructing and obtaining authorisations from the relevant authorities, land acquisition terms and conditions, urban planning participations. In these fields, Emmanuel also draws on significant expertise in dispute resolution on behalf of public and private bodies throughout France.
AdDen avocats