(FFW) is on the brink of opening its own office in Paris, taking seven partners from former European Legal Alliance partner Dubarry Le Douarin Veil.
Dubarry will cease to exist after five Dubarry partners decided against joining the FFW operation.
Mark Abell, international development partner at FFW, said: “Essentially the part of the business that we wanted to take on board happens to be the part that we have now. But we do have plans to grow the office.”
Partner Mario Celaya becomes FFW Paris managing partner and gains a seat on the firm’s European board.
In total the office will number 20 lawyers, with seven partners and 13 associates. It is the final step in FFW’s European expansion, which this year saw the firm open in Germany and Belgium with similar raids on its former allies.
FFW will concentrate on corporate, IT and IP work in France. The three practice areas form the basis of the firm’s European presence.
