Salans

Infobox Law Firm
firm_name = Salans
headquarters =
num_offices = 18
num_attorneys = 750
practice_areas = General practice
revenue = profit US$282 million
date_founded = 1978 ( Paris)
company_type = LLP
homepage = [http://salans.com www.salans.com]
firm_

Salans is a large international law firm with 21 offices in major cities around the world and more than 750 lawyers, of whom 176 are partners. The firm was established in Paris in 1978 as Salans Hertzfeld & Heilbronn by French and American lawyers. The firm's 2007 revenue was US$282 million, representing a 37% increase from its 2006 figure.

History

Salans was founded in Paris by Carl Salans, Jeffrey Hertzfeld and Eliane Heilbronn. All three are US-trained attorneys that have been admitted to the Paris bar. Salans and Hertzfeld practice international arbitration while Heilbronn is an international transactional attorney.

In its early years, the firm developed a cross-border practice with offices in Paris, New York, London, Moscow and Almaty, Kazakhstan. ["The Lawyer," 'French Firm Hires Lecturer to Aid Kazakh Expansion,' (1994) http://www.thelawyer.com/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=94541] . In 1997, the firm (then known as Salans Hertzfled & Heilbronn) merged with the London-based boutique Harris Rosenblatt & Kramer, a niche asset finance firm. ["The Lawyer," 'Paris Firm Scores a First with Takeover of London Practice,' (1997) http://www.thelawyer.com/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=91774] A year later, in 1998, the firm absorbed noted Paris telecoms boutique, FG Associés. ["The Lawyer," 'Salans beats rivals to Paris IT boutique,' (1998) http://www.thelawyer.com/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=91537] The same year Salans merged with New York outfit Christy & Viener to bulk up its US office. ["The Lawyer," 'Salans forges transatlantic merger,' (1998) http://www.thelawyer.com/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=81730] Christy & Viener was known for its litigation practice. In 1999, Salans launched in Baku, Azerbaijan. ["The Lawyer," 'In Brief: Salans Hertzfeld,' (1999) http://www.thelawyer.com/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=91384] Salans entered into merger negotiations with UK firm Theodore Goddard, but the two firms parted company in 2002. ["The Lawyer," 'Six firms see merger meltdown,' (2002) http://www.thelawyer.com/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=115024] In 2003, Salans gained five new offices in Central and Eastern Europe and in Asia with the addition of five offices from the disbanding Chicago firm, Altheimer & Gray. Salans expanded in Prague, Bucharest, Bratislava, Istanbul and Shanghai. ["The Lawyer," 'Salans swoops for A&G network,' (2003) http://www.thelawyer.com/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=106918] In 2006, Salans acquired the Berlin office of independent German firm Haarmann Hemmelrath. ["The Lawyer," 'Haarmann loses Berlin office as Salans strikes,' (2006) http://www.thelawyer.com/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=118338] Efforts to merger with US-based Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Nicholson Graham, now known as K&L Gates which would have given the firm a greater US presence , collapsed the same year. ["The Lawyer," 'Kirkpatrick targets Preston Gates merger,' (2006) http://www.thelawyer.com/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=118338] The firm also launched in Budapest after having taken on a number of attorneys from its Hungarian ally, Szabó Kovári Tercsák. ["The Lawyer," 'Salans raids ally for Budapest launch,' (2006) http://www.thelawyer.com/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=123287] Most recently its Berlin and Shanghai offices expanded with the addition in Berlin of the attorneys from the UK firm Travers Smith, which closed its German operation and in Shanghai with the expansion from Haarmann Hemmelrath. ["The Lawyer," 'Travers quits Germany; Salans inherits team,' (2007) http://www.thelawyer.com/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=123692; 'Salans takes 14 lawyers of Haarmann Shanghai,' http://www.thelawyer.com/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=123730] 2007 also saw the firm acquire Masons Buxeda Menchen and merge with boutique Alonso Armand Boedels to open offices in Madrid and Barcelona. ["Legal Weekly," 'Salans swallows Pinsents ally for Spanish launch,' (2007).] In 2008, Salans opened offices in Hong Kong and Beijing. Among the notable results of such swift historical expansion in an extremely competitive legal market, is that Salans today ranks amongst the top ten law firms of France and is the largest in Russia.

Recognition

Global

It also has the distinction of being highly rated for its dispute resolution and real estate capabilities across East and Western Europe.

Notable Mandates

*Biovail in its $190 million acquisition of French pharmaceutical company Pharma PASS Group.
*Turkcell in its negotiations for an $100 million finance facility including an $80 million murabaha Sharia-compliant facility from HSBC.
*Landesbank Berlin Holding in its disposal of its real estate servicing business for symbolic consideration of €1 to the State of Berlin.
*Pfizer in its $500 million acquisition of the worldwide rights to cancer drug Campto from Sanofi-Synthélabo.
*Advice to the Turkish shipping line U.N Ro-Ro Group in majority stake sale to private equity house KKR.

Offices

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Affiliated firms

*, with Krupa Srokosz Patryas Sp.k.
*, with ABY Advocates Bureau Yug
*, with Jamal & Jamal
*, with The International Office for Advocacy and Legal Consultation

References

External links

* [http://salans.com Official website]
* [http://www.thelawyer.com/uk100/2006/law/27_salans.html Salans's profile at The Lawyer]
* [http://www.emediawire.com/releases/2007/3/emw511035.htm Salans Advises on Deutsche Bank AG's $600 Million Financing of First Four Seasons Hotel in Russia]
* [http://www.iflr.com/?Page=17&ISS=16439&SID=515377 Land Code frees up real estate restrictions]
* [http://www.accessmylibrary.com/comsite5/bin/pdinventory.pl?pdlanding=1&referid=2930&purchase_type=ITM&item_id=0286-20082435 Salans continues onslaught with hire of Weil Gotshal & Manges duo.]