Bird & Bird boasts one of the largest restructuring teams in Paris, maintaining its role as a key player in the market. The team specialises in handling large-scale cases, with a primary emphasis on advising creditors and stakeholders in intricate situations, demonstrating equal prowess in both litigation and transactional matters. Co-headed by Nicolas Morelli and Romain de Ménonville, the team has been instrumental in several headline cases across diverse sectors such as manufacturing, energy, retail, hospitality, and tourism, while also showcasing expertise in trusts. Key contacts at the firm include Jessica Derocque, a dedicated member of WIR (women in restructuring) with a particular focus on debt restructuring cases, as well as litigation specialist Céline Nézet and Pierre-Jean Chernard, who excel in debt restructuring and insolvency matters on behalf of creditors.
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- ‘Romain de Ménonville is an excellent lawyer, with impressive technical knowledge and a pragmatic approach.'
- 'Nicolas Morelli is also an excellent lawyer with great technical skills.’
- ‘High availability, strong responsiveness and effective support in finalising negotiations.’
- ‘Available, responsive and proactive.’
- ‘An available team, with very good knowledge of the expectations of creditors in the context of preventive procedures.’
- ‘High commitment and excellent knowledge of the need of banks in restructuring.’
- ‘In restructuring, Nicolas Morelli stands out for his extensive experience in restructuring. His advice is wise and pragmatic.
- Céline Nézet stands out for her always positive attitude. It is a valuable asset in long and complex operations.’
Key clients
- Arkéa Entreprises et Institutionnels
- Banque Palatine
- Banque Populaire
- Barclays PLC
- BNP Paribas
- Bpifrance
- Bred Banque Populaire
- Caisse d’Epargne
- Crédit Coopératif
- Crédit Industriel et Commercial
- Crédit Lyonnais
- Fosun
- French State
- Goldman Sachs
- Banco de Sabadell
- Banco do Brasil
- KBC Bank
- Groupe Crédit Agricole
- HSBC Continental Europe
- La Banque Postale
- La Banque Postale Asset Management
- Natixis
- Neuflize OBC /ABN AMRO
- Société Générale
- Unicrédit
- UPS France
Work highlights
- Advised HSBC Continental Europe, Arkéa Banque Entreprises et Institutionnels, Bpifrance, KBC Bank N.V, Banco do Brasil AG, Banco Sabadell SA et Unicredit on Orpea debt restructuring through both out-of-court restructuring proceedings and “new regime” accelerated safeguard proceedings.
- Advised Bred Banque Populaire on Casino-Monoprix debt restructuring through both out-of-court restructuring proceedings and “new regime” accelerated safeguard proceedings.
- Advised Goldman Sachs, Arkéa Banque Entreprises et Institutionnels, Banque CIC Sud Ouest, Bpifrance, Crédit Lyonnais, Société Générale in relation to the second round of the Latecoere debt restructuring.
Lawyers
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Nicolas Morelli, Romain de Ménonville