Category: Firm’s news

Alerion has once again been recognized as one of the top law firms in France in the 2026 edition of the Lawyers’ Rankings compiled by Le Point and Statista.

We are proud to be recognized this year, particularly in the areas of Private Equity and Venture Capital.

👏A big thank you to our clients and congratulations to our teams: Pierre-Olivier Brouard, Christophe Gerschel, Karine Khau-Castelle, Vincent Poirier, and Antoine Rousseau.

Article details: https://www.lepoint.fr/societe/palmares-des-avocats-du-point-tous-les-resultats-de-ledition-2026-N5UO5HC2NRBH5LODNZW2DHTX7A/

Alerion Avocats is proud to announce its rankings by The Legal 500 across several key practice areas, once again confirming the recognition of the quality of its legal support and the commitment of its teams.

The firm is ranked in nine practice areas, with the following results:

• Construction: Tier 3 and Tier 2
• Insurance: Tier 4
• IT & Internet: Tier 4
• Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A): Tier 6
• M&A: smaller deals : Tier 2
• Private Equity: Tier 4
• Distressed Companies: Tier 4
• Real Estate: Tier 5

For the first year, we are proud to be recognised in the “Firms to Watch” category, a distinction that highlights the quality of our support and the expertise developed by our teams in Banking and Finance: transactional work.

We would like to warmly thank our clients for their continued trust, as well as all our teams for their daily commitment.

As labor and employment law lawyer, Florence Coussau advises French and international companies, including listed and unlisted groups, SMEs, and start-ups, both in advisory matters and in litigation.
She assists clients in restructuring operations, mergers and acquisitions, business transfers, collective redundancies, and international mobility. She also supports her clients in addressing individual and collective employment relations, as well as in ensuring legal compliance and managing legal risks in employment law and social security law.

She is a graduate of King’s College London and Paris I Panthéon–Sorbonne (LLB in English Law and Master’s in Private Law, 2001), and holds a DEA in Business Law and a DES in Economic Law (UCL – Louvain‑la‑Neuve & Paris I Panthéon‑Sorbonne, 2002)

She began her career at the firm Flichy Grangé Avocats in 2004, then joined Jones Day in 2006. Before joining Alerion, Florence was a partner at Kalliopé law firm since 2021.

Welcome to Florence Coussau!

Maître Nicola Kömpf and Maître Jörg Letschert, Co-Chairs of the Legal Commission, together with the entire Bureau of the Commission, are pleased to invite you to the next meeting of the Legal Commission:

Monday, November 17, 2025, at 6:30 p.m.
Venue: Alerion Avocats – 137 rue de l’Université, 75007 Paris
Meeting Theme: Franco-German Projects in Aerospace & Defence: The Pitfalls of Export Control

Cooperation projects in the aerospace, space, and defense sectors often involve goods and technologies classified as dual-use items or military equipment.

Following an overview of the applicable regulations—including the tripartite France–Germany–Spain agreement on the export of military materials—we will discuss concrete case studies to illustrate their implementation and identify potential pitfalls to avoid.

Speakers:

• Maître Frédéric Saffroy, Head of the Aerospace & Defence Team – Alerion Avocats
• Mr. Denis Cérisier, Chief Financial Officer – RENK France

Hybrid Attendance: The event will be held both in person and online via Microsoft Teams.

Registration required by November 14, 2025:
https://www.francoallemand.com/fr/Evenements/droit-fiscalite-et-rh/commission-juridique-de-la-cfaci
(Without prior registration, the Teams link cannot be provided.)

Alerion Avocats participated in the IBA Annual Conference held in Toronto from 2 to 7 October, alongside a delegation of five partners representing the firm’s wide-ranging expertise and strong international orientation:

• Jacques Bouyssou, Partner – Litigation, Arbitration, White-collar Crime

• Pierre-Olivier Brouard, Partner – M&A, Private Equity

• Nicola KÖMPF, Partner – German Desk

• Jérémie Mancel Cottrel, Partner – Tax Law

• Antoine Rousseau, Partner – M&A, Private Equity

This event provided a key platform for reinforcing our longstanding relationships with leading international partner firms and establishing new strategic alliances. As trusted advisors to our clients, we support them in their global development and operations.

The conference also offered a valuable opportunity to enhance our knowledge, benchmark our practices at the highest international level, and ensure we continue to deliver excellence across borders.

We are also proud that Jacques Bouyssou has been appointed Chair of the Litigation Committee. In this capacity, he will lead throughout 2026 a community of more than 3,000 litigation lawyers worldwide.

Our latest International Newsletter explores major cross-border legal developments shaping corporate, compliance, and business law in France and Europe.

• Antoine Rousseau, Partner, examines why the Société par Actions Simplifiée (SAS) remains the preferred structure for foreign groups setting up in France, thanks to its unmatched flexibility and governance options.

• Schéhérazade Abboub, Partner, from our Public Law Department, discusses how to balance transparency and trade secret protection in public procurement under French law.

• Frédéric Saffroy, Partner, highlights the UK’s accession to the Franco-German-Spanish Defense Export Agreement, simplifying export control procedures through the new de minimis rule.

• Corinne Thiérache, Partner, explores how businesses and creators can protect their AI-generated works under evolving French and EU copyright frameworks.

• Nicola Kömpf, Partner, provides clarity on the invalidity of intra-group mobility clauses under French labor law and the importance of a formal tripartite agreement.

• Sadri Desenne, Partner, compares mortgage vs. fiducie-sûreté mechanisms in real estate financing, underlining efficiency and control in enforcement.

• Catherine Robin, Partner, revisits the Beevers Kaas decision of the CJEU, confirming the supplier’s obligation to protect exclusive territories in distribution networks.

• Nathalie Dupuy-Loup, Partner, analyses how renovation works on industrial equipment can fall under the ten-year builders’ liability regime in France.

Discover these insights and more in our full newsletter.

In this new edition of the Best Lawyers in France 2025 ranking, 17 lawyers have been recognized as “Best Lawyers” and 1 lawyer has been listed in the “Ones to Watch” category.

This year, our lawyers have been ranked in 12 specialties!

The firm warmly thanks all its peers for their support!

Sadri Desenne, Marie-Hélène Bartoli Vallet, Jacques Bouyssou, Pierre-Olivier Brouard, Jean-Christophe Brun, Nathalie Dupuy-Loup, Christophe Gerschel, Karine Khau Castelle, Nicola Kömpf, Sibylle Mareau, Philippe Mathurin, Jacques Perotto, Gilles Podeur, Vincent Poirier, Catherine Robin, Antoine Rousseau, Corinne Thierache, Frédéric Saffroy

👉 https://lnkd.in/gdndPha

We are proud to announce that 18 lawyers from Alerion Avocats have been recognized in the 16th edition of the Best Lawyers in France for their outstanding expertise in their respective fields:

Corporate Law

• Pierre-Olivier Brouard
• Christophe Gerschel
• Karine Khau Castelle
• Vincent Poirier
• Antoine Rousseau

Labor and Employment Law

• Jean-Christophe Brun
• Nicola Kömpf
• Jacques Perotto

International Arbitration / Litigation / Criminal Defense

• Marie-Hélène Bartoli Vallet
• Jacques Bouyssou

Construction Law

• Nathalie Dupuy-Loup

Tax Law

• Jérémie Mancel Cottrel

Banking and Finance Law

• Sibylle Mareau

Insolvency and Reorganization Law

• Gilles Podeur

Intellectual Property Law

• Catherine Robin
• Corinne Thierache

Competition / Antitrust Law

• Frédéric Saffroy

Special mention to Sadri Desenne, Partner, selected in the Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in France ranking in the category Banking and Finance Law.

A sincere thank you to our peers for their recognition, to our clients for their trust, and to our teams for their daily commitment.

Gilles Podeur, Partner in the Restructuring and Insolvency Department at Alerion Avocats, presents the first-aid measures for companies facing difficulties.

• Diagnose
  Identify early warning signs (cash flow tensions, URSSAF reminders, impatient suppliers, late payments) and update cash flow forecasts to assess both the urgency and the leeway available.

• Protect Critical Functions
  Preserve cash flow and allocate it to strategic areas that ensure the continuity of business operations.

• Seek Help
  Do not face difficulties alone. Use effective tools such as mandat ad hoc or conciliation, and rely on specialized professionals: lawyers, administrators, judicial representatives, and prevention judges.

In summary, diagnosing, protecting, and seeking help are the three key steps that can prevent a deadlock and support the recovery of a company in difficulty.

To watch the full video: https://youtu.be/hrNnuNLBXd0

Video produced by Uplawder