Bio

I am an American trained lawyer who has practiced corporate and technology law in France for the last 24 years. I am admitted to the Bars of Paris, New York and Washington DC, and I advise some of the world's leading technology companies, located primarily in Silicon Valley and Route 128 on their expansion into France and the European Union. My first area of expertise, M&A, is based on sophisticated cross-border acquisitions and transactions, often on behalf of foreign acquirers purchasing French or European companies, but also assisting European sellers in their negotiations with foreign purchasers. My second area of expertise is in Information Technology and more specifically, licensing agreements, cloud computing, broadcasting technology, EU privacy, ecommerce and internet regulatory issues. Additionally, I am regularly called upon to manage trans-Atlantic litigation and arbitration matters on behalf of clients. Due to my dual qualifications (France and US), I frequently advises US and other non-French companies involved in French litigation and actively participate in all stages of litigation, from initial counselling, through the preparation of pleadings, oral argument, appeals, and enforcement of court decisions. Similarly, i advise French companies which are involved in American litigation, including class actions, and have actively counselled them on the best strategies in order to minimize risks to the group in France. I often serve as an expert witness in arbitrations in the United States where technical points of French law questions have been the subject of arbitrations, providing both expert opinions and testifying before arbitration panels and in mediation. I have published a book on French law for foreign investments, as well as numerous articles in both English and French on various topics of business law, and am a frequently solicited speaker on issues of international law and business for both French and English-language media, including numerous speaking engagements at Stanford Law School (Palo Alto, California). My many public speaking engagements include the Stanford University E-commerce Best Practices Conference, held annually in June, the International Section of the San Francisco Bar Association and various French Chambers of Commerce. Fluent in French and English, I hold a law degree from Yale Law School and a Bachelor of Arts from Columbia University. I belong to the New York and Washington Bars and to the Paris Bar.