Alain is a highly established figure in France's banking and finance sector, with vast experience working on asset finance matters. Ranked as the number one ship finance lawyer in France by the leading legal directories, he also works on all aspects relating to the transportation industry. Alain acts predominantly in the field of asset finance (ships, corporate jets, industrial equipment, rolling stock), project finance, tax leasing, export credits, acquisition finance, securitisation and commodities financing. He has extensive experience advising banks and other financing institutions, leasing companies, sponsors and operators. A significant part of Alain’s practice involves the structuring of complex tax-based leasing structures. Together with Stéphane Salou, he has spearheaded the development of these types of products in the French legal market. In addition to his banking and finance expertise, Alain covers all aspects of the transportation industry including regulatory, acquisitions and restructurings. Alain speaks English and French and is a member of the Paris, New York and Manitoba (Canada) bars. He has also contributed to the fourth edition of the leading ship finance industry handbook, Shipping Finance.
Stephenson Harwood
Lawyers
Evelyne Bagdassarian is a partner and head of the tax practice of the Paris office of Stephenson Harwood. Evelyne Bagdassarian has more than 15 years’ experience advising major corporations with a focus on international and financial tax advice. She assists international group of companies on their investments in France and advises a portfolio of private clients on wealth management and tax planning. Evelyne Bagdassarian has a very strong trackrecord in financial taxation, particularly with regard to complex cross-border financing and structured refinancing transactions and asset management. Her practice also includes the structuring of investment funds, M&A and real estate transactions. Evelyne Bagdassarian is multilingual. She is fluent in English, Italian, Armenian and Russian. She has developed a recognized practice in assisting international groups with the legal and tax aspects of infrastructure projects in the energy and transport sectors, particularly in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
Jeremy's practice covers capital markets, structured finance and banking. He has over 15 years of experience providing transactional support to clients in relation to a wide range of capital markets products including: debt securities (Eurobonds, MTNs, High Yield, Euro PPs, hybrid and regulatory capital instruments, secured notes, liability management); equity and equity-linked instruments; derivatives and structured products. In addition, he has developed a general banking and finance practice focussing on cross-border and emerging markets transactions with a particular focus on the CIS region. On the regulatory side, Jeremy regularly advises financial institutions, investors and borrowers on questions of financial regulation. He speaks English, French and Russian, and is dual qualified in England and France.
Ngowari Adikibi acts for management companies and GPs, as well as institutional investors, in the domain of international funds creation and cross-border corporate/private equity transactions. Ngowari’s practice involves delivering innovative solutions for the structuring, creation, negotiation and marketing of different forms of funds investing predominantly in Europe and Africa (including French fund structures, Luxembourg vehicles, English, Scottish and Channel Islands limited partnerships, Mauritius funds and hybrid structures). Ngowari also creates carried interest structures and regulated portfolio management entities for management teams. She advises fund managers on regulatory matters relating to their authorisation and their marketing, operation and management of funds. She equally assists management companies with the process and contractual framework for the distribution of fund interests. In addition, she advises private equity houses on international investments and divestments of portfolio assets in general, and secondary transfers of interests in portfolio funds. Prior to joining Stephenson Harwood, Ngowari was a lawyer in the International Funds department of a leading global law firm in international funds. Having previously obtained solid experience of complex and high-end cross-border M&A/ private equity transactions within the corporate/ private equity departments of several US law firms in London and Paris, Ngowari also gained significant emerging markets experience working in Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay, where she advised European investors regarding foreign investment in the Mercosur.
A litigation expert, Nicolas specialises in general commercial and insurance litigation, arbitration and private international law. He has been appointed as the Paris office managing partner. His expertise covers the various fields of civil and commercial law, including construction, project, aviation and corporate disputes, product liability and contracts for large French and international companies. In the insurance sector, Nicolas advises on matters relating to professional or product liability in the areas of aviation, pharmaceuticals, energy, chemicals and construction. Nicolas' arbitration experience involves acting as counsel during ad hoc or institutional arbitrations. In addition, he has experience as an arbitrator in domestic commercial disputes. Nicolas is also well known for his broad expertise in Africa related matters which includes representing several African governments in project disputes and contractual negotiations. Nicolas currently heads the Paris Africa group. Nicolas speaks French and English and is a member of the Paris and New York bars.
As the partner in charge of the employment law team in Paris, Soazig advises French and international companies on all transactional and litigation aspects of employment law.Soazig is a French qualified employment lawyer, with more than 15 years of experience. She assists her clients in both individual law (hiring, dismissals, current issues, employment contract clauses, accumulation of employment contracts and corporate mandate) and collective law. She has developed a strong expertise in restructuring and the employment protection plan (PSE), collective agreement negotiations (including working time agreements) and mass litigation. She is frequently involved in the social aspects of mergers and acquisitions and carve-outs. Her clients are mainly international industrial groups and banks. She also has a strong knowledge of the issues specific to the telecom and new technologies sectors.Soazig is a member of the Paris Bar. She is fluent in French, English, German and Romanian.
A banking and finance partner with a focus on acquisition, real estate and structured finance, Yann has also developed a strong expertise in alternative financings such as private placement (EURO PP, unitranche and mezzanine), factoring and leasing transactions. His previous experience working as an in-house lawyer at CCF (now HSBC France) has given Yann a particular insight on the issues his banking and institutional clients are facing. Yann has extensive experience in a wide range of national and cross-border secured financing transactions. He advises on general banking transactions, including acquisition and real estate finance, factoring and cash-management transactions and debt restructurings. Yann has experience of both the negotiation of these transactions and their restructuring. He also advises on their transfer and related French regulatory issues. Yann has developed extensive experience in funds finance, including equity bridge and net asset value financing. His clients include international banks and financial institutions, corporates, sponsors, private equity, private debt and investment funds. Yann speaks French, English and German and is a member of the Paris bar.