Norton Rose wins whole Jeantet insurance team

Norton Rose's Paris office has head-hunted the entire insurance practice of leading Paris firm Jeantet & Associes - rated in the market as one of the best insurance practices in France.

Partner Christian Bouckaert leads the five-lawyer team. He will become a partner at Norton Rose along with Jeantet associates Pascal Ormen and Beatrice Haricheaux on 29 June.

Michael Lee, head of Norton Rose's Paris office, said the firm wanted to build up its French insurance practice and that he specifically wanted to establish a French litigation practice.

Lee added: "Between them, Christian and his team have unparalleled experience of the French insurance market and they will be a tremendous asset to Norton Rose."

Bouckaert said Norton Rose in Paris "has a reputation for its general corporate [French law] work, but has not yet reached that stage in litigation - this is what we hope to bring to the office".

The team is one of the few French legal practices with extensive experience of insurance and reinsurance litigation. Bouckaert's practice specialises in reinsurance litigation and insurance and reinsurance advice to the aviation industry.

Lee said he planned to quickly expand the litigation department by recruiting lawyers to work under the three new partners.

Norton Rose's Paris office will now have 11 partners.

Bertrand Pellet and George Paterson were promoted to the partnership in May.