Corporate/M&A

Catherine Joffroy is a Corporate M&A Partner in Dentons’ Paris office. She has been advising French companies for more than 30 years on their cross-border transactions and their investments in emerging markets such as Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Uzbekistan, as well as in Central and Eastern Europe. She also advises her clients on French business law (commercial and civil). A native French speaker, she is also bilingual in Russian and speaks fluent English which positions her ideally to advise on restructuring, M&A, joint ventures, setting up subsidiaries, project finance, investments and international contracts in the CIS countries and in Ukraine. A member of Dentons’ Russian Desk, she is available to assist international companies with the challenges related to their investments, subsidiaries or supply chains in Russia and in Ukraine.

Catherine has been decorated with the award of “Knight of the Legion of Honor of France”, a distinction which reflects the importance of her practice and skills in facilitating the development of commercial relations between France and Russia and, more generally, between France and the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

A French Foreign Trade Advisor (Conseiller du commerce extérieur de la France - CCE) since 2008, she was reappointed from January, 2024 by a decree signed by the Prime Minister of France. Advisors are appointed for three years based on their experience in assisting companies and individuals in their international projects. She was then elected Vice-President of the Eurasia Commission of Foreign Trade Advisors of France. In this context, Catherine voluntarily provides recommendations to the French government and sponsors students.

Recognized as an emerging markets expert, Catherine has given numerous presentations about Russia, Ukraine and the CIS countries at international conferences since the beginning of her legal practice. She has also written various articles covering legal aspects of investing in Russia and in Ukraine.

Joined Dentons (previously Salans) in 1999

French, English, Russian

Admitted to the Paris Bar in 1990 President of the Russia Commission (International Commission) of the Paris Bar Association

A French Foreign Trade Advisor (Conseiller du commerce extérieur de la France - CCE) since 2008, she was reappointed from January, 2024 by a decree signed by the Prime Minister of France. Advisors are appointed for three years based on their expertise to assist companies and people in their international projects. In this context, Catherine voluntarily provides recommendations to the French government and sponsors students.

In addition, Catherine has actively participated, for more than 25 years, in talks on Russia and Ukraine at the Business France, of the Chambers of Commerce and the MEDEF International conferences, both in Paris and Moscow. She is also the author of various articles on Russia and Ukraine published in the Cahiers juridiques et fiscaux, Le MOCI, Les Échos, etc.

University of Paris II - Panthéon Assas, 1987, Maîtrise, Private Law, Judicial Career University of Paris II - Panthéon Assas, 1987, Certificate, Modern Languages - Russian University of Paris II - Panthéon Assas, 1986, Maîtrise, Public Law University of Toulouse I, 1985, Modern Languages - Russian UniversityToulouse III Paul-Sabatier, 1983, DEUG, Russian Literature and Civilization Pushkin Institute, Moscow, 1982, Certificate