Watson Farley & Williams LLP

Alexia Russell

Alexia specialises in asset finance, leasing and project finance, where she acts primarily for banks and other financial institutions, equity investors, export credit agencies, and other lenders and lessors. Her asset finance and leasing practice focusses on transactions in the shipping, aviation and rail sectors, while in the project finance sphere she has developed strong expertise in the energy sector, especially as relating to renewables. Alexia has extensive experience in structuring, documenting and negotiating acquisitions, financing and leasing transactions and has been involved in numerous complex restructurings in the last few years. She has also developed a strong track record advising on ECA-backed financings.

Arnaud Troizier

A specialist in economic public law, Arnaud has particular expertise advising on public-private partnerships and public contracts in France on matters as diverse as transport infrastructure, municipal and state equipment and buildings, electronic communication networks, and defence and energy-related transactions. He also has strong focus on projects of a similar nature in francophone Africa. He assists manufacturers, investors, banks and public entities during the procurement phase and execution of concession and partnership contracts, including brownfield deals and refinancings. Arnaud has also developed particular expertise in the drafting and negotiation of both public and industrial contracts relating to interface, design and build, operation and maintenance projects as well as in assisting in tender procedures (such as competitive dialogues and calls for tender) and public domain issues regarding such projects. He also works and provides input on finance and corporate documentation relating to the (re)financing, sale and acquisition of PPPs or renewable energy projects. Since 2013, Arnaud has lectured on complex contractual structurings (“montages contractuels complexes”) to Masters and postgraduate level students at the University of Evry and HEC Business School.

Cyrille Gogny-Goubert

Cyrille is specialized in corporate real estate law. His scope of activity mainly encompasses legal and financial structuring of development and construction operations, purchase and sale of real estate assets or real estate companies, real estate assets management in particular in the hotel industry. Cyrille graduated from the Paris II Panthéon-Assas University (Business and Tax Law Master) and from the Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne University (Real Estate and Construction Master 2). He was admitted to the Paris Bar in 2006. Before joining Watson Farley & Williams, Cyrille Gogny-Goubert worked for prestigious international and French law firms in Paris and in the United Kingdom.

Franck Poindessault

Franck has 20 years’ experience advising and representing French and international companies and their management in business and liability litigation before the judicial and arbitral courts, whilst also offering alternative dispute resolution expertise, including mediation. He has special expertise in advising banks and other financial institutions on liability and insurance disputes, especially relating to financial risk. His expertise in insurance is recognised by the French National Bar Council. Franck’s practice also focusses on contract law matters, including disputes concerning the validity, enforcement and termination of contracts; M&A disputes arising from sellers’ representations and warranties; and business principles governing professional services in the French market, such as fair competition and consumer protections. He began his career in a law firm acting before France’s Highest Court and then worked in French and international law firms.

Laurence Martinez Bellet

Laurence has over 20 years’ experience advising domestic and international clients on asset and project finance, acquisition finance, export credit, leasing, debt restructuring and mezzanine debt (project/green bonds) transactions. She is especially well regarded for her shipping finance, and energy and infrastructure project finance, expertise. Her clients include banks, investment funds, ECAs, DFIs, project developers, lessors and shipowners. With regards to shipping finance, Laurence focusses on complex cross-border shipping transactions, helping on the structuring of financings through leasing, ECA or DFI-backed transactions, also involving JVs and in debt or equity investment funds. In the energy and infrastructure sectors, she specialises in renewable energy, energy infrastructure and innovative projects (energy efficiency, electricity mobility, corporate PPAs), advising on their financing or refinancing, acquisition or sale in the context of leveraged transactions. Laurence was named a Knight of the National Order of Merit (Chevalier de l’ordre national du Mérite) for her career as a finance lawyer in the shipping and energy sectors by the French Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy in July 2017.

Laurent Battoue

With a strong focus on the energy and infrastructure sectors, Laurent has over a decade’s experience advising both public and private entities on the awarding and implementation of public contracts, public-private partnerships and the structuring of complex contracts. He has broad expertise in the energy sector, in particular in renewable energy, where he advises developers, industrial groups, investment funds and banks on acquisition, sale, financing and re-financing transactions. Laurent also advises on innovative projects such as electric mobility and on new electricity sale strategies such as corporate PPAs, energy efficiency and guarantees of capacity and origin.

Philippe Wolanski

Philippe advises on a broad range of banking and finance transactions, including corporate and acquisition finance, real estate finance and project finance especially in the energy and infrastructure sectors. Philippe also has extensive experience representing both debtors and creditors on restructurings, re-organisations and insolvencies. He is recommended for his transactional banking and finance expertise by leading legal directory Legal 500.

Philippe Monfort

Philippe specialises in banking and finance law. He advises on French, English and cross-border aspects of financing transactions: corporate lending, acquisition finance, tax lease transactions (including in favour of the French overseas territories) and structured finance, with a particular focus on asset finance (aviation, shipping, rail and infrastructure). Philippe is a dually qualified: he is admitted as avocat to the Paris Bar and as solicitor in England and Wales.

Rachel Campbell

Partner

Romain Girtanner

Romain specialises in French and international tax law. He advises on the tax aspects of M&A transactions and on structuring investments both in France and abroad, in particular in the energy, transport and private equity sectors. Romain represents a wide variety of clients such as investment funds, banks, corporate groups, entrepreneurs and family offices, notably on cross-border transactions, asset and project finance transactions, corporate restructuring schemes, international estate planning and tax litigation.