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Clifford Chance

Clifford Chance
Thierry Arachtingi

Thierry Arachtingi

Partner

Partner
Thierry Arachtingi

Thierry Arachtingi specialises in banking and finance, with a particular emphasis on acquisition finance, real estate finance and debt restructuring.

In leveraged finance and debt restructuring areas he advises on all types of senior and subordinated financings for domestic and cross-border acquisitions, including LBO, public-to-private transactions and private investments in public equity.

Contact details

Career and qualifications

  • University of Paris X (postgraduate in International Business Law) 1991
  • University of Paris II (postgraduate in Business Law) 1991
  • Berlioz & Cie 1991
  • Admitted as an avocat in Paris 1994
  • Associate, Clifford Chance 1995
  • Associate, White & Case 1999
  • Partner, White & Case 2002
  • Joined Clifford Chance as a Partner 2005

Awards and citations

  • Thierry Arachtingi (Band 1) is a leader in the field and is renowned for his expertise advising on transactional finance mandates, including acquisition and investment financing. He also regularly assists with tender offers and bridge term facilities.
    "Thierry is great; he is helpful and calm on the deals."
    "Thierry is one of the most seasoned financing lawyers in the French market. He is not only extremely strong technically but also a very good negotiator."
    Chambers Global 2024, Banking & Finance - France
  • Thierry Arachtingi is ranked as "Highly Regarded".
    IFLR 2023, Banking, Financial Restructuring, Project Finance - France
  • Thierry Arachtingi is ranked in the 'Hall of Fame' for the practice.
    Legal 500 EMEA 2023, Banking and Finance: Transactional Work - France
  • Thierry Arachtingi (Band 1) is a leader in the field and is renowned for his expertise advising on transactional finance mandates, including acquisition and investment financing. He also regularly assists with tender offers and bridge term facilities.
    Chambers Global 2023, Banking & Finance - France
    Chambers Europe 2023, Banking & Finance - France
  • Thierry Arachtingi is ranked as "Highly Regarded".
    IFLR 2022, Banking, Financial restructuring, Project finance - France
  • Thierry Arachtingi is ranked in the 'Hall of Fame' for the practice.
    Legal 500 2022, Banking and Finance: Transactional work - France
  • Thierry Arachtingi is a leader in the field and is renowned for his expertise advising on transactional finance mandates, including acquisition and investment financing. He also regularly assists with tender offers and bridge term facilities. A client notes that "Thierry Arachtingi was always there at the key moments of the deal and is always very knowledgeable." Ranked Band 1.
    Chambers Global 2022, Banking & Finance - France
    Chambers Europe 2022, Banking & Finance - France
  • Thierry Arachtingi is ranked as "Leading Individual".
    Legal 500 2021, Banking and Finance: Transactional work - France
  • Thierry Arachtingi is ranked as "Highly regarded".
    IFLR EMEA 2021, Banking, Financial restructuring, Project finance - France 
  • Thierry Arachtingi is a highly active banking and finance lawyer with extensive expertise in handling acquisition and leveraged finance matters. One impressed client says that it is "a safe bet to instruct him," adding that Arachtingi has "a very calm profile" and is "able to handle unforeseen complications with great mastery."
    Chambers Global 2021, Banking & Finance - France
    Chambers Europe 2021, Banking & Finance - France
  • Thierry Arachtingi is ranked as "Highly regarded".
    IFLR 2020, Banking, Financial restructuring, Project finance - France
  • Thierry Arachtingi retains his long-standing reputation, with sources describing him as a "legend" in the French banking and finance market. He is predominantly active in high-profile acquisition and leveraged finance mandates with further prowess in debt refinancing. He also attracts praise from clients, who deem him to be a "great adviser."
    Chambers Global 2020, Banking & Finance - France
    Chambers Europe 2020, Banking & Finance - France
  • Thierry Arachtingi is ranked as "Leading Individual"
    Legal 500 2020, Banking and Finance: Transactional Work - France
  • "At Clifford Chance, acquisition and leveraged finance are a core part of the firm's caseload, with infrastructure financing and refinancing other especially busy areas. Financings involving capital markets and securitisation are also part of the team's portfolio of expertise. The practice regularly leverages the firm's international footprint for cross-border work, such as advising JP Morgan Securities on the financing of AXA's €12.4bn acquisition of Groupe XL, a deal which saw Thierry Arachtingi work in tandem with his counterparts in New York. Daniel Zerbib, who leads the practice with Arachtingi and project finance specialist Nikolaï Eatwell, also advised BNP Paribas as lender on the €90m refinancing of InfraVia's acquisition of Swiss data centre business Green Datacenter. Crédit Agricole, Goldman Sachs and EDF also feature on the client list."
    Legal 500 EMEA 2019, Banking & Finance: Transactional Work - France
  • Thierry Arachtingi is a leading individual in the French banking and finance market focusing on acquisition finance and debt restructuring. Clients describe him as a "deal maker" and appreciate that he is "strong at balancing the pure legal side with the negotiation side of a deal." He primarily advises lenders and sponsors but also offers experience on the borrower side of transactions.
    Chambers Europe 2019, Banking & Finance - France
    Chambers Global 2019, Banking & Finance - France
  • "The ‘extremely efficient’ team at Clifford Chance ‘is able to bring parties to a fair, common sense agreement based on clear explanations of the current market practice’. The group’s ‘industry specialists’ are ‘creative and add real value’, and the full-service finance practice is ‘one of the best in town’. The group has a strong focus on general corporate lending, leveraged and acquisition finance and infrastructure finance, and project and export finance, but also handles real estate and debt restructuring and sovereign lending. ‘Very good leader’ Thierry Arachtingi is ‘always composed’; he jointly heads the practice with ‘technically excellent’ duo Benjamin de Blegiers (‘a must for transactions in the energy and infrastructure sectors’) and Daniel Zerbib. The team advised the lenders to a bidding consortium on the contemplated €535m acquisition of a majority interest in Aéroports de Lyon concerning the privatisation of the airport; and acted for Rivage Investment, Société Générale and La Banque Postale Asset Management on the refinancing of the acquisition of Océa Group by Infravia Capital Partners. In the corporate mid-cap space, it assisted Société Générale and Banque Palatine with the refinancing of Daltys. Other clients include BNP Paribas, Goldman Sachs, EDF and Bridgepoint."
    Legal 500 EMEA 2018, Banking & Finance: Transactional Work - France
  • "Thierry Arachtingi is highly regarded in the banking and finance market and is particularly recommended for his abilities in leveraged finance. His practice includes acquisition and real estate finance, as well as debt and restructuring matters. His clients include key local and domestic names from the financial sector."
    Chambers Europe 2018, Banking & Finance - France
    Chambers Global 2018, Banking & Finance, Banking & Finance: Financial Services Regulation - France
  • "The ‘quick and responsive’ team at Clifford Chance provides comprehensive expertise across all types of products, including those with a capital markets element. The practice is one of the market’s largest, with some 50 lawyers involved, and notably advises lenders and borrowers with the financing of large LBOs and projects. It assisted PAI with B&B’s acquisition financing, acted for Natixis and the other lenders to Ardian’s consortium on the financing of its bid for Airport Nice Côte d’Azur. Key figures in the team include: Thierry Arachtingi, Daniel Zerbib and Benjamin de Blegiers, who is ‘a real dealmaker who shows perfect understanding of borrowers’ needs’."
    Legal 500 EMEA 2017, Banking & Finance - France
  • Thierry Arachtingi, who specialises in acquisition and real estate finance and debt restructuring, continues to be held in high esteem as "a top face in the market." One client reports: "It's reassuring that he doesn't just have up-to-date and precise legal advice, but also sufficient experience, and that's really something precious and important."
    Chambers Europe 2017, Banking & Finance - France
    Chambers Global 2017, Banking & Finance, Banking & Finance: Financial Services Regulation - France
  • Thierry Arachtingi is widely respected for his expertise in acquisition finance. Clients describe him as "one of the best partners around," pointing out that "he really knows the technology of restructuring and LBOs and is deal-minded."
    Chambers Europe 2016, Banking & Finance - France
  • "Clifford Chance demonstrates ‘a very high level of expertise in complex subjects and gives result-oriented advice’. The ‘totally available’ 50-lawyer team fields one of the market’s most complete practices and has leading expertise in acquisition finance, corporate loans and project finance; regulatory work and structured finance are other areas of top expertise. The team acts for international and French banks, large corporations and investment funds. Recent highlights include advising the lenders on the financing of Apollo Management International’s buyout of Verallia. Key figures in the practice include the highly experienced Thierry Arachtingi and Daniel Zerbib. Benjamin de Blegiers is also recommended, while Jonathan Lewis and Frédérick Lacroix are key names for regulatory work".
    Legal 500 EMEA 2016, Banking and Finance - France
  • Thierry Arachtingi is widely respected for his expertise in acquisition finance. Clients describe him as "one of the best partners around," pointing out that "he really knows the technology of restructuring and LBOs and is deal-minded."
    Chambers Europe 2016, Banking & Finance - France
    Chambers Global 2016, Banking & Finance, Banking & Finance: Financial Services Regulation - France
  • "Top player" Thierry Arachtingi is a market leader in banking and finance with expertise spanning leveraged transactions, corporate acquisitions and real estate finance. Clients confirm: "He is very experienced and interesting to work with, and has a good overview of the market."
    Chambers Global 2015, Banking & Finance - France
  • Thierry Arachtingi receives widespread market praise: "He specialises in acquisition finance and is one of the most able lawyers in this area. We worked with him because we needed someone technically excellent, which he is, whilst also being very commercially aware."
    Chambers Europe 2014, Banking & Finance
  • "The ‘very knowledgeable’ Thierry Arachtingi ‘defends banks very well’."
    Legal 500 2014, Banking & Finance 
  • "Well-known figure Thierry Arachtingi is popular with major financial institutions. He has advised on the financing of some of France's biggest LBOs in recent years, including Oberthur and Webhelp".
    Chambers Europe 2013, Banking & Finance
  • "The charismatic Thierry Arachtingi heads Clifford Chance’s sophisticated practice, which fields 40 lawyers and excels at acquisition and project finance work".
    Legal 500 2013, Banking & Finance 
  • "Well-known figure Thierry Arachtingi is popular with major financial institutions. He has advised on the financing of some of France's biggest LBOs in recent years, including Oberthur and Webhelp”.
    Chambers Global 2013, Banking & Finance - France
  • "Praised for his leveraged finance expertise, Thierry Arachtingi recently led the team advising Bank of Ireland and Citi on the financing of the acquisition of Webhelp by Charterhouse".
    Chambers Global 2012, Banking & Finance - France
  • "He [Thierry Arachtingi]'s the Rod Cork [Allen & Overy partner] of Clifford Chance, and he's very very recognised".
    IFLR 2012 – Banking