Jones Day has bolstered its Paris bench with the hire of a government regulation team from White & Case.

The team is led by partner François-Guilhem Vaissier and includes three associates and two trainees. The group brings extensive experience in the energy, projects and infrastructure and finance sectors, including across Africa and Europe.

Its hire follows Jones Day adding four lawyers to its government regulation team in Paris last October, including a trio from Norton Rose Fulbright led by counsel Amandin Delsaux that similarly focuses on energy and infrastructure projects in France and French-speaking Africa. They joined alongside of counsel Xavier Domino, who was previously a magistrate at the Conseil d’Etat, the French administrative supreme court. 

For his part Vaissier represents financial institutions, sponsors and government authorities on public and private projects and utilities involved with major energy security and energy transition projects, as well as infrastructure projects. 

He has joined Jones Day after 17 years at White & Case, where his work included representing the State of Niger in negotiations of oil and gas contracts and the sponsors in the development of a hydro project in Madagascar. He also represented the National Bank of Greece in relation to the financing for Egyptian multinational Elsewedy’s acquisition of a portfolio of wind farms and hydropower plants in Greece and closer to home acted for a group of banks in the refinancing of a motorway in France. 

At Jones Day Vaissier will work as part of a government regulation team that houses six partners in Paris, including Rémy Fekete, who has extensive experience in energy and infrastructure projects across Africa, and global practice co-leader Françoise Labrousse.  

Labrousse pointed to Vaissier’s experience counselling on major joint ventures between sponsors and/or contractors, acquisitions and contractual obligations, often involving significant cross border issues. 

“He will complement our bench of regulatory lawyers working on major projects and litigations who handle matters across a breadth of jurisdictions, including in Africa with Rémy,” she said. “He will also contribute to our cross practice and cross office capabilities to support our clients on energy transition and energy security matters.”

Globally Jones Day’s government regulation practice houses more than 100 lawyers, around 40 of whom are based in Washington DC. The firm also bolstered the practice in Mexico City last summer with the hire of Roberto Torres as a counsel from the local office of top Spanish firm Garrigues, where he had been a partner. 

“Jones Day’s government regulation practice includes prominent regulatory lawyers that are known to have impressive experience guiding infrastructure and major energy projects through regulatory law, as well as litigation and arbitration,” Vaissier said. “I am very excited to be part of this excellent group of lawyers.”

US rival Gibson Dunn launched an energy and infrastructure practice in Paris last summer with the hire of a nine-lawyer group from Linklaters. Led by partner Darko Adamovic, the group advises on project development and finance in the energy and infrastructure sectors both in France and internationally.