The success of French heavyweight Gide Loyrette Nouel’s international strategy sometimes threatens to overshadow what it is doing in its home jurisdiction. But the firm continues to have considerable strength in Paris, and one man responsible for its profile is corporate partner Jean-Emmanuel Skovron.

Skovron was made up in 2002 after eight years as an associate at the firm and is building up a powerful practice on the major corporate transactions of the year. The French government is busy pushing through a programme of partial privatisation of several state companies, including energy operators Electricité de France (EDF) and Gaz de France (GDF), as well as three motorway operators. Skovron has bagged the role of state adviser on all three.

In June, GDF’s IPO was a huge success, raising €4.5bn (£3.08bn). That was followed swiftly in November by the €7bn (£4.8bn) raised when EDF floated. With the motorways still to come, Skovron’s star will be in the ascendancy for a while.