On the eve of the opening ceremony for the Paris 2024 Olympics, Bracewell announced it has expanded to the City of Lights with an 11-lawyer energy and infrastructure team from Norton Rose Fulbright.
The Paris outpost is the Houston-based firm’s third international office and 10th overall. The team is led by partners Anne Lapierre, Arnaud Bélisaire, and Simon Cudennec. Lapierre led NRF’s global energy practice.
“We’ve considered the Paris market over the past couple years. We wanted to find the right team to complement our successful energy practices in London and Dubai. This team is one of largest and most highly regarded energy and infrastructure teams in the Paris market,” Bracewell managing partner Gregory M. Bopp told The Texas Lawbook.
Jason Fox, managing partner of Bracewell’s London office, noted that while the office he leads has a strong focus on the oil and gas sector, the French team is more focused on renewables.
“That, combined with the addition of French law and OHADA capabilities, complements our platform and strengthens our renewables offering, notably in Francophone Africa,” Fox added.
Lapierre is a former board member of the French wind association France Renouvelables and serves as a sustainable development expert on Bertrand Piccard’s Solar Impulse Foundation’s Strategic Committee, and Bélisaire is involved in the works of France Renouvelables and the Syndicat des Energies Renouvelables.
French companies Bracewell represents include Crédit Agricole, Société Générale and Air Liquide.
In 2023, Bracewell counted 137 attorneys based outside of Texas and generated $140 million in revenue from its non-Texas offices, according to Texas Lawbook 50 research. Overall headcount was 318 and revenue was $326 million.