A comprehensive approach

August Debouzy provides premier legal services and expert guidance for all your M&A needs; we advise on major transactions, including acquisitions, sales, mergers, and joint ventures.

Our team is comprised of lawyers with extensive experience in financing, taxation, competition law, employment law, IT and patents. With a multi-disciplinary toolkit and an international network, we offer our clients comprehensive bespoke services.

Building long-term strong client relationships is our top priority.
 

Interventions

  • M&A

  • Acquiring and selling a business

  • Employment and tax implications of M&A transactions

  • Intra-group restructurings

  • Corporate governance and corporate affairs

  • Litigation

August Debouzy provides premier legal services and expert guidance for all your M&A needs; we advise on major transactions, including acquisitions, sales, mergers, and joint ventures.

Our team is comprised of lawyers with extensive experience in financing, taxation, competition law, employment law, IT and patents. With a multi-disciplinary toolkit and an international network, we offer our clients comprehensive bespoke services.

Building long-term strong client relationships is our top priority.
 

Acquiring and selling a business

With decades of experience in both national and international transactions, we have a proven track record of securing optimal results for our public and private clients.

Our lawyers are equipped to work on a wide range of transactions, such as takeovers, sales, distressed M&A, joint ventures, partial asset contributions, mergers, spin-offs, and more. 

We support our clients throughout the transaction process with extensive legal services, including: 
  • Target Identification
  • Risk audit 
  • Due diligence 
  • Drafting letters of intent 
  • Drafting confidentiality, exclusivity, and firm offer agreements
  •  Management of data room
  • Strategic advisory 
  • Negotiation and drafting contracts (asset and liability guarantees, financing, shareholder agreements...) 
  • Notification to authorities
  • Signing / Closing 
  • Compliance evaluations




 

Employment and tax implications of M&A transactions

Our team conducts a thorough evaluation of the social and tax implications before any merger or acquisition. This is to ensure our clients’ transactions are totally secure in the long term.

We provide a wide range of critical services in the leadup to major transactions, including compliance and risk audits of potential targets, analysis of the collective agreements in place, and engagement procedures with employee bodies. 

Intra-group restructurings

We support major corporations with their restructuring efforts, cross-border mergers, and subsidiary formation.

Corporate governance and corporate affairs

Our team provides constant support for any governance issues that may arise, including: 

  • Selecting tax and legal structure 
  • ​​Drafting regulations and charters 
  • Preparing resolutions and for shareholders meetings 
  • Incident management
  • Conflict of interest resolution 
  • Approval of annual accounts 
  • Management of corporate groups 
  • Assistance to Publicly Traded Companies 
  • Compliance and internal control audits 
  • Governance audits 
 

Litigation

Our litigation team is widely recognized for its expertise on a wide range of corporate disputes, including shareholder disputes, post-acquisition litigation, enforcement of warranties and liabilities, and executive staff liability cases. 

Team

  • Working languages: French, English, Spanish, German, Italian, Czech and Russian

Rewards

August Debouzy's extensive work on several high-profile international transactions in 2019 helped establish the firm as a leading player in this space. We work with clients from various sectors, including: aerospace, defense, telecommunications, energy, commerce, healthcare, tech, and consumer credit. The firm specializes in major transactions and can mobilize a wide range of expertise to support our clients. Key figures in the team include Julien Aucomte, Julien Wagmann, Jérôme Brosset, and Valéry Denoix de Saint Marc.

LEGAL 500

In addition to a strong handling of legal matters, August Debouzy are also very smooth when matters become tense and require a subtle mix of technical competence and psychology.

Chambers & Partners Europe 2024

Corporate/M&A : High-end Capability

Band 5

Chambers & Partners Europe 2024

Julien Aucomte

Band 6

Chambers & Partners Europe 2024

Restructuring/Insolvency : Laurent Cotret

Band 4

Chambers & Partners Global 2024

Corporate/M&A : High-end Capability

Band 5

Chambers & Partners Global 2024

Julien Aucomte

Band 6

Legal 500 EMEA 2024

Industry focus : Energy

Tier 3

Legal 500 EMEA 2024

Private equity : LBO

Tier 3

Legal 500 EMEA 2024

Private Equity : venture/growth capital

Tier 3

Legal 500 EMEA 2024

Insolvency

Tier 3

Legal 500 EMEA 2024

Laurent Cotret

Leading individual

Legal 500 EMEA 2024

Mergers and acquisitions

Tier 4

IFLR 1000 2023

M&A

Tier 5

IFLR 1000 2023

Banking

Tier 5

IFLR 1000 2023

Restructuring

Tier 4

IFLR 1000 2023

Project development

Other notable

IFLR 1000 2023

Pierre Descheemaeker : M&A

Highly regarded

IFLR 1000 2023

Laurent Cotret: Restructuring

Highly regarded

IFLR 1000 2023

Julien Wagmann: M&A, Corporate

Highly regarded

IFLR 1000 2023

Julien Aucomte: M&A

Notable practitioner

IFLR 1000 2023

Gilles August: M&A

Notable practitioner

AFRICA DESK
- Corporate/M&A:
highly recommended | Valéry Denoix de Saint Marc
- Natural ressources and renewable
energies: highly recommended | Valéry Denoix de Saint Marc


BANKING & FINANCE
- Banking & finance: recommended
| Valéry Denoix de Saint Marc, Pierre Descheemaeker


PRIVATE EQUITY
- Advising management teams:
recommended | Julien Aucomte, Xavier Rohmer, Julien Wagmann
- Development capital transactions:
excellent | Julien Aucomte, Julien Wagmann
- Mid-cap LBO transactions:
highly recommended | Julien Aucomte, Jérôme Brosset, Julien Wagmann
- Acquisition financing
: highly recommended | Valéry Denoix de Saint Marc
- Venture Capital: highly
recommended | Julien Aucomte, Julien Wagmann


MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS
- Distressed M&A:
excellent | Julien Aucomte, Laurent Cotret, Etienne Mathey, Julien Wagmann
- Operations worth between €75m & €500m: leading |
Julien Aucomte, Gilles August, Jérôme Brosset, Valéry Denoix de Saint Marc, Pierre Descheemaeker, Etienne Mathey, Julien Wagmann


CAPITAL MARKETS
- DCM & ECM - Small to Mid-cap: highly recommended |
Jérôme Brosset


RESTRUCTURING & INSOLVENCY
- Board of companies and shareholders - Upper mid & large-cap: excellent | Laurent Cotret

HEALTHCARE, PHARMACEUTICALS & BIOTECH
- Capital, joint venture
, and corporate transactions: highly recommended | Julien Aucomte, Julien Wagmann

GILLES AUGUST
(Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2013)
Banking and Finance Law, Corporate Governance and Compliance Practice, Corporate Law, Energy Law, Government Relations Practice, Litigation, Mergers and Acquisitions Law

JULIEN AUCOMTE
(Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2020)
Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Private Equity Law

JEROME BROSSET
(Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2020)
Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law

LAURENT COTRET
(Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2021)
Insolvency and Reorganization Law
 
VALERY DENOIX DE SAINT MARC 
(Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2021)
Corporate Law, International Arbitration, Mergers and Acquisitions Law

ETIENNE MATHEY
(Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2023)
Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law

JULIEN WAGMANN
(Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2021)
Corporate Law

PIERRE DESCHEEMAEKER
(Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2012)
Banking and Finance Law, Energy Law, Mining Law

JEAN-DAMIEN BOULANGER
(Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2023)
Capital Markets Law

JEROME THEROND
(Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2025)
Corporate Law

OPTION DROIT & AFFAIRES 2024
- Procédures collectives: Tier 3/5
- Prévention des difficultés et en renégociation de dette: Tier 3/5


OPTION DROIT & AFFAIRES 2023
− LBO dont la majorité des opérations porte sur des entreprises de 50 à 300 millions d’euros: Tier 3/5  
Julien Aucomte
, Julien Wagmann, Philippe Lorentz, Xavier Rohmer

− Capital-innovation: Tier 3/5
Julien Aucomte
, Julien Wagmann

− Fusions-acquisitions dont la majorité des opérations est supérieure à 200 millions d’euros:
Tier 3/5
Julien
Aucomte, Julien Wagmann, Gilles August, Jérôme Brosset, Valéry Denoix de Saint Marc, Pierre Descheemaeker