Four partners from Heenan Paris have joined DWF as part of the merger, which launched DWF’s first office in the French capital on 1 January. With a strong international client base and expertise in corporate, private equity, commercial, intellectual property, litigation and IT work, Heenan Paris has considerable overlap with DWF’s core practice areas and shares the firm’s international outlook. Heenan Paris managing partner Jean-François Mercadier commented: ‘We are delighted to join DWF with whom we share the same values and approach to clients and operate in the same key sectors. We are particularly happy to contribute to the development of an international platform whose ambition is to be present in key financial centres and with a focus on key growth markets such as Africa to the benefit of our clients.’

Europe and Africa expansion

Heenan Paris is also recognised as leading international adviser in French-speaking Sub-Saharan Africa, thus offering DWF another important strategic foothold: ‘France plays a key role too as a gateway for Africa, which is a region of strategic importance to our clients in the Middle East and Germany,’ commented DWF chief executive Andrew Leaitherland of the tie-up. Mr Leaitherland also cited the trade relationship between Germany and France and the growing amount of legal work with a significant French law component as other considerations behind the merger.