The merger will make the combined firm, LPA CGR, one of the top 10 independent French firms by turnover. It will boast a team of 40 partners and another 120 lawyers and have offices in Paris, Algiers, Casablanca, Munich, Hong Kong, Shanghai and most recently Tokyo. The firm also intends to open offices in francophone Central Africa and the Middle East over the course of the year.

The committees

LPA CGR will be led by a three-strong management committee, comprised of two partners from Lefèvre and one from CGR. They will be joined by another CGR partner and three Lefèvre partners to form an executive committee.

Anticipating changes

CGR managing partner Philippe Raybaud said the merger would allow the firm to meet its strategy aims of strengthening its existing teams, boost its M&A capabilities, and develop its international presence. He added: ‘Part of the decision to go into this merger is that we believe that the market has to consolidate. We wanted to be one of the first ones to do so, rather than the last.’ Source: The Lawyer