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Financial Services Lawyers

MIFID, compliance, dematerialisation, Basel II, deregulation, disintermediation, removal of barriers. The financial sector is changing rapidly and radically, and the banking and insurance businesses are changing as well in response to their new economic and regulatory environment. Banks and other financial institutions, thrown into the spotlight on the world economic stage and exposed to increasingly fierce competition, must be able to adjust and anticipate. Support from experts in the legal and tax aspects of their business are crucial to their ongoing development.

With more than 80 years of experience, CMS Francis Lefebvre Avocats has been giving legal advice and assistance around the world through its offices in Europe and its CMS network (France, Germany, Italy, United Kingdom, Russia, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland, Czech Republic, Croatia, Spain, Hungary, Serbia Montenegro, Slovakia, Switzerland, Ukraine), in South America (Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay), in Africa (Morocco), in Asia (China) and North America (USA). 

Our Practice areas

Our team covers the entire spectrum of financial services. This includes a full range of services, including: 

  • advice in regulatory, prudential ratios and compliance matters 
  • representation in investigations by regulatory authorities
  • assistance with the formation and management of open-ended and closed-end funds 
  • licensing of investment firms and portfolio management companies (standard, multi-management and alternative management) 
  • marketing and distribution of management and investment services 
  • internal reorganisation and ethics support 
  • insurance products linked with capital markets 
  • collective investment schemes (including mutual funds, open and closed-end investment companies, hedge funds, private equity funds)
  • assistance to senior and subordinated financings
  • pre-litigation and litigation support (civil, criminal, disciplinary)
  • advice to financial advisors with respect to their rules of conduct

CMS Francis Lefebvre Avocats’ recent assignments have included the representation of advisory firms in the formation and offering of closed-end investment funds, development of policies and procedures for domestic and foreign broker-dealers on research and controlling analyst conflicts, independent audit of anti-money laundering procedures for an investment bank, development of written compliance policies and procedures for registered investment firms.

We represent European or US hedge funds operators as well as numerous funds marketed internationally.

Our lawyers regularly advise counsels of foreign jurisdictions with respect to the regulation of financial products and services and often participate to surveys on the scope of legal/regulatory regimes governing financial products and funds in several countries.

CMS Francis Lefebvre Avocats enjoys very close contacts with the French authorities (Banque de France, Autorité de contrôle prudentiel et de résolution, Autorité des marchés financiers, Ministry of Finance), as well as French professional associations (AMAFI, AFG, AFTI, FBF, AFIC).

Our approach:

Co-ordinating our expertise: we call on the skills of other specialists in the firm, particularly tax experts, to provide an efficient and comprehensive service that covers all banking and finance transaction and regulation issues. 
Ability to handle complex matters: our team has the expertise to handle innovative cross-border transactions, involving our partners in the CMS network whenever necessary.
Providing innovative, customised solutions: we listen carefully to our clients to find the right solution to their current needs and anticipate their future ones.

 
Jérôme Sutour
Jérôme Sutour
Partner
Head of Financial Services
France, Neuilly-sur-Seine
Jérôme joined CMS Francis Lefebvre in 2007. He is responsible for the Financial Services Group within the firm's Banking, Finance & Insurance Department and co-chairs the Funds and Regulation Practice...
Mathieu Françon
Mathieu Françon
Of Counsel
Financial Services
France, Neuilly-sur-Seine
Mathieu Françon joined CMS Francis Lefebvre in April 2023, as a member of the financial services team. He focuses on banking and financial law, as well as payment services law. He advises French and...
Francois Bossé-Cohic
Francois Bossé-Cohic
Counsel
Lawyer
France, Neuilly-sur-Seine
François joined CMS Francis Lefebvre's corporate - private equity team in 2021. He has extensive experience in negotiating and structuring management packages for private equity and capital markets transactions...
Anne Dufay
Anne Dufay
Associate
France, Neuilly-sur-Seine
Anne Dufay joined CMS Francis Lefebvre in 2022. She is involved in Banking and Finance law and in particular in securitization and other kinds of structured financings such as loans (secured in particular...
Leo Gonzalvez-Auriol
Leo Gonzalvez-Auriol
Associate
France, Neuilly-sur-Seine
Léo Gonzalvez-Auriol joined CMS Francis Lefebvre in July 2023. He is involved in financial services law and in particular in investment services and asset management
Léa Hadjadj
Léa Hadjadj
Associate
France, Neuilly-sur-Seine
Léa Hadjadj is an associate in Banking & Finance. She specializes in regulatory issues. Her main areas of practice consist of assisting management companies and/or distributors (such as business providers...
Myriam Issad
Myriam Issad
Associate
France, Neuilly-sur-Seine
Myriam Issad advises financial institutions, issuers and investors on numerous market transactions in the area of debt securities (bond issues, European private placements (Euro PP), EMTN programmes...
Tek Elise
Elise Tek
Associate
France, Neuilly-sur-Seine
Elise joined CMS Francis Lefebvre in 2017. She works in banking and finance law within the Financial Services team. She assists and supports regulated entities (investment firms, banking institutions...