Overview
McDermott Will & Emery opened its doors in Paris in May 2011.
In just 10 years, the firm has become a key player in Paris and made an indelible mark on the French market.
10 Years of Entrepreneurship, Excellence and Team Spirit
In 2011, McDermott started out onto the Paris market with 10 lawyers including 4 partners. 10 years later, the office is 90 lawyers strong, including 22 partners. Recommended by international and French legal rankings in all of its practice areas, the Paris office is in line with the firm’s global positioning, having developed market leading expertise in private equity and life sciences, among others. McDermott is now one of the 10 largest US firms in the French market.
Jacques Buhart, who founded the Paris office alongside three other partners: “The dimension of entrepreneurship and the desire to be part of a project that is both French and international, guided the opening of the firm in Paris. By capitalizing on a team that knew each other and shared strong values of excellence and respect, we have integrated into the market and built high-level profiles in both legal counsel and litigation over the past 10 years. A firm is defined by the men and women that make it up. ”
In October 2019, Grégoire Andrieux, who joined the firm in 2015, succeeded Jacques Buhart as Managing Partner.
Grégoire Andrieux, Managing Partner: ” In 10 years, many lawyers with diverse and complementary backgrounds have participated in the McDermott adventure in France to build a broad range of business law services for our clients. They have advised and defended a large number of French and foreign funds, listed and unlisted companies, managers and institutional investors. This birthday is a special occasion to thank all the teams for their commitment and our clients for their trust. ”
A confirmed ambition for the next 10 years
With 12 offices in the United States, McDermott Will & Emery only began its expansion in Europe in the 2000s. The French team has taken the successful step of developing at a fast track in France, meeting the ambitions of the international firm and the requirements of a highly competitive market.
To go further, the managing partner is investing in a synergy of expertise, an assertive industry positioning in key areas such as health and life sciences, energy, transport, telecoms, infrastructure or technology, a new generation with a strong diversity and harmony, and the right balance between legal advice and litigation.
Grégoire Andrieux adds: ” We are building on a solid foundation and strong team spirit. We intend to continue our development by always being attentive to the new needs of our clients, whatever their project. We will continue to combine our skills to meet to their challenges, to adapt to situations of growth, crisis or reorganisation, and to leverage our international capabilities which are an essential part of our approach. To this end, we will strengthen our teams and harness our internal talent pool by focusing on trust, an entrepreneurial spirit and excellence in client service. ”
Key Figures – 10 Years of McDermott in Paris :
- 100 people
- 90 lawyers, including 22 partners and 7 counsels, 18 partners recruited and 7 partners appointed since the creation of the office
- 14 nationalities
- 9 working languages
- Median age: 37 years old
- 54% /46% male to female split (Legal Professionals)
- Pro Bono Initiatives (Médecins sans frontières, Covidliste, Emmaüs, Face au monde, Tech For Good France)
- Broad-range of services including: mergers & acquisitions / stock exchange law, private equity, financing, competition, tax, restructuring, public & regulatory law, employment law, health and life sciences, commercial litigation & criminal business law, data protection & cybersecurity, intellectual property
