Herbert Smith Freehills LLP

Bertrand Montembault is a partner at Herbert Smith Freehills LLP, based in the firm's Paris office. Bertrand is a French law qualified corporate and projects lawyer who has over 30 years of experience advising the firm's clients on their activities in the natural resources and energy sectors throughout Francophone Africa. Bertrand has an excellent knowledge of Francophone Africa's local and regional legal and regulatory frameworks, including OHADA and CEMAC/UEMOA, and a strong network of local contacts. He was ranked in the 6th position of Jeune Afrique's Top 100 Legal Powerlist of the most influential lawyers in French-speaking Africa in 2023. Although Bertrand has spent most of his professional life in Paris, he was also based in Africa for a number of years, including in South Africa where he headed-up the Francophone Africa team in the Herbert Smith Freehills Johannesburg office (from October 2016 to December 2018), but also Gabon where he was based for over two years in the early part of his career.