Herbies moves to boost arbitration team in Paris

Herbert Smith is “rebalancing” its arbitration practice by moving partner Michael Young to Paris in a bid to bulk up in the French capital.

Young will be permanently based in Herbert Smith’s Paris office from September, where he will continue the international arbitration work he has been doing in London.

Young told The Lawyer: “My move over to Paris is part of the process of cementing the close links between the London and Paris arbitration practices. We’re trying to rebalance the size of the teams.”

He joins Charles Kaplan as the firm’s second partner focusing on arbitration in France. Paris-based litigation partner Denis Chemla also carries out some work in this area, although the bulk of his time is spent practising domestic dispute resolution.

Paris is an important centre for international arbitration as it is the home for the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Court of Arbitration, where a large number of disputes are dealt with.