Reed Smith has hired restructuring lawyer and Clifford Chance alumni Marie Crumière to expand the firm’s insolvency coverage in Paris.

Crumière joins as a partner, along with her associate Julien Dorin. She brings with her more than a decade of experience in cross-border and domestic insolvency proceedings, advising a diverse clientele including debtors, lenders, creditors, buyers, investors, shareholders, managers and court-appointed officers.

Panos Katsambas, co-chair of Reed Smith’s financial industry group, said: “We are delighted to welcome Marie to the firm. She has a tremendous reputation, and her technical skillset will prove an asset to our clients as we continue to grow our transactional offering, particularly in the distressed assets sector.”

Crumière’s professional background includes tenures at French law firms such as Bremond & Associés, where she spent five years and worked her way up to become counsel. She then moved to DS Avocats, dedicating three years to expanding her restructuring practice. Subsequently, she joined Clifford Chance for four years, gaining further significant experience. In August 2024, Crumière established her own boutique firm before making her latest move.

Throughout her career, Crumière has been instrumental in numerous out-of-court debt restructurings, particularly within the real estate sector. Her notable cases include advising on Carrefour’s acquisition of the Bio c’Bon network and the pan-European restructuring of children’s clothing group Kidiliz.

Natasha Tardif, managing partner of Reed Smith’s Paris office, said: “Marie’s arrival reflects our commitment to developing strategic and complementary expertise alongside our existing services in Paris.”

Crumière will work alongside Ilana Smadja, who arrived from Weil Gotshal & Manges in March 2024, joining figures like Baptiste Gelpi. Tardif added that Crumière’s hire is “the natural next step to provide a comprehensive and tailored offering to our clients”.

Tardif was previously awarded the IBA’s Outstanding Woman Lawyer award for her work promoting gender diversity within the firm. The broader firm has also promoted female talent, with Brigid North appointed London managing partner earlier in the year.

Like Tardif, Crumière’s professional engagements extend to her leadership roles, having served as President of the Association des Jeunes en Restructuring (AJR) from 2022 to 2024.

She remains an active member of the Association pour le Retournement des Entreprises (ARE) and Women in Restructuring (WIR), underscoring her dedication to advancing the restructuring practice area and promoting women in that field.

Reed Smith won the Race Equality of the Year Award in 2024’s Women and Diversity in Law Awards and the Gender Equality of The Year Award in 2023. Tamara Box, Reed Smith’s European managing partner, also won the Law Firm Leader of the Year – Large Law Firm award in 2023. This year’s Women and Diversity in Law Awards will be held at the Hilton London Bankside on the 18 March.