People

Ahmed Boulahcen Managing Associate

Paris

He focuses on project finance transactions and advises sponsors, debt providers and governments on the structuring and financing of various energy and infrastructure transactions across Europe, Africa and Latin America.

His experience includes a wide range of debt financing transactions (senior, junior, mezzanine, loans, bonds, multilateral development financings, export financings, etc.). He has also been involved in infrastructure M&A/private equity and restructuring transactions in connection with strategic assets.

Ahmed has gained substantial experience working on high-profile energy and infrastructure deals, including public-private, transport, telecom, energy transition and IPP projects.

Prior to joining Orrick, Ahmed practised several years within the Energy & Infrastructure teams of major international law firms in Paris.

Benjamin Cichostepski-Lesage Partner

Paris; Paris Tech Studio

Ben is the founding partner of Orrick's French Tech Companies Group. For more than 15 years, he has been advising high-potential innovative companies as well as venture and tech growth investors on all their corporate private equity and M&A transactions in France and globally.

As such, he is involved in every stage of their development, from incubation and fundraising to external growth and industrial exits as well as public offerings (IPO, secondary).

Ben has significant experience advising French companies expanding into the United States, and assists them over the full lifecycle of their overseas growth. He also counts a number of American investors and buyers among his clients.

From his first venture deal in 2006, where he represented Lightspeed Venture Partners in Wikio’s Series A, which became Teads, a company he then accompanied for 11 years until its sale to Altice, Ben has led more than 320 corporate tech transactions. He has been involved in the main exit transactions in recent years, particularly those with a franco-american element such as Neolane/Adobe, La Fourchette/TripAdvisor, Stupeflix/GoPro, eNovance/Red Hat, Regaind/Apple, Zenly/Snap, Teads/Altice, Getaround/Drivy, Glose/Medium, Sqreen/Datadog, Lalilo/Renaissance Learning, Tempow/Google, Context/Integral Ad Science, Monk/ACV Auctions, Cajoo/Flink, Shipfix/Veson Nautical, Bereal/Voodoo.

Ben's leadership has contributed to placing Orrick as the #1 Venture Capital and Tech Growth practice in France (ranked #1 by Pitchbook in 2021, 2022, 2023 - CF News in 2022, 2023). 

Recognized as a key lawyer in the market in venture capital and tech growth, Ben was ranked No. 1 in the "Top 10 Influential French Venture Capital Lawyers in Private Equity 2023" by Business Today. He was named "Lawyer of the Year" in the 2023 edition of Best Lawyers France in the Venture Capital category. He is also ranked as a Leading Individual by The Legal 500 EMEA in Private Equity - Venture Capital/Growth Capital since 2020 and was voted as the most active tech lawyer in France in 2019 by transaction volume in CF News’ ranking.

Ben is the founder of Orrick Paris Tech Studio, a one of a kind office and working space created in June 2022 and located in the heart of the Paris Tech scene, which is the headquarters of Orrick's French Tech practice.

Paolo Danelzik Associate

Paris

Paolo's practice focuses on restructuring and insolvency advising all the stakeholders (debtors, shareholders, creditors and investors) whether in an amicable or judicial context.

Prior to joining Orrick, he gained professional experience in the restructuring departments of international law firms.

Pierre de Boutiny Associate

Paris

He advises notably banks and sponsors on complex transactions for the financing of infrastructure projects, PPP, concessions and real estate portfolios, in France and abroad, as well as on debt restructuring.

Pierre regularly intervenes on the financing of PPP and concessions projects. He participates, in particular, in drafting complex agreements for the financing of public facilities (public buildings, ports and motorways, telecommunication grids and rolling stocks).

Pierre has also a significant track record in the real estate sector, advising both arrangers and borrowers on complex operations to finance buildings and property portfolio as well as their securitization aspects and restructuring.

Quitterie De La Poype Associate

Paris

Quitterie's practice covers European and French competition law, both as counsel and litigation: merger control, cartels and state aid. She also devotes part of her practice to foreign investment control and represents clients in a wide range of sectors such as energy, infrastructure, and technology.

Prior to joining Orrick, Quitterie completed several internships in the competition departments of Peltier Juvigny Marpeau & Associés, Dechert and Latham & Watkins, as well as in the legal department of Engie.

Alexandre Desroches Managing Associate

Paris

Alexandre is involved in project financing and acquisition financing in the energy and infrastructure sectors. He advises sponsors (industrial and funds), financial institutions and governments.

He works on high-profile transactions in the French market, as well as on cross-border transactions. His area of expertise covers a wide range of financing operations (senior, junior, mezzanine, loans, and bond issues).

His experience includes public-private partnership financings, telecommunications, transportation, and renewable energy projects (in particular in the photovoltaic sector).

Before joining Orrick, Alexandre spent five years at a leading American law firm, where he developed significant expertise in financing.

Marc Diab Maalouf Senior Associate

Paris

Marc advises investment funds, industrial groups, listed companies, and startups, both French and international, on all aspects of business law, particularly in the context of acquisitions, disposals, mergers, reorganizations, and strategic partnerships. 

He is particularly active in the infrastructure, renewable energy, and new technology sectors, both in France and internationally.

Before joining Orrick in 2019, Marc interned at various leading international law firms in Paris.

Nicole Dolenz Partner

Paris

Nicole has more than 20 years’ experience representing clients in international arbitration and all forms of dispute resolution. Dual trained in both civil and common law jurisdictions, Nicole has conducted arbitrations under all the main international arbitration rules including the ICC, AAA, SCC, UNCITRAL, ICDR and ICSID as well as local European arbitration institutions such as the Vienna Chamber (VIAC), CEPANI, Swiss Chamber and DIS. Her cases have spanned a variety of industries including oil and gas, nuclear energy, aviation, construction, technology, food and beverages, transportation, and insurance.

 Nicole has worked on multi-billion dollar gas price review arbitrations for major European producers and several bet the company construction arbitrations, including an US$8 billion ICC arbitration for the world’s largest shipbuilder. She is frequently nominated to act as arbitrator and speaks and publishes regularly on questions of international commercial and investment arbitration, including The International Comparative Legal Guide to: Investor-State Arbitration 2019 – Country Questions and Answers: France. Nicole is a former member of the Executive Board and Global Boards of ICDR Y&I and practices in English, German, French and has a working knowledge of Spanish and Portuguese.  

 Prior to joining Orrick, Nicole practiced in one of the biggest law firms in the world in New York for six years, an Austrian firm in Vienna for five years and a major U.S. firm in Paris for seven years.

Lara Donnedieu de Vabres Senior Associate

Paris

Her practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions, corporate, venture capital and private equity, notably on cross-border transactions.

Prior to joining Orrick, Lara worked on corporate and tax matters as a legal intern at Orrick’s Paris office, Jeantet's Paris office and Arsène Taxand's Paris Office.

Benoit Feroldi Managing Associate

Paris

He advises clients on public, administrative, and regulatory law, with a particular focus on government contracts, including public procurements, concessions, and public-private partnerships as well as various regulatory matters. His practice includes litigation related to regulated industries such as energy, electronic communications, and transportation.

He advises both sponsors and lenders, and also works with public entities.

Before joining Orrick, Benoit spent nearly three years at a major American law firm and two years at a major French law firm. He also completed an internship at the Conseil d’État, the French Administrative Supreme Court.

Léa Fiorenza Managing Associate

Paris; Paris Tech Studio

Léa assists startups and more mature technology companies in all stages of their development, from their creation to their fundraising operations and eventual sale.

Léa assists entrepreneurs in the development and implementation of governance strategies and employee incentive plans tailored to their needs.

She is particularly interested in the DeepTech and MedTech sectors.

Outside her practice, she lectures on venture capital at the EDHEC Business School.

Julie Fock Lapp Managing Associate

Paris

She focuses on corporate law, including M&A, joint ventures, and private equity transactions.

Julie advises French and International companies on all aspects of corporate law, as well as investment funds, management teams or founders.

Prior to joining Orrick, Julie was an associate at an international law firm and at a Magic Circle firm in Paris.