Leading international litigation and arbitration lawyers Bruno Leurent and
Thomas Bevilacqua will open Foley Hoag in Paris, giving Foley Hoag LLP its first
overseas office and expanding its renowned International Litigation and
Arbitration Practice Group to one of the world’s centers of international
arbitration.
Leurent and Bevilacqua, who will join Foley Hoag as partners from Winston
& Strawn in Paris, focus on international litigation and arbitration, with
particular experience in the international commercial arbitration arena.
"We are thrilled to welcome these talented lawyers to the firm,' said Adam
Kahn, Foley Hoag co-managing partner. 'Foley Hoag already has a highly respected
and experienced international litigation and arbitration practice, and this team
will further enhance our capabilities in this area."
Foley Hoag's work with numerous international clients through its
International Litigation and Arbitration Practice Group has bolstered its
reputation for advising foreign states and companies with complex legal issues,
with Chambers Global 2011 ranking the firm in its top tier and calling it "a
real force in international law disputes." The Paris office will allow Foley
Hoag attorneys to serve clients on the ground in France and provide them with
access to Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Francophone Africa.
The firm's leading Investor-State Arbitration Practice has counseled
government and state-owned business entities in disputes between investors and
sovereign states at many of the world’s top arbitration forums. For more than 25
years, Foley Hoag has successfully represented sovereign states in disputes with
other states, and it has one of the largest caseloads of any firm at the
International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands. The firm also
represents U.S. and international companies in a variety of commercial
litigation and arbitration matters.
Once it receives final approvals from the Paris Bar, the new Paris office,
organized as an AARPI (a French law professional partnership) associated with
Foley Hoag LLP, will work closely with the firm’s lawyers in Washington, DC and
Boston. Paul Reichler and Ronald Goodman, each based in Washington, will
continue to lead the firm’s International Litigation and Arbitration Practice,
together with partners Mark Clodfelter, Larry Martin, Andrew Loewenstein, Janis
Brennan and others.
"Bruno and Tom are widely recognized in the field of international litigation
and arbitration," Goodman said. "We have worked with them on a variety of
matters in the past, and their arrival will add strength to our deep bench of
talent and provide clients in Europe and elsewhere with access to a complete
range of litigation and arbitration services."
Clients of the International Litigation and Arbitration Practice Group also
have received counsel on domestic litigation, corporate, environmental and
intellectual property matters from other Foley Hoag practices in Boston and
Washington. Leurent noted Foley Hoag's leading reputation in international
arbitration and its diversified practice portfolio as key reasons for joining
the firm.
"As commerce becomes increasingly global, clients will need sophisticated
legal counsel to help guide them when disputes arise," Leurent said. "Foley Hoag
is a leader in this field, and we are excited to join such a strong team, which
we have already worked with and know well. This move will allow us to best serve
our clients in Europe and around the world."