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August Debouzy is strengthening its teams with the arrival of two new partners: Laure Bonin and Leila Hubeaut

Communiqué | 11/01/21 | 6 min. |

August Debouzy is welcoming two new teams to further strengthen its position:

● In financing, with Laure Bonin, as partner
● In project financing, infrastructures and energy in Africa, with Leïla Hubeaut, as partner, and Ergen Ege, as Counsel.
 

In order to address the issues facing its French and international clients and to pursue its development, August Debouzy is expanding two business areas of strategic importance to French and international economic actors: in financing, and in project financing, infrastructures and energy on the African continent. Mahasti Razavi, Managing Partner, says: “We are very excited that Laure and Leïla are joining our staff. Their excellent careers and know-how will greatly enhance our skill set and their high level of expertise is also perfectly suited to meeting the challenges we face daily in offering our clients very high added value advice”.

Financing know-how

Laure Bonin will manage August Debouzy’s financing practice, developing the firm’s know-how in corporate finance, acquisition financing, and leveraged financing. She will also seek to develop the project financing activity associated with renewable energies in France and emerging countries. Laure advises French and international banks and private debt funds. In the course of her career, she has handled substantial matters such as the simplified takeover bid of Guangdong Wencan Die Casting Co., Ltd. for Le Bélier, and, with Leïla Hubeaut, working alongside Meridiam, the development and financing of the first solar energy project in Senegal. Laure says: “Becoming part of the August Debouzy story satisfies my desire to be a key part of the development of one of the market’s flagship firms. The agility and flexibility of the firm’s organisation are a perfect match for the services that I wish to provide to my clients in national and international matters, supported by a carefully chosen network of Best Friend firms”.

The creation of an activity dedicated to project financing, infrastructures and energy in Africa

Leïla Hubeaut will create and develop the practice dedicated to project development, mergers & acquisitions, and strategic partnerships in the energy and infrastructure sectors. She will advise governments, developers, construction companies and infrastructure funds, mainly in Africa. Leïla has developed recognised know-how through her experience working on many infrastructure projects, including renewable energy and mining projects on the African continent, particularly in OHADA zone countries such as Senegal, Mali, Ivory Coast and the Republic of Congo. She has also worked pro bono on the Terrawatt initiative launched by Engie at the COP21 and now known as Open Solar Contracts, which aimed to encourage the development of solar energy worldwide by standardising contracts in order to rationalise the development and financing of solar projects. Leïla says: “We are taking up a bold and exciting challenge in joining August Debouzy to create a new practice. Our shared ambition with the teams in place is to develop a skills centre dedicated to the African continent and offering services adapted to that continent’s development. There are many promising synergies with the firm’s existing resources in arbitration, public law, compliance, financing, taxation and cyber-security”.

About Laure Bonin

Laure Bonin qualified as an advocate of the Paris Bar in 2002, and has a master’s degree in business law from the University of Paris X – Nanterre (2000).

She started her career at Jeantet (2002-2003) before working at Lovells (now Hogan Lovells) from 2003 to 2006. At the end of 2006 she joined Herbert Smith Freehills where she was appointed Of Counsel in 2012 and partner in 2016, within the Banking and Financial Services Department. She will join August Debouzy in January 2021 xxx pls check xxx as a partner of the Corporate Department’s Financing team.

Laure has an individual banking and finance listing on the international league tables of Legal 500 EMEA and Chambers & Partners. One client comments: “She has great project management and communication skills that are really beneficial when it comes to handling a large pool of lenders and difficult borrowers”. Laure practices in French and in English.

About Leïla Hubeaut

Leïla Hubeaut has been an advocate of the Paris Bar since 2003. She has a business law degree from the University of Cergy-Pontoise (1998) and a master’s degree in international business law and management from the ESCP business school (1999). She also has an LLM in international business law from the University of Boston in the United States (2002) and a certificate associated with the Climate Change and Energy programme of the Harvard Kennedy School (2019).

Leïla began her career in 2002 as part of Gide’s Projects team. From 2013 to 2017, she practiced at Herbert Smith Freehills before joining Dentons in 2018 as a partner of the Energy and Infrastructures team. She will join August Debouzy in January 2021 xxx pls check xxx as a partner of the Corporate Department’s Project Financing, Infrastructures and Energy team.

Leïla is listed on several international league tables, in projects and energy in Chambers & Partners, in projects and development (energy and mining) in IFLR1000 and in projects and energy in the Legal 500 EMEA. She is a member of the International Bar Association’s Energy, Environment, Natural Resources and Infrastructure group and of the Association of International Petroleum Negotiators (AIPN).

About Ergen Ege

Ergen has been an advocate of the Paris Bar since 2011 and has a master’s II degree in English and North American Business Law from the University of Paris Panthéon-Sorbonne (2009). After several internships at international firms Ergen began his career at Herbert Smith Freehills (2011 to 2017) as an associate with the Energy and Infrastructures group.

He joined Dentons in 2018 as a senior associate and in January 2021 will join August Debouzy xxx pls check xxx as Counsel of the Corporate Department’s Project Financing, Infrastructures and Energy team. He practices in French, Turkish and English.

About August Debouzy

August Debouzy is a business law firm. Driven by a modern vision of legal expertise and a key player in changes affecting the business world, 150 lawyers, including 32 partners, assist private and state-owned companies in France and internationally. They advise clients in successfully carrying out their projects. Each matter is approached from the company’s strategic perspective with its future in mind, to provide solutions that are creative, straightforward and effective.

www.august-debouzy.com

PRESS CONTACT

Marouane Nokri: m.nokri@eliott-markus.com

T: 01 53 41 41 98 / M: 06 17 97 28 61

AUGUST DEBOUZY CONTACT

Louis Betton: lbetton@august-debouzy.com

T: 01 45 61 51 86 / M: 06 43 87 61 77

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