Hall Of Fame

Next Generation Partners

Leading Associates

Firms To Watch: Industry focus: Telecoms 

Bignon Lebray considerably bolstered its offering in the telecoms sector with the additions of both Christophe Fichet and Adrien Morisse from Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP in January 2025.

Industry focus: Telecoms  in France

Baker McKenzie

The team at Baker McKenzie is consistently engaged to advise on the negotiation of agreements, telecoms surveys, regulatory work, licensing matters and contractual issues. Additionally, Rémy Bricard focuses on complex IT and telecoms contracts, including development, licensing, integration and outsourcing  but is equally versed in M&A. Laurent Szuskin and Christian Blomet are sought after for their proficiency in mobile and fixed voice telecommunications and data.

Responsables de la pratique:

Christian Blomet


Autres avocats clés:

Rémy Bricard; Laurent Szuskin; Magalie Dansac Le Clerc


Principaux clients

Xp-Fibre


Evernex


IES Synergy


Roquette


Sodexo


Crédit Agricole Group


Egis


Oracle


Embracer


Principaux dossiers


  • Assists Capgemini in its public procurement contract concluded together with Airbus for the performance of secured Telecommunication services for the Ministry of Interior.
  • Assisted CNews in a litigation before the Conseil d’Etat brought by Reporter Sans Frontières against a decision of French Media regulation Authority (ARCOM) rejecting its demand of sending a formal notice to CNews asking to comply with rules related to diversity of opinion in an TV program dedicated to information.

Behring

The practice at Behring is at the forefront of the market and stands out for its ability 'to adapt to the evolution of the sector, whether in terms of new technologies, new uses or diversification of clients'. The team is sought out by foreign governments, major network providers, and space network providers. Anne Solene Gay is 'an influential figure in the sector' and is particularly noted for having been instrumental in advising on telecoms matters within francophone Africa. Other key names include Noam Fitoussi, Myriam Bennari and Valentin Morel-Lab.

Responsables de la pratique:

Anne-Solène Gay


Autres avocats clés:

Myriam Bennari; Valentin Morel-Lab; Noam Fitoussi; Caroline Feraa


Les références

‘Extensive regulatory expertise, particularly in the telecoms sector, responsiveness, pragmatism and flexibility.’

‘Responsiveness. Availability. Concerned about the client’s interests, “down-to-earth”, and taking into account their comments. Very reasonable on billing.

‘The Behring team demonstrates great expertise on all subjects related to telecommunications and digital technology. They have been able to adapt to the evolution of the sector, whether in terms of new technologies, new uses or diversification of clients. This makes them our preferred partner for all missions for which we need legal expertise. All members of the team have a very good level. Anne-Solène Gay uses the skills of each person depending on the subjects: some intervene rather on purely telecoms subjects, others in digital law.’

‘Helpful and very professional team. Understands its customers well. Pricing practice that gives visibility. ’

‘This is a dynamic team that we have been working with on very specific subjects; its strength lies in its constant availability and its very personable character, which makes the work much easier.’

‘Anne-Solène Gay: dynamism, responsiveness, pragmatism, availability, great professionalism knows how to put herself on the level of her interlocutors to understand their problems and respond to them as quickly as possible.’

‘Behring Law Firm stands out for its innovative approach and high-level expertise. Combining tradition and modernity, it stands out for its inclusive recruitment practices, flexible billing, and the integration of technologies such as AI and collaborative platforms. Team spirit and cross-functional collaboration ensure comprehensive case management. Behring promotes diversity, both in its teams and in its client relationships, while offering personalized support. Its dynamism and rapid adaptation to market developments make it a leader among its competitors.’

‘Anne-Solène Gay, head of Behring, is an exceptional lawyer, recognized for her cutting-edge expertise and visionary leadership. With an impressive career, she combines legal rigor and the ability to innovate, making her an influential figure in the sector. With her great listening skills and personalized approach, she inspires her teams with her dynamism and ability to anticipate complex legal challenges. Her commitment to diversity and excellence makes her not only a respected leader, but also a true pioneer in the evolution of law.’

Principaux clients

ENCOTEL


ECOWAS


TELECOM MINISTRY OF NIGER


Principaux dossiers


  • Offering legal support to ENCOTEL, including drafting and negotiating an exclusive distribution contract with PERIPLAST.
  • Selected by the World Bank on behalf of ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) to conduct supply, demand and requirements assessments for international telecoms, data capacity and infrastructure for the West African region.
  • Selected by the African Development Bank (AfDB) to conduct a study for the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Digital Economy (MPTEN) of Niger on the promotion of digital financial services, an essential element of the “Niger Digital 2025 National Strategic Plan”

Bird & Bird

Bird & Bird has a strong track record advising on projects in France and in emerging markets and is able to draw on the firm's strong capabilities in multiple areas to advise on competition issues, regulatory compliance, contentious matters, and commercial and public law issues. Clients include governments, private companies, technology conglomerates and telephone technology and handset manufacturers. Stéphane Leriche, who has a strong transactional practice, and Willy Mikalef, who combines space law with his specialism in telecoms, are the practice heads. Other key names include Jean-Claude Vecchiatto and Frédérique Dupuis-Toubol.

Responsables de la pratique:

Stéphane Leriche; Willy Mikalef


Autres avocats clés:

Mélanie Bercot; Jean-Michel Communie; Jean-Claude Vecchiatto; Frederique Dupuis-Toubol; Carole Bodin


Les références

‘Bird & Bird’s telecoms team is able to impose a high standard of quality in their work with major industrial clients as well as emerging countries.’

‘The dynamism of the telecom team and its knowledge of the latest developments in information technology make Bird a decisive player in telecommunications.’

‘High specialization in telecommunications and data protection.’

Principaux clients

Government of Ivory Coast


Aircall


Guadeloupe Regional Council


Selafa Mja


Dauphin Telecom


EMD


Airbus Defence And Space


Government of the Sultanate of Oman


Celeste


Principaux dossiers


  • Providing strategic advice to the Government of Ivory Coast to identify the obstacles to investments in telecom sector and drafting its incoming telecoms law.
  • Advising Airbus on the procurement and financing of a new type of telecommunication electric, geostationary satellite, re-configurable in orbit.
  • Advising Celeste in relation with the acquisition of the Magic Online group, one of the pioneers in the provision of hosting and Internet access for businesses in France.

Bersay

Bersay has established itself as a key name for advice on the rollout of fibre optic networks in France, an area where Martin Tissier has particular expertise, especially for local authorities. Bradley Joslove, who is dual-qualified in Washington and Paris, and Frédéric Lecomte share leadership of the practice with Tissier.

Responsables de la pratique:

Martin Tissier; Bradley Joslove; Frédéric Lecomte


Les références

‘Very good knowledge of the sector (telecoms), of the players, their relationships and interactions: essential condition to be able to intervene in a regulated environment.’ 

Principaux dossiers


  • Represented LaFibre 64 to win a legal case against XP Fibre/Altice regarding an amount of penalties of 23 M€ in front of the administrative court of Pau.
  • Advised Société du Grand Paris in order to make sure passengers have an optimal mobile coverage in the 5 new metro lines of the Paris region, including Line 14 extension to Orly Airport, that has opened for the Olympic Games.
  • Advised ALDA in a telecom law in a case regarding the access to its fiber optic network.

Gide Loyrette Nouel A.A.R.P.I.

Gide Loyrette Nouel A.A.R.P.I. is equally adept at representing government entities and private companies across regulatory and contentious matters. Thierry Dor handles a variety of issues including the roll-out of electronic communications networks, infrastructure sharing and connected devices as well as regulatory compliance. Jean-Baptiste de Martigny steers the firm’s M&A work in this sector and advises on major telecoms and telecoms infrastructure transactions involving French mobile operators, fiber and tower networks and datacenters.

Responsables de la pratique:

Thierry Dor; Jean-Baptiste de Martigny


Les références

‘One of the top teams in this market with a lot of experience and above all flexibility and a great touch to make deals happen.’

 

Principaux clients

NJJ group


Robert Bosch GmbH


Principaux dossiers


Ashurst LLP

The team at Ashurst LLP frequently works with colleagues across the firm's offices on global projects. Transactional specialist François Hellot is the key name and Charles-Douglas Fuz provides additional support.

Responsables de la pratique:

François Hellot; Nick Elverston


Autres avocats clés:

Charles-Douglas Fuz


Principaux clients

Safran Group


Altitude Telecom


1&1 Mobilfunk


Orange


META (previously known as Facebook)


Eiffel Investment Group


Principaux dossiers


  • Worked as part of a cross-border team advising Meta on 2Africa, including the 2Africa Pearls extension, which will see the subsea cable project increase connectivity for approximately 3 billion people (over one third of the current global population).
  • Advised Altitude Telecom, a French fiber network operator, on various corporate law matters, management incentives and group reorganization

Hogan Lovells (Paris) LLP

Hogan Lovells (Paris) LLP's team handles a varied workload which covers domestic and cross-border transactional matters, regulatory and contentious telecoms work. Etienne Drouard  and Charlotte Le Roux are the names to note.

Responsables de la pratique:

Etienne Drouard; Charlotte Le Roux


Principaux clients

Caisse Régionale de Crédit Mutuel de la Martinique et de la Guyane


Caisse Régionale de Crédit Agricole Mutuel de la Guadeloupe and Crédit Lyonnais


Principaux dossiers


  • Advised Caisse Régionale de Crédit Mutuel de la Martinique et de la Guyane, Caisse Régionale de Crédit Agricole Mutuel de la Guadeloupe and Crédit Lyonnais in connection with the financing of MADIACOM’s general requirements and capital expenditure to modernise its radio access network and expand its sites in the French West Indies.
  • Advised all the sellers (including Chevrillon and IDI) on their exit from the Voip Telecom group in favour of Nomotech, as well as William Binet on his reinvestment in the new structure.

Latournerie Wolfrom Avocats

The team at Latournerie Wolfrom Avocats has experience advising on the full gamut of optic fibre, mobile and satellite issues, data centres, smart cities, data connection protection and open data. Its advice spans M&A, litigation and regulatory matters. Térence Cabot and Hervé Castelnau are the practice heads.

Responsables de la pratique:

Térence Cabot; Hervé Castelnau


Les références

‘Their in-depth knowledge of telecommunications and community law and their knowledge of the players and the interplay of players is a great strength in responding to our complex and new issues is an asset.’

‘Mr Cabot is an emblematic figure of the firm whose expertise in electronic communications law is recognized.’

Principaux clients

Agence Nationale de la Cohésion des Territoires


Altitude Infrastructure


Auvergne Rhones-Alpes Region


Amazon Web Services


Axione


Bordeaux Métropole


Clear Channel


DigitalOcean


Eure Normandie Numérique


Free / Free Mobile


Gabon State


Grand Est Region


Legos


Maroc Telecom


Normandy Region


Seine Maritime Numérique


SYADEN


Territoire d’Energies 44


University of Lille


Val de Loire Numérique


Asacha Media Group


Principaux dossiers


  • Regularly assists euNetworks on specific issues relating to the deployment of its networks and infrastructure on the public domain of various local authorities
  • Provided extensive advice to Free; and Free Mobile, on access to connection data by national authorities, in the context of the provision of electronic communications services to which national authorities may have access for criminal and administrative investigations.
  • Advising Grand Est on all aspects of the public concession for its high-speed fiber optic network for over 850,000 outlets.

Magenta

The team at Magenta has 'extensive experience in the industry'. The group handles dispute settlements between operators, the negotiation of telecoms contracts, and regulatory issues. It has a strong focus on alternative operators. Sylvain Justier and Vincent Jaunet are the names to note.

Responsables de la pratique:

Sylvain Justier; Vincent Jaunet


Les références

‘Extensive experience in the industry. Team capable of understanding the technical, operational and market challenges of the company and making relevant analyses and recommendations based on its rich feedback in this area.’

‘Sylvain Justier stands out for his ability to clearly identify issues, even though they are technical and closely linked to the company’s activity.’

‘Relevant and responsive team that proposes a medium and long term strategy, while knowing how to adapt to the developments proposed by the client.’ 

Principaux clients

ALTICE GROUP


ONATI


INWI


COLT


ADISTA


EPIC


MATOOMA


Eurofiber


Principaux dossiers