Member of the Paris Bar

Laetitia Amzallag joined Vivien & Associés after her collaboration with the M&A/Corporate department at Moquet Borde & Associés (now Paul Hastings) in Paris.

She advises French and international clients on mergers and acquisitions, growth capital investments, business disposals, strategic partnerships, and joint ventures. Much of her work involves cross-border transactions to and from France, spanning sectors such as automotive, food, hospitality, and digital services.

Laetitia has built recognized expertise in renewable energy, which she has extended to agrivoltaism and agroecology. She regularly advises operators and investors on renewable or agroecology projects, assisting with acquisitions, disposals, joint ventures, and equity investments in project companies.

Member of the Lyon Bar

After working as an associate at Vivien & Associés from 2014 to 2020, Alexandra Arnould returned to the firm in 2025 as a partner. Between 2021 and 2024, she practiced with Ernst & Young Société d’Avocats in Lyon.

Working in the Mergers & Acquisitions/Corporate Law team based in Lyon, Alexandra advises French and international companies as well as investment funds on a wide range of transactions, including acquisitions, LBOs, disposals, fundraisings, and joint ventures.

She is also involved in complex restructurings, such as mergers, demergers, and partial asset contributions, and assists clients with their day-to-day corporate and commercial law matters across a variety of industries.

Member of the Paris Bar

Cécile Auvieux joined Vivien in 2026 and created the Innovation, Technologies & Intellectual property practice.

She has significant experience in strategic commercial contractual negotiations, and supports her clients at every stage of the creation, protection, commercialization and use of new technologies and intangible assets.

Cécile regularly assists clients on privacy and data protection matters. She has developed expertise in restructuring data flows in complex commercial contexts and following corporate reorganisations, mergers, or carve-outs.

She also assists companies in implementing strategic digital projects, and ensuring compliance with the full range of technology regulations, including AI, cybersecurity, connected products, data and e-commerce.

She is experienced in intellectual property matters, including IP licensing and assignment agreements, tech transfer transactions and infringement-related issues.

Prior to joining Vivien & Associés, Cécile built her expertise at international law firms and through her own practice.

Member of the Paris Bar

Emmanuelle Bouretz joined Vivien & Associés in 2009 after more than a decade in the litigation and arbitration practices at Coudert Frères and Herbert Smith LLP in Paris.

She has extensive experience advising and representing French and international companies in high-stakes commercial disputes. Her practice focuses in particular on corporate law (including shareholder conflicts and warranty claims) and banking and financial law, with a strong track record in cases involving derivatives. Emmanuelle also acts in commercial arbitration, both as counsel and as coordinator of multidisciplinary teams.

She regularly supports clients in their interactions with regulatory authorities and on compliance and financial regulation matters. She is often entrusted with leading sensitive internal investigations following whistleblowing reports or suspected breaches of ethics.

In addition to her dispute resolution practice, Emmanuelle contributes to legal thought through frequent publications in articles, collective works, and specialized encyclopedias.

Member of the Paris Bar

Jérôme Chapus co-founded Vivien & Associés in 1999 after working in the New York and Paris offices of CMS Francis Lefebvre and in the tax department of Stibbe.

He advises and represents both corporate clients and individuals, including in litigation. He regularly works alongside the corporate team on business sales and acquisitions, group reorganizations, and intra-group transactions.

His expertise includes tax audits, structuring, consolidation, as well as management packages, mergers, use of tax losses, transfer pricing, and thin capitalization issues.

Jérôme also advises on VAT matters and assists individuals with the organization of their professional and personal assets. His work covers tax residency, income tax, wealth tax, succession planning, gifts, and structuring through French real estate holding companies (SCI).

Member of the Paris Bar

Emmanuel Chauvet brings over a decade of high-level experience to Vivien & Associés, having begun his career with Slaughter and May in Paris and London before joining Ginestié Magellan Paley-Vincent, where he advised on corporate law, securities law, and financial regulation.

He advises French and international industrial and service groups on complex mergers & acquisitions and intragroup reorganizations. His practice extends to negotiating and drafting industrial contracts and representing clients in disputes arising from M&A transactions.

Emmanuel also offers recognized expertise in corporate governance and the regulation of non-profit organizations. He has built strong professional relationships with a number of foreign companies, particularly in Northern Europe and Spain.

Alongside his practice, Emmanuel teaches commercial contract law at the Sciences Po Law School in Paris.

Member of the Paris Bar

Jean-Paul Coudray joined Vivien & Associés in 2026 as a partner in M&A/Corporate team.

Admitted to the Paris Bar in 2006, he practices corporate law and M&A, as well as financial and capital markets law. After working with law firms specializing in capital markets and corporate law, he co-founded CNK ASSOCIES with Mohamed Naït Kaci in 2015, where he led the M&A/corporate practice.

He advises on mergers and acquisitions, fundraising, restructurings and complex corporate transactions for listed and unlisted companies (SMEs, mid-sized companies and large groups). He also assists with financing and capital markets transactions and has significant experience in complex negotiations, particularly in international contexts.

Member of the Paris Bar

Jacques Epstein leads the Brussels office of Vivien & Associés. He joined the firm in 2009 after more than 30 years of experience in leading French and American law firms, where he served as a partner.

With recognized expertise in cross-border acquisitions and industrial partnerships, Jacques regularly advises on complex transactions involving both French and international stakeholders. He also has substantial experience in competition law.

He assists foreign companies with acquisitions, disposals, and mergers in France, and supports French companies in their international expansion and external growth initiatives. Jacques is also called upon as mediator or counsel in dispute resolution matters.

An active contributor to legal thought, Jacques has authored numerous articles in leading journals, including Dalloz Hebdomadaire, Revue du Marché Commun, and the International Financial Law Review.

Member of the Paris Bar

Judith Fargeot co-founded Vivien & Associés in 1999 and brings more than two decades of experience advising on complex, high-stakes transactions. She began her career in the tax department of Willkie Farr & Gallagher before joining the M&A and international departments of Stibbe Simont Monahan Duhot and Herbert Smith LLP in Paris.

Renowned for her hands-on approach, Judith is closely involved in every stage of the matters she leads. She has built strong expertise in sophisticated mergers & acquisitions and complex transactions, involving industrial carve-outs, intricate price adjustment mechanisms or sensitive shareholder situations where strategic guidance is critical.

Judith counsels a distinguished French and international clientele across a wide range of industries, including entertainment and media, B2B services, energy, and agribusiness.

Member of the Paris Bar

Pierre Galmiche joined Vivien & Associés in 2025 as a partner in the economic law department.

His expertise encompasses competition law, including antitrust practices and merger control, distribution, consumer protection, and customs matters. He provides advisory and representation services to French and international companies in both advisory and contentious matters before French authorities such as the Competition Authority, DGCCRF, and Customs, as well as European authorities.

He possesses extensive experience in antitrust investigations, follow-on damages claims, and litigation involving restrictive practices. He also assists clients in designing and reviewing distribution networks, ensuring compliance with commercial and advertising practices, particularly in the alcoholic beverages, agrifood, and services sectors.

Prior to joining Vivien & Associés, Pierre held positions in several prominent law firms, where he established a well-recognized practice in economic law.

Regularly, Pierre publishes legal commentary on competition and economic regulation and participates in professional conferences in France and internationally. He is a member of AIJA (International Association of Young Lawyers) and AIDV (International Wine Law Association).

Member of the Paris Bar

Joëlle Hannelais joined the firm in 2012. She previously practiced within Bredin-Prat (1987-1989), Moquet Borde & Associés (1989-2004) and Latournerie Wolfrom & Associés (2004-2012).

Joëlle is a recognized expert in labour and employment law, in particular restructuring and transfer transactions, mass redundancy schemes, employees’ representation and negotiations with unions.

Joëlle is also involved in the conduct of outsourced internal investigations following alerts concerning harassment, discrimination, unfair competition involving employees, in the event of breaches of internal ethics rules, and more generally in disciplinary matters. We intervene at all stages of the investigation: from the initial verification of allegations and the conduct of hearings, through to the drafting of the final report and its submission, together with recommendations in the event of any malfunctioning of internal procedures revealed by the investigation. We also advise companies on how to communicate the results of the investigation, both to the author(s) of the alert and to the employee(s) implicated.

Joëlle has wide experience in litigation, in particular before labour tribunals. Her considerable experience enables her to anticipate and prepare for possible disputes arising from transactions and to reduce potential adverse consequences.

Joëlle is a member of the Association des Avocats d’Entreprise en Droit Social (AVOSIAL), the European Employment Lawyers Association (EELA) and the American Bar Association (ABA).

Member of the Paris Bar

Member of the Paris Bar

Mohamed Naït Kaci joined Vivien & Associés in 2026 as a partner in Restructuring and Business Litigation.

Mohamed will lead the Restructuring practice and will also strengthen the firm’s existing Business Litigation offering.

Admitted to the Paris Bar in 2006, he began his career in the litigation and restructuring departments of international law firms before co-founding the independent firm CNK ASSOCIES in 2015 with Jean-Paul Coudray.

Mohamed assists French and international clients — SMEs, mid-sized companies, large groups and executives — on restructuring matters. His practice covers all aspects of corporate distress, from preventive proceedings to insolvency proceedings, acting for debtors, purchasers and creditors alike. He has developed highly sought-after expertise in defending directors and officers in liability claims (wrongful trading, management bans, and personal bankruptcy). He also has extensive experience in high-stakes corporate litigation and commercial disputes, regularly representing clients before French courts and arbitral tribunals in complex and/or cross-border matters.

Member of the Paris Bar

Marine Pelletier-Capes joined Vivien & Associés in 2009, building on the experience she gained at CMS Francis Lefebvre and Bredin Prat.

She developed particular expertise in corporate and group taxation, especially in matters relating to tax consolidation, undercapitalization, and intra-group taxation. She regularly works alongside the firm’s corporate teams on acquisitions and complex reorganizations, including those requiring tax approvals or rulings.

Marine also has recognized experience in wealth taxation, executive and employee incentive schemes (management packages, employee savings plans), as well as the taxation of associations and foundations. She advises in both domestic and international contexts.

She is a member of the wealth taxation commission of the Institut des Avocats Conseils Fiscaux (IACF).

Member of the Paris Bar

Marie-Émilie Rousseau-Brunel joined Vivien & Associés in 2012, after gaining experience in the employment law department at Latournerie Wolfrom Avocats.

She advises French and international companies on all aspects of labor and social security law, both in advisory and contentious matters. Her practice covers the day-to-day management of labor relations as well as strategic projects such as reorganizations and collective redundancies.

Marie-Émilie also works in close collaboration with the firm’s corporate team, bringing targeted expertise on the employment aspects of mergers & acquisitions, disposals, and audits.

She is a member of the European Employment Lawyers Association (EELA) and the American Bar Association (ABA).

Member of the Paris Bar

Julie Tchaglass joined Vivien & Associés in 2018 and was promoted to partner in 2021. She began her career in the Paris offices of international firms Olswang (now CMS) and Latham & Watkins, where she gained significant experience in handling complex corporate transactions. 

Julie advises her clients on corporate law matters as well as their contractual and commercial issues, with a rigorous yet pragmatic approach. Her practice focuses in particular on strategic mergers and acquisitions, fundraising and private equity transactions (including LBOs and leveraged buyouts), group restructurings, as well as corporate governance and strategic partnerships. 

Julie works with French and international industrial groups, both listed and unlisted, as well as start-ups, SMEs and mid-cap companies, along with investment funds.

Member of the Paris Bar

Founder of the firm in 1999, Nicolas Vivien previously practiced in the M&A and international business departments of Debevoise & Plimpton in Paris and New York, and at Simont Monahan Duhot in Paris, where he became a partner in 1996.

Experienced and even-handed, Nicolas brings deep negotiator skills and experience to cross-border and domestic M&A transactions, including acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures and other strategic corporate projects.

Nicolas assists international clients in a wide array of industries and services. He is recognized for a practical, congenial problem-solving approach to negotiations that efficiently helps getting complex deals done.

Nicolas teaches M&A at Sciences Po Paris, one of France’s top-tier law schools. He is a trusted, longtime advisor to several prestigious French and international groups and serves on the board of several nonprofit organizations.

Member of the Paris Bar

Member of the Paris Bar

Lauriane joined the firm’s Corporate/M&A department in 2024.

She specializes in corporate law, particularly in national and international mergers & acquisitions and restructurings. She also advises clients on their day-to-day corporate law issues.

Member of the Paris Bar

Pascal joined the firm’s Corporate/M&A department in 2025.

He specializes in corporate law, particularly in national and international mergers & acquisitions and restructurings.

He also advises clients on their day-to-day corporate law issues.

Member of the Paris Bar

Lucie joined the firm’s Corporate/M&A department in 2023.

She specializes in corporate law, particularly in national and international mergers & acquisitions and restructurings. She also advises clients on their day-to-day corporate law issues.

Member of the Paris Bar

Pierre joined the firm’s Corporate/M&A department in 2025, having previously worked in first-tier international law firms in France and Canada.

He advises French and foreign investors, corporates and entrepreneurs in corporate law (day-to-day operations and intra-group reorganizations), mergers & acquisitions and capital investment.

Member of the Paris Bar

Christophe joined the firm’s labour law department in 2015.

He focuses on labour law and social security law for French companies and international undertakings with a presence in France.

Member of the Paris Bar

Chloé joined the firm’s M&A and corporate department as an associate in 2018.

She focuses on various areas of corporate law, including mergers and acquisitions and restructurings, both domestic and international as well as day-to-day corporate issues.

Member of the Paris Bar

Guénolée joined the firm’s Corporate/M&A department in 2023.

She specializes in corporate law, particularly in national and international mergers & acquisitions and restructurings. She also advises clients on their day-to-day corporate law issues.

Member of the Paris Bar

Inès joined the firm’s Corporate/M&A department in 2024.

She focuses on various areas of corporate law, including domestic and international M&A transactions as well as intra-group reorganizations. She also advises clients on their day-to-day corporate law matters.

Yet to be sworn in

Youssra joined the firm’s tax department as an associate in 2025.

She assists both corporate and individual clients in designing and implementing their tax strategies. Her practice covers corporate tax, personal and wealth taxation, as well as tax litigation.

Youssra holds a Master’s degree in Business and Tax Law (In-House Corporate Lawyers Diploma). She has completed several internships in law firms, the French tax administration, and the tax department of a major group, giving her a comprehensive and strategic understanding of a wide range of tax issues.

Yet to be sworn in

Victor joined the firm’s Litigation department in 2025.

He focuses his practice on commercial and corporate litigation before both French courts and arbitral tribunals.

Previously, Victor completed several internships with leading French and international law firms, and with the French Financial Markets Authority (AMF).

Member of the Paris Bar

Sophie Finel joined the firm’s employment law department in 2025 after having previously practised at Simmons & Simmons LLP and Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP.

She assists French and international clients on their individual and collective labour law matters, both contentious and non-contentious.

She advises companies of various sectors, notably on the implementation of dismissals, the negotiation of settlements, working time, gender equality as well as relationships with staff representatives, collective agreements, mass redundancies or the employment aspects of corporate operations.

Sophie is registered with the Paris Bar since January 2018, holds a master’s degree in Employment law from the University of Paris II – Assas and studied at the University of Oxford.

Member of the Paris Bar

Mathilde joined the firm’s Corporate/M&A department as an associate in 2021.

She focuses on various areas of corporate law, including domestic and international M&A transactions as well as intra-group reorganizations. She also advises clients on day-to-day corporate law matters.

Member of the Paris Bar

Louis joined the firm’s Litigation department in 2020.

He focuses his practice on commercial, criminal and corporate litigation, before both state and arbitration courts.

Previously, Louis worked for a leading French law firm in litigation, representing both French and foreign clients.

Yet to be sworn in

Nour joined the firm’s Corporate/M&A department in 2025.
Admitted to the New York Bar, she focuses on various areas of corporate law, including domestic and international M&A transactions as well as intra-group reorganizations. She also advises clients on their day-to-day corporate law matters.

Member of the Paris Bar

Paul joined the firm’s labour law department in 2024.

He focuses on labour law and social security law for French companies and international undertakings with a presence in France.

Paul has completed various internships at a leading French law firm, in the office of the Minister of Labor, and at the French National Assembly with a deputy specializing in employment and labor law issues.

Yet to be sworn in

Justine joined the firm’s Corporate/M&A department in 2025.

She focuses on various areas of corporate law, including domestic and international M&A transactions as well as intra-group reorganizations. She also advises clients on day-to-day corporate law matters.

Member of the Paris Bar

Guillaume joined the firm’s Corporate/M&A department in 2024.

He specializes in corporate law, particularly in national and international mergers & acquisitions and restructurings. He also advises clients on their day-to-day corporate law issues.

Member of the Paris Bar

Garance joined the firm’s labour law department in 2024.

She focuses in labor and social security law for French companies and international undertakings with a presence in France. She works on both advisory and litigation matters.

Garance holds a Master’s degree in labor law from the Université Paris-Est-Créteil (UPEC), which she rounded out with internships in the labor law departments of French business law firms.

Garance also has professional experience as a Supply Chain executive with one of France’s leading food manufacturers. She has worked in Singapore and Barcelona.

This diversified background gives her a global and multi-skilled vision of the professional world.

Yet to be sworn in

Camille joined the firm’s Corporate/M&A department in 2025.

She focuses on various areas of corporate law, including domestic and international M&A transactions as well as intra-group reorganizations. She also advises clients on day-to-day corporate law matters.

Member of the Paris Bar

Anne-Claire joined the firm’s tax department as an associate in 2022.

As a member of the tax department since 2021, she assists clients, whether legal entities or individuals, in the implementation of a tax strategy.

Her expertise covers corporate, personal and patrimonial taxation as well as tax litigation.

Anne-Claire holds a Master’s degree in Business Law (In-House Corporate Lawyers Diploma) and has completed several internships in law firms as well as in tax departments of major French companies. These experiences have enabled her to master a wide range of business related tax issues.

Member of the Paris Bar

Octave joined the firm’s Litigation department in 2024.

He specialises in commercial and corporate litigation before both French courts and arbitral tribunals. Previously, Octave practised international arbitration and litigation in the Paris office of an American firm.

Member of the Paris Bar

Audrey joined the firm’s Litigation and Restructuring department in 2026.

She focuses on insolvency proceedings and commercial litigation before both French courts and arbitral tribunals.

Member of the Paris Bar

Elisa was admitted to the bar in 2018. She joined the firm in 2025 as part of the Competition Law department. Before joining Vivien & Associés, she practiced in law firms in Paris and worked as in-house counsel for a major international group.

She advises on competition law matters, in particular with regard to merger control. She also assists clients with their day-to-day issues in economic law (contracts, distribution, consumer law), both in advisory and litigation contexts.

Elisa has also been a tutor in Competition Law at Paris Nanterre University (Paris X) for several years.

Member of the Paris Bar

Julie joined the firm’s Corporate/M&A department in 2024.

She specializes in corporate law, particularly in national and international mergers & acquisitions, and restructurings, across a variety of industries.She also advises clients on their day-to-day corporate law issues.

Member of the Paris Bar

Martin joined the firm’s Corporate/M&A department as an associate in 2021 after nearly two years as an intern and associate with the Paris office of Linklaters.

He focuses on various areas of corporate law, including domestic and international mergers and acquisitions and intra-group restructurings. He also advises the firm’s clients for general corporate advisory work.

Member of the Paris Bar

Jean-Luc is a lawyer at the Paris Bar since 1984 and he is now Of Counsel, graduated from Harvard Law School and holds a doctorate in law (Paris-Assas). He has extensive experience advising French and international companies and investment funds on mergers & acquisitions, restructuring and equity transactions.

Jean-Luc joined Vivien & Associés in September 2019 after 35 years as partner at international lawfirms (White & Case, Slaughter & May, Dentons, and Lefévre Pelletier).

A recognised player in private equity both in France and in Africa, Jean-Luc is the author of the “Guide du Private Equity” published by Option Finance in 2016, and co-editor of the “Livre Blanc du Capital-investissement en Afrique” published by France Invest in 2017.

Jean-Luc has been actively involved in humanitarian programs in France, and in 1995 founded the NGO Droits d’Urgence, the largest French NGO (50 employees, 400 volunteers) to provide access to justice for the disadvantaged. Jean-Luc chaired Droits d’Urgence for about ten years. He is a member of the Boards of the American NGO PILnet and the Break Poverty Foundation.

He is a regular speaker at international conferences, and since 2016 has been instrumental in the establishment of the Paris Conference of the International Economic Forum of the Americas.

Consultant - International Business Relations and Development

Simon assists the partners with the development of the firm’s international practice and the establishment and maintenance of the firm’s relationships with leading firms around the world.

Simon has had many years’ experience representing clients on international and cross-border transactions, projects and arbitration. He is currently admitted in England. He was the founder of a successful commercial boutique firm in Western Australia, a partner of an Australian national firm and most recently a partner of the international firm, K&L Gates LLP where he was also a Global Practice Area Leader in its Energy, Infrastructure and Resources practice.

Office Manager

Karine Aublin joined the firm in August 2010 and has been the Office Manager since October 2017.

With over 28 years of professional experience in leading French and international law firms, she ensures the smooth day-to-day operations of the firm.

She has professional proficiency in English.

Assistant

Assistant

Receptionist

Mary is a versatile assistant at the firm. She manages reception and the switchboard, oversees office supplies, and supports the Office Manager.

She holds a DEUG in Applied Foreign Languages (French, Spanish, English).

Mary has previous experience as a Production/Artistic Assistant at Francis Dreyfus Music, Administrative Assistant at Program 33 Productions (films and music documentaries), and Beauty & Production Assistant for new product launches at Estée Lauder in Paris.

Documentalist

Séverine has been the firm’s Documentation Manager for eight years.

She is responsible for legal monitoring, research, and managing relationships with publishers and legal service providers.

Séverine brings over 20 years of experience in various law firms and four years in the financial sector.

She holds a Master’s degree in Information and Documentation Sciences and has professional proficiency in English.

Assistant

Marie-Emmanuelle joined the firm at the end of 2018.

She holds a Bachelor's degree in Applied Foreign Languages (English-German) and a Master’s degree in British Literature.

Her responsibilities include creating and managing files through to billing, handling legal formalities, managing the RPVA and Carpa platforms, preparing litigation files, conducting case law research, and organizing business trips. She also participates in recruiting interns and staff, as well as organizing firm events and sports activities.

Receptionist

Patty has been with the firm for over 16 years.

She has a literary background and holds a Master’s degree in English and Comparative Literature (LCE). She initially pursued diverse professional experiences in the automotive sector (Peugeot-Citroën) and then in the insurance industry (Tour GAN – La Défense).

She joined Vivien & Associés over 16 years ago and has been serving as Receptionist since then.

Polyvalent agent

Tiago has been a versatile assistant at Vivien & Associés for one and a half years.

He handles reception, logistics, reprography, office security, and provides support to the Office Manager.

Tiago holds a Master’s degree and an MBA in Digital Strategy.

Assistant

Assistant

Wendy supports the firm’s partners and associates, bringing administrative rigor and dynamism to the firm’s communications.

Her previous professional experience in customer service and luxury hospitality has made her highly adaptable and skilled.

She holds a degree in Digital Tourism and Hospitality and speaks French, English, Spanish, and has knowledge of Italian.