3 years of hiring success and growth
Franklin’s multi-practice team comprises 80 lawyers, including 21 partners, all of whom have been ranked as “highly recommended” or “excellent” practitioners in legal directories. The firm’s unprecedented performance and fast-growing revenue are the result of its strategy of blending and promoting talent, which reflects the vision of long-time partners Yam Atallah, Yann Colin, Alexandre Marque, Jérôme Michel and François Verdot.
Franklin has appointed 15 new partners in 3 years and can fully rely on the depth and breadth of expertise of Stéphan Alamowitch (Banking & Finance), Serge Durox (Regulatory & Compliance / Banking – Investment Services – Insurance), Myriam de Gaudusson (Labor and Employment), Merav Griguer (Data & Cyber), Lionel Lesur (Corporate / Antitrust), Jacques Mestoudjian (Tax Law), Numa Rengot and Arnaud Pédron (Restructuring), Michel Sapin (Public Law – Regulatory) and Sandra Strittmatter (IP), who work seamlessly with the teams led by Yam Atallah and Alexandre Marque (Corporate / M&A), Yann Colin (Litigation) and Jérôme Michel (Public Law / Energy).
The firm is also home to one of the largest real estate practices in France, with 6 partners at its helm, Philippe Riglet and Géraldine Machinet having joined Philippe Bouillon, Jérémy Chiche, Jérémy Goldblum and François Verdot. New partner hires are due in 2024.
Numa Rengot, new co-managing partner
Numa Rengot’s appointment to Franklin’s management team 4 years after his arrival reflects the firm’s commitment to building and maintaining a diverse pool of expertise: “Numa embodies what has become Franklin’s DNA in recent years. His entrepreneurial spirit and the synergies he has built with our other teams to deliver on major restructuring cases involving high business stakes and strategic negotiations perfectly illustrate the way we operate. Numa brings a new vision to how we tackle challenges and how we approach our work” Franklin’s managing partners explain.
Building synergies around core strengths
Franklin’s growth has been fueled by its “asserted independence in the French market, a valued asset for clients who come to us with sensitive matters”, and by “its strategy of creating core practice groups in each area of the law, with a keen focus on building synergies with other teams”.
“Its agile, cross-practice approach enables the firm to deliver innovative solutions to meet the unique needs and profile of each client, whether a French or foreign business, public authority or international institution” Numa Rengot adds.
To give a few examples, the firm’s teams have worked as one to advise the family shareholders and managers of the CBA group on buying into the funds Vivalto Partners and Amundi; Groupe Sprint on the acquisition of LexisNexis France subsidiary Evoluprint; and TKH Group NV on selling a majority stake in some of its French assets to the fund Argos Wityu.
A strong international focus
With international mandates accounting for over 50 percent of their case portfolio, the firm’s lawyers have built an international network of carefully vetted local experts to call upon, based on the specific requirements of each matter, in order to deliver the highest standards of independent legal services.
Franklin has also set up region-specific desks headed up by Stéphan Alamowitch, Jérôme Michel, Joël Rault and Michel Sapin (Africa desk), Lionel Lesur (Italian desk) and Sandra Strittmatter (German desk), whose work matching foreign clients with top-tier business partners has effectively expanded Franklin’s overseas reach.
Illustrating this international outlook, Numa Rengot recently worked hand in hand with several of the firm’s practice groups to assist Mauritius group IBL Ltd in its takeover of Réunion-based retailer Run Market, and to advise the Republic of Congo on bailing out a prominent airline.
“In 2024, Franklin will continue its expansion to better serve its French and international clients. Synergies breed more synergies, and we are planning to hire new teams in the coming months” Franklin’s managing partners add.
