Franklin Société d'Avocats

Franklin offers an independent alternative to the Paris offices of major international network firms. Its lawyers advise to a global best practice standard, offering clients the expertise of more than 80 lawyers in all core areas of commercial law.

The firm has built its practice around the needs of French and international companies, public entities and financial institutions.

• Independent: the firm is staunchly independent, with a light operating structure, which enables it to be cost-effective, flexible and, in cross-border deals, truly free to choose the overseas counsel best suited to the specific needs of each project.
• International: the firm’s lawyers are not only comfortable working in English, but many of them – including all the partners – have deep experience outside France and are thus able to respond effectively to the needs of international clientele.
• Expert: every department in the firm is ranked among the leaders in France in its area of expertise.
• With strong partner presence: a critical factor for many of the firm’s clients – its lawyers are highly reactive, working in small teams with active partner involvement and reporting throughout the life of each matter.
• And deep knowledge of your business: while many firms pay lip service to this idea, Franklin takes the time to create stable, multi-practice teams that offer commercially viable solutions based on a deep understanding of your business needs.

A tried and tested ability to handle cross-border work is fundamental to the firm’s success. Most of its activities have a global dimension. It works with overseas entities in relation to their French operations and French and global clients on their major cross-border mandates. Franklin often leads global teams of lawyers from a number of firms.

The vast majority of the firm’s lawyers have worked or studied outside France in addition to their French qualifications. All of its partners, two of whom are American, have always worked in globally focused law firms. Many of its partners are dual-qualified, typically Paris and New York, and all of the firm’s lawyers work comfortably in English.

Franklin has often been solicited as a merger partner by leading global players in its market, yet the firm has chosen to remain independent. This choice is key to its ability to best develop its global offering for clients by selecting freely, based only on the expertise required for each matter, the most competent lawyers in the relevant countries.

Areas of practice: In over 25 years of practice, Franklin has built its reputation around its recognised expertise. It leverages these skills, some of them very specific, such as structuring major projects in the energy sector, through its 16 practice areas and 16 sectors.

The firm’s practice areas include corporate finance/M&A, employment law, litigation, arbitration, banking & finance, public law/regulatory, environment, compliance, private equity, projects/energy, real estate, restructuring, intellectual property, insurance, tax, data protection and private equity.