BCLP Appoints Jean-Patrice Labautière as Managing Partner of the Paris Office

This appointment marks a new milestone in the firm’s strategic development in France and reflects BCLP’s ambition to strengthen its position in the French and European markets.

Jean-Patrice Labautière succeeds Constantin Achillas and Olivier Mesmin, who have co-led the Paris office since January 2021. Under their leadership, BCLP Paris has experienced exceptional growth, expanding from 45 lawyers including 14 partners in 2021 to more than 75 lawyers including 24 partners today. This period was marked by the strengthening of all practice areas through numerous lateral hires and the move to new 3,300 m² premises at 36 rue La Fayette in 2022.

Five Years of Remarkable Growth

Since 2020, the Paris office of BCLP has significantly increased its headcount and structured a comprehensive and integrated legal service offering. The office’s key practices—corporate/M&A/private equity, real estate, tax, finance, litigation, and restructuring—have been substantially reinforced with the arrival of market-recognized teams and strategic internal promotions.

This growth has been accompanied by greater sector diversification, with recognized expertise in real estate and infrastructure, renewable energy, telecoms, media and technology, healthcare, financial services, retail and consumer goods, as well as agribusiness and industry.

The Paris office has also handled increasingly international and complex matters, leveraging BCLP’s global platform, which now includes nearly 1,300 lawyers across 32 offices in North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Australia.

A Strategic Vision for the Future

Under Jean-Patrice Labautière’s leadership, BCLP’s Paris office aims to continue its growth trajectory to reach around 100 lawyers in the medium term, while consolidating its position as a leading player in the French market. The firm also intends to strengthen its presence in high-growth sectors, notably technology, healthcare, and renewable energy, where the Paris teams have recognized expertise and proven experience. In addition, the office will focus on developing young lawyers aspiring to partnership and accelerating its pro bono commitments and social impact.

Globally, this appointment aligns with BCLP’s strategy to enhance support for complex cross-border matters and foster collaboration among international offices on large-scale transactions. It also comes at a time when innovation and digital transformation—particularly the integration of artificial intelligence into legal services—are becoming major differentiating factors in which BCLP is investing heavily.

“Over the past five years, we have integrated outstanding teams and built a firm culture based on collaboration and transparency. Today, BCLP Paris is recognized as a major player capable of handling the most complex matters. Jean-Patrice, who joined us in 2022 and already leads our corporate department, is naturally the right person to continue this growth trajectory and strengthen our positioning,” said Constantin Achillas and Olivier Mesmin.

“BCLP has all the assets to establish itself as a leading player in France : a powerful international platform, outstanding teams, a full-service offering, and a unique growth dynamic. My ambition is to strengthen our positioning on high-value matters and place innovation at the heart of our strategy.” added Jean-Patrice Labautière.

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About Jean-Patrice Labautière

A lawyer since 1998, Jean-Patrice Labautière began his career at Gide Loyrette Nouel (1997–1999) before joining Allen & Overy for 14 years (1999–2014), becoming a partner in 2007. In 2014, he became a partner at K&L Gates’ Paris office, where he created and developed the corporate practice. In 2019, he joined Winston & Strawn LLP with his entire team (around 10 lawyers). In October 2022, he joined BCLP’s Paris office as a partner and, in 2023, took the lead of the corporate team.

Jean-Patrice holds degrees from Toulouse Business School and the University of Toulouse 1 Capitole in business law and also holds the Diplôme Juriste Conseil d’Entreprise.

Recognized for his expertise, he is ranked by Legal 500, Acritas, IFLR 1000, and other directories in M&A, private equity, and transactional work in the healthcare sector.