Franklin > Paris, France > Firm Profile

Franklin
26 AVENUE KLÉBER
75116 PARIS
France

France > Data privacy and data protection Tier 3

The team at Franklin advises on the drafting and negotiating of complex commercial and IT contracts, the management of cyber-attacks and cyber-security incidents, GDPR compliance, and contentious matters including CNIL issues. The firm is a popular choice for French and international corporates with a strong multijurisdictional element with services expanding to the Middle East, US, South and East Asia and Africa. Merav Griguer is noted for handling data disputes before regulatory bodies.

Practice head(s):

Merav Griguer

Other key lawyers:

Salomé Silliaume; Wissem Addoun

Testimonials

‘Wissem Addoun: Extremely responsive, relevant.’

‘Responsiveness, tailor-made customer relations.’

‘I particularly appreciate Merav Griguer who knows how to listen to needs by taking into account customer constraints and always being up to date and relevant in her analyses.’

Key clients

Orange

Fnac Darty

LVMH

Kuehne+Nagel

Paris Saint-Germain Football Club (PSG)

Concentrix

Servier

L’Oréal

Stellantis Finance & Services

Pluxee (Sodexo Group)

Deezer

Liebherr

Zanalys

Groupe Premium

New England Biolabs (NEB)

Deepki

Work highlights

  • Advice to ORANGE to ensure compliance of its data flows to countries outside the European Union.
  • Advise FNAC DARTY on its use of technologies (including AI) and databases
  • Advised on a defense of a hyper-growth startup in a sanction proceeding initiated by The Defender of Rights (Défenseur des Droits), following a CNIL inspection, for using algorithms and AI solutions.

France > Employment Tier 3

The employment team at Franklin handles a range of key employment matters, including restructuring, collective bargaining, internal investigations and workplace health and safety. Myriam de Gaudusson leads the team, acting for national and international clients, notably financial institutions and investment funds. Patrick Thiébart offers extensive expertise in compliance programmes, corporate restructurings and employment disputes.

Practice head(s):

Myriam de Gaudusson

Other key lawyers:

Patrick Thiébart; Amélie Nisio; Silvia Rumanescu; Meggane Saunier

Testimonials

‘Very professional, responsive team. With the same level of information, it is reachable at any time, and able to respond to any problem/request. The frequent use of videoconferencing and online document sharing allows us to be informed at all times.’

‘Myriam de Gaudusson: Involved in all her cases, expert in social law and knowing how to innovate when faced with thorny cases. She also knows how to surround herself with qualified and available collaborators, with a perfect knowledge of our profession and its issues.’

‘Responsiveness, skills and competence.’

Key clients

ACE Capital Partners

Axalta

C40

CBA Informatique Libérale

Delta Airlines

Global Map Solution

Groupe Magellim

Groupe Sprint

IBL Ldt

Work highlights

France > Private equity: LBO Tier 3

Practice head(s):

Yam Atallah

Key clients

Addinsoft

Biotech Investissement

CBA Informatique Libérale

Créations Fusalp

EFESO Consulting

Eurazeo

Groupe Magellim

Guémas

Perseus

Perwyn

Sagard

TKH Group

Work highlights

  • Advised family shareholders and managers of CBA Group as part of a secondary LBO leading to the exit of Five arrows (Rothschild) and the investment of Vivalto Partners and AmundiFunds.
  • Advised Perwyn on its pending acquisition of the Rubel & Menacshé group, a French diamond manufacturer.
  • Assisted Perseus on the sale to Biografy of the four-star hotel ‘Le Pigalle’, located in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, as well as the business assets of the ‘Café Pigalle’ and the bar ‘LeGlass’.

France > Real estate Tier 3

Real estate financing, fund formation, leasing, and transactions remain a key component of the practice at Franklin. With strength in contentious property matters, François Verdot oversees the practice and is praised as an ‘outstanding negotiator’. Géraldine Machinet is well versed in redevelopment contracts and Jérémy Goldblum is experienced in asset management matters, while Jérémy Chiche and Philippe Riglet are knowledgeable about commercial leasing.

Practice head(s):

François Verdot

Testimonials

‘They are a responsive and expert team. Their level of expertise in commercial leases is their strong point compared to other firms.’

‘The quality of the advice provided by the team and the responsiveness of all the lawyers working on our cases makes them stand out.’

‘They are a business-oriented team, which looks for solutions to make the deal happen.’

‘Franklin has assisted us since the launch of our activity in France in the structuring of new projects, due diligence, and contract negotiations. The team benefits from excellent knowledge of market practices and legal regulations but also knows how to take the necessary step back to provide sound strategic advice.’

‘Géraldine Machinet knows the sector and the specificities of the hotel industry perfectly.’

‘François Verdot is an outstanding negotiator, as well as a fine connoisseur of real estate matters.’

Key clients

AEW Europe

Allianz Real Estate

Alsei

Belambra Clubs

Ceva

Conforama

Covivio

Danone

French Properties

Gecina

Groupama Immobilier

Groupe Duval

Groupe Galeries Lafayette

GSE

Heppner

KUEHNE+NAGEL

Longchamp

Mapletree

Mata Capital

Nexity

Panattoni

Pichet

Pierre & Vacances

Pro Distribution

Prologis

Renault

Sandaya

Schroders

Village Nature Tourisme

Work highlights

  • Advised the Heppner Group on a building acquisition.  
  • Advised Bayard Group on leasing surrounding the Kalifornia property complex in Malakoff.
  • Advised Danone in connection with the conclusion of a 10-year lease.

France > Administrative and public law Tier 4

Franklin strengthened its public law offering significantly in September 2024 with the addition of Cendrine Delivré from CDE Avocat, bringing to the practice extensive experience in major transport infrastructure projects and energy regulatory issues, particularly in Francophone Africa. Under the leadership of Jérôme Michel and Michel Sapin, the team advises on public procurement, PPPs, concession contracts and regulatory matters in the defence, energy and transport sectors, both in France and abroad.

Practice head(s):

Jérôme Michel; Michel Sapin

Other key lawyers:

Key clients

Enedis

Aliaxis

Prologis

Groupe Duval

Work highlights

  • Advising Enedis, the leading France-based electricity distribution network operator, on a “mutualisation protocol” with the city of Paris and its service provider for all works to be performed in common locations.
  • Assisted Aliaxis, a large Benelux group, on a virtual/financial cross-border corporate PPA (in several European countries) concluded with the German energy provider Encavis, the related solar plant being located in Italy.
  • Assisted Prologis, the leading US-based real estate and supply chain logistics company, on public domain occupation issues linked to authorisations and contracts granted by Aéroports de Paris (ADP) and the transfer of property rights in the context of these authorisations and contracts.

France > Industry focus: IT and internet  Tier 4

Practice head(s):

Merav Griguer

Key clients

Orange

Fnac Darty

Deepki

La Compagnie des Alpes

Work highlights

  • Advised Orange on its overall compliance with applicable legislation on the protection of personal data, including technology related matters (such as cookies use), relations with the French Data Protection Authority (the CNIL), trainings and deployment of sensitive projects.
  • Advised Fnac Darty on its use of technologies (including AI) and databases.

France > Insolvency Tier 4

Franklin‘s insolvency practice can now draw on the expertise of three partners, following the arrival of Laura Bavoux from Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP in June 2024, bringing significant experience in cross-border cases to the table. The team is well equipped to advise debtors, creditors, shareholders and purchasers, with a broad caseload that takes in pre-insolvency and insolvency proceedings, associated litigation and distressed M&A. The experienced Numa Rengot leads the team, while Arnaud Pédron is another key contact.

Practice head(s):

Numa Rengot

Other key lawyers:

Arnaud Pédron; Laura Bavoux; Pierre Dupuys

Testimonials

‘I had the pleasure of working several times with Laura Bavoux, who has always been exceptionally responsive and professional. She is very approachable and attentive to her clients, consistently offering the best legal advice in complex restructuring situations.’

‘She demonstrates great proactivity and initiative when studying cases in collective procedures.’

‘The team was particularly available, highly skilled in our specific issues, and always anticipated potential outcomes, ensuring each possible solution was thoroughly analyzed before making a decision. Billing was clear, transparent, and precise with no concerns.’

‘Laura Bavoux deserves special mention. She is always attentive to matters, thoughtful, and takes the time to reflect. She never imposes but rather convinces with strong arguments, encouraging us to think critically and make informed decisions. Her approach ensures a simple and effective relationship in particularly stressful times—maturity and serenity in summary.’

‘An excellent team led by Numa Rengot, a true “doer” who is much more than just a lawyer, and strengthened by Laura Bavoux, an excellent technician who goes beyond the technicalities and thinks broadly about case strategy.’

‘Excellent knowledge of procedures, high availability, diverse profiles, and gender balance.’

‘A very professional team that has significantly expanded, with solid expertise at all levels. Their main strengths lie in their responsiveness and continuous availability, ensuring quick and effective support. The lawyers are extremely experienced and competent, providing top-quality legal advice. They take the time to understand our specific needs, allowing us to receive relevant and tailored recommendations.’

‘Numa Rengot is undoubtedly one of the best restructuring lawyers in France. He stands out for his client-oriented approach, combining technical expertise with strategic support, based on strong, trusted relationships with all market players. Responsive, available, competent, and creative, he enjoys an excellent reputation. I appreciate his inventiveness and determination to find solutions in complex situations. He is a trusted partner for our strategic decisions, and it’s a pleasure to work with him.’

Key clients

Apicap

Capital Hospitality Europe

Catella Hospitality Groupe

Chemet SA & Chemet GLI

Eppen

Groupe Avenel

Groupe Diffusion Plus

Groupe IBL Ltd

Groupe Magellim

Imprimeur Maury

La Maison Fourgeot

République du Congo

Regroupement et Diffusion de Saint-Lubin

Probike

Sprint

Valco Group

Work highlights

  • Advised the Republic of Congo in connection with the restructuring of the Corsair air transport company.
  • Advised IBL on superstore chain Run Market’s recovery plan.
  • Advised Imprimerie Mordacq and its shareholder-managers in connection with receivership proceedings for the purpose of adopting a continuation plan given the impact of the energy crisis with treatment of creditors by classes of parties affected.

France > Intellectual property: Trade marks and designs Tier 4

Practice head(s):

Sandra Strittmatter

Testimonials

‘Excellent team around Sandra Strittmatter.’

‘Sandra Strittmatter is an excellent lawyer. Her past experience in business allows her to have a very concrete approach to cases for the client. She always has the “business” aspect in mind in the issues she examines. In her practice as a lawyer, Sandra Strittmatter is thus a true “business partner”, she knows how to take into account the commercial, marketing and communication aspects to deliver an adapted service. Finally, Sandra Strittmatter is perfectly comfortable in transnational cases (in particular with the US, the UK, Germany and Italy).’

‘The team around Sandra Strittmatter is experienced enough to handle important cases but still young enough to be hungry and punchy. A very good choice.’

‘Sandra Strittmatter is very experienced in high-end litigation cases. Her strong command of the English and German language make her a very versatile IP lawyer for trans-border cases.’

‘Sandra Strittmatter is a very competent and reliable colleague. She is always available, ready for any brainstorming without counting the minutes. She does not loose sight of the economic dimensions of a case.’

‘A small, very responsive team with extensive expertise in the field of IP and trademark and copyright law in particular.’

‘Sandra Strittmatter is characterised by a great deal of expertise in the luxury sector and in particular wines & spirits. She provides tailor-made advice and knows how to adapt to the needs of the client.’

‘Perfect knowledge of the market, pragmatism and responsiveness.’

Key clients

Martell & Co

Champagne Perrier-Jouët

Airwair International Limited

Siemens SAS

Work highlights

  • Advising Martell & Co and Champagne Perrier-Jouët on a regular basis on contract and IP law in the context of marketing and communication related agreements.
  • Advising Airwair International Limited on the protection and enforcement of its IP rights in France.
  • Advising Siemens SAS on a regular basis in relation to IP law.

France > Tax Tier 5

Practice head(s):

Jacques Mestoudjian

Other key lawyers:

Testimonials

‘Impeccable competence and perfect availability of the team!’

Key clients

CBA Informatique Libérale

EFESO Consulting

Eurazeo

Groupe Diffusion Plus

Magellim

Perwyn

Réalités

Sprint

Tikehau ACE Capital

Work highlights

  • Advised Perwyn on its pending acquisition of the Rubel & Menacshé group.
  • Advised Tikehau ACE Capital Partner on the tax aspects of the planned investment in ChapsVision.

France > Mergers and acquisitions Tier 6

Practice head(s):

Yam Atallah

Other key lawyers:

Testimonials

‘They are very experienced and have a commercial and proactive attitude.’

‘Lionel Lesur is extremely helpful and a trustworthy person. Excellent lawyer and professional.’

‘Rigour and engagement.’

Key clients

6378102 Canada

Addinsoft

Altice

Caviar Petrossian

CBA Informatique Libérale

Créations Fusalp

Eclosing

GeoPost / DPD Group

Global Map Solution

Groupe Guémas

Groupe Magellim

Groupe Sprint

Perseus

Tatatu SpA

TKH Group NV

Work highlights

  • Advised the family shareholders and managers of CBA Group as part of a secondary LBO.
  • Advised the Perseus hotel group on the sale of the ‘Le Pigalle’ hotel, the ‘Café Pigalle’ and the ‘Le Glass’ bar to Biografy.
  • Advised Flamingo Therapeutics on its cross-border merger with Dynacure

France > Dispute resolution: International arbitration

Franklin launched its arbitration practice in early 2024 after hiring the experienced Céline Greenberg, who acts as counsel and arbitrator in cases and has recently been involved in acting for third party-funders.

The firm: Franklin offers an independent alternative to the Paris offices of major international network firms. Its lawyers advise to a global best practice standard, offering clients the expertise of more than 80 lawyers in all core areas of commercial law.

The firm has built its practice around the needs of French and international companies, public entities and financial institutions. It is:

Independent: the firm is staunchly independent, with a light operating structure, which enables it to be cost-effective, flexible and, in cross-border deals, truly free to choose the overseas counsel best suited to the specific needs of each project.

International: the firm’s lawyers are not only comfortable working in English, but many of them – including all the partners – have deep experience outside France and are thus able to respond effectively to the needs of international clientele.

Expert: every department in the firm is ranked among the leaders in France in its area of expertise.

With strong partner presence: a critical factor for many of the firm’s clients – its lawyers are highly reactive, working in small teams with active partner involvement and reporting throughout the life of each matter.

And deep knowledge of your business: while many firms pay lip service to this idea, Franklin takes the time to create stable, multi-practice teams that offer commercially viable solutions based on a deep understanding of your business needs.

A tried and tested ability to handle cross-border work is fundamental to the firm’s success. Most of its activities have a global dimension. It works with overseas entities in relation to their French operations and French and global clients on their major cross-border mandates. Franklin often leads global teams of lawyers from a number of firms.

The vast majority of the firm’s lawyers have worked or studied outside France in addition to their French qualifications. All of its partners have always worked in globally focused law firms. Many of its partners are dual-qualified, typically Paris and New York, and all of the firm’s lawyers work comfortably in English.

Franklin has often been solicited as a merger partner by leading global players in its market, yet the firm has chosen to remain independent. This choice is key to its ability to best develop its global offering for clients by selecting freely, based only on the expertise required for each matter, the most competent lawyers in the relevant countries.

Areas of practice: In over 25 years of practice, Franklin has built its reputation around its recognised expertise in the main areas of business law. It leverages these skills, some of them very specific, such as structuring major projects in the energy sector, through its 16 practice areas and 16 sectors. The firm’s practice areas include antitrust, arbitration, banking and finance, banking – investment services – insurance / regulatory and compliance, compliance, corporate finance/M&A, data and cyber,  employment law, environment, intellectual property, litigation,  private equity, public law/regulatory, real estate, restructuring/corporate recovery/distressed M&A, tax.