Latham & Watkins

Thomas Forschbach is a partner in Latham & Watkins' London and Paris offices. He has advised international clients on mergers and acquisitions and private equity for over 25 years and is one of Europe’s most experienced and renowned lawyers in his field.

Adrien Giraud

Adrien Giraud is a partner in Latham & Watkins’ Paris and Brussels offices and a member of the firm’s Global Antitrust & Competition Practice. He specializes in French and European competition law and has significant experience in merger control, behavioral antitrust matters (including damages claims), and State aid. Mr. Giraud has 18+ years of experience advising French and international clients in complex EU and French merger cases and in some of the most significant antitrust investigations of recent years. His experience also encompasses civil antitrust damages litigation, an area in which he has represented clients in proceedings before the French courts. Furthermore, Mr. Giraud advises companies and public authorities on state aid compliance and assists them with European Commission state aid investigations and related litigation before the European courts. Mr. Giraud is a member of the board of directors and general secretary of the Association des avocats pratiquant le droit de la concurrence. (APDC). He is also founder and president of l’Entente, a Brussels-based association of French-speaking antitrust professionals. A recognized thought leader, Mr. Giraud frequently contributes to publications on EU and French competition law.

Alexander Benedetti

Alexander Benedetti is a partner in the Paris office of Latham & Watkins. He primarily handles mergers and acquisitions, with particular emphasis on private equity and leveraged buyout (LBO) acquisitions. He regularly advises companies in a variety of general corporate matters, including governance issues, joint venture, recapitalization, restructuring transactions, securities law, and regulatory issues. Prior to joining Latham, Mr. Benedetti practiced for eight years at a leading global law firm.

Alexander Crosthwaite

Alexander Crosthwaite is a partner in the Paris office of Latham & Watkins and a member of the Corporate Department. He specializes in complex mergers and acquisitions and private equity transactions as well as securities laws.

Aurélie Buchinet

Aurélie Buchinet advises clients on French and cross-boarder finance transactions, with a particular emphasis on leveraged finance. Ms. Buchinet combines extensive transactional experience and knowledge of the market to help banks and deal sponsors navigate leveraged buyouts, including: Senior and PIK financing Private equity financing Syndicated loan financing Public to Private financing Her comprehensive understanding of client objectives allows her to craft functional financing terms that balance the nuances of the transaction and protect her clients’ interests. Ms. Buchinet closely collaborates across the firm’s global platform and works with the banking, corporate, and tax teams, bringing her efficiency and organizational skills to complex multijurisdictional matters.

Benedicte Large Bremond

Bénédicte Large Bremond is counsel in the Paris office of Latham & Watkins and a member of the Corporate Department. Benedicte Large Bremond has significant experience in complex mergers and acquisitions and leveraged transactions. She also regularly advises public and private companies and investment funds in general corporate law matters, including corporate governance, security offerings, and stock exchange regulations. From 2005 to 2017, Bénédicte Large Bremond was acting as a knowledge management lawyer for the M&A and private equity practice of the Paris office of Latham & Watkins. She is also an active member of the Women Enriching Business (WEB) task force in Paris, contributing to the expansion of the program. Before joining the firm in 2005, she worked as an associate for ten years at several leading French and US law firms and as General Counsel of a family office.

Carla-Sophie Imperadeiro

Carla-Sophie Imperadeiro is a partner in Latham & Watkins' Finance Department. She has a wide range of experience representing borrowers, equity sponsors, and lead banks in financing transactions, with a particular emphasis in private equity and LBO financings. Carla-Sophie Imperadeiro received her graduate business law and postgraduate international trade law degrees at the University of Paris, Pantheon-Sorbonne in 2004 and 2005, respectively. She received her postgraduate law degree from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris in 2006.

Cécile Mariotti

Cécile Mariotti advises on French and international transactional tax matters, particularly in complex M&A, reorganizations, capital markets, and financing transactions. Ms. Mariotti regularly represents: French and multinational groups of companies from different industries Public- and private-sector clients Financial institutions Investment funds She represents clients in their relationships with tax authorities in a wide range of situations, including tax ruling requests. She also advises on matters involving employee stock offerings and management packages. Before joining Latham & Watkins, Ms. Mariotti spent seven years in the tax department of a leading law firm in its Paris and New York offices. She co-chairs Latham's Paris Women Enriching Business (WEB) Committee, a firm-wide initiative to develop a strong professional women's network and support the long term success of women leaders in business. Ms. Mariotti teaches a seminar in the International Taxation Master degree program at University Paris II Panthéon-Assas and HEC on tax considerations relating to leveraged buyouts. She is a member of the International Fiscal Association and the Women of IFA Network (WIN) France. She is also a member of the Institut des Avocats Conseils Fiscaux (IACF) and was a member of IACF's Corporate Income Tax Committee until October 2020. Ms. Mariotti also maintains an active pro bono practice.

Charles-Antoine Guelluy

Charles-Antoine Guelluy is a partner in Latham & Watkins' Paris office. He has extensive experience representing clients in mergers and acquisitions, private equity, and stock exchange regulations, and is actively engaged in all aspects of real estate law, focusing on the sale and purchase of real estate companies and portfolios.

Denis Criton

Denis Criton is a partner in the Paris office of Latham & Watkins. He specializes in mergers and acquisitions, with particular expertise in leveraged acquisitions (LBOs). Mr. Criton has considerable experience representing private equity institutions in acquisitions, disposals, and restructurings. For more than 18 years, he has been representing French and foreign investors in strategic transactions and joint ventures. Mr. Criton was the Global Chair of the Knowledge Management Committee for four years. Prior to joining Latham, Mr. Criton worked in the London and Paris offices of several leading law firms.

Diego Romero

Diego Romero is an associate in the Paris office of Latham & Watkins. As a member of the firm’s International Arbitration Practice, he advises clients on the resolution of high-stakes, complex international disputes. Mr. Romero advises in international arbitrations under the ICSID, ICC, and UNCITRAL Rules, with a particular focus on investment and commercial disputes involving Latin America.

Elise Auvray

Elise Auvray is a counsel in the Paris office of Latham & Watkins. Her practice focuses on complex commercial litigation and compliance. She also advises clients on data privacy and white collar crime. Ms. Auvray resolves a broad range of complex disputes through litigation proceedings, mostly in an international context and in various areas of business, working in matters involving assistance and representation of clients before all courts (civil, commercial, criminal, and arbitral tribunals). Ms. Auvray is also active in firm management, serving on the Associates Committee.

Esperanza Barrón Baratech

Esperanza Barrón Baratech is an associate in the Paris office of Latham & Watkins. She is a member of the firm’s International Arbitration Practice and represents companies, states, and state-owned entities in high-stakes, complex international disputes. Esperanza has acted in international arbitrations, both institutional and ad hoc, with a particular focus on investment, energy, oil and gas, and construction. She has a wide range of experience in proceedings under the aegis of the principal arbitration institutions, including the ICC, SCC, and ICSID, as well as under the UNCITRAL Rules.

Etienne Gentil

Etienne Gentil is of counsel in the Paris office of Latham & Watkins, where he previously was a partner for 15 years. Mr. Gentil acts primarily on leveraged financing, asset financing, and syndicated loans. He is the President of the Commission on French Securities Interest Reform for think-tank Paris Europlace.

Eveline Van Keymeulen

Eveline Van Keymeulen is a partner in Latham & Watkins' Brussels and Paris offices and Global Vice Chair of Latham & Watkins' Healthcare & Life Sciences Practice. She advises multinational companies and start-ups in the pharmaceutical, biotech, medical devices, cosmetics, and food and beverage sectors on a broad variety of complex European, domestic and cross-border regulatory matters, including clinical trials, product approvals, regulatory incentives, market access, promotion and advertising, post-market obligations, and general compliance matters. In addition, Eveline has extensive experience advising on cannabis and hemp-based product regulations. She successfully challenged the legality of French hemp regulations in the first landmark case related to cannabidiol (CBD) products before the Court of Justice of the European Union (Case C-663/18, Kanavape). This transaction won the Creating New Standards award at the Financial Times European Innovative Lawyer Awards 2022. Eveline has authored numerous articles and has been a featured speaker on EU regulatory matters at prominent conferences such as the Pharmaceutical Law Academy in Cambridge. She also serves on the editorial board of the European Pharmaceutical Law Review. In addition, Eveline has been quoted in BBC Business Daily, Bloomberg, The Times, Les Echos, and other leading international business journals on life sciences regulatory and policy matters.

Fabrice Fages

Fabrice Fages advises French and international clients and their US subsidiaries on complex commercial disputes and sensitive compliance and ESG matters. Mr. Fages helps financial institutions, multinational companies, and French corporates to prevent and mitigate risk and to navigate litigation, including: Civil, commercial, and criminal litigation Mass/class action litigation Internal and government investigations International arbitration and mediation Mr. Fages also regularly helps clients implement compliance and ESG programs. A versatile, internationally recognized lawyer, he draws on both extensive experience appearing before judges and well-honed negotiation skills to avoid litigation. Mr. Fages brings a business sensibility to help clients navigate crisis management, cross-border and French law compliance-related issues. With a broad perspective on complex disputes, he offers clients a strategic view toward dispute resolution. Mr. Fages has long been involved in the evolution of legal and regulatory public policy. He worked with the French Senate on business and financial legal matters from 1999 to 2002 and at the French National Assembly. He draws on experience advising the Conseil National des Barreaux (CNB) on governmental issues. He is a founding member of the Legal Committee of Paris Europlace and an Expert of the leading French think tank, Club des Juristes. Mr. Fages has contributed as an Expert to two committees; one dedicated to anticorruption (2022), and one dedicated to “Devoir de vigilance” (2023), both chaired by former Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve. He is currently a member of a committee on internal investigations, chaired by a former justice minister, Dominique Perben. He also teaches litigation at the Université of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne and arbitration at the Université of Paris 2 Panthéon Assas.

Fernando Mantilla-Serrano

Fernando Mantilla-Serrano, Global Co-Chair of the International Arbitration Practice, brings deep knowledge and experience in international arbitration representing companies, states, and state-owned entities in highly complex commercial and investor-state disputes. Fernando acts as lead counsel in arbitrations conducted under the main institutional arbitration rules (ICC, LCIA, SCC, ICDR), as well as ad hoc rules, in venues around the globe. He has in depth experience in complex investor-state disputes, in particular under the aegis of ICSID. He serves regularly as tribunal chairman, sole arbitrator and party-appointed arbitrator, and has also served as an expert before arbitral tribunals and state courts. His practice covers numerous sectors, with particular focus on the oil & gas, power, natural resources, construction, manufacturing, and automotive industries. Fernando is member of the International Council for Commercial Arbitration (ICCA) Governing Board and of the Singapore International Arbitration Center (SIAC) Court of Arbitration, fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb), and member of the International Law Association (ILA).

Gaëtan Gianasso

Gaëtan Gianasso is a partner in the London and Paris offices of Latham & Watkins. Mr. Gianasso specializes in mergers and acquisitions and private equity with particular expertise in leveraged acquisitions (LBO). He has considerable experience representing private equity institutions in connection with acquisitions, dispositions, and transaction financing.

Hervé Diogo Amengual

Hervé Diogo Amengual represents international clients in transactional and litigation aspects of restructurings and bankruptcy matters. Mr. Diogo Amengual represents the various parties in a restructuring/bankruptcy context (debtors, lenders and other creditors, prospective purchasers, managers, and shareholders) before, during, and after bankruptcy proceedings. He is also actively involved in the management of the firm, representing the Paris office on the Ethics Committee.

Hugo Varenne

Hugo Varenne is an associate in the Paris office of Latham & Watkins and a member of the International Arbitration Practice. He advises clients on the resolution of high-stakes, complex international disputes. Mr. Varenne also advises in international arbitrations under the ICSID, ICC, and SCC Rules, with a particular focus on investment and commercial disputes involving Latin America.

Jacques-Philippe Gunther

Jacques-Philippe Gunther is a partner in the Paris office of Latham & Watkins. He advises leading French and international companies on a variety of complex, cross-border merger control, contentious antitrust matters, and state aid. Mr. Gunther advises clients before the European and French competition authorities on a broad range of anticompetitive practices and before French courts, with a particular focus on damages claims. He also has deep expertise in complex Phase I and Phase II European and national merger filings and state aid. Mr. Gunther has particular experience in the telecom, transport, energy, chemicals, media, defense, sports, and financial services sectors.

Jaime Hall

Jaime Hall is an associate in the Paris office of Latham & Watkins. Her practice focuses on derivatives, financial regulatory matters, cross-border capital markets transactions, and structured finance. Ms. Hall has significant experience advising corporates, financial institutions, investment managers, hedge funds, sovereign funds, and high-net worth individuals on a wide variety of derivatives, structured finance, and cross-border capital markets transactions including structuring and implementing general or finance-linked hedging strategies, strategic contingent hedging transactions, strategic equity derivative transactions, securitizations, regulatory capital transactions, international securities offerings, EMTN programs, and trade receivables programs. She represents clients in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. She also advises clients on a wide variety of financial regulatory issues relating to EMIR, MIFID, Dodd-Frank, and AML-FT requirements. Ms. Hall has transactional experience in Latham's London and Paris offices, having started her career in the London office working in its corporate and finance departments. Prior to attending law school, Ms. Hall worked as a project manager for an international non-governmental organisation, managing and designing media and civil society projects funded by the EU, the United Nations, and international agencies.

Jean-Luc Juhan

Jean-Luc Juhan is a partner in the Corporate Department of Latham & Watkins. Mr. Juhan is particularly active in the fields of complex commercial transactions (joint ventures, strategic affiliations, licensing, sourcing, manufacturing, and distribution arrangements) and technology / IP related transactions (procurement and marketing, IT systems integration, business process and technology outsourcing, telecommunications, hosting, data privacy, e-commerce, and sponsoring). Mr. Juhan has developed a substantial practice advising clients in a broad range of sectors including media, sport and entertainment, luxury, retail, financial, telecommunications, aerospace and defense, energy, life sciences, and manufacturing. He teaches contract law and international trade law at the University of Paris I La Sorbonne, the University of Aix-Marseille, and the University of Cairo.

John Guccione

John Guccione is a partner in Latham & Watkins’ Private Equity Practice and a member of the Energy & Infrastructure Industry Group. He has extensive experience advising on a broad range of corporate, energy, and infrastructure matters. Prior to joining Latham, John was Managing Director, Legal at OMERS Infrastructure, a leading infrastructure investor and asset manager. In addition to leading OMERS Infrastructure’s European legal team, he was a member of the board of directors of Caruna, NET4GAS, and High Speed 1. John was also previously a member of the energy and infrastructure group at a Magic Circle law firm.

Jusin Hamill

Corporate Partner

Lionel Dechmann

Lionel Dechmann is a partner in the Finance Department in the Paris office of Latham & Watkins. He has extensive experience in financing and is particularly involved in acquisition financing, real estate financing, corporate financing, refinancing, and debt restructuring. He advises financial institutions as well as investment funds and large industrial groups.

Mathilde Saltiel

Mathilde Saltiel advises clients on all aspects of EU and French competition law. Ms. Saltiel leverages extensive experience to represent international and French companies across a broad range of industries in: Merger control proceedings before the European Commission (EC) and the French Competition Authority (FCA) Coordination of merger filings for global transactions Cartel and abuse of dominant position investigations by both EU and French competitions authorities Antitrust litigation Private damages actions A recognized thought leader, Ms. Saltiel frequently speaks at industry conferences on EU and French competition.

Matthias Rubner

Matthias Rubner is a partner in the Paris office of Latham & Watkins. He primarily advises on employment law. Mr. Rubner provides French and international clients with labor law advice related to corporate reorganizations and downsizing, business outsourcing, mergers and acquisitions, and relationships with unions and employee representatives. He frequently engages in negotiations with unions, work councils, and the labor administration and related litigation. Mr. Rubner has strong expertise in the area of data protection law, employee privacy, codes of business ethics, and whistleblower procedures. He regularly advises US clients on how to conduct investigations in France and how to reconcile export control legislation with EU and on French data protection and employee privacy rules. Mr. Rubner is fluent in French, English, and German. He is a frequently featured speaker at seminars in France, the UK, Germany, and the US.

Michael Ettannani

Michael M. Ettannani is counsel in the Paris office of Latham & Watkins. His capital markets practice includes advising clients on: High yield and other debt capital markets transactions IPOs Mergers and acquisitions with a capital markets financing element Compliance with US securities laws Prior to joining Latham in 2012, Mr. Ettannani practiced in the capital markets group at the New York office of another international law firm. Mr. Ettannani represents corporate clients and investment banks, as well as private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies, with respect to international capital markets matters. He has particular experience in initial public offerings and high yield debt securities offerings.

Myria Saarinen

Myria Saarinen, former Global Co-Chair of the Technology Industry Group, represents domestic and international clients in all types of civil and commercial complex litigation matters. She also leads the data protection practice in Paris. Ms. Saarinen draws on two decades’ experience as a litigator and her comprehensive understanding of her clients’ business and commercial needs to efficiently resolve a broad range of complex, cross-border disputes across industries. She advises on: French litigation disputes, including corporate litigation Alternative dispute resolution, in mediation or arbitration Cross-border issues, such as conflicts of laws and US discovery requests GDPR compliance programs, particularly for adtech companies Regulatory GDPR inquiries Multijurisdictional cybersecurity event response GDPR claims brought by individuals and class actions She crafts pragmatic, commercially oriented solutions to clients’ business challenges, approaching each matter with the strength of the firm’s global platform. A recognized firm leader, Ms. Saarinen serves on the Ethics and Privacy Committees of the firm. She previously served as the Money Laundering Reporting Officer (AML) for the Paris office and on the Pro Bono and IT Committees.

Olivia Rauch-Ravise

Olivia Rauch-Ravisé is a partner in the firm's Tax Department and the Office Managing Partner of Latham & Watkins’ Paris office. She is a former Co-Chair of the firm’s Women Enriching Business (WEB) Committee, whose mission is to promote women through trailblazing initiatives focused on women’s professional development, mentoring, and networking. She has strong experience in domestic and cross-border transactional tax law, notably in private equity and mergers and acquisitions. Ms. Rauch-Ravisé primarily handles the taxation of capital markets transactions (notably high yield), financial instruments, and structured financings. She has developed particular experience in tax issues relating to aircraft, rolling stock, and other asset financings. Ms. Rauch-Ravisé is particularly active in the financial institutions, oil and gas, and hospitality and gaming sectors. She is a member of the International Fiscal Association and of the Institut des Avocats Conseils Fiscaux, and she is Chair of the Tax Committee of the European American Chamber of Commerce.

Olivier du Mottay

Olivier du Mottay is a corporate partner in Latham & Watkins' Paris office and the former Global Vice Chair of the Corporate Department. Mr. du Mottay represents investors and companies at critical stages of their development, with particular emphasis on mergers and acquisitions, strategic alliances, and capital markets. He has extensive experience representing bidders, targeted companies, and managers in all types of corporate finance transactions. He is involved in the negotiation and the implementation of strategic alliances and joint ventures, as well as recapitalizations and restructurings. Mr. du Mottay regularly advises companies in a variety of general corporate matters, including corporate governance, executive compensation, shareholders' disputes, and white collar matters. Before joining the firm, he was an associate at a leading French law firm where he was involved in corporate law issues, restructuring, and legal advice on directors' and officers' duties.

Pierre-Louis Clero

Pierre-Louis Cléro is a partner of Latham & Watkins and the Local Chair of the Paris Corporate Department. Mr. Cléro’s practice focuses on complex international mergers and acquisitions, representing corporate buyers and sellers in a wide variety of strategic transactions. His corporate law experience encompasses joint ventures, stock exchange-related transactions and general corporate and commercial law advice.Prior to joining the firm in January 2012, Mr. Cléro practiced in the Paris offices of two magic circle firms.

Raphaël Darmon

Raphaël Darmon is Counsel in the Paris office of Latham & Watkins and a member of the firm’s Corporate Practice. He has developed important experience in major large-cap mergers and acquisitions, as well as general corporate and commercial law matters in a broad range of industries, including energy, gas, food and infrastructure.

Roberto Reyes Gaskin

Roberto L. Reyes Gaskin advises issuers and underwriters in a range of debt and equity capital markets transactions, as well as in public company representation and environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters. Dual-qualified in the US and France, Mr. Reyes Gaskin regularly handles complex and precedent-setting transactions both in France and internationally. A former member of the firm’s Milan office, he brings particular experience in capital-raising matters on both sides of the Atlantic involving French, Italian, and other non-US issuers. Mr. Reyes Gaskin represents a diverse mix of issuers, underwriters, family offices, and alternative capital providers involved in key industries, including: Retail and consumer products Energy and infrastructure Media and entertainment His practice includes: Debt capital markets transactions, including high yield and investment grade debt Equity capital markets transactions, including initial public offerings, follow-on offerings, PIPEs and rights issues Liability management, including tender offers, exchange offers, and consent solicitations Direct lending Mergers and acquisitions with a capital markets element Green bonds and sustainable finance Compliance with US and EU securities laws and ESG best practices Mr. Reyes Gaskin frequently tackles clients’ most intricate and business-critical challenges. His work includes a number of first-ever high yield bond offerings in various jurisdictions, as well as an array of matters involving innovative and bespoke securities products. Drawing on his sophisticated transactional and regulatory knowledge, Mr. Reyes Gaskin also serves leading companies in connection with a range of ESG issues, including sustainable finance matters. Additionally, Mr. Reyes Gaskin counsels banks, insurers, debt servicers, and payment institutions on financial regulatory matters, including regulatory and ordinary capital offerings. His work includes a variety of standalone and program capital raisings, and ongoing reporting and regulatory capital matters before the Eurosystem and Single Resolution Board. Mr. Reyes Gaskin is an active participant with the Association for Financial Markets in Europe and the International Capital Markets Association.

Romain Nairi

Romain Nairi advises clients doing business in France on all aspects of French employment law. Mr. Nairi helps clients navigate the continuously evolving employment law landscape. In particular, he provides advice in the context of: Transactions Litigation and pre-litigation matters High-stakes employment matters such as reorganizations, social plans, senior executives’ issues, as well as collective agreement implementation Mr. Nairi brings a deep and focused knowledge of French employment law in a commercial context, drawn from his academic background both in France and the UK, and his prior professional experience as an in-house counsel at Total, and subsequently as an attorney in a highly reputed French law firm. Given his broad employment law experience, Mr. Nairi provides global clients with a cross-border sensibility and can advocate effectively before judges and adverse attorneys in a courtroom, works councils and unions, or senior executives, helping to spot, avoid, or mitigate potentially costly situations.

Simon Lange

Simon Lange advises private equity firms and companies in private corporate transactions, with a particular emphasis on leveraged buyouts. Mr. Lange advises leading private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies, listed investment firms, venture capital firms, and mid- to large-cap industrial companies. He regularly helps clients navigate complex cross-border transactions with a French nexus, including: Leveraged buyouts (LBOs) Mergers and acquisitions Joint ventures Restructurings Majority/minority investments Mr. Lange brings clients a sophisticated global sense of what is at market, so they can efficiently bring deals to close. He draws on a deep technical knowledge of French law and a complementary understanding of a full spectrum of industries. Given his experience working in New York, he brings a direct and practical approach to dealmaking. Mr. Lange maintains an active pro bono practice, advising global non-profits on fundraising, governance, and restructuring matters.

Suzana Sava-Montanari

Suzana Sava-Montanari is a partner in the Paris and London offices of Latham and Watkins. Ms. Sava-Montanari is a member of the firm’s Financial Institutions Industry Group and Structured Finance and Derivatives Practices. Ms. Sava-Montanari regularly advises investors on a wide variety of structured credit, fund-linked or tax driven structures, including securitizations, capital relief trades, cash and synthetic CLOs, public and private debt, hybrid capital market issues, and OTC derivatives. She has also advised banks, sovereigns, and corporates in relation to structuring and implementing their general or finance-linked hedging strategies (FX, interest rate and commodity) or using equity derivatives in strategic transactions. Ms. Sava-Montanari’s regulatory practice includes advising EU and non-EU financial institutions, asset managers, and corporates with their regulatory compliance requirements under EMIR, including in connection with clearing, margining, and reporting, as well as in their dialogue with the European rule- making bodies. As part of her pro-bono work, Ms. Sava- Montanari assisted through the Financial Services Volunteer Corps in Washington, D.C., the Albanian Financial Services Authority in preparing its new Investment Funds Law. She was also one of the leaders of Latham & Watkins’ Women Enriching Business network.

Thomas Doyen

Thomas Doyen is a counsel in the Paris office of Latham & Watkins and a member of the firm’s Restructuring & Special Situations Practice. He has developed important experience in major French pre-insolvency and insolvency proceedings cases as well as high profile out-of-court and complex cross-border restructuring matters in a broad range of industries, acting on behalf of debtors, sponsors, and hedge funds, especially with respect to distressed leveraged buyout (LBO) cases (including loan-to-own/debt-to-equity swap strategies). He also benefits from extensive experience advising corporate entities or special situations funds on the acquisition or sale of distressed businesses through share deals (distressed M&A) or asset deals under insolvency proceedings (plan de cession) and has been regularly involved in restructuring litigation cases and distressed merger and acquisition situations. Mr. Doyen is a member of the ARE, the French Institute of Insolvency Practitioners (Institut Français des Praticiens des Procédures Collectives, or IFPPC), INSOL Europe, and the Young Restructuring Professionals Association (Association des Jeunes Professionnels du Restructuring, or AJR). He has also recently been involved in a working committee of the main restructuring professional association (Association pour le Retournement des Entreprises, or ARE) working on the transposition in France of the EU Directive on restructuring and insolvency. Mr. Doyen also frequently lectures on restructuring matters at business law schools.

Thomas Vogel

Thomas Vogel is a partner in the Paris and Frankfurt offices of Latham & Watkins. Mr. Vogel leads the Structured Finance and Derivatives Practices and the Fintech Industry Group in Paris. He is also a member of the Financial Regulatory Practice and the Global Digital Assets & Web3 Practice. Mr. Vogel regularly acts for global financial services firms, investment managers, hedge and investment funds, sovereign funds, and UHNW individuals. He advises on structured finance transactions, alternative investment structures across asset classes including structured strategic equity solutions, structured fixed-income transactions (delivered in synthetic format through derivatives instruments or in funded format through debt securities), strategic contingent hedging transactions, regulatory capital and synthetic risk transfer transactions, NPL portfolio transfers, synthetic credit, fund, energy, catastrophe and longevity derivatives, structured repo, and stock-lending transactions. Mr. Vogel also advises emerging companies, decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs), financial institutions, and investment managers on complex regulatory challenges in the development of bespoke financial crypto-asset and cryptocurrency technologies or DeFi market solutions including token sales, trading, refinancing, clearing, and settlement solutions on distributed ledger technology. He also advises clients on domestic and cross-border cutting-edge Fintech initiatives. He has also advised numerous corporates on innovative NFT and semi-NFT projects. Mr. Vogel regularly advises clients on financial regulatory issues (including in the crypto space) and pre-contentious financial disputes in the context of mediation, arbitration and litigation procedures, as well as on internal derivatives compliance programs and derivatives clearing documentation. Mr. Vogel has acquired years of transactional experience in New York, London, Hong Kong, and Tokyo both as a private practitioner (with a Magic Circle firm) and senior in-house counsel (with a leading US investment bank in New York). In recent years, he has represented clients in multi-billion dollar structured transactions in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Mr. Vogel is a member of the Frankfurt Bar Association.

Thomas Margenet-Baudry

Thomas Margenet-Baudry is a partner in the firm's Corporate Department and the Deputy Office Managing Partner of Latham & Watkins' Paris office. His practice includes: Capital markets Mergers and acquisitions Public company representation Mr. Margenet-Baudry advises clients on capital markets transactions, in particular high yield debt and equity securities. He has represented issuers and underwriters on a broad range of French, international, and US capital raising transactions, including initial public offerings, high yield financings, rights issues and investment grade debt offerings. He also has broad experience with French public M&A and tender offer regulation, and regularly advises clients on French and EU corporate governance and securities regulation matters. Mr. Margenet-Baudry is also a member of the New York bar.

Xavier Farde

Xavier Farde is a partner in the Finance Department and is Office Managing Partner of Latham and Watkins' Paris office.Mr. Farde's practice focuses primarily on leveraged finance (senior and mezzanine), banking, and syndicated loans. He also advises on real estate finance.

Xavier Nassoy

Xavier Nassoy advises private equity firms and private companies on private corporate transactions across a broad range of industries. Mr. Nassoy leverages a keen business acumen to help private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies, venture capital firms, and industrial companies navigate complex cross-border transactions with a French nexus, including: Leveraged buyouts (LBOs) Mergers and acquisitions Venture capital Joint ventures Majority/minority investments He draws on a comprehensive understanding of clients’ objectives and his knowledge of French law to guide them across the transactional life cycle. Mr. Nassoy is involved in Latham’s participation with Club ESSEC Droit, an alumni association focused on ESSEC business school graduates who are lawyers, whether in private practice or in-house. He also maintains an active pro bono practice, including advising Live for Good, a French nonprofit focused on social entrepreneurship and accelerating positive innovation.

Xavier Renard

Xavier Renard is a partner in the Tax Department in the Paris office. Mr. Renard is active in the field of corporate taxation and provides general tax advice to French and multinational groups of companies, investment funds, and financial institutions. He also specializes in the tax aspects of mergers and acquisitions, financings of groups of companies, tax consolidation regimes, taxation of financial products, and asset financing transactions. Mr. Renard is a member of the International Fiscal Association and the Institut des Avocats Conseils Fiscaux. He is also recognized as a key player in LBO taxation.

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