Developed for more than 30 years by Thierry Lauriol, our expertise in the energy sector has given us a strong knowledge of the economic and political contexts of the territories where we assist our clients. Thus, thanks to our historical links with the African continent but also to the excellence of our network of colleagues and legal professionals, we can advise and assist you in all your large-scale projects but also in the context of litigation, arbitration and mediation proceedings.

Our areas of expertise :

• Corporate and transactions ;
• Infrastructure ;
• Mining, oil and gas ;
• Transactional Dispute Resolution, International Arbitration and Mediation.

Our practitioners are all involved in training and teaching activities, as well as in research and development of the law in the department's practice areas.

We established the Energy Law Group in 1993, a network of over 650 energy and natural resources lawyers in 54 countries, specializing in energy and natural resources.

In order to support the participants in the ecological transition, in particular in the development of renewable energies, we offer comprehensive and operational legal solutions that respond to all of their issues and ambitions :

• Financing: drafting or review of financing documentation (financing contract, inter-creditor agreements, security interests), participatory financing (for citizen investment via crowdfunding platforms, and communities), fundraising, innovative financing, State aid ;
• Construction and operation : securing land, public-private partnerships, concessions and public service delegation, contracts for project management, supply, construction, operation, and maintenance, electricity purchase contracts, etc ;
• Regulations : applications for authorizations under energy law, construction law, town planning and environmental law, licensing, accessibility to the network, electricity supply, ICPE regulations, etc ;
• Mergers and acquisitions : operations to acquire or take participating interests in companies operating energy assets, negotiation of share transfer agreements and shareholders’ agreements ;
• Litigation/arbitration : assistance before commercial and administrative courts, regulatory authorities (CoRDIS, CRE, DGEC...), setting up arbitration as counsel for one of the parties or as arbitrator, etc.

With a wide range of experience in different energy fields, our lawyers offer their expertise at the stage of energy performance assessment, financing of renovation, or valorization of potential energy savings.

• Energy performance of buildings (thermal regulation and environmental regulation (RE 2020), tertiary decree, positive energy buildings and renovation works, energy audit, energy performance diagnostics, energy performance contracts, ...) ;
• Valuation of energy efficiency (energy saving certificates (CEE), tax credit for energy transition, eco-loan, bonus-malus, subsidies) ;
• Energy efficiency and decarbonization of industry (calls for projects, process electrification, self-production and self-consumption, energy sales contracts, heating networks, emission quotas, etc.) ;
• Litigation defense (relations with project owners, and before civil, administrative and criminal courts, as well as arbitration tribunals).

The firm’s established expertise in all areas of business law, administrative, civil and commercial litigation, and international arbitration, together with its expertise in energy and environmental matters, enables it to advise its clients on the legal management of climate risk, through the following activities :

• Low-carbon strategy and industry decarbonization ;
• Production and consumption of renewable energy (electricity, biogas, hydrogen) ;
• Carbon trading system ;
• Mobility and charging infrastructure for electric vehicles, CNG hydrogen stations ;
• Duty of care (analysis of compliance with applicable regulations and standards, litigation defense,...) ;
• Advertising and misleading commercial practices (management of environmentales claims, display, labeling).