International law firm McDermott Will & Emery announced today the appointment of partner Guillaume Panuel and a team of associates including Houda Bourrich, Agathe Marcelin and Bréa Kamtcheu, into its Private Equity practice in France.

The team adds deep fund structuring experience to the Firm’s Paris office and will develop secondary transactions capabilities in collaboration with McDermott’s existing Private Equity team comprising 10 partners and nearly 50 lawyers in Paris.

“Guillaume’s arrival is of strategic importance to our Paris office as it enables us to offer our clients a fully comprehensive Private Equity service, including transactional, financing, taxation and regulatory capabilities, and now also fund structuring and secondary operations,” said Grégoire Andrieux, Managing Partner of the Firm’s Paris office. “On a more personal note, Guillaume’s values, energy and ambition fit very well with McDermott’s DNA and we are excited to welcome him and his team to the Firm.”

Guillaume Panuel has significant experience in all types of structuring funds, both national and multi-jurisdictional. He advises management teams on obtaining AMF approvals and guides clients through regulatory and governance rules, helping them in the implementation of profit-sharing mechanisms. His clients include Capza, ODDO BHF Private Equity and Omnes Capital.

“Guillaume’s arrival provides a further boost to our thriving Private Equity team,” said Harris Siskind, Global Head of McDermott’s Transactions practice. “In response to our clients’ increasing transactional needs, we have been growing our Private Equity teams throughout our international offices. Guillaume and his team will complement our existing French offering and create direct synergies with our teams across Europe and globally to achieve superior results for our clients.”

As well as extensive primary transactional experience, Guillaume Panuel has also developed cutting-edge know-how in secondary transactions, both on the seller or buyer side. He has recently advised on numerous secondary deals conducted by GPs in France and abroad, i.e., GP-led and continuation funds. He also represented the investment teams of Amundi PEF, Crédit Agricole Indosuez, Eurazeo, Ekkio Capital and Edmond de Rothschild, among others, in connection with their primary investments and/or secondary transactions.

“I am very excited to be joining McDermott,” said Guillaume. “I was attracted to its strong offering in the private equity space, including its expertise in fund financing and the ability to tackle complex tax-related issues – both of which are of key importance to my clients. I am very much looking forward to working with my new colleagues whose level of excellence is well-recognized in the market.”

McDermott’s Paris office now comprises more than 110 lawyers, including 25 partners and 14 counsel.

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