Morgan Lewis hires 15 Paris-based lawyers from rival firm to launch French practice

20 March 2004

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The US law firm Morgan Lewis has hired 15 lawyers from Paris firm De Pardieu Brocas Maffei & Leygonie to launch a French practice. Jean Leygonie, a corporate lawyer who brings more than three decades of experience and an active competition practice, will head up the proposed Paris office. Leygonie would be joined by three De Pardieu partners: Anne Tolila, who focuses on mergers and acquisitions, private equity and securities law; Florence Guthfreund-Roland, specialising in telecommunications, technology and e-commerce; and FranÃ§ois Vergne, who focuses on labour and employment law. The group has been together for approximately 10 years, first practicing at the respected Paris firm Moquet Borde before moving to De Pardieu in 1999. Commenting on the move, Leygonie stated that the group felt the time was right to explore new opportunities with a firm that can offer its clients a truly international breadth.

The Paris opening, which still requires the approval of the Paris Bar, will be Morgan LewisÂ’ fourth European office, following on from London, Frankfurt and Brussels. The French office will operate as a branch of the firmÂ’s London Multinational Partnership, bringing the total number of offices worldwide to 18 and the total number of lawyers to 1,200. The opening of the new Paris office is in line with the law firmÂ’s continued strategic growth which in the past two years has included the addition of lawyers from the former Brobeck, Zevnik Horton and Pennie & Edmonds firms and has seen the firm open offices in San Francisco, Palo Alto, Irvine, Chicago and Boston.