Corporate/M&A

Regardless of the nature of your company, whether listed or not, French or international, whether you are family group, an institutional investor, an investment fund, a manager, an entrepreneur, a unicorn or a start-up, our priority is resolving your challenges every step of the way through individualised and innovative solutions, with our expertise in the full spectrum of corporate law, putting your world first.

Located at the heart of CMS's strategy, Corporate/M&A has undergone significant expansion in France and internationally, with our dedicated Corporate/M&A team now composed of around 40 lawyers in France and 700 abroad. As such, our firm is able to advise your strategic issues and identify specific risks.

We use the firm's expertise in fiscal and employment law, the presence of the CMS network, and a doctrine team composed of lawyers, law professors from renowned schools (Sorbonne, HEC, Nanterre, etc.) and former government officials (the French Financial Markets Authority (Autorité des marchés financiers – AMF), the french Conseil d’Etat, etc.). We are also involved in authoring a number of articles and reference documents (e.g. Mémento Sociétés Commerciales, Editions Francis Lefebvre). In addition, we participate in consultations organised as part of planned legislative reforms.

Rankings/testimonials: for many years, our Corporate/M&A practice has regularly been listed in the Top 5 of rankings such as Bloomberg, Mergermarket, and Thomson Reuters.

Our practice is also listed in the most widely recognised guides, such as Chambers, IFLR, and Legal 500. For example, our entry in the 2018 edition of Chambers Europe reads: 

“The team regularly works with its branches in other jurisdictions to provide cross-border assistance to clients. Often handles matters involving Germany and Africa from its French office due to lawyers with experience in these countries. Also has noteworthy expertise and presence in the CEE region. The team has a solid corporate practice praised for its ability to handle all aspects of transactions, including due diligence support and SPA drafting. Often works with the employment and tax teams to provide full support to clients. Expertise in numerous areas including disposals, joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions. Makes use of its international network on cross-border deals.”
Chambers Europe 2018

“The team displays 'good flexibility'. The firm manages a large volume of small and medium-sized operations, and intervenes in transactions abroad.”
Legal 500 EMEA 2018 

Noteworthy clients: Givaudan, Mediaco, Luxair, Royal Unibrew, Keolis, , EWZ, Saint-Gobain, Axa, Coface, Nissan, Accor, Compagnie Fruitière, General Electric, Vivalto Santé, Générale de Santé, 21 CP, NGE, and more...

CMS Francis Lefebvre Avocats was named “France M&A Legal Adviser of the year 2017” by the Mergermarket European M&A Awards. The awards are granted for creative advisory work on complex transactions. The rigorous judging process starts with an analysis of M&A league table data to identify the top-ranked firms.