EXPERTISE
Valmy Avocats offers its clients (institutions, SMEs, entrepreneurs and investors) cross-functional support, both in advisory capacity and in litigation, in all areas related to business law and corporate life.
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The team assists its clients in commercial law, real estate law, labor law, intellectual property and new technologies (IP/IT) law as well as insolvency law (amicable and judicial proceedings). The firm also advises on private equity / fund raising matters and M&A transactions.
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In terms of sectors, the Firm is particularly active in the heavy industry, services, sports, retail, aeronautics, real estate, press and fashion sectors. It has also developed a strong expertise in project finance in the energy sector (wind power/photovoltaic).
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Finally, in litigation, Valmy Avocats defends the interests of its clients before all civil, commercial, criminal and administrative courts. The firm also assists its clients (legal entities or individuals) in international and patrimonial litigation (real estate, inheritance, etc.). It also assists its clients in arbitration for the resolution of their French and international disputes.
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All of the firm's lawyers work in French and English and most of them have a command of a third language (Spanish, Italian, Arabic, Greek, Japanese, Portuguese, etc).
COMMERCIAL
AND BUSINESS LAW
The firm assists economic actors at all stages of their corporate life and also in the various disputes that may arise on this occasion.
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Incorporation and transformation of companies
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Drafting of articles of association, legal formalities and publications, negotiation and drafting of shareholders' agreements.
Operation of corporations
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Shareholders’ meetings, annual approval of accounts, appointment and dismissal of managers, profit-sharing for managers and employees (BSPCE/BSA), operations on share capital, setting up and restructuring of groups, disputes over corporate decisions.
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Commercial negotiations
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Assistance in the negotiation and drafting of all types of commercial contracts (general terms and conditions of use and of sale, confidentiality agreements, commercial agents contracts, franchising contracts, distribution contracts, etc.)
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Commercial litigation
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Monitoring of commercial relations and related litigation (summary proceedings, proceedings on the merits, debt recovery and all liability actions), banking and insurance litigation.
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Financing of companies
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Fund raising, bond issues, issuance of securities giving access to capital, equity transactions.
MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS
/ PRIVATE EQUITY
The firm possesses a deep transactional expertise in LBOs, venture capital and mergers and acquisitions.
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LBO/MBO
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Structuring of acquisitions and disposals, drafting of contractual documentation (investment memorandum, pacts, guarantees, etc.), setting up of acquisition financing, negotiation and implementation of management and work packages.
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Venture Capital
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Advising investors (minority and majority) and issuers in the drafting and negotiation of documentation (investment agreements, issuance of ABSA, BSBA and other securities, shareholders' agreements, etc.)
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M&A
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Acquisition and disposal of assets, external growth or transmission, joint ventures, restructuring and equity transactions (domestic or international mergers, partial contributions of assets, spin-offs...)
Drafting of all transactional documentation (letters of intent, MOUs, NDAs), acquisition audits, drafting of sale protocols, shareholders' agreements, asset and liability guarantees.
ENERGY LAW
AND PROJECT FINANCE
The firm assists its clients with the financing of their projects and also intervenes on the regulatory aspects related to these projects. It has particular expertise in the renewable energy sector and especially wind turbines.
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It advises investors, credit institutions, developers and operators at all stages of their projects.
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Strategic and transactional advice
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Pre-acquisition audit and drafting of due diligence reports, negotiation and drafting of environmental clauses in all types of contracts (acquisitions, financing, reorganization, joint-ventures).
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Financing and refinancing
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Negotiation and drafting of credit documentation (simple loans or structured financing), setting up of associated guarantees.
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Regulatory assistance and representation before authorities
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Advice on regulatory matters (administrative authorizations, purchase obligation, connection to the grid) and issues related to distribution.
INTELLECTUAL
PROPERTY LAW
The firm's dedicated team assists its clients in all aspects of intellectual property law, both as counsel and in litigation. It is recognized for its practice in this field.
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Intellectual property transactions
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Negotiation and drafting of confidentiality agreements, license agreements, assignment or acquisition of intangible assets, transfer agreements and any transactional issue involving intellectual property.
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Analysis and strategy on the choice of distinctive signs (validity, availability of signs).
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Assistance to entrepreneurs: advice on the protection of creations, strategy and filing with dedicated offices.
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Intellectual property litigation
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Pre-litigation (drafting of letters of formal notice).
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Litigation before civil, criminal and commercial courts as well as administrative litigation before all offices (actions: seizure of counterfeits, summary proceedings, infringement action, opposition, nullity action, etc.).
The firm advises a wide range of national and international clients on their real estate-related issues (financial institutions, lessors, developers, real estate companies, asset managers, etc.).
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Real-Estate Investment
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Acquisition/sale of real estate assets or portfolios of real estate receivables, restructuring (outsourcing, lease-back, construction leases).
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Real-Estate Financing
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Acquisition/sale of real estate assets or portfolios of real estate receivables, restructuring (outsourcing, lease-back, construction leases).
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Real-Estate Transactions
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Commercial leases, sale of businesses, leasehold rights, property management and asset management.
INSOLVENCY / CORPORATE RESTRUCTURING
Our firm assists insolvent companies and companies facing crises as well as their managers, shareholders, creditors or buyers. Our firm intervenes in both amicable and judicial insolvency proceedings as well as in a contentious setting.
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Amicable and judicial treatment of difficulties
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Analysis and diagnosis of the company's difficulties, assistance and representation during amicable proceedings (ad hoc mandate, conciliation, credit mediation) or safeguard, judicial reorganization and liquidation proceedings. In the latter case, our firm becomes the privileged interlocutor of the bodies involved in the proceedings (court-appointed administrator, creditors’ representatives, bankruptcy judges, public prosecutor).
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Assistance to bidders over court-ordered sale plans, prepack proceedings and individual asset sales
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Research and assistance in identifying targets, presentation of offers to acquire companies in difficulty, whether the target company is "in good standing" or subject to an insolvency proceedings (takeover before the court).
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Assistance of creditors and investors in distressed compannies
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Negotiation of settlement agreements, financial debt restructuring agreements and investment agreements by way of reorganization/safeguard plans, recapitalization, filing of proof of claims.
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Distressed M&A and sale of underperforming subsidiaries (carve-out)
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Assisting shareholders and corporate groups in the context of the sale or acquisition of subsidiaries as well as partial transfer of assets.
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Commercial or liability litigation related to insolvency law
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Assistance and representation before courts during proceedings related to insolvency law, such as restitution of property, challenging of claims, liability claims for lack of assets.
EMPLOYMENT
LAW
The firm offers its expertise to employers by providing them with appropriate support in determining their strategy, both in the area of advice and risk prevention, and in the management of labor relations, pre-litigation, litigation and negotiation, both on a collective and individual level.
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Employment law
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Hiring and termination of employment contracts, disciplinary procedures, management of working hours and vacations, reorganizations.
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Elections, management of the Social and Environmental Comity, negotiation and conclusion of collective agreements, restructuring operations, mergers and acquisitions, social audits..
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Social security law
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International mobility, social security contributions, control of authorities (URSSAF), work accidents and professional diseases, pensions. Social security litigation before the judicial court (ex-TCI and ex-TASS) and before the court of appeals.
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Employment litigation
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Individual labor law litigation before the labor court and collective litigation before the judicial court (ex-TI and ex-TGI), before the court of appeal and social security litigation.
BUSINESS LITIGATION
AND LIABILITY
The Firm assists its clients, companies and individuals, in the defense of their interests at any stage of their litigation: pre-litigation, development of a legal strategy, interim measures, writings and pleadings, forced execution.
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Disputes between partners or shareholders
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Shareholder disputes and corporate governance, liability guarantees, appointment of provisional administrators, abuse of majority or minority, executive compensation, disputes relating to shareholders' agreements.
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Disputes with business partners
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Severance of established commercial relations, unfair competition, economic parasitism.
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Contractual enforcement and debt collection
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Implementation of summary proceedings and proceedings on the merits, precautionary seizures, seizures-attributions and liquidation of penalty payments.
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Litigation of regulated professions and ordinal disputes
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The Firm represents professional unions in the context of their institutional disputes, and intervenes in ordinal and professional disputes involving legal, accounting and health professionals.
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Real estate litigation
The Firm also assists its clients in defending their interests in disputes relating to the life and valuation of their real estate assets.
This mainly covers the litigation relating to real estate acquisition and sale transactions (actions claiming or contesting ownership, forced implementation of promises to sell and disputes over indemnity clauses);
also covered are disputes relating to the execution of commercial leases (payment of rent and requests for eviction, implementation of compliance with the clauses of the lease, obligation to comply and works).
ENVIRONMENT / PUBLIC LAW
The Firm supports companies on environmental law and public law issues at all stages of their projects, whether industrial or infrastructure.
- Industrial environment and classified installations
Support in the context of the creation, operation, modifications and closure and transfer of industrial sites; preparation and follow-up of requests for administrative authorizations (particularly environmental and town-planning); support in the context of development and urban planning operations, in the negotiation of leases and land acquisitions or disposals; industrial risk support.
- Polluted sites and soils
Valorization and redevelopment of industrial wastelands (in particular third-party arrangements and environmental clauses in the deeds of transfer); follow-up of expertise and litigation measures.
- Energy and major projects
Support in the creation of road, airport and leisure infrastructure projects; assistance for the construction, operation, shutdown and dismantling of electricity production facilities (nuclear, hydroelectricity, renewables); legal framework and audit of environmental assessment files; support for public debate and consultation, in particular before the CNDP.
- Waste and product life cycle
Advice on waste management: recovery and disposal, management of by-products, removal from waste status, cross-border transfers; REP sector; support in the management of excavated soil and construction waste
- Public Law
Audit and monitoring of advertising and competition procedures; negotiations and follow-up of complex operations (delegations of public service, long-term administrative lease, partnership contract, execution of contracts).
- Litigation
Representation of the Firm's clients in all litigation related to environmental law and public law. The firm acts before administrative, civil and criminal courts.
- On-site crisis management
Support in crisis situations, in the event of industrial or health incidents/accidents.
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