Louis des Cars, Philippe de Saint-Bauzel, and Jean-Guy de Ruffray, whose terms have been renewed, are joined by Fabien Pouchot.

In addition, Frédéric Manin joins ADVANT’s Steering Group, where he will contribute to the firm’s international reach alongside Jean-Nicolas Soret and Gilles Gaillard.

Founded in 2009, ADVANT Altana has established itself over the past fifteen years as one of the leading independent law firms in Paris, with nearly 100 attorneys, including 28 partners. As a founding member of ADVANT alongside ADVANT Beiten (Germany) and ADVANT Nctm (Italy), the firm offers integrated services across all areas of business law and maintains an international presence through the ADVANT network, which comprises more than 750 professionals across 15 offices.

The renewal of these two bodies reflects the firm’s strength and cohesion and is part of the growth momentum initiated in recent years: team expansion, the rise of ADVANT, the creation of an Advisory Board, and the continuous strengthening of sector-specific expertise.

The Executive Committee would like to acknowledge the commitment of all the firm’s teams, whose professionalism and daily dedication fuel the firm’s growth and reputation. This wealth of human talent—where emerging talents and seasoned practitioners, as well as French and international cultures, come together—forms the foundation upon which ADVANT Altana is building its future.

Representing a variety of economic sectors (manufacturing, new technologies, and services), the four independent external members of the Advisory Board will bring their experience and vision to ADVANT Altana.

It is composed of:

• Maud Bailly, CEO of Sofitel Legend, Sofitel, MGallery & Emblems
• Hélène Etzi, President, The Walt Disney Company France
• Augustin de Romanet, Honorary Chairman of Aéroports de Paris, Advisor to the Executive Management at Eight Advisory
• Laurent Solly, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer (COO), Advanced Machine Intelligence

This Advisory Board embodies the firm’s commitment to surrounding itself with dedicated leaders who will help it anticipate change, seize new opportunities, and pursue an ambitious path.

“This Advisory Board embodies our commitment to opening ourselves even further to the business world and its challenges. These leaders will help us anticipate change, seize new opportunities, and continue building a firm that combines legal excellence with a deep understanding of economic realities,” says Valérie Lafarge Sarkozy, partner at ADVANT Altana.

“With this initiative, ADVANT Altana reaffirms its commitment to positioning itself as a strategic and innovative partner for its clients and to continuing the growth momentum it has maintained since its inception,” adds Pierre-Marie Ouchet, partner at ADVANT Altana.

Founded recently, Chimere develops advanced cybersecurity technologies enabling secure and seamless access to applications regardless of infrastructure. Its universal ZTNA approach addresses the growing need for robust security frameworks in an increasingly distributed and hybrid working environment.

This acquisition enables Ekinops to significantly strengthen its cybersecurity offering and accelerate its positioning in the Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) market. By integrating Chimere’s technology, Ekinops expands its portfolio with next-generation security solutions designed to protect enterprise networks and data.

Ekinops is a global provider of telecom and network solutions, delivering innovative, open, and trusted technologies to communication service providers and enterprises worldwide. The group focuses on delivering high-performance and scalable solutions that support the evolution of modern networks.

This transaction illustrates ADVANT Altana’s ability to advise on strategic acquisitions in the technology and cybersecurity sectors, particularly in complex and fast-evolving environments requiring multidisciplinary legal expertise.

The ADVANT Altana team was led by Laura Morelli (IP/IT) and Bruno Nogueiro (M&A) and included a cross-practice team composed of Claire Borgel (IP/IT), Théodore Sabot (M&A), Mickael d’Allende, Laura Beserman (Employment) and Philippe de Saint Bauzel, Alexandre Thuau-Renaudet (Tax).

In the present case, an employee sought payment of the lump-sum indemnity for undeclared work based on facts that occurred prior to the automatic transfer of his employment contract. The Court of Appeal held that the claims were time-barred and, as such, could not be borne by the transferee.

In a decision dated 28 January 2026 (no. 24-18.999), the Social Chamber of the French Supreme Court (Cour de cassation) overturned the lower court’s ruling. It reiterated that the lump-sum indemnity for undeclared work is payable only upon termination of the employment contract. Consequently, the action for payment, which is subject to the two-year limitation period under Article L.1471-1 of the French Labour Code, runs from the date of termination of the contract and not from the date on which the unlawful acts were committed. Therefore, where the employment contract has been transferred and subsequently terminated by the new employer, the employee may bring a claim against the latter to obtain payment of the indemnity, even if the acts of undeclared work are attributable to the former employer and predate the transfer.

This case law highlights the importance for transferees of anticipating, during acquisition due diligence, the social risk associated with situations of undeclared work, which may materialise several years after the facts occurred.

Link to the decision: https://lnkd.in/ehcA76pc

The employee expressly refused the increase in the number of days worked compared to his initial individual agreement. However, the employer considered that the employee's working hours were now based on the APC agreement and no longer on his contract, so that the APC agreement was binding on him with or without his agreement.

The employee brought the case before the labour court to seek the judicial termination of his employment contract on the grounds of fault on the part of the employer, who had imposed a change to his employment contract.

The Court of Cassation first pointed out that an annual fixed-rate agreement in days must specify the number of days worked. It concluded that any change in the number of days worked constitutes a change in the employment contract, which cannot be imposed unilaterally by the employer without the express consent of the employee.

Consequently, the employee could legitimately refuse to apply the APC, insofar as it increased the number of days in his annual fixed rate.

Link to the judgment: https://lnkd.in/ePakNyeP

This transaction forms part of Cegid’s strategic refocusing on its domestic tax solutions, while ensuring the continued development and long-term sustainability of the Optitaxes solution for its users.

ADVANT Altana advised Cegid throughout the transaction with a team led by Bruno Nogueiro, Arthur Boutemy and Margaux Ripert (M&A), and including Laura Beserman (Employment Law) as well as Philippe de Saint Bauzel and Marie Darcq (Tax).

Orsan advised Loré with David Sebban, Partner, and Clara Paetzold.

Finassur has a very strong presence in the North of France, an economically strategic region for Marsh. 

Marsh, a Marsh McLennan (NYSE: MMC) company, is the #1 insurance broker and risk advisor worldwide, advising clients in 130 countries through four companies: Marsh, Guy Carpenter, Mercer, and Oliver Wyman. With annual revenues of more than $24 billion and more than 90,000 employees, Marsh McLennan helps clients build confidence to succeed through the power of perspective.

This acquisition will enable Finassur’s clients and employees to benefit from Marsh McLennan's global capabilities, solutions, and expertise in the areas of insurance, risk management, and strategy consulting expertise to help them achieve their growth and development goals.

This transaction is an illustration of ADVANT Altana’s ability to manage complex cross-border transactions for US clients investing in Europe and requiring the involvement of numerous areas of the law. 

This question often arises. While labour law prohibits dismissing an employee solely on the basis of their state of health, specific grounds for dismissal are permitted.
Our employment partners outline the key points to bear in mind.