Latham boosts Paris corporate team with arrival of top team
Paris, September 22 2004. Latham & Watkins is pleased to announce that Thomas Forschbach, Nathalie Alibert and Gaëtan Gianasso have joined the firm’s Paris office as partners together with Marie-Chrystel Dang Tran, Alexander Benedetti, Frédéric Berthier and Denis Criton. The team focuses its practice in mergers and acquisitions with an emphasis on acquisitions of listed companies, LBOs and related private equity financings. Forschbach is widely regarded as one of the leading private equity lawyers in Europe.
The team joins from the Paris office of Ashurst. Over recent years, the lawyers have been involved in most of the major private equity deals in France, underscoring their pre-eminence in this arena.
"We welcome the team to the firm," said Olivier Delattre, Latham’s Paris office Managing Partner. "Thomas has extensive LBO and private equity experience and he has a peerless reputation in the Paris market. He is a perfect fit for our strategic growth in the Paris market and more broadly our ongoing European expansion. Nathalie and Gaëtan are leading lawyers in their own right, and have been involved in a raft of major private equity transactions in Paris."
Forschbach is an "avocat" at the Paris Bar and qualified German Rechtsanwalt. After graduating from the University of Montpellier in France in 1986, Forschbach joined Jeantet & Associés. He later worked at Freshfields for two years and then joined Ashurst Morris Crisp in 1991, becoming a partner in 1993.
Commenting on Forschbach’s arrival, John Watson, Vice Chair of the firm’s Corporate Department for Europe, said: "Thomas brings a wealth of experience and strength to our team. His arrival enhances our M&A capability in Paris, and his pan-European contacts will further develop our M&A practice in London, Germany and Italy. We expect Thomas to be a leader in our private equity team and in our firm as a whole."
"We are delighted to be joining Latham & Watkins and look forward to practicing with our new colleagues. The firm has grown in stature in Europe and has become a dynamic force in the market. This, coupled with its legacy strength in the US, makes for a winning combination. We look forward to joining the team – the opportunities to further build our practice as part of this cohesive, collegiate team are very attractive," said Forschbach.
Nathalie Alibert completed her legal education at the University of Paris I (Panthéon-Sorbonne), before obtaining a Master of Laws (L.LM.) from the University of London. Alibert joined Ashurst, in Paris, in October 1994. She is an "avocat" at the Paris Bar.
After graduate and postgraduate degrees from the University of Aix-en-Provence in France in 1993 and 1994, Gaëtan Gianasso joined Bell & Co, a London law firm. He then spent one year with Freshfields in Paris before joining the Paris office of Ashurst. He is an "avocat" at the Paris Bar.
EUROPEAN VICE CHAIR reloCates to STRENGTHEN market lead position
Watson, until recently a partner in the Frankfurt office of Latham & Watkins, has relocated to Paris to augment the corporate team. Watson’s practice is concentrated in the area of securities offerings, representing issuers and underwriters in private placements, Rule 144A financings and registered public offerings.
Watson joined Latham & Watkins in 1984, becoming a partner in January of 1991. A member of the firm's corporate department, he holds the position of Vice Chair for Europe. Watson relocated to Germany to support the firm's push into Continental Europe, making the move to Frankfurt in 2001. Delattre said: "John has been an integral part of the firm's European expansion. His experience and contacts have been a tremendous support in delivering on our strategic focus in Europe. His track record will be a further boost to our Paris team - both in domestic and international transactions."
Watson added: "I look forward to joining the Paris team. Together we are focused on helping Latham become a dominant player in France and integrating with our US colleagues on cross-border deals. We are committed to continuing to build in Europe."
About Latham & Watkins LLP
Latham & Watkins LLP is a global law firm with more than 1,500 attorneys in 21 offices, including Boston, Brussels, Chicago, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, Milan, Moscow, New Jersey, New York, Northern Virginia, Orange County, Paris, San Diego, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Singapore, Tokyo und Washington, D.C. For more information on Latham & Watkins, please visit the Web site at www.lw.com
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Latham & Watkins operates as a limited liability partnership worldwide with an affiliate in the United Kingdom and Italy, where the practice is conducted through an affiliated multinational partnership.
Contacts
Olivier Delattre Phone: +33-1-40-62-21-10
John Watson Phone: +33-1-40-62-21-88
Thomas Forschbach Phone: +33-1-40-62-23-23