Experience

• Representing a leading US chemical manufacturer in a personal injury claim commenced in the French courts by an individual against a number of chemical manufacturers in relation to the supply of Agent Orange, a herbicide and a defoliant, used by the US Army in the Vietnam War to destroy vegetation for the protection of US troops. The case concerns notably the application of a sovereign immunity principle to commercial entities when acting on State’s instructions. The case reached the Court of Cassation, the highest Court in France for civil matters.
• Representing a European utility company in claims initiated by an electromagnetic‑health and environment-focused organisation and, separately, by individuals in relation to alleged health and environmental risks posed by smart utility meters, as well as in relation to consumer protection issues under the company’s General Terms & Conditions.
• Representing top five Lebanese banks in multiple significant cases arising in the context of the Lebanese financial crisis and concerning regulatory restrictions on clients’ withdrawal of foreign currency deposits. The cases included defending the banks against interim attachment applications made by the banks’ clients in France.
• Advising a major Lebanese bank and its representatives in various high-value shareholder disputes.
• Representing one of the world’s leading agrochemical companies in a commercial dispute with a former subcontractor following the explosion at the AZF chemical plant.
• Representing Dalloz, LexisNexis, Lextenso, Lexbase and LamyLiaisons, the five main legal editors in the French legal publishing market, in unfair competition proceedings before the Paris Court of Appeal against Forseti, the company behind the Doctrine.fr website.
• Representing a US aircraft manufacturer in personal injury claims and related litigation and investigations following the Sharm el-Sheik crash. The value of claims was hundreds of millions USD.
• Representing a leading North American manufacturer in the railway industry in high-stakes complex commercial litigation relating to contractual disputes in a large-scale international infrastructure project in LATAM.
• Representing a world leader in beauty product packaging before the Paris Commercial Court and Court of Appeal in a high-value litigation brought by one of its distributors alleging a brutal breach of established commercial relations, unfair competition, significant imbalance and abuse of economic dependence.
• Representing a global shipbuilding company French court proceedings concerning a fatal accident.
• Representing a major European fashion brand in a dispute with the main contractor concerning construction defects following the renovation of its head office.
• Representing a multinational technology company in a high-value, high-profile dispute with a major French bank concerning the alleged failure of a large-scale IT transformation project. The matter involved an extensive court ordered in futurum expert appraisal of the company’s servers and the subsequent merits stage of the dispute.
• Representing a major French electricity distribution company in appeal proceedings concerning the alleged abrupt termination of a long-standing commercial relationship relating to the supply of protection and digital control systems, in the context of successive competitive procurement procedures. The claimant is seeking nearly EUR 29m in damages, including compensation for alleged lost profits and unamortised R&D costs.
• Representing corporate entities in complex cross-border proceedings concerning French real estate assets that were criminally seized and subject to a failed share sale, raising civil and criminal law issues as to the enforceability and continuing effect of those measures. The claims against the clients have a total value exceeding EUR 12m.