Overview
McDermott Will & Emery continues its development strategy, consolidating its leading market position by co-opting Anne-France Moreau as Partner (corporate and life sciences) and appointing Katya Ascher (corporate and life sciences), Charlotte Michellet (public and regulatory law) and Romain Desmonts (tax law) as Counsel.
These appointments will be effective as of January 1, 2021.
Anne-France Moreau specializes in business law in the field of the Life Sciences, Health and Cosmetics industries. She advises pharmaceutical laboratories, biotech companies, specialized investment funds and other healthcare players, both French and foreign, in the context of their M&A transactions, partnerships, investments and in the negotiation of their strategic agreements. Notably, in 2020, Anne-France was a guide to L’Oréal in a licensing agreement with the Dutch biotech company Micreos, to Vétoquinol in the acquisition of the European and UK rights to Elanco Animal Health’s Profender® and Drontal® product families, to Egle in negotiations with Takeda, to Themis in its sale to Merck and to Diabeloop in its development agreement with Terumo.
Admitted to the Paris Bar, Anne-France holds a Master 2 in Business Law and European Law (University of Paris V – Descartes, 2008).
Katya Ascher specializes in patent and contract law with a focus on life sciences. She commenced her career in New York where she practiced for five years as a litigation and patent attorney, then working in the legal department of the Institut Pasteur in Paris. She then joined a law firm in London where she assisted numerous pharmaceutical and biotech companies in license and collaboration agreement negotiations. Katya joined the Life Sciences department of McDermott’s Paris office in 2018, where she will use her past experience in both negotiating R&D agreements and in strategic consulting for US, Swiss and French clients.
Admitted to the Paris, New York, England and Wales bars, Katya holds a Master 2 in Industrial Property (University of Paris II – Panthéon-Assas, 2012), a Juris Doctor, with honors (University of North Carolina School of Law – 2005) and a BA, Biology, with distinction (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill – 2002).
Charlotte Michellet focuses her practice in the areas of public law, administrative law and regulated sectors such as transportation, energy and health, in both advisory and litigation practice areas. In particular, Charlotte assists clients before the administrative courts and also represents clients before independent administrative or supervisory authorities. Prior to joining McDermott, Charlotte worked for approximately three years as a legal officer in the legal department of the Conseil Supérieur de l’Audiovisuel, gaining extensive experience in the regulation of the audiovisual sector. Prior to that, she served as a legal assistant at the 5th Subsection of the Conseil d’État for two years.
Admitted to the Paris Bar, Charlotte holds a Master’s degree in Public Affairs from Sciences Po Paris (2009) and a Master 2 in Public Business Law (University of Paris I – Panthéon-Sorbonne, 2010).
Romain Desmonts mainly advises French and multinational groups on the domestic and international aspects of their mergers and acquisitions and internal reorganizations, as well as on their indirect tax issues. He also advises private clients on complex international asset structuring and trust issues, particularly in a Franco-American context. He frequently assists companies and private clients in the context of tax audits and tax litigation.
Admitted to the Paris Bar, Romain holds a Master 2 in Corporate Taxation (Université Paris-Dauphine, 2010) and an MBA-level degree in Management Sciences (Université Paris-Dauphine, 2009).
“The partners congratulate them each on their respective promotions. These four appointments are consistent with the continued development of our healthcare practices – life sciences, regulatory, tax law – and confirm our confidence in the future of McDermott, whose Paris office will celebrate its tenth anniversary in 2021,” said Grégoire Andrieux, Managing Partner.
About McDermott
McDermott Will & Emery partners with leaders around the world to fuel missions, knock down barriers and shape markets. Our team works seamlessly across practices and industries to deliver highly effective—and often unexpected—solutions that propel success. More than 1,200 lawyers strong, we bring our personal passion and legal prowess to bear in every matter for our clients and the people they serve.
