Top tier corporate firm Darrois Villey Maillot Brochier makes a rare lateral hire in Allen & Overy corporate partner Marcus Billam and fellow of counsel Jean-Bapsite de Martigny. It is the firm's first lateral hire in two years and is the biggest move in France in recent times.
Billam joined A&O from Clifford Chance in 2010 and was admitted to the Paris bar in 1992. He specialises in M&A transactions, with a particular experience in listed companies (public offers and public to private), as well as on LBOs, MBOs, shareholder's agreements and joint-ventures. De Martigny will become a partner in Darrois in January 2016.
Notably, Billam led the large A&O team that acted for Vivendi on the sale of SFR to Altice for €17 billion in March 2014 and led the team that advised Vivendi on the acquisition of the 20% stake of Lagardère in Canal+ France for €1.02 billion in late 2013.
The hires follow the departure in December 2014 of Olvier Diaz to Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom. Allen & Overy meanwhile lost corporate partner Jean-Patrice Labautière to K&L Gates in January 2014 and more recently has seen a number of mid-level departures to Dentons and Norton Rose Fulbright. In response, the team added corporate counsel Romy Richter in March 2014 from Weil Gotshal & Manges.