Addleshaw Goddard is stepping up its post-Brexit European presence with the opening of a Paris office, hiring 18 lawyers from Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner (BCLP) and four from K&L Gates.

The French move doubles the firm’s continental European offering, adding to its existing practice in Hamburg, which opened in June 2019, also following a BCLP raid.

The 18-strong team arriving from BCLP is led by its Paris managing partner Rémy Blain – who lead Addleshaw’s Paris office – while four real estate lawyers led by partner Edouard Vitry joined from K&L Gates at the start of January. 

John Joyce, Addleshaws managing partner, said: “Clients are increasingly telling us that their preference is for an integrated cross-border capability. Opening an office in the two largest eurozone economies in quick succession is an important milestone in our plan to build over the coming years a meaningful presence in the major European markets to better service global and UK corporates.” 

He added: “Our German office has quickly exceeded expectations and Paris is a unique opportunity to bring a second profitable, market-leading practice to the firm in another key European centre identified by clients.”

The team from BCLP also includes corporate partner Antoine Martin and counsel Mathieu Taupin – who joins as a partner –  and litigation counsel David Père and Cécile Terret, who also become partners at their new firm.

M&A specialist Fabrice Bouquier, a registered foreign lawyer in BCLP’s Hong Kong office, will initially join Addleshaws in Hong Kong before returning to Paris later in the year, also becoming a partner.

Blain had been at Bryan Cave since April 2015, following a 10-year spell at Paris firm Marvell. He also previously worked in-house as GC at Airbus Defence and Security and as a senior international counsel at Total. Martin joined legacy firm Bryan Cave in 2016 from Eversheds, where he was head of the Paris corporate and commercial department for almost a decade. He had earlier spells at Winston & Strawn, Stibbe and Davis Polk & Wardwell. Taupin also followed Martin to Bryan Cave in 2016 from Eversheds and Winston & Strawn before that.

Vitry, meantime, spent almost 10 years as head of real estate at K&L Gates. He previously had stints at Simmons & Simmons and Richards Butler (now Reed Smith).

Joyce said: “The Paris teams are very well known and respected in their markets and share our vision to offer the very best client experience and importantly the values which underpin our culture.”

BCLP said it remained committed to its Paris office, which it has expanded significantly over the past year, including the arrival of a 21-strong team from Franklin at the start of 2020 and seven real estate lawyers from CMS Francis Lefebvre Avocats in October.