Lawways

The firm: Lawways was set up in early 2006 by Gilles Rouvier who started as an attorney in 1995. Gilles Rouvier has a sharp and recognised expertise in the field of new technologies and their development, more specifically in digitalisation, software, data privacy and contract law. Hortense Rouvier – who started as an attorney in 2000 – joined Lawways in 2009. She focuses on merger and acquisition work, corporate restructuring and reorganisations. Her practice is in venture capital, expansion capital investment, divestment transactions and LBOs. Both of them have been working in major international law firms and as in-house counsel. Gilles and Hortense Rouvier have built, over the course of the last ten years, a highly recognised law firm offering synergy and complementarity between new technology law, digitalisation and corporate law. They provide legal support to worldwide companies, ie banks, insurance, financial institutions, IT, global services and industry, as well as investment funds. Other law firms in France and abroad often use and rely on their specific approach and expertise.

On the cutting edge of new technology law: Lawways has acquired sharply honed knowledge and skill sets in negotiating and drafting all types of contracts in the field of new technologies, and more specifically software, for French and international groups.

The firm provides assistance with reviews of existing agreements, one-off negotiations, or over a process of several months, acting in a support role for a commercial team or a legal department.

Sought-after know-how: the firm has in-depth knowledge of the world of new technologies that allows it to stay a few steps ahead and anticipate what’s next. This is why many law firms rely on Lawways’ specific know-how in this field.

Playing in the big leagues of corporate law, private equity, and mergers and acquisitions: Lawways accompanies all of its clients in their development and value creation projects, primarily in the service sector and in the new technologies sector. The firm’s skills allow it to often punch above its weight, being on a par with the market leading firms.

Training and briefing: the firm organises one-day or longer training sessions to brief clients’ commercial/sales teams on the key legal aspects of a negotiation and/or on the key provisions in clients’ commercial agreements, as well as on developments in case law that might have an impact on overall business activities or on a specific line of business.

Areas of practice
Information technology, digitalisation, software, telecoms and the internet: IT-related agreements include: SaaS agreements, facility management, IT outsourcing, ERP, ASP, BPO, cloud computing, big data, artificial intelligence, data privacy, trade marks/domain name, licences/sales – IP assignments.

Commercial and intellectual property agreements and litigation: purchasing/sourcing and procurement/subcontracting agreements; distribution/commercial agent agreements; general terms of sale/general terms of purchase/general terms of use; partnership agreements (business brokerage, etc); service agreements.

Mergers and acquisitions: purchase and sale transactions of securities or assets, groups and companies restructuring, mergers and universal transmission of assets; letters of intent and MOUs, NDA, legal due diligence work; purchase agreements, representations and warranties agreement, call and put option agreements; majority/minority shareholders’ agreements; managers agreement; sale of business; joint venture.

Private equity: advisory services to investment funds, business angels, family offices and managers for venture capital transactions, expansion capital transactions and LBOs; investment and co-investment agreements, issuance of several complexed securities as preferred shares and bonds; management packages, voluntary profit-sharing schemes, good/bad leaver arrangements.