Beyond Paris: Leading Across Regions

Specializing early can be a career risk—or a launchpad. For alumnus Jean Morice, who chose securitization, it's been the latter, as his latest promotion attests.

Since mid-October 2025, promoting a culture of collaborative working and good communication is top of the agenda for Jean Morice, global head of securitized products in the legal office of BNP Paribas. Fortuitously, he has a model: legacy Allen & Overy.

Jean describes himself as "naturally an open-minded person" and flexible in the way he works with people. Paris-based, he relishes the prospect of connecting with colleagues outside the French capital, and indeed outside Europe. "Diversity in a team is something I value," he said, "and I see it as a source of strength and opportunity to learn and grow."

A Paris native, Jean grew up in an environment that included both banking and law.

His father was a banker, and several close relatives pursued legal careers, speaking about their work with genuine enthusiasm.

He studied law and economics but "I think I was always more interested in business law," he said. He started bar studies with no real plan but had the good fortune to land training contracts with top firms, which ultimately led to both A&O and BNP Paribas.

Was there a long-term plan behind any of this? "Not really," said Jean. "I took opportunities that were in front of me."

During his first training contract at Freshfields, he sat next to a young lawyer who was working on securitization where the complex transactions were interesting. Once started in this area, Jean found it "useful to progress on to other law firms to continue learning in this field."

He was warned that over-specialization in a niche area could limit his career opportunities, but his experience was the opposite. "I ended up training in law firms that specialized in securitizations and after two years with these firms, I'd met the entire market, in France at least—counterparties, clients and so on. It was a natural way of progressing in the field I was interested in, and it worked out well."

A defining move

What attracted him at the beginning was the variety of transactions and clients. After almost four years as an associate with Freshfields, including a three-month secondment with BNP Paribas, Jean joined A&O. It was the beginning of "eight great years with the firm."

When he joined A&O, he was impressed by the number of lawyers at all levels and the huge team in banking and finance, which was highly regarded in securitization. "It felt good because the structure of the team was robust and diversified.

"From the outset, the firm fostered a culture of excellence in legal service, where client focus and collaborative teamwork were paramount. That ethos proved invaluable, enabling me to navigate complex, cross-border transactions with numerous stakeholders over the years."

Despite a demanding schedule, Jean consistently thrived and maintained an excellent work-life balance, including during his two-year secondment in London—an outstanding experience for which he remains grateful to the A&O partners on both sides of La Manche who made it possible.

His best memories of this time are the "personal relationships with colleagues from around Europe—the 'team' behind the teamwork." He fell into this great atmosphere naturally, as someone who had grown up with four sisters and knew "you don't find harmony in a group if you're too selfish."

The same collective work ethic is valued at BNP Paribas. "We hear a lot about it," he said. "It's seen as a key to spotting both big risks and big opportunities."

From private practice to BNP Paribas

The question whether to move in-house from private practice is one that every lawyer faces at some point. For Jean, the pivotal decision was recognizing that staying at A&O or continuing in private practice and pursing partnership "would not make sense to me." Joining BNP Paribas in 2019 "was a great move and led to other opportunities."

The transition was less of a shock because he already knew the bank and some of his new colleagues from an earlier secondment and from acting for the bank as a client. In-house work, by its nature, proved broader and less specialized, and opportunities beyond securitization began to open. Jean found himself instructing former colleagues, which was a novel experience.

It was also educational to realize that "as an in-house lawyer, you're not the centre of the universe: everyone has a job to do and the legal function may play a pivotal or a less important role, depending on situations."

Securitization transactions are typically low-profile affairs for lawyers, although sometimes very complex and strategic for clients, said Jean, but what's interesting to see now from a client viewpoint is that some of the deals he worked on at A&O are still alive.

His day-to-day dealings with A&O Shearman haven't changed since the merger, but he can see the fantastic value for international clients to have one global law firm with such a presence in the U.S. market. Jean said: "It's reassuring knowing we have a firm like A&O Shearman on our global panel that can provide value and diligence in terms of the U.S. market in banking activity—a seamless service for clients that's really appreciated."

The strength of A&O Shearman is its global network and integration of offices, people, culture, values, and level of service. Jean said the difference in quality, and even communications, between A&O Shearman and other firms is striking. Viewed from his perspective, the way A&O Shearman treats its clients is what makes it a top firm among international law firms. Beside wanting to provide the best legal advice, "A&O Shearman teams are exceptional at understanding our business and issues."

"They really are a partner for my team in many jurisdictions including France, Italy, Belgium, the UK, and the U.S. We reach out often when we have questions that are not related to particular transactions."

BNP Paribas is among the top European banks and nurtures "a culture of excellence, which I find great." It's similar to what Jean experienced at A&O: "You're surrounded by teams who know what they're doing—great lawyers and bankers, very knowledgeable people."

Those in the legal function are encouraged to share opinions with other colleagues. "Our goal is to deliver better legal services. We're here to protect the bank. We do that through this kind of collective intelligence principle."

Leading across regions

If Jean's former role covering continental Europe was challenging, his new global one is even more so. As he sees it, the demands are multifaceted: "managing multiple teams so that people feel engaged, properly trained, well supported, and highly regarded by both the business and our own leadership."

Other challenges are linked to the growth of the business, assessing risks that the business may face, dealing with the legal consequences of investments or experiences gone wrong.

"We work on strategic transactions for the bank and businesses and sometimes forget we are a small but important part of the jigsaw," said Jean. "I want the people in my team to be aware of the value they provide and be proud of the work they do."

With his role now spanning additional regions, Jean has a valuable opportunity to align his teams around the same high standards and a consistent approach to legal matters.

"I'm enjoying working with new teams and businesses across the world as well as some of the most senior people in the business. It's an opportunity to gain insights into how transactions evolve, as well as strategic projections and vision of the market," said Jean.

As he sees it, success has no secret formula. It derives from "the respect and trust you get" from colleagues, managers, the business, and teams other than your own, plus "a bit of ambition, hard work, focus ... and a little luck along the way!"

For Jean, it's "the people you meet at various stages of your career" who quietly inspire. For him, two in particular were Fabrice Faure-Dauphin, the legacy A&O partner in charge of building the securitization practice in Paris, and Alexis Latour at BNP Paribas.

While not formally mentors, they nonetheless "helped me look at the opportunities and find my own career path."

Discussing long-term goals may seem early given his recent promotion, but Jean is candid. "I've always been curious about what former colleagues who left the legal department went on to do," he said. "I see former in-house lawyers elsewhere in the company who are thriving in a new environment and a different working life."

Since becoming a member of the A&O Shearman alumni network, he's enjoyed activities which have proven a good way to network with those still at the firm and others who have careers outside law.

"Lawyers are hard-working people who ask questions, who collaborate a lot," he said. "There are many careers open to former lawyers. I keep an eye on that.

"I have a long career ahead of me, and I'm happy with where I am now. The new role is challenging in all the right ways, which is exactly what I am looking for right now."

Reconnect with Jean Morice.

Alumni Yearbook 2025

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