Project finance

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.
Bertrand Andriani
Hall of fameLinklaters
Bertrand is Head of the Energy & Infrastructure department in the Paris office. He specialises in structured finance, including major project financings, leveraged finance, banking, secured and unsecured syndicated loans, derivative products, insolvency and corporate restructuring. Bertrand is also Head of the Francophone Africa Desk.
François April
Hall of fameLinklaters
François is widely regarded as a leading renewables and energy & infrastructure practitioner in France. A Partner in the Energy & Infrastructure practice in the firm’s Paris office, François focuses on project financing in the energy, mining and infrastructure sectors. He also has in-depth knowledge of infrastructure assets, including airports, ports and roads and power distribution. François advises sponsors, investors (including investment funds) government entities and lenders on all aspects of projects, including finance and contractual arrangements, as well as regulatory issues, on projects in France, Francophone Africa, Europe, the Middle East, Canada, Latin America and Asia-Pacific. He is actively involved with the firm’s initiatives surrounding Canada, including developing and maintaining Canadian client and institutional relationships.
John Crothers
Hall of fameGide Loyrette Nouel A.A.R.P.I.
John Crothers specializes in project finance, PPPs, banking transactions and privatizations, both in the developing and developed world. John has over 35 years' experience in large-scale projects, legal transition work, legislative drafting and assistance to governments, IFIs, lenders, sponsors and equity investors, from initial feasibility analysis to international bidding processes and financial closings, where he ensures a clear and early identification of legal issues with a view to proposing the most suitable contractual schemes. A dual U.S. and France-qualified lawyer, John is fluent in both English and French and has extensive experience working in both civil and common law jurisdictions. He has advised international financial institutions, concession companies, operators and bidding consortia in infrastructure projects around the world including the following sectors: motorways, airports, ports, solar power, energy, water treatment and desalination facilities and telecommunications. He frequently advises national governments, local governments and other authorities granting concessions or setting up Public-Private Partnerships. He has also drafted international ?best practice? concession and PPP laws in the Middle East, Africa and Eastern Europe. Before joining Gide, John Crothers was a counsel in the Office of the General Counsel of the EBRD in London. As such, he was involved in over forty projects in fifteen different Eastern European countries and in the CIS. John Crothers is consistently ranked as a Leading Individual in Project Finance and Energy by international legal guides Chambers Global, Legal 500 and IFLR1000. He has been inducted into the Legal 500 Hall of Fame, which highlights individuals who have received constant praise by their clients for continued excellence.
Nikolaï Eatwell
Hall of fameClifford Chance
Nikolaï Eatwell specialises in Project, Project Finance and Export Credit transactions, particularly in Africa, Russia, the former CIS and Turkey. The matters Nikolaï has advised on include projects in the mining, metals, oil & gas, power and telecommunications sectors and financings with a wide range of commercial banks, ECAs and multilaterals. He also works on commodities financing.
Daniel Zerbib
Hall of fameClifford Chance
Daniel Zerbib began his career as a securitisation lawyer (CMBS, trade receivables) and now specialises in banking and finance, with a particular emphasis on infrastructure finance (both greenfield and brownfield), leveraged finance and debt restructuring.
Pascal Agboyibor
Hall of fameAsafo & Co.
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Marie Bouvet-Guiramand
Gide Loyrette Nouel A.A.R.P.I.
Marie Bouvet-Guiramand, joined Gide Loyrette Nouel in 2002 and is partner since Jan. 1, 2017. Specialized in project finance, she represents all players of the infrastructures, public facilities sector and energy, be they sponsors (investors and industrial groups), lenders or public administrations. She deals with all issues (project and finance) relating to project structuring or tender preparation, negotiating project and finance agreements and their implementation during construction and operation. Marie also advises on sales and acquisition project companies, industrial groups or projects portfolios and assets refinancing. In France and abroad (Africa, and also South America, Eastern Europe and Asia), Marie advises on PPP/concessions and adhoc projects as well as innovative financing structures in many sectors: transport infrastructures (urban transport, roads, railway lines, tramways, airports, ports), energy (renewables, offgrid and storage, hydropower, oil & gas, mining), water and waste (production, irrigation, desalination, treatment, distribution) and public facilities (stadia, entertainment venues, prisons, administrative and industrial facilities, public lighting, urban heating, telecommunications networks, hospitals, universities, schools, military equipment/facilities). Marie Bouvet-Guiramand holds a Magistère in business law, a DJCE from the University of Paris II ? Panthéon Assas and is a graduate of Hautes Etudes Commerciales (HEC). Marie Bouvet-Guiramand is recommended in Project Finance and Energy by international legal guides Legal 500 and IFLR1000. She is well recognized for her work on the African continent and is regularly listed in the rankings of Jeune Afrique and Décideurs - Africa Desk.
Delphine Siino Courtin
Hall of fameClifford Chance
Delphine Siino Courtin specialises in projects and project finance, particularly in Africa and Europe. Delphine has advised on projects in the power, oil & gas and mining sectors as well as on French private finance initiatives (PFI) and on acquisitions in the energy sector. Delphine is the Africa Practice Leader for Energy and Infra Transition.
Stephen Le Vesconte
Linklaters
Stephen is an Energy and Infrastructure Partner with nearly 20 years of experience advising on large-scale, cross-border project development, project finance, joint venture and M&A transactions in the energy and infrastructure sectors (including oil and gas, petrochemicals, power and renewables). He has particular expertise in structured finance and multisource project financings including Export Credit Agencies (ECAs) and other international financial institutions. Stephen set up the firm’s Seoul office in 2013 and was Seoul office Managing Partner 2016-2018, and continues to lead the firm’s relationships with many Korean corporates, ECAs and banks in Seoul. Stephen previously worked for nine years in the firm’s London office, for three years in the firm’s Moscow office and for six months in the firm’s Hong Kong office. He joined our Paris team in September 2018.
Laetitia Lemercier
Gide Loyrette Nouel A.A.R.P.I.
Laetitia Lemercier was admitted to the Paris Bar in 2001 and specialises in structured finance. She is a member of Gide's Banking & Finance practice group and has significant experience in real estate finance, project finance, acquisition and corporate finance, as well as in debt restructuring. She regularly advises financial institutions or borrowers and investors at all stages of the structuring or restructuring, drafting and negotiation of complex financing transactions. Laetitia Lemercier co-authored the model Euro PP credit agreement and is an external speaker at Science Po Paris. She holds a postgraduate degree in business law and taxation and a master's degree in business law from the University of Paris II Panthéon-Assas, as well as a master's degree in management sciences in finance from the University of Paris IX Dauphine. Laetitia Lemercier is recommended in banking and finance law by the international legal guide Legal 500 EMEA.  
Darko Adamovic
Gibson Dunn
Mark Barges
Ashurst LLP
Driss Bererhi
A&O Shearman
Tom Longmuir
Ashurst LLP
Simon Ratledge
Hall of fameAsafo & Co.
Stéphane Vernay
Gide Loyrette Nouel A.A.R.P.I.
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Victor Grandguillaume
Gide Loyrette Nouel A.A.R.P.I.
Admitted to the Paris Bar in 2009, Victor Grandguillaume is a member of the Projects (Finance & Infrastructure) practice group where he focuses on projects in the energy, infrastructure and natural resources sectors. He acts in particular on thermal and renewable energy power plants, and on mining and infrastructure projects (ports, airports, roads, water treatment plants). Victor advises sponsors, financial institutions and public authorities on all aspects (development phase, drafting and negotiating project and financing documents) of projects located in Europe and Africa. He has developed specific expertise in the field of renewable energy projects in Africa, and advises leading sponsors, financial institutions and public entities on the development and financing of wind, solar and hydro power plants in Sub-Saharan Africa. He is a graduate of ESCP-Europe (Master in Management, Finance, 2007) and Paris XI University (Master 2 Professionel, Business Law, 2007).
Olivier Mélédo
Mayer Brown
Lachlan Poustie
A&O Shearman
Leading associates
Rising stars with regular involvement in their team's key work, and recognition from peers or clients as being ones to watch.
Antoine Bouzanquet
Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP
Antoine Bouzanquet is Partner in the Corporate and Financial Services Department of Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP in Paris. He focuses on the development and financing of energy and infrastructure projects, in France and abroad. Antoine advises a broad spectrum of market players, including sponsors (industrial sponsors and investment funds) and lenders (commercial banks and institutional investors), on complex greenfield and brownfield energy/infrastructure-related private equity, M&A or project development and financing transactions. Over the past few years, Antoine has been involved as main legal advisor in numerous high-profile transactions in the telecom, transport and energy sectors and has earned a reputation of problem-solving and success-oriented lawyer, with a combination of robust technical skills and strong business acumen. Before joining Willkie in 2015, Antoine worked as an associate at Mayer Brown where he advised on LBO and real estate transactions. He also gained experience in capital markets in a leading French bank. Admitted to the Paris Bar, Antoine graduated from the University of Paris 2 – Assas and the University of Oxford in business law. He also graduated from ESCP Europe, where he received a degree in management and finance. A native French speaker, Antoine is fluent in English.
Cédric Gamambaye Dionmou
Ashurst LLP
Samia Khennous
Ashurst LLP

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