Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton is the go-to-firm for large IPO and rights offerings transactions on Euronext - the team worked on most of the market’s 2024 largest IPO transactions.  The Parisian team, which combines both French and US law expertise, is retained by leading French issuers as well as the world’s leading underwriters including French banks to handle domestic and European work, while the firm's US platform also allows the Paris office to seamlessly assist French clients with US placements. Additionally, the ECM practice also regularly combines forces with the firm’s leading public M&A practice, notably to work on challenging public companies’ spin-off and restructuring transactions. The practice is co-headed by the highly experienced John Brinitzer  and Marie-Laurence Tibi. Senior counsel Andrew Bernstein , star M&A partner Pierre-Yves Chabert and counsel Frédéric Martin  also contribute.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘They have experience that is difficult to match in France. Top-level service, commitment, excellent service.'

  • ‘John Brinitzer and Marie-Laurence Tibi both combine excellent technical skills and exceptional view on matters.’

  • ‘The team is one of the most recognised.'

  • ‘Marie-Laurence Tibi stands out for her high listening skills, fine understanding of issues and subjects, relational intelligence, perfect mastery of her legal field and her extraordinary analytical capacity, which make her a very valuable and rare lawyer on the market'

  • ‘Quality and precision, great workforce and ability to work under very demanding timing constraints.  High-level knowledge and a very useful ability to engage in a dialogue with regulatory bodies (the AMF in particular).'

Key clients

  • Planisware
  • Coty
  • Vivendi
  • Canal+
  • Alstom
  • Solvay
  • The French State
  • MAIF
  • Attestor
  • Citi
  • BNP Paribas
  • JP Morgan

Work highlights

  • Advised Planisware in its €300m initial public offering comprising a sale of shares by existing shareholders in a private placement to institutional investors and a listing on Euronext Paris.
  • Advised MAIF in the financial restructuring of Orpea, including the innovative rights issues and reserved capital increase with priority right implemented in connection with such restructuring.
  • Advised the underwriters in a $300 million registered global offering and new Euronext Paris listing by NYSE-listed Coty Inc. (Coty).

Lawyers

Hall of Fame
The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

John Brinitzer, Marie-Laurence Tibi

Other key lawyers

Andrew Bernstein, Jean-Yves Chabert, Frédéric Martin