Clifford Chance

Clifford Chance Paris tops Mergermarket and Thomson Reuters 2012 M&A league-tables for France

The Paris office of international law firm Clifford Chance is ranked 1st in the Mergermarket 2012 M&A league-tables for France, both as regards the total value of transactions (18,770 million Euros) and the number of transactions (30).

In the Thomson Reuters league-tables, Clifford Chance is also ranked 1st as regards the total value of the transactions (26,352 million Euros) and 4th in number of transactions undertaken (35).

Details of French league-tables in Appendix.

These rankings confirm Clifford Chance Corporate team's strong position in the French market, which is highlighted by a number of high-profile deals in 2012 such as:

• the sale by Crédit Agricole of Emporiki in Greece;
• EDF's takeover of Edison;
• Carrefour's sale of its Indonesian and Malaysian business ventures after its takeover bid for  Guyenne Gascogne;
• the sale of Internationall Power to GDF Suez Energy International.

Mathieu Remy, a Paris Corporate Partner, comments: "Although there was significant slowdown of the French market in 2012, we noted that some French market players turned towards cross-border transactions and sought growth outside their home market. The international coverage of  Clifford Chance allows us to provide an effective response this type of complex deals that require additional and seamless areas of expertise such as financing, competition law or regulatory. 2012 also witnessed some atypical transactions such as the bail-out of Crédit Immobilier de France (CIF)."

Gilles Lebreton, also a Paris Corporate Partner adds: "Even if visibility remains poor in 2013, we believe that an upturn in M&A transactions is possible. Corporates have accumulated cash reserves and there are plenty of opportunities in Europe, especially for foreign investors. One or two significant transactions could restore the confidence of decision-makers and inspire new dynamism into the French M&A market".

Clifford Chance's Corporate Practice in Paris includes more than 40 lawyers, including 9 partners. It advises a wide spectrum of French and international clients. It also covers a wide range of complex transactions (acquisitions and disposals of listed and unlisted companies, restructurings, private equity, capital markets…).