Eversheds Sutherland in Paris has added a seven-lawyer corporate/M&A team, including two partners, from CMS Francis Lefebvre—the latest firm in the French capital to increase its arsenal of dealmakers in a midsized market sector that shows no signs of slowing down.
The team is led by partners Jean-Robert Bousquet and Alexandre Morel and includes counsel Célia Mayran and Geoffroy Loncle de Forville, and associates Anaïs Fritzinger, Jade Huard and Victor Grillo.
Bousquet had practiced at CMS Francis Lefebvre since 2006, rising to partner in 2010 and to co-head of the corporate/M&A team in 2015. He started his career at legacy firm Francis Lefebvre in Berlin in 1998 and moved to Debevoise & Plimpton in Paris as an associate in 2001.
His practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions and joint ventures for medium-sized French and international companies, as well as certain entrepreneurs and family offices, with a specific focus on cross-border transactions.
Morel had practiced at CMS Francis Lefebvre since 2011, rising to partner in 2020. He began his career as an associate in the mergers and acquisitions department at Linklaters.
He advises mainly on acquisition and disposal transactions, internal restructuring and corporate law for industrial and family groups.
The team’s arrival comes at a time when client demand for advice on complex multi-jurisdictional M&A transactions is already high and is continuing to increase, Eversheds said in a statement.
The arrivals bring Eversheds’ Paris corporate/M&A team to 31 lawyers, including six partners.
“I am delighted that Jean-Robert, Alexandre and the team have chosen to come on board,” Eric Knai, head of the corporate/M&A practice at Eversheds in Paris, said in a statement. “Their arrival broadens and enhances the service offering we’re able to provide to our clients. It also reinforces our message to key markets that we remain wholeheartedly committed to investing in our M&A capability, as well as our wider team infrastructure.”
CMS Francis Lefebvre was contacted for comment.
The Paris market has seen several high-profile moves lately as firms position themselves to capitalize on a surge of interest in cross-border M&A and private equity deals in Europe, especially in the mid-sized range—those valued at between €25 million and €250 million.
Squire Patton Boggs recently added partners in Paris and Milan, and two new PE-focused boutiques, Mermoz and Moncey, have burst onto the scene in the past 18 months.
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