Squire Patton Boggs has appointed leading private equity lawyer Maxime Dequesne as a partner in its Corporate Practice in Paris. M. Dequesne was formerly a partner at French private equity boutique, Lamartine Conseil and previous to that worked at De Pardieu and SJ Berwin/KWM. The appointment follows in quick succession the hires earlier this month of private equity partner Anthony Guillaume, who joined from DLA and acquisition leverage finance partner Benjamin Marché who joined from Shearman & Sterling.
“Maxime’s knowledge, experience and leadership further boost an already significant corporate presence in Paris,” said partner Paul Mann, head of the firm’s European Private Equity group. “Maxime’s arrival is another step forward in the roll-out of our private equity business strategy, which encompasses major and continuing investment in France, Spain, Italy, the UK and other locations, to meet the ever-increasing demands from our clients for superior transactional and investment support.”
Carole Sportes, managing partner of the firm’s Paris office, said: “It’s great to have Maxime with us, following Anthony and Benjamin’s recent arrival. The increase in private equity and M&A and banking capabilities in Paris is part of a much bigger picture of growth and investment in France. There is considerable excitement across the office about the resources and opportunities we can now offer to clients.”
M. Dequesne is an experienced private equity lawyer, with expertise in leveraged buy-outs, development capital, real estate PE and Venture Capital. He represents a range of French mid-market funds, advising across the full private equity life cycle, including original fund investments, bolt on acquisitions for portfolio companies and exits for the shareholders and managers. In addition, he acts for a number of large corporates on complex transactional matters.
A fluent French and English speaker, M. Dequesne is admitted as an avocat at the Paris Bar and has a Masters degree from the Sorbonne and MBA from ESSEC Business School.
“It’s a pleasure to be joining the Squire Patton Boggs team in Paris,” said M. Dequesne. “Already since being here, I have found the culture across the firm is so collaborative and entrepreneurial and that’s particularly true of the corporate and private equity group that I have joined. In terms of mid-market, cross-border transactional work, underpinned by first-rate tax, financial services, employment and litigation capabilities, I think we are clearly setting ourselves apart. My role will be to use my experience and dynamic approach to work with the team and to help shape the Private Equity practice into a market leader in Paris.”