Agrégé de droit public, ancien ministre de l’Education Nationale entre 2017 et 2022, il est professeur des universités et enseigne le droit public à l’université Panthéon-Assas.

Fin connaisseur des écosystèmes publics/privés, il intervient de façon transverse sur les différents pôles du cabinet et apporte une expertise senior de l’accompagnement des projets d’intérêt général, notamment dans les domaines du développement durable et de la transition écologique.

Formation :

Agrégé de droit public

Sciences Po Paris

DEA d’études politiques

Expertises: Industry-specific legislation, public business law, general public law, healthcare, litigation

Florence DAVID joined the firm as a co-founding partner after working in law firms specializing in public business law for several years.

Florence now leads the firm’s Care practice, which encompasses a wide range of sectors (Healthcare, Sports, Education and Public Housing).

Florence has a background in public law and brings expertise in the following areas: public law, public procurement law (public contracts, concessions, and other complex contracts), public property legislation, competition applied to the public sector, and mixed economy.

She focuses her practice on specific industries and, as a result, she is well-versed in industry-specific legislation. Florence thus primarily advises public and private (or mixed) companies operating in the relevant sectors (public or private healthcare establishments, public authorities, the State, foundations, public housing providers, start-ups in the healthcare sector, developers or builders, etc.).

Her long-term goal, in addition to securing cases, is to provide operational and efficient advice to her clients within the framework of a trusting relationship.

Expertise: Tax  

Jean-Philippe DEBATS has 10 years of experience at the DGFiP, within the Audit Brigade of the National and International Audits Directorate (DVNI) specialized in the energy (electricity, gas, heat production…) and environment (drinking water, sanitation, waste management…) sectors.

As part of his responsibilities, he has carried out tax audits (corporate income tax, VAT, direct local taxes, tender taxes) for numerous companies and public authorities, leaders in their field of activity.

He has developed a specific tax expertise in advising and assisting those involved in public service missions.

As a lawyer, and since 2018 within Earth Avocats, Jean-Philippe DEBATS puts his experience and tax expertise at the service of our private and public partners, as well as public authorities, for all of their activities, asset management, and in the real estate and development sector.

Expertises: Industry-specific legislation, Public business law, Urban planning and environment, general Public law, Competition  

Yves-René GUILLOU instigated the launch of Earth Avocats of which he is the managing partner and founding member.

After ten years of practice as a partner in charge of public law in large business firms, he initially developed an activity under his own name before proposing in 2011, with three of his colleagues, to establish the Earth Avocats firm. His ambition is to establish the go-to firm for the implementation and defense of public projects.

Yves-René GUILLOU, in addition to his legal skills, is able to bring a true strategic dimension to the handling of cases, ensuring their feasibility, due to his in-depth knowledge of French administration, major industrial groups, and their players.

He can liaise with these key players to better understand the stakes of each case, and he places a high value on the successful completion of his clients’ projects.

Expertises: Industry-specific legislation, public business law, general public law, corporate  

Sophie IMBAULT practices in the field of public business law and corporate law specific to semi-public companies, more particularly in the public housing sector with public housing agencies, professional associations and institutional players of the sector.

She advises on numerous cases involving public procurement law (public procurement contracts, concession agreements, partnership contracts), complex set-ups (long leases, VEFA, SCCV, etc.), as well as in the institutional organization of public housing providers (division of powers between the various bodies, bidding committees, etc.) and merger and external growth operations (mergers, coordination companies, partial contributions of assets, etc.)

She assists these providers in the exercise of their responsibilities, provides legal assistance to them with respect to the supervisory authorities (ANCOLS and CRC in particular) and intervenes in proprietary trading. Sophie IMBAULT masters not only the legal aspects but also the specific context of the public housing sector.

She also works with public and private healthcare establishments, as well as institutional players, in conjunction with Florence DAVID, on cases involving specific strategic issues.

Expertises: Transport, energy, public procurement, public property, state aid and subsidies, general public law, contract law  

An associate in the public business law department of a major French law firm, Thomas Laffargue then participated in the creation of Earth Avocats, of which he became one of the founding partners.

He works on contractual and regulatory issues, particularly in the transportation and energy sectors.

Thomas Laffargue advises major public or private groups, national public institutions, local and regional authorities, semi-public companies, airports and regional ports.

He is particularly involved in complex contractual operations or set-ups as well as audits, in France and abroad.

Expertises: Mergers & Acquisitions, Energy  

Prior to joining the firm as a partner, Ian OUAKNINE worked in various international law firms.

At Earth Avocats, Ian’s work focuses primarily on mergers and acquisitions and corporate law for a clientele of listed and unlisted companies, within the framework of national and international transactions. He advises industrial groups as well as investment banks, investment funds and management teams in France and abroad.

Ian is also on the board of directors of various companies in the Energy sector (Dunkerque LNG) and Sustainable Investment (INCO) sectors.

His recent transactions include:

• Advising Idex in connection with the acquisition of biomass plants;
• Advising CIRI in connection with the restructuring of Eolane;
• Advising the City of Amiens in connection with its joint venture with Total Energie regarding the creation of a photovoltaic plant;
• Advising INCO, an impact group in the context of the creation of various SSE funds with Sycomore Assets Management and Generali;
• Advising IPM Group and Samsung Asset Management in the context of the sale of EDF’s share in the capital of the Dunkirk LNG terminal;
• Advising the Korean consortium of investors led by IPM Group and Samsung AssetManagementCo. , Ltd in connection with the acquisition of EDF’s stake in the Dunkirk LNG terminal;
• Advising AREVA in connection with the restructuring and sale of 100% of FRAMATOME’s capital to EDF, MHI, and Assytem.

Practices: Public business law, Urban planning and environment, litigation, general public law  

Benoît PERRINEAU’s professional focus is on public business law, with specific expertise in development and urban planning law, commercial urban planning and environmental law.

He assists his clients in the choice and implementation of legal devices adapted to the execution of development and construction projects, always considering the sensitivity and constraints (operational, financial, political, etc.) specific to each activity. He also has a keen interest in litigation strategy.

He was a lecturer in urban planning law at the University of Paris V (Paris Descartes), after having taught administrative law at the University of Paris I, Panthéon Sorbonne. He participates in numerous conferences and training sessions on planning and urban development law (EFE, la Gazette Formation, SIC FORMATION, ECOA law school) and regularly contributes to the writing of articles in specialized journals.