UGGC Avocats

Ali Bougrine is a multidisciplinary lawyer working on local and cross-border transactions mainly in the EMEA region. He specializes in corporate law with a focus on Mergers & Acquisitions, International Investments, Private Equity, and Litigation & Arbitration. He is also an expert in OHADA Law which he has been practicing for more than a decade. In 2021, he was ranked among the 20 best lawyers in Africa by Jeune Afrique Business+. He has a double degree in public and corporate law (DEA and DESS) from the University of Paris V – René Descartes, and was admitted to the Paris Bar in 2003. He started his career at UGGC Avocats in 2002 and has remained loyal to this independent firm created in 1993. He then became a partner of the M&A department in Paris. Ali is also the Managing Partner of UGGC Africa, leading the African offices in Casablanca, Douala, Abidjan, and Paris Desk. For over 20 years, UGGC Africa has been deeply involved in major pan-African cross-border transactions, primarily in French-speaking Africa. Ali Bougrine is a member of several associations such as the « Conseil Français des Investisseurs en Afrique » (CIAN), the Israel-Morocco Chamber of Commerce and Industry since the launch of the international alliance of the two leading law firms in Morocco and Israel: FIRON-UGGC in 2022, the International Association of Lawyers (ULA), the “Association Française d’Arbitrage” (AFA), the French Association of Investors for Growth, France Invest, the Moroccan Business Lawyers Association (AJAM), the Moroccan Association of Capital Investors (AMIC). He holds the job of representative for the BNP Trade International. Ali is the author of several articles and publications and has given numerous interviews to the media (Le Monde du Droit, BFM TV, RFI, La Tribune Afrique, Médi1 radio, Magazine de l’Afrique, Les Inspirations Eco magazine, Africa Business+, etc.). He is a regular speaker at international conferences and forums and pursues an educational activity by regularly conducting numerous training sessions on Mergers & Acquisitions, international investments and litigation & arbitration (Francis Lefebvre Formation, “Ecole de Formation du Barreau de Paris” EFB, Groupe EFE, “Université International de Rabat” UIR, etc.). With The World Bank Group, he contributed in 2021 to the drafting of the Moroccan chapter of the Doing Business Project related to their Transfer of Ownership indicator, including a section describing efforts to support recovery after Covid-19. Ali is a native French and Arabic speaker, and is fluent in English.

Alison Leroy

Before joining UGGC Avocats, Alison Leroy worked for 7 years at Carakters, then at Franklin from 2020, and recently at Bersay, where she opened the “Life Sciences, Biotech and Pharma R&D” department. Alison Leroy has developed solid expertise in preventive risk management and the support of industrial and real estate projects, particularly in the pharmaceutical sector. She has advised pharmaceutical laboratories, CROs, biotechs, healthcare establishments and companies in the perfumery-cosmetics and agri-food sectors. Her experience covers regulatory affairs, site and production unit management, and the negotiation and management of R&D contracts. Among her achievements, she assisted a French pharmaceutical laboratory, in partnership with an American company, in the creation of a unique incubator in Europe made up of shared laboratories, and supported senior residences in innovative projects. Alison Leroy now wishes to concentrate on innovation and industrialization projects, aimed at bringing new products, services and technologies to market in a variety of fields including healthcare, pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, perfumery-cosmetics and agri-food.

Anne-Marie Pecoraro

With 30 years of experience serving clients of all sizes and types (corporate groups, multinationals, start-ups, associations, trade unions, foundations, artists, fashion designers, production companies, etc.), Anne-Marie Pecoraro has been advising and litigating on all legal aspects of intellectual property, trademarks, information and digital technologies and data protection. She assists clients in a wide range of sectors including notably film, audiovisual and radio, media funding, performances, theatre and events, music (in which she is has undeniable expertise and a recognized practice since UGGC Avocats is ranked tier 1 by the Legal 500), literary, media companies, press, photography, image, reputation and crisis communication, innovation, multimedia, internet, and platforms, CSR communication, sustainable development, compliance, sport, e-sport, gaming and betting. She also advises prestigious French and international clients, particularly in the United States, Europe (Paris, Milan, Rome, Brussels) and Asia (China, Hong Kong, Singapore). Furthermore, throughout her experience, Anne-Marie has also developed cross-disciplinary skills, particularly in the strategic support of communication programs.

Benjamin de Sevin

There are three main aspects to Benjamin De Sevin's practice. First of all, public contract law (public procurement, concessions, occupation of the public domain, etc.). He assists French and international public entities and private operators in the conclusion and performance of their contracts, both as counsel and in litigation, with particular expertise in infrastructure concessions and PPPs (public-private partnerships). he is often involved in dealing with difficulties in the performance of public contracts, both in litigation and in the context of alternative dispute resolution. Secondly, the regulation of economic activities. Benjamin assists clients in highly regulated sectors (transport, gaming, energy, data, health, etc.) or in matters where public authorities are involved (State aid, public company law, foreign investment control, etc.). In particular, he represents numerous private operators before domestic and European courts and authorities, in the context of contentious challenges to decisions or rules, or their consequences in terms of compensation. He also assists these operators in the context of their public affairs strategy. Thirdly, compliance and criminal law. Benjamin advises numerous clients on public criminal law and ethics, both in the context of litigation before the criminal courts, in conjunction with the firm’s criminal lawyers, and in the implementation of prudential measures – in particular the obligations arising from the Sapin II law.

Carine Le Roy-Gleizes

Carine Le Roy-Gleizes is the partner in charge of the environment practice at UGGC Avocats Paris. Carine Le Roy-Gleizes has broad experience in environmental law. She works on both litigation (before administrative, civil and criminal courts) and advisory matters having to do with environmental regulations regarding regulated facilities, industrial risks, waste management, water or air impacts, soil and groundwater contamination, health and safety-related issues, sustainable development and chemical products. Carine Le Roy-Gleizes advises private entities, industrial actors and public entities. She often represents international manufacturing concerns in connection with the setting of new industrial projects and compliance issues relating to current operations of industrial sites. She has developed considerable experience with plant closures, remediation, real estate matters and other asset transfers (including drafting environmental warrantees). Carine Le Roy-Gleizes is a lecturer at the Centre de Formation de Droit de l’Environnement and at the Ecole Nationale de la Magistrature; she often speaks on environmental issues at seminars. She has authored numerous articles regarding environmental law for various industry publications. Carine Le Roy-Gleizes is a member of several scientific committees and is also involved in various environmental law working groups and think-tanks, in particular at MEDEF.

Charles-Emmanuel Prieur

Charles-Emmanuel has spent his entire professional career at UGGC Avocats. He joined as an intern, immediately worked in the corporate law department and became partner in 2006. Charles-Emmanuel deals with M&A and private equity transactions, nationaly and internationaly. He advises industrial and commercial operators for their take over transactions and asset purchase operations. He assists investment funds or company officers with their venture capital, investment capital or leverage buy out operations. He also advises clients on corporate law matters (regulatory, governance, management package) in the context of internal organization, and defends them when they are involved in litigations or arbitrations in relation to equity capital operations and financings. Charles-Emmanuel has been working more closely with some sectors of activity in particular: new technologies, life sciences (health and biotechnology), defence activities, real estate and financial services.

Clémence Lemétais d'Ormesson

With 15 years of experience, Clémence Lemétais d’Ormesson is involved in many commercial litigations and arbitrations, in France and abroad. She is specialized in disputes relating to the performance or termination of contracts, disputes between shareholders, pre- or post-acquisition disputes (disputes relating to the compulsory execution of SPA, disputes relating to the setting of transfer prices, implementation of asset and liability guarantee agreements, etc.), disputes relating to the liability and dismissal of managers and more generally in business litigation. Clémence represents and assists clients, mainly companies or managers, in domestic and international arbitration proceedings and in annulment proceedings against awards. Clémence also acts as an arbitrator in intern and international commercial arbitration proceedings in these same areas.

Corentin Chevallier

Corentin Chevallier is Partner of UGGC Avocats Paris. Graduated from Paris bar school and the public business law Institute (Institut de droit public des affaires) in 2000, he is also graduated from Sciences Po and has a master in Litigation. He was trained in the best law firms specialized in environmental law in France for 12 years. Corentin Chevallier is a well-known specialist in environmental law. In this context, he follows up several major projects for high-level institutional clients. He advises clients on mining and environmental issues, including those regarding hazardous and registered facilities, waste law, water and air quality law, and energy regulations. In addition, Corentin Chevallier has worked on matters relating to the environmental criminal liability of industrial operators as well as those concerning government liability, including for expropriation claims. He focuses particularly on mining law (in French Guyana for the local federation of mining operators, FEDOMG and mining companies and project monitoring for major energy grid operators. He is a regular author of legal articles in specialized environmental law publications (magazine Experts, bulletin of industrial environmental law (BDEI) and a trainer of professionals in environmental law at the Paris Chamber of Commerce and Industry's sustainable development training center (CFDE), in the fields of air, water and polluted sites and soils. He is also a member of the scientific committee of Atmos'Fair and speaker since 2012 in the annual conferences on legal issues related to air quality and a member of the Interprofessional Federation of Atmospheric Environment Professions (FIMEA).

Corinne Khayat

Corinne Khayat has been a partner of UGGC Avocats since 2000, where she co-heads the IP-IT and the competition law departments. Corinne Khayat regularly represents her clients before the courts and advises in all areas of French and EU Intellectual Property and Information Technologies law. She has particular experience in complex trademark and copyright litigation. Corinne Khayat assists French and foreign clients, mostly large and medium size companies and public bodies, active in various sectors such as food, retail, services, luxury (cosmetics, perfumes), arts and building materials industries. She also handles cases as a correspondent for many foreign law firms. She also regularly advises in distribution law and assists clients in setting-up distribution networks. Corinne Khayat is now an UNIFAB expert.

David Gordon-Krief

David Gordon-Krief, partner at UGGC Law Firm since 2017 is highly renowned in litigation, Private Equity and Real Estate. He has been involved in the recent years in many high level transactions. David is recognized for his reactivity and high industry knowledge. He is extremely client-oriented and knows how to bring together multidisciplinary teams in order to successfully achieve client goals.

Edouard Caupert

Edouard Caupert mainly advises clients in public procurement law, both as counsel and litigator, for public entities and private operators confronted with problems of contract award or performance. In this particular field, he is convinced that quality advice can only be provided by lawyers with solid litigation experience, in all its aspects (summary proceedings, judicial expertise, financial claims, compensation actions, etc.). Edouard Caupert also assists the firm’s clients in the field of administrative liability of public entities, in particular to seek compensation for economic damages resulting from normative activity. Public entities (the State, local authorities and public establishments) may be held liable for actions that cause harm to economic operators, either because of non-existent or insufficient regulations, or because of a failure to exercise their prerogatives. This responsibility may result, in particular, from a violation of international treaties or a disregard of the Constitution, thanks to the procedure of Priority Question of Constitutionality (PQC). He assists the firm’s clients at every stage of their claim: determination of the loss, formulation of the claim for compensation, possible negotiations and, if necessary, legal proceedings. Finally, Edouard Caupert has skills in public criminal and disciplinary law, mainly for breaches of the duty of probity. This practice is intrinsically linked to the two previous ones, because it requires a perfect mastery of the rules applicable to public entities and their agents, who may be accused of breaches by the criminal courts or by disciplinary bodies. For all these areas of work, he can count on the expertise and experience of the firm’s other departments, in order to provide a comprehensive response to clients’ questions, but also to implement litigation actions involving referral to several levels of jurisdiction.

Elisabeth Logeais

Elisabeth Logeais co-founded the IP-IT practice at UGGC since the establishment of UGGC. The licensing of brands, patents, designs, software, R&D partnerships, databases, intellectual property litigation, digital, personal data are her main areas of intervention. She works mainly in the sectors of industry (road infrastructures, tools, cosmetics), services (network of realtors, foundations, medical devices, electronic consumer goods, fashion accessories), artistic creation, Museums and art law. Many of her clients are foreign based (USA, Switzerland, Germany, Korea…) and active in various fields (road infrastructures; solar road; medical devices, outdoors equipment and activities; health data management and sports). She is design rapporteur of the IP commission of the ICC and Vice-President of the Intellectual Property Commission of the ICC France.She teaches a course on IP and antitrust at the University of Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines. Elisabeth Logeais, Corinne Khayat and Anne-Marie Pecoraro are the partners in charge of the IP-IT department.

Fabien Gagnerot

Fabien Gagnerot is a senior counsel in UGGC’s corporate department with 10 years of experience in corporate and commercial operations. Prior to joining the Casablanca office in 2021, he was initially based in New Delhi, India, to assist the firm’s Indian Desk (2012-2015) and then in the corporate team of our Paris office (2015-2020). With a main focus on M&A (acquisition, sale, joint-venture, etc.) and contracts, Fabien’s practice in Morocco routinely includes commercial transactions and M&A/commercial litigation. His expertise in corporate law: Mergers & Acquisitions; Private Equity; securities issues; joint ventures; corporate restructuring; international investments; capital markets. Fabien advises numerous foreign and local companies for their projects in Morocco, from upstream (project set-up, advisory on foreign exchange regulations and funding issues) to the actual implementation (greenfield, brownfield (joint-venture), restructuring) and to the downstream issues (corporate governance of the subsidiary, branch office or joint-venture, compliance issues (personal data), commercial contracts and general day-to-day commercial matters). He assists primarily an industrial clientele, operating in diverse sectors, such as defense/aeronautics, pharma/medical devices and telecommunications. Considering his experience in international corporate transactions, Fabien regularly intervenes as a lecturer or guest speaker in France or abroad for pedagogical or training purposes.

Franck Lepron

Franck Lepron joined UGGC in 2003 after spending three years in the Public-Private Partnerships department at Landwell. In 2011, he became a partner at UGGC. Since then, Thierry Dal Farra, Philippe Hansen, and him have overseen the Public Business Law department, which is one of the firm’s benchmark activities. Franck's practice focuses mainly on public procurement law and public contracts (concessions; procurement contracts; partnership agreements) and he assists private-sector operators and major national public operators. He also is specialised in regulatory law, including transport regulations, which is one of the team’s most extensive areas of expertise. Finally, Franck often works on matters related to how institutions operate and develop, including the structuring and management of projects, pooling and diversification of activities, codes of ethics for the public sector and public officials, etc.

Jean-François Canat

Jean-François Canat has been a lawyer for the best part of his life and following various experiences in other law firms, he contributed to the founding of UGGC Avocats in 1993. He is mostly involved in litigation, in matters of art market law and commercial law. ART MARKET LAW EXPERTISE: Jean-François’ long-standing practice in art law remains a rare occurrence in a law firm such as UGGC Avocats, which has the ability to offer specialist services in a wide-range of sectors of the law (civil, criminal, tax, public, etc.) Jean-François has also developed a unique international network of foreign lawyers and experts, specialist in the art law sector, mainly based in the United States and the United Kingdom. Over the years these multidisciplinary and international aspects of his practice have allowed Jean-François and his team to deal with many legal matters, some of which very high-profile, both providing advice and assisting their clients in either domestic or international litigation.

Jean-Philippe Crot

A lawyer since 1994, Jean-Philippe Crot became a partner at UGGC Avocats in 2000 in the Corporate Law department. He is also acting general secretary of the firm. He deals mainly with Mergers & Acquisitions and matters of corporate law. He provides advice to industrial, commercial and financial operators for their restructuring and growth operations.

Jennifer Carrel

Jennifer Carrel joined the employment law team at UGGC Law Firm in 2006, first as an associate before becoming a partner in 2012. Part of her work is devoted to international business and Jennifer is regularly dealing with clients based abroad, either when they get established in France or when they leave, or to deal with employment law aspects for their French subsidiaries. Another significant part of her activity is devoted to employment aspects of company restructurings and transfers which naturally implies audits upstream but also job saving plans downstream. Finally, Jennifer deals with all aspects of labor law and labor relationships for clients from the industrial, IT and electronic banking, telecommunications and show business sectors: Social aspects of restructuring, individual employment relationships; Audits, individual and collective dismissals, profit-sharing, employee shareholding; Labor contracts negotiated departures, working time issues; Daily management of social relations with French and international clients. Jennifer‘s pragmatic approach is valued by her clients, as her ability take into account wider issues with a high level of awareness.

Julien Mayeras

Julien Mayeras, partner, joined UGGC Avocats in 2017 with his team. He operates in three domains in particular, mostly for companies or funds, either French or foreign, as well as for company officers: Corporate law and private equity, especially dealing with external growth, asset acquisition or transfer, merger-acquisition operations, as well as reorganisation or internal restructuring operations (share issues, management package…); Real estate law, dealing with acquisitions and transfers of real estate assets, leases as well as town planning and building issues; Business litigations, where Julien regularly appears before civil, commercial and criminal courts. His experience as a consultant structures his approach of litigation and vice-versa.

Laure Assumpçao

Position Laure Assumpçao is a registered attorney in Paris and New York. She joined UGGC Avocats in 2015 and since then regularly represents and advises, alongside the members of the art law team, a wide range of domestic and international clients within the art sector. Laure frequently handles actions to void sales of inauthentic artworks, restitution cases or criminal cases in the illicit traffic in cultural goods. She also has an extensive knowledge and experience in transactional issues relating to the art world. Laure is also regularly involved in complex cross-border litigation and commercial arbitration cases. SOME PUBLICATIONS: The Art Law Review – Chapter France 2020 - 2022 – Chapter France Getting the Deal Through Art Law – Chapter France 2018-2022 Journal Spécial des Sociétés, Le marché des ventes aux enchères de bandes dessinées, coordination Gérard Sousi, ” LA BANDE DESSINEE ET LE DROIT” – JSS N° 54 DU 12 SEPTEMBRE 2020 Journal Spécial des Sociétés, Le véhicule de collection sur les routes du Droit, coordination Gérard Sousi, Le véhicule de collection : définition et régime (with Jean-François Canat), 16 mai 2020, n°30 Gazette Drouot, La protection des œuvres d’art prêtées à la France, 4 May 2018, n°18 Gazette Drouot, La liberté d’expression de l’auteur d’un catalogue raisonné (with Jean-François Canat), 7 October 2016, n°34 TEACHING: Paris2 Panthéon-Assas University, Prep course to qualify as an auctioneer, annual lecturer in Wills and Estate, since 2018 Paris 2 Panthéon-Assas University, Center for continuing education, annual lecture on Private Sales of Artworks, warranties and liabilities and on Wills and Estate, since 2016

Laurent Sablé

Laurent Sablé joined UGGC in 2017 as he was attracted by the firm’s team spirit. Indeed, partners work closely together on cases and offer transversal practices to our clients, wherever they are located in the world. As a lawyer practicing in different jurisdictions, the international perspective of UGGC seemed essential to him. Laurent has an international practice and assists clients more specifically in certain fields, such as real estate, tourism, projects and infrastructure, agribusiness and distribution law. In Morocco, Laurent has developed a practice covering advice in connection with financing transactions, corporate finance activities, transnational mergers and acquisitions and also international arbitration. He also advises clients on topics related to the OHADA Law and takes part, alongside Ali Bougrine, in the development of UGGC in Sub-Saharan Africa. Focused on the needs of the clients, Laurent advises them on all the aspects of the company’s life, both in terms of consulting and pre-litigation management. More specifically, he also has a recognized practice in sports law, both for federations and for clubs and sportsmen.

Maïja Brossard

Maïja Brossard was appointed as a partner of UGGC Avocats in 2024. Maïja has over 15 years of experience in French and EU competition law as well as distribution law. She has been advising and representing national and international clients in a very wide range of sectors (including food, retail, services and construction). Maïja has extensive skills in anti-competitive practices (antitrust and abuses of dominant position issues): she advises in all areas of French and EU competition law to help the clients navigate the applicable rules, in particular through trainings, audits and the setting up of compliance programs. She also represents clients before the French Competition Authority, the Paris Court of Appeal and the commercial courts, in cartel cases and actions for damages. In addition, Maïja has a considerable experience in merger control and accompanies the clients through every step of the merger control process, assessing the notifiability of their concentrations projects and handling several merger filings each year. Maïja has also developed a particular experience in working with international clients and acts as a correspondent for many foreign law firms.

Malka Marcinkowski

Malka Marcinkowski is a partner of UGGC Avocats since middle of 2018, she has expertise in competition and distribution law with a specialisation in the health products sector and regulatory (e.g. health professionals, medicines, innovative products, medical devices, cosmetics, crop protection products). Main areas of intervention both in advice and in litigation: antitrust and investigations (national, EU), regulatory products (eg. Health products), regulatory health professionals, state aids, mergers, distribution, commercial contracts, placing on the market, labelling, economic criminal law (unfair commercial practices, deception…), Malka advices all types of companies (biotechnology companies, pharmaceutical laboratories, wholesale distributors, medical device manufacturers in particular), at the marketing stage (e.g. opening of pharmaceutical laboratories, conditions for placing on the market, labelling, setting-up distribution networks) and controls carried out once they have been carried out by the competent authorities and/or courts (ANSM Competition Authority, DGCCRF in particular).

Marine Simonnot

Member of the UGGC Avocats’ Restructuring team for more than 15 years, Marine Simonnot joined the firm as a trainee lawyer before becoming an associate, consultant and then partner in 2020. She advises clients on all aspects of insolvency law, from the prevention of difficulties to their treatment in the context of collective proceedings, both as counsel and in litigation. Marine supports companies of all sizes, their managers and/or shareholders, investment funds, creditors, legal representatives or buyers. She acts for French and foreign clients thanks to her involvement in international associations and in the international network of UGGC Avocats. EXPERTISE IN RESTRUCTURING AND INSOLVENCY LAW: Diagnostics and strategy Prevention of difficulties – Pre-insolvency proceedings Judicial and collective treatment of difficulties Assistance to creditors Assistance to suppliers Defence of managers and shareholders Assistance to insolvency practitioners Takeover of distressed companies Assistance in carve-out process Expertise and education

Michel Turon

With over 30 years of experience, Michel Turon is the head of the UGGC tax law department. TAX EXPERTISE: Michel Turon advises clients in tax and corporate law: Asset taxation: advice specifically tailored to their clients’ needs to deal with all their legal and personal tax issues in relation to their professional or personal assets. Tax litigation: assisting clients in their tax reassessment procedures and to any potential administrative, legal and customs litigations that may result from those. Corporate group taxation: set up a fiscal consolidation, optimization of the tax result, establishment location scheme, management of the operations within the Community and exports toward the VAT system, assistance for implementation and monitoring intra-group service deliver. International taxation: analysis of the international tax treaty and implementation of the investment plan allowing a quick rise of the local results to the group, implementation of the international transfer price, local wage management analysis and position of the expatriate workers…. His clients lead him to intervene more generally for entrepreneurs, families and companies, in particular in the area of transmission. The multidisciplinary of the firm is a real asset for this type of operation, and Michel’s practise also covers tax- financial structuration of M&A/ private equity transactions / real estate deals. Michel has a certificate of specialisation in Tax Law.

Michel Ponsard

Michel Ponsard is one of the partners in charge of the UGGC Competition Law Department. His sector of intervention therefore corresponds to the competition law and distribution, but also to the law of commercial contracts and commercial practices, as well as to the right of promotion and publicity. Michel works for a French and international clientele in fields as diverse as the automotive sector, the pharmaceutical sector, personal services, retail distribution, publishing and media, real estate professionals (agents and trustees, construction) or transport.

Morgan Vail

Morgan Vail joined UGGC Avocats in May 2024. He is a partner of the UGGC tax law department, expert in tax structuring & group reorganization, tax conformity regulation, tax audits & tax litigation, tax strategies and taxation of flows. His practice focuses on MNE, inbound clients and corporate of various sizes. He is highly experienced in dealing with tax (re)organization of French and foreign groups with a focus on functions and operations/activities. In that respect, Morgan Vail has been dealing with French and European authorities on all kind of tax issues (audit, litigation, rulings...) leading to develop a strong policy activity (draft of bills, draft of administrative guidelines, discussions with governments, public authorities, organizations and French Parliament to find new solutions/provide improvements to the tax system, etc.), which has proven to be very helpful to assist clients (MNEs, small groups) in order to provide them with legal certainty for their day-to-day tax needs, projects of expansion and for reorganization transactions. His experience covers a broad range of industries (TMT; entertainment; utilities; and transportation in particular). I’m well-versed in negotiation of settlements and assistance with voluntary disclosures before the French authorities, remediation and litigation. Based on the main industries he works with - TMT at the forefront, Morgan Vail has sound experience with and knowledge of permanent establishment issues, business restructuring, matrix organization, matters related to BEPS and tax raids, split of functions, allocation of profit/remuneration, IP, beneficial ownership, withholding tax, application of double tax treaties, digital services tax, etc. He also holds a Ph. D. in tax law (international and European tax law).

Olivier Moriceau

Olivier Moriceau joined UGGC Avocats in July 2021, as the partner in charge of Banking & Finance department of the Firm. Before joining UGGC Avocats, Olivier worked as counsel in a leading international business law firm in Paris. He has extensive knowledge of acquisition finance, project finance, bond issues (plain-vanilla, Euro PP, covered bonds and project bonds) and financing in the area of general banking law as well as in the areas of structured finance, real estate finance, factoring and securitisation. EXPERTISE IN BANKING & FINANCE: Acquisition finance Asset finance Project finance Securitisation Restructuring Banking & Financial Regulation Corporate finance Fin-Tech Bond capital markets Derivatives and structured products financing

Philippe Hansen

Partner at UGGC Law Firm since 2011, Philippe Hansen has expanded his practice to cover several legal fields and sectors of activity. Early on, he focused on urban and spatial planning law, but quickly added a specialisation in public property law, to which he dedicates much of his time. Philippe also devotes a lot of work to railway law and railway regulations. He is also extremely active in art law, working both for public institutions, museums, art dealers and collectors.

Rim Tazi

Rim Tazi is of-counsel in the Casablanca office and has 14 years of experience in Moroccan law, including the following areas: corporate and commercial law, contract/distribution law, international investments. EXPERTISE IN CORPORATE AND COMMERCIAL LAW Rim is regularly involved in structuring international investments and advises clients on the implementation of these investments and the negotiation of complex contracts. Corporate law Mergers & Acquisitions; Private Equity; Joint-Ventures; Corporate restructuring; Commercial contracts/Distribution Drafting, review and negotiation of commercial contracts: purchase/sale, services contracts, sub-contracting, franchising, exclusive and selective distribution, commercial agent, licensing, business contributor contracts, etc.; Terms and conditions for the termination of commercial relations: abrupt termination, abusive termination; etc. Rim usually advises major institutional and financial groups, Moroccan and international (mainly French and Anglo-Saxon), as well as Moroccan administrations and para-public entities.

Rodolphe Boissau

Rodolphe has over 15 years of experience in IP and TMT. His key expertise notably includes audiovisual and cinema law, TV regulations, music law, data protection, online privacy, e-reputation, online communication campaigns, online fraud, impersonation, phishing. Rodolphe has extensive experience in handling media/communication campaign and public affairs cases involving notably corporate governance and finance matters in listed companies, tax evasion matters in multinational firms. Rodolphe has significant experience and skills in copyright and other type of litigation including court proceedings (e.g. blocking injunctions against massively infringing websites, copyright infringements, breach of contract, etc.) and administrative proceedings within regulatory bodies He enjoys extensive skills in music, audiovisual, publishing, fashion and show businesses, as well as franchising matters and issues relating to publications in the press.

Sophie Erignac-Godefroy

Trained in civil law with a specialisation in real estate law, Sophie Erignac-Godefroy deals with acquisitions of real estate properties (by carrying out rental situation audits in particular), negotiations of leases and their amendments, their renewal or their termination, but also gets involved in relationships with the organizations involved in the property (e.g.: condominium, AFUL) as well as real estate and building trade professionals. Sophie Erignac-Godefroy will also represent her clients with their litigations on all aspects of the life of their property and assist them with legal assessments. In general terms, she assists with civil and commercial litigations, paying special attention to ensuring that protection measures are taken upstream and taking care of enforcement once a decision has been obtained. It is on the solid experience she has acquired in dealing with complex litigations that is based the advice she gives her clients to assist them in their contractual negotiations.

Sophie Uettwiller

Sophie Uettwiller is an outstanding practitioner and works on many of our most sensitive and complex collective matters. Sophie heads the employment law department and is regularly asked by clients to provide training on negotiations with personnel representatives all over France. HER EXPERTISE IN EMPLOYMENT LAW: - Strategic advice on employment unions negotiations - Strategy for approaching relations with employee representatives regarding company restructuring or reorganization - Massive workforce reduction plans, redundancies and voluntary departures plans - Employment litigation linked to the application of legal or contractual regulations - Employee benefits - Social mediation - International employment law - Working time issues - Social security law issues - Negotiation of top managers’ departures

Sylvie Welsch

Partner at UGGC Law Firm, Sylvie Welsch co-heads the litigation departement. She regularly intervenes in litigation relating to contract law and liability, with a specific contentious activity around health law. Her area of expertise is the law of medical liability (medical accidents, nosocomial infections, iatrogenic diseases, health products, medical devices, vaccines, medicines, etc.) which imposes both the control of civil, administrative and penal procedures, and know-how in the management of so-called “serial” damage.

Thierry Montéran

Thierry Montéran's core business is the right of struggling companies in which at all levels he works with a loyal team that he appreciates and for all sorts of businesses, from the smallest to the most important in all regions of France. Thierry attaches particular importance to sharing, which led him to organize trainings and write many articles. Aware of the loneliness of the entrepreneur in difficulty, he joined Thierry Bellot alongside the accountants in the creation and success of the CIP National, which he chaired for three years. As an activist in the service of companies, Thierry took part alongside Agnes Bricard, President of the Conseil Supérieur of the Order of Chartered Accountants, to create prevention insurance to finance measures to prevent companies in difficulty.

Thierry Dal Farra

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).

Xavier MARCHAND

With over 25 years' experience, Xavier Marchand joined UGGC Avocats in July 2024 as partner and head of the industrial risk management and insurance department. In 2009, Xavier Marchand established Carakters, a boutique specialising in these activities. From 2020 onwards, he joined a number of business law firms to set up an "Insurance and Industrial Risks" department, before joining UGGC in 2024. Xavier Marchand is a graduate of the University of Paris II Panthéon-Assas (DESS Real Estate and Construction; DEA Business Law) and the Institute of Business Public Law. He assists clients throughout their industrial and real estate projects, advising them on risk prevention and claims management mandates. Xavier Marchand advises companies from various industries including energy, luxury goods, pharmaceutical industry & biotech, new technologies and real estate. Xavier Marchand deals with a wide range of issues, including the aftermath of industrial accidents (petrochemical sites, steelworks, glass furnaces, recovery centres, etc.). Xavier Marchand defends the interests of manufacturers and service providers in critical situations such as explosions, fires, cyber-attacks and natural disasters. He also helps his clients to define and implement their risk management policies and to conclude their insurance programmes. His technical and commercial expertise covers a range of sectors including logistics, construction, heavy industry (steel, petrochemicals, glass), agri-food and renewable energy.

Yves Mondellini

Yves Mondellini joined the Corporate Law / Mergers & Acquisitions department of UGGC Avocats in 2005 and became partner in 2016. His practice is dedicated to assisting industrial and commercial players in the sale and acquisition of companies or assets, the creation of joint ventures, restructuring and, more generally, in their corporate law matters. Yves also assists investment funds or managers in venture capital, development capital or LBO transactions. A significant part of his practice is oriented towards international transactions.

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