International law firm Brown Rudnick LLP continues to expand in Europe with the appointment of six new attorneys to its cross-channel restructuring team, maintaining its drive to position itself as a leader within the industry.

The expansion strengthens Brown Rudnick’s position in geographically strategic marketplaces and significantly increases its Paris office’s capacity in restructuring, the firm’s flagship practice in Europe and the United States.

Joining the firm are two new partners, Pierre-Alain Bouhénic and David Chijner, together with the professionals assisting them, including counsel Arnaud Moussatoff, Marta de Franciscis, and Emmanuelle Naulais. The new additions join Brown Rudnick’s renowned cross-channel restructuring team, which operates from the firm’s London and Paris offices. Comprised of experienced restructuring professionals, such as leading practitioner Didier Bruère-Dawson, Brown Rudnick’s restructuring team now features more than twenty partners globally.

“These new hires will strengthen Brown Rudnick’s position in the European restructuring market and enable us to further broaden the range of experience we are able to offer our clients to support them in handling complex cases, such as internal bail-in operations, on which the restructuring and arbitration teams work hand in hand,” said Sébastien Bonnard, managing partner of the Paris office.

Didier Bruère-Dawson added, “The firm’s strength lies in the fact that it does not operate in units, but in a fully integrated fashion between London and the United States, where many investors are located, and Paris, a promising marketplace for such investors. It is therefore able to offer an immediate service regarding structurings and restructurings, both national and international (representing more than 20% of restructuring operations involving both solvent and insolvent companies, according to EU data), in sectors as diverse as retail, airlines, and energy.”

Responding to Faster Economic Cycles

With three French partners dedicated to restructuring, Brown Rudnick is positioning itself in Paris as one of the key platforms in this area of practice.

“Preventing and handling corporate difficulties is no longer an activity associated with periods of economic crisis, but now takes place in response to sector-specific crises and periods of economic transformation,” said Bouhénic and Chijner.

“To address this acceleration of economic cycles and the multiple causes of, and therefore possible solutions to, the challenges our clients face, we have chosen to join Brown Rudnick, whose presence and excellent positioning in the marketplace constitute major strengths.”

Thanks to its strong cross-channel restructuring team, Brown Rudnick is positioned as a key player, acting both as counsel and in litigation proceedings concerning:

Complex restructurings – whether involving solvent groups or companies subject to insolvency proceedings;
Complex business transactions (distressed M&As, complex transactions in the context of disagreements between shareholders, etc.); and
The preparation and structuring of new financing or refinancing solutions, such as mezzanine financing through trusts and bond issues.
General Equity Capital Experience in All Sectors

The Brown Rudnick restructuring team acts on behalf of companies and groups in difficulty, financial shareholders, and industrial and financial investors, and is able to work in any sector.

“The hospitality industry, retail, oil & gas, the media, agrifood, and distribution are all sectors currently experiencing problems and in which we regularly work alongside our clients, thanks to our knowledge of the general equity capital industry,” said Bouhénic, Chijner, and Bruère-Dawson.

As the firm grows, we seek opportunities to add strong people to practice areas where we are a recognized leader,” said Neil Micklethwaite, managing partner of the firm’s London office. “This team fits into that strategy and will be a real asset to the firm.”