Signature Litigation AARPI

Claire Massiera

Claire is a Counsel representing French and international clients in complex disputes, including those in commercial, corporate, ESG, banking and competition litigation. Claire acts both in contract and tort claims and has acquired significant experience in litigation relating to M&A disputes, enforcement and termination of contractual relationships as well as unfair competition. Claire has acquired a sharp expertise in disputes and related compliance issues faced by companies arising from corporate sustainability due diligence. Claire also intervenes in commercial and product liability in the aviation field. In this respect, Claire has developed significant experience representing manufacturers and insurance/reinsurance groups in major aviation accidents.

Ela Barda

Ela is counsel and a litigator specialising in commercial litigation, civil fraud and enforcement matters at Signature Litigation’s Paris office. Ela has a particular focus on high-profile cross border disputes and frequently advises international clients on complex issues of conflicts of laws and jurisdiction, asset tracing and asset recovery proceedings. She has extensive experience in investigating, initiating and defending all types of civil fraud claims. Ela represents both claimants and defendants before the French civil and commercial courts at all stages of litigation. She has in-depth experience in pre-action proceedings on a wide range of interim applications. In addition, Ela has developed a strong expertise in the enforcement of foreign judgments and arbitral awards. Ela regularly acts for French and international online platforms in civil liability disputes. Ela also represents manufacturers in commercial and product liability disputes in the aviation field, as well as company directors in personal liability cases before commercial courts in the scope of insolvency proceedings.

Emmanuèle Lutfalla

After more than 30 years practicing in both major international law firms and top tier French law firms, Emmanuèle is one of the founding partners of the Paris office of Signature Litigation. She heads its French Insurance/Reinsurance practice. Emmanuèle’s practice focuses on insurance and reinsurance litigation and claims management. She advises her clients both regarding policy wording and coverage issues. She is also regularly involved in reinsurance litigation. She has been involved in some of the most important product liability cases on behalf of insurers and reinsurers, for instance in the life sciences (medical devices) industry. In this respect, she has developed a specific experience in complex expert-appraisal proceedings and industrial risks investigations.  More recently, Emmanuèle has been advising a leading French engineering company, sub-contractor in charge of the geotechnical studies for the French main contractor following land subsistence in China in a shopping centre with escalators. She has also been advising a company based in New Caledonia in the implementation of a “Terrorism” and “Vandalism” policy, following the occurrence of destructive popular riots. Emmanuèle has been assisting a French Insurer in US court proceedings relating to the coverage of clean-up of soil and water at a site in New Jersey. Emmanuèle also acts in the sensitive construction and real estate litigation. In particular, she advises national and international construction companies on post-contract advice for operational legal risk management, claims and disputes. She assists her clients with pre-litigation and litigation procedures, court ordered expert proceedings and enforcement actions. She is also involved in ADR.

Flore Poloni

Flore specialises in international commercial arbitration. She has 12 years’ experience representing international companies in pre-litigation, mediation and arbitration proceedings.Flore focuses on disputes relating to the defense, chemicals and automotive industries. She regularly acts in shareholder disputes and in transactions that span multiple jurisdictions. She also has in-depth experience in the enforcement of arbitral awards in France including asset seizures.Recently, she has advised several companies in the context of the termination of wide-scale IT projects.Flore is very involved in the arbitration community in France; she co-founded Paris Very Young Arbitration Practitioners in 2012. She is presently one of the co-chairs of the LCIA-YIAG (Young International Arbitration Group of the London Court of International Arbitration).Flore has also lectured at Université Paris-Ouest on Contract law and at Université Paris-Est Créteil on Arbitration law.

Jérémie Fierville

Jérémie is a highly experienced litigator, specialising in complex corporate and financial disputes. Jérémie’s practice focuses on shareholders, governance and M&A disputes, as well as general commercial and civil litigation. Having practised in both Paris and London, Jérémie acts for a broad range of French and international companies. He represents his clients in strategic pre-litigations and litigations, as well as mediation proceedings. Jérémie has also lectured for several years at Paris Panthéon-Assas University, where he teaches courses relating to mediation, corporate law and complex dispute resolution clauses. He has authored numerous publications including Corporate Internal Investigations, An International Guide (Oxford University Press), and Swap Contracts and Insolvency Law (Cahiers de droit de l’entreprise). He has interviewed on various topics, including Private Equity-related issues, Mediation and ESG-related disputes. He regularly organises events on cutting edge legal topics, including General Meetings of Listed Companies and Shareholder Democracy, Financing of the Defence Sector, Duty of Vigilance, International Arbitration and Blocking Statutes, Enforcement of Arbitration Awards through Seizure by Garnishment, The Hague Rules on Business and Human Rights Arbitration, and New Developments in Space Law.

Mathilde Gérot

Mathilde is a Counsel specialising in commercial and regulatory litigation including data protection work, advising on both contentious and non-contentious matters. Mathilde focuses her practice on regulatory disputes, as well as on general commercial and consumer-related litigation and advises on all stages of litigation, from pre-action through trials. She has also developed a specific expertise on commercial law, contract drafting and negotiation and has experience in dealing with a variety of complex legal issues in various industry sectors such as mass retail, automobile, media, e-commerce, banking and insurance industries.

Philip Dunham

With over 30 years’ experience, Philip’s extensive practice covers both commercial and investment treaty arbitrations spanning several international jurisdictions, including regularly acting for or against States. He is an acknowledged expert in advising in relation to construction and engineering, oil and gas, telecoms, pharma, shareholder, agent and joint venture disputes, and regularly acts both for and against states and state-owned entities. He has represented clients in a number of high-value global disputes, with a particular focus on the Balkans, MENA, Latin America and South East-Asia. He acts both as counsel and arbitrator handling a broad range of disputes conducted under ICC, LCIA, SCC, DIAC, BCDR, HKIAC, UNCITRAL and ICSID rules.

Sylvie Gallage-Alwis

Partner

Thomas Rouhette

Partner