Frederic Lalance

Partner

Paris

Frédéric Lalance, head of the Paris Office Litigation Group, has been advising and representing major French and international companies for almost forty years in complex pre-litigation and litigation proceedings, with a particular focus on commercial litigation and compliance.

Frédéric assists his clients in litigation arising from commercial, industrial and financial disputes, corporate law and insolvency proceedings, both before the French courts and in multi-jurisdictional cases – notably in Africa before the courts of OHADA jurisdictions.

He also assists his clients in international arbitration and alternative dispute resolution proceedings.

Frédéric advises French and foreign groups in investigations by administrative or judicial authorities involving bribery and corruption issues. He has deep experience in internal investigations (national and cross-border), and in the implementation of compliance programs.

Frédéric is consistently ranked as a leading litigator in France by the major legal benchmarking directories. He is the author of several publications on developments in litigation and anti-corruption regulation.

  • Assisting and representing the owners of the Dogan, Limak and Sabanci groups that have been named, with 35 other defendants, as co-defendants in proceedings brought by the Uzan brothers before the Tribunal Judiciaire of Paris where Claimants pursue €68 billion in damages claims.

    Successfully representing Air Liquide in a wordwide multijurisdictional product liability dispute involving three arbitral institutions and one judicial forum.

    Representing the Consortium de Réalisation (CDR) in the Executive Life matter concerning the acquisition of junk bonds and the insurance business of the failed Executive Life Insurance Company of California.

    Representing Arcoles Industries in securing the dismissal of claims of almost €400 million variously brought by the judicial liquidator, the AGS (the French wage guarantee organization), almost 1,000 former employees, and two trade unions in relation to the insolvency of two of Arcoles’ former subsidiairies Mory Ducros and Mory Global.

    Representing DNCA in various procedures initiated before the French commercial courts and the French Supreme Court to gain approval of the CGG safeguard plan.

    Providing advice and litigation support on the enforcement in France of judgments of the Moscow Arbitration Court against various third parties.

    Representing a multinational company in defending enforcement measures initiated by a longstanding opponent from the Democratic Republic of Congo against assets based in the Ivory Coast before the Courts of Abidjan.

    Representing a multinational company bringing claims for losses arising out of a mining project in the Democratic Republic of Congo and recovering damages in various jurisdictions from a successful English High Court award and defending counterclaims brought by the opposing party.

    Representing African company Gécamines in a dispute with DRC-based Forrest Group regarding the execution of a sales agreement. Representation included several procedures before the Brussels Commercial Court and Court of Appeal and commercial negotiations which resulted in the conclusion of a settlement agreement.

    Advising an African state in the context of an ICC arbitration against an African commodities company regarding the development of an industrial park in the African state.

    Successfully representing the Republic of Guinea in defending enforcement measures initiated in France further to an award rendered by the « Cour Commune de Justice et d’Arbitrage de l’Organisation pour l’Harmonisation en Afrique du Droit des Affaires » (CCJA).

    Representing the Asian Development Bank in successfully arguing absolute immunity from jurisdiction as an international financial institution before the French courts.

    Assisting a world leader in the engineering industry in an internal anticorruption investigation in the context of the construction of the largest hydroelectric dam in South America.

    Assisting a French listed group as part of an international audit aimed at assessing the efficiency of its corruption prevention program.

    Representing a global agricultural merchant company bringing insurance claims for losses in the context of the war in Ukraine.

    Representing an international institution defending its immunity from jurisdiction before the French courts.

    Representing investment funds in the numerous disputes initiated by a few unsatisfied creditors and shareholders against the financial safeguarding plan of ORPEA, a leading elderly care company.