August Debouzy houses one of France’s top regulatory practices and the firm's capabilities have been further enhanced by the opening of an office in Brussels in Spring 2023. The team, which has a deep and direct practical knowledge of the public sector, is entrusted by many leading French and international companies and investment funds to assist with their most sensitive and challenging projects. It is notably advising on major regulatory, permit and environmental issues linked to major new strategic initiatives (LNG storage, CO2 capture, e-battery factory projects) and is regularly mandated by companies wishing to challenge the current French and EU regulatory framework. It is routinely involved in work relating to the defence, transport and media sectors. Finally, the team also advises on foreign investment authorisations linked to M&A deals, and is also proficient in the public procurement field. The team is jointly headed by the highly regarded Vincent Brenot, Emmanuelle Mignon and Nicolas Baverez, with counsels Hélène Billery and Ghislain Minaire providing additional support.
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- ‘The team is very professional, technically very advanced and provides very structured, clear and well-written oral and written responses. It is very available, responsive, very attentive to the context, constraints and expectations of the client, very operational and able to provide useful, pragmatic and effective advice and innovative solutions.’
- ‘Emmanuelle Mignon shows exceptional technical skills, capacity for analysis and synthesis, clarity and conciseness. She has a talent for proposing operational solutions and imagining innovative solutions, and a perfect knowledge and ability to discuss with representatives of the state and ministries. Vincent Brenot has strong availability, listening skills, excellent understanding of the client's situations, expectations and constraints. He has a great ability to offer effective and operational solutions, excellent interpersonal skills, pugnacity and know-how in administrative disputes and public procurement’.
- ‘Very experienced team which offers a quality of service matching the largest firms.’
- ‘Vincent Brenot is very good and also has great human qualities. He is very accessible and can handle complex, high-stakes cases.’
- ‘Real expertise in complex subjects, fluid collaboration, total adaptation to the client's tools.’
- ‘Vincent Brenot is an excellent professional.’
Key clients
- Dunkerque LNG
- Baccarat
- Envision AESC
- TotalEnergies LNG Services France
- McCourt group
- Sorare
- Principality of Monaco
- RATP
- Monoprix
- Altarea Cogedim
- SMB (Société Minière de Boké) - Winning
- Veolia
- Philip Morris
- Microsoft
- Nike
- EDF
- SNCF / SNCF Réseau /SNCF Mobilités
- Dassault Aviation
- Ynsect
- Unibail Rodamco Westfield
- France Galop
- Santé publique France
- Didi Mobility UK
- EDF-ENR
- Bolloré Logistics
- i.Ceram
- Eurazeo
- IK Partners
Work highlights
- Represented TotalEnergies LNG Services France in several administrative law disputes brought against the Le Havre Floating Storage Regasification Unit (FSRU) project requested by the French to compensate the reduction of Russian gas due to the war in Ukraine.
- Advised Envision, one of the world leaders of battery manufacturers, on the administrative, regulatory and environmental law aspects of its Gigafactory project to supply batteries to Renault in Douai.
- Advised Sorare in the context of its potential submission to the French regulation of gambling.
Lawyers
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Vincent Brenot, Emmanuelle Mignon, Nicolas Baverez