Jean-François Adelle advises financial institutions, investment funds and major French and international groups on transactional, regulatory and litigation matters (mainly in international cases). He heads the firm’s Legal Opinions Committee.
He assists clients in a wide range of general and structured finance transactions: fund financings, asset-based facilities, acquisition financings, equity and debt financings, bond issues, project financings (energy, telecom), trade finance, as well as in refinancing, debt restructuring, acquisitions and disposals of claim portfolios (including NPLs) and cash management transactions.
His practice also includes regulatory advice and financial engineering related to credit disintermediation (debt funds, alternative financing, crowdfunding platforms, etc.), payments, crypto-assets, financial product marketing, trust, derivatives and prime bokerage.
Finally, he provides his clients with expertise in litigation matters before state or arbitral courts in disputes relating to financial transactions (financial sanctions, wrongful termination, claw back, enforcement of security interests, liability claims, etc.), mainly in international cases.
Jean-François is the author of many publications and is a frequent speaker at conferences on financial and banking law matters. He is a member of the P.R.I.M.E Finance panel of experts, Senior Vice-Chair of the Banking Law Committee of the International Banking Law Committee. He has led marketplace committees that inspired legislative reforms in the areas of trusts, security interests and the ad hoc regime of security agent. He co-chaired the Work Stream International Financing of the ICC Financial Institutions and International Arbitration Task Force (2016).
Skills
Lawyer since : 1979
Bar. : Paris
Language(s) : French - English
Training :
- Specialized Graduate Studies Diploma of Counsel and Corporate Lawyer (DESS) – University of Lorraine
- Graduate Study Diploma (DEA) in in Community Law – University Panthéon-Assas (Paris II)
- Institute of comparative law – University Panthéon-Assas (Paris II)
- Sciences Po – Paris (economic and social policy section) (alumni)
- LL.M, Penn
Member of :
- P.R.I.M.E Finance panel of experts
- International Bar Association (IBA) – Senior Vice Chair du Banking Law Committee (2022-2023)
- International Chamber of Commerce (ICC)
- Paris Europlace, Financial law committee – chair of the fiducie and security law committee (2003 – 2011)
- Association européenne de droit bancaire et financier (AEDBF)
Publications
- Enhanced secured creditors in France after cornerstone reform of security law and collective proceedings of 15 september 2021 – Butterworths Journal of International Banking and Financial Law, 01/02/2022
- Enhanced secured creditors in france after cornerstone reform of security law and collective proceedings of september 15, 2021, october 2021
- IBA Banking Law Committee Survey: Covid-19 emergency measures relating to funding and claims recovery, november 2020
- Asset-backed credit: a relevant financing tool for companies weakened by the covid crisis19 – La lettre du trésorier, September 2020
- Support for asset-based financing as a relay for EMPs: exceptional government measure in favor of factoring – Option Droit & Affaires, update 28/09/2020
- Derivatives 2020 – International comparative legal guide French Chapter
- Decoding: “Brexit, the new Withdrawal Agreement” – 01/01/2020
- Best practices, legal certainty and dispute resolution under French law
- Converging reform of security law and insolvency law in France
- French collateral trust, an attractive mechanism to support asset-based lending in France, 15/09/2019
- Brexit : French update as of D-25 days
- Nantissement de titres financiers enregistrés sur un DLT (blockchain) : reconnaissance d’une universalité fictive – Option finance, 21/01/2019
- Réforme des sûretés et financements sur actifs, Paris, avril 2019
- Arbitrating Banking and Finance Related Disputes: A New Paradigm? Project Finance Transactions, Cairo – 10 February 2019 CRCICA
- Motion Picture Finance, IBA, Rome, 10 October 2018
- Trends and perspectives of international arbitration in disputes involving financial institutions, (avec A. Fessas ICC Secretary general, Mohamed Abel Wahab (FCIarb), Jeffrey Goldman (chairman, PRIME Finance)), IBA, Rome, October 2018
- L’arbitrage dans les financements bancaires, FBF CCI France, avec Charles Nairac (White & Case), 29 mai 2018
- Need to know about insolvency? IBA IFLC, Amsterdam, mai 2018
- 5th Banking and Finance Law Seminar, the 2016 reform of the law of obligations in the French civil code: Impact on banking and finance transactions, Malta, mars 2018
- Sapin II : le nouveau marché de la dette, DII, Paris, Octobre 2017
- Insolvency in Step in rights in project finance, IBA, Washington DC, September 2017
- Funding Africa’s growth, IBA, Paris, 2016
- Sanctions libyennes : Impact sur la conclusion et l’exécution des contrats de crédit et de garantie, CIAN, Paris, 2015
- Finance islamique, Applications et perspectives au Maroc, 5e convention des Juristes de la Méditerranée, Rabat, Octobre 2013
- Interbanks relations, a house divided, IBA, Washington, 2013
- Paris Europlace Caisse des dépôts, la Fiducie en action, Gestion de crédits, Paris, 2012
- Financements internationaux : reconnaissance en droit français du trust et de la parallel debt, avec Emmanuelle Naulais, Option Finance, 10 octobre 2011
- Technical Guides EACT: Regulatory framework, legal and tax constraints for centralized cash management. Rédaction du chapitre France, European Association of Corporate Treasurers, Numéro spécial EACT, March 2009
- L’évolution récente du droit chinois : ouverture ou protectionnisme ? avec Emmanuel Meril, La Revue Internationale et Stratégique, n°81, printemps 2011
- L’agent des sûretés en droit français : pour une clarification des régimes de l’article 2328-1 du Code civil et de la fiducie de sûretés, Revue de droit bancaire et financier n°5 de Septembre-Octobre 2010, (aussi publié in : Trusts e attività fiduciarie N° 3/2011)
- Enforcement of different security agent structures: parallel debt, trusts and alternative solutions, 29th International Financial Law Conference, Istanbul, October 2010
- International Guide to Hedge Fund Regulation’, Chapitre France, Mason and Cornish, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 2009
- Bank confidentiality, IBA, Singapore, 2007
- La fiducie-sûreté, facteur de compétitivité du droit du financement français, Etudes à la mémoire de Fernand-Charles Jeantet, Coll. Mélanges, LexisNexis – LITEC (2010)
Financing
- Assisted Thoma Bravo in the acquisition financing of the Talend group.
- Assisted FGI Worldwide LLC in the asset-based financing of the acquisition of Acal BFI by Coöperatieve H2 Equity Partners Fund V.U.A.
- Assisted Barings LLC in a bond financing for Elis.
- Assisted Banco Santander S.A. with the setup a bridge facility agreement and an ancillary overdraft facility agreement to the benefit of Axa IM InMOTION RCF FUND.
- Assisted Coface Finanz in various deconsolidating financings.
- Assisted ABN Amro Commercial Finance in various asset-based financings.
- Assisted Pemberton and Partners Group in Unitranche and PIK financing.
- Assisted Intesa SanPaolo in various deconsolidating asset-based financings.
- Assisted Enbridge in 3 offshore wind turbines financings (Fécamp, Saint-Nazaire, Courseulles) in joint venture with EDF.
- Assisted Ceetrus SA in a mezzanine financing of real estate projects in Italy.
- Assisted White Oak LLC in a deconsolidating asset-based metals financing.
- Assisted K2 in pan-European asset-based financing.
- Assisted Eurofins Scientific Inc. in several listed subordinated bonds issues.
- Assisted FEI-Ongrid LP in the financing of power generation site projects in Sierra Leone and Liberia.
Financial engineering (special situations, fiducie, derivatives, Fintechs)
- Assisted Telecom Invest in the establishment of a management trust with Natixis.
- Assisted Assicurazioni Generali in a European cash pooling.
- Assisetd a large foreign bank creditor in the safeguard proceeding of Rallye.
- Assisted several major English and American investment banks on their collateralised prime brokerage documentation.
- Assisted Two European banks in setting up deposit raising platforms in collaboration with a German fintech.
- Assisted ProBtp in the outsourcing of the management of its equities tier 1 coverage.
- Assisted a company operating crypto-assets exchange platform in its contractual documentation in France.
- Assisted an international consortium of telecommunications operators MECMA in insolvency proceedings of Bulgarian bank CCB.
Litigation and arbitration
- Assisted a Libyan Sovereign Wealth Fund in a dispute to relating the equity financing of Quinta Communications
- Assisted SOCRIF and SOFIAP (SNCF group bank) in a dispute relating to the central body and governance of Crédit Immobilier de France
- Assited several large French companies defending in claw back proceedings before foreign courts on the basis of Article 16 of the European Insolvency Regulation
- Assited a Tunisian oil group in ICC arbitration dispute between shareholders relating to intra-group financing
Best Lawyers in France : Rankings 2023
The firm is pleased to have 20 of its lawyers ranked, including 1 new entry in the following categories : Jean-François Adelle Banking and Finance Law Bertrand Biette Insolvency and Reorganization Law Jacques-Henry de Bourmont Tax Law Thierry Brun Corporate Law Mergers and Acquisitions Law Yvon Dréano Corporate Law Mergers and Acquisitions Law Karl Hepp […]
Paris | BANK-FINANCE-REGULATORY | LITIGATION – ARBITRATION – MEDIATION | COMPETITION AND ECONOMIC LAW | CORPORATE – M&A – PRIVATE EQUITY | ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES LAW | TAX | REAL ESTATE | MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS | CAPITAL MARKETS AND STOCK EXCHANGE LAW | IP, TECH & DATA | PUBLIC LAW – PUBLIC CONTRACTS | RESTRUCTURING – LAW OF COMPANIES IN DIFFICULTY
Our Banking and Finance partner Jean-François Adelle has been appointed to the Panel of Recognised International Market Experts in Finance (P.R.I.M.E. Finance)
We are pleased to announce that our Banking and Finance partner Jean-François Adelle has been appointed to the Panel of Recognised International Market Experts in Finance (P.R.I.M.E. Finance) Based in the Hague, P.R.I.M.E. Finance is an independent, not-for-profit foundation, whose mission is to ensure that the requisite expertise is available to anticipate and address any […]
Paris | BANK-FINANCE-REGULATORY
Jeantet advises Apollo on its €500 million investment in Air France-KLM
Paris, July 19, 2022, Jeantet advises Apollo Global Management on the signing of a final agreement for a €500 million investment in a subsidiary of Air France-KLM. Apollo Global Management and Air France-KLM announced that they have entered into a final agreement relating to the issuance of perpetual super-subordinated notes, fully subscribed by Apollo Global […]
Paris | CORPORATE – M&A – PRIVATE EQUITY | BANK-FINANCE-REGULATORY | TAX | RESTRUCTURING – LAW OF COMPANIES IN DIFFICULTY
Jeantet advises the american fund Thoma Bravo in its acquisition of Talend
Paris, May 20th 2022 – Jeantet advised US investment fund Thoma Bravo in its financing of the acquisition of the Talend group, a leader in the field of integration and data integrity to the cloud valued at 2.4 billion US dollars. The transaction was financed by a bank debt arranged by the American fund Owl […]
Paris | BANK-FINANCE-REGULATORY
Jeantet advises FGI Worldwide on the financing of the ACAL BFI Group
Paris, 21 April 2022, Jeantet advised the US financing company FGI Worldwide LLC in support of the acquisition of the Acal BFI group by H2 Equity Partners. The credit facility was structured as an asset-based lending facility backed by a pool of assets in across multiple jurisdictions in Europe. ACAL BFi is a pan-European supplier […]
Paris | FINANCING | FINANCING
Enhanced secured creditors in France after cornerstone reform of security law and collective proceedings of 15 september 2021 – Butterworths Journal of International Banking and Financial Law, 01/02/2022
Jean-François Adelle reviews the reform on security interests and collective proceedings of September 15, 2021.
Paris | FINANCING | INSOLVENCY PROCEEDINGS
Enhanced secured creditors in france after cornerstone reform of security law and collective proceedings of september 15, 2021, october 2021
Ordinances n°2021-1192 and 2021-1193 of September 15, 2021, respectively reforming security law and amending Book VI of the French Commercial Code, implement mandates of the PACTE Law of May 22, 2019[1] to: modernize security law[2], improve the articulation of security law with collective proceedings law[3] and transpose the (EU) Directive 2019/1023 of June 20, 2019[4], known as […]
Paris | INSOLVENCY PROCEEDINGS | RESTRUCTURING – LAW OF COMPANIES IN DIFFICULTY | BANK-FINANCE-REGULATORY
Jeantet on the acquisition of Emagine Group by Prodata Consult
Paris, September 20, 2021, Jeantet acted on the sale of emagine Group by its founders and managers and by the investment fund MBO&CO to ProData Consult A/S, supported by the Danish investment fund Axcel. The emagine group has been involved in IT, digital and cyber security projects in more than 24 countries, with offices in […]
Franco-German team, Paris | CORPORATE – M&A – PRIVATE EQUITY | BANK-FINANCE-REGULATORY | EMPLOYMENT | IP, TECH & DATA | REAL ESTATE
Jeantet advised Telecom Invest in the establishment of a management trust with Natixis
Paris, 12th April 2021 – Jeantet AARPI advised Telecom Invest in the establishment of a management trust with Natixis CIB, fiduciary.
Paris | FINANCING
Covid-19: Adapting measures to help businesses – focus on state-guaranteed loans (so called “PGE”), 01/26/2021
Following the return of the restriction and containment measures linked to the second wave of Covid-19, some economic aid and emergency measures set during the first wave of the pandemic have been reactivated, amplified and completed. In this context, the State-guaranteed loans (so-called « PGE ») system has been extended and modified for the current PGEs. Introduced […]
Covid-19: Focus on revised EBA guidelines on legislative and non-legislative moratoria on loan repayment
In response to the persistent health crisis due to the outbreak of the Covid‑19 pandemic, the European Banking Authority (EBA) decided on 2 December 2020 to revise and reactivate its guidelines on legislative and non-legislative moratoria on loan repayments (EBA/GL/2020/02, originally issued on 2 April 2020) (the “Guidelines“). The purpose of this decision is to […]
Paris
Legislative reversal regarding the nullity of clauses limiting the assignment of receivables
Recently, the Law No. 2020-1508 of 3 December 2020 containing various provisions adapting to European Union law on economic and financial matters (so-called “DDADUE law”) dated 3 December 2020 has empowered the government to implement several European directives in the field of financial law into national law but has also brought a legislative shift in […]
Paris