After working as a senior official (at the Legal Affairs Department at the Ministry for the Economy and Finance, then at the Council of State, the Administrative Supreme Court of France [Conseil d’Etat]) and as an academic (teaching at the Université de Paris II Panthéon-Assas), Thierry Dal Farra joined the Paris Bar in 1993 and created the Public Business Law department of UGGC Avocats the same year. He now oversees UGGC’s practice and department for Public Business Law and Public Criminal and Disciplinary Law. His approach to legal practice focuses on three main categories: First, for public procurement law (including procurement procedures, partnerships, concessions, and complex contractual arrangements): determining the legal framework to implement in support of a public project, assisting civil engineering firms and public utility operators with their commercial policies, conducting or monitoring procurement procedures, and, increasingly often, handling difficulties related to the performance of contracts (litigation support and using conciliation, mediation, and arbitration mechanisms). Second, for regulatory matters related to economic activities: analysing the legality of these activities, their consequences on economic operators, and establishing public authority liability. And third: compliance and the disciplinary and criminal law aspects of economic activities: public finances (litigation before the Court of Budgetary and Financial Discipline and the Court of Auditors [Cour des Comptes]), the criminal law aspects of public procurement (risks to companies and public purchasers), criminal law for senior officials (functional protection), and prevention of criminal and disciplinary risk for companies that have relations with public administrations (ethics; compliance).
UGGC Avocats
UGGC Avocats' team is entrusted by a prominent client base, notably leading transport, energy, engineering and IT companies. The team, which also handles some work for public sector entities, is consulted on a wide range of subjects including the awarding of public procurement contracts and related performance and execution issues. It also regularly provides strategic guidance on new regulations, such as in the rail and gaming sectors, while construction, permits and urban planning law are also among its range of intervention. Practice head Thierry Dal Farra is a strong name on the market. Philippe Hansen, Franck Lepron, Benjamin de Sevin and Edouard Caupert are also excellent advisers.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- ‘Responsiveness, good quality of work and value for money.’
- ‘Team is available, attentive to the customer, capable of reacting within tight deadlines, on complex issues. Great responsiveness.’
- ‘Serious team, fluid and dynamic collaboration. Great availability to listen and very pragmatic.’
- ‘Franck Lepron: very competent, available, knows how to adapt to all circumstances.’
- ‘A gem, a team available, active, and at the forefront of the latest decisions and texts.’
- ‘A rigorous and dynamic team that attaches great importance to customer concerns. The team demonstrates great availability and has always respected deadlines, even very short ones. ’
- ‘Rigor of analyses, pragmatism, in-depth knowledge of the functioning of public administration, ability to intervene on a wide field of legal issues, exceptional responsiveness.’
- ‘Thierry Dal Farra: great capacity for synthesis, very in-depth analyses, responsiveness, ability to propose strategies, and exceptional and broad skills.’
Key clients
- European Gambling and Betting Association (EGBA)
- SCC Group
- Kindred Group/Unibet
- OPCO-EP
- Académie des Beaux-Arts
- CCIR Corse
- ATC (Agence de Tourisme de la Corse)
- Société des Grands Travaux de l'Océan Indien
- Castel et Fromaget
- VDL Bus & Coach
- Paris 2024
- Banque de France
- Agence du Numérique en Santé (ANS)
- Grand Port Maritime de Bordeaux (GPMB)
Work highlights
- Representing the European Gambling and Betting Association (EGBA) in the European Commission's state aid proceedings against Française des Jeux (FDJ).
- Assisted Kindred Group, an online gaming company, in connection with the legal proceedings before the French Conseil d'Etat challenging the new regulatory framework established upon the privatisation of La Française des Jeux.
- Aassisting the Musée Marmottan Monet in drafting the contract for the renovation of the museum.
Lawyers
Leading individuals
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Thierry Dal Farra