BCLP Names New Office Managing Partners in San Francisco and Paris; New Country Managing Partner in UAE

International law firm BCLP announced today the appointment of new leadership in its Paris, San Francisco and United Arab Emirates (UAE) offices. The firm has named Jean-Patrice Labautière and Merrit Jones as Office Managing Partners (OMP) in Paris and San Francisco, respectively, and Charles Lilley as Country Managing Partner in UAE, leading the firm’s Dubai and Abu Dhabi offices.    

“The appointment of these three partners to lead their offices, each of which are of strategic importance to the firm, underscores our commitment to strengthening our leadership in markets that are critical to our clients,” said Steve Baumer, BCLP’s Global CEO. “Jean-Patrice, Merrit and Charles embody the firm’s collaborative spirit and client-focused approach, and I’m confident that they will continue to build on the strong momentum in their offices.” 

Jean-Patrice, who joined BCLP in 2022, advises French and foreign companies, financial institutions and private equity clients on M&A and private equity transactions. In addition to his OMP responsibilities, Jean-Patrice also leads the firm’s Corporate Transactions team in Paris. In his capacity as OMP, Jean-Patrice will focus on elevating BCLP’s brand visibility in the Paris market, aligning it with the high-profile matters the firm advises on and the leading companies it represents. Furthermore, he plans on taking a people-centric approach to managing the office, with a specific focus on developing young lawyers resident in the Paris office who aspire to be partners and future leaders within the firm. Additionally, he intends to accelerate the Paris office’s pro bono commitments as well as its contributions to its social impact on the community.  

Merrit is co-leader of the firm’s Retail & Advertising sector and provides compliance counselling and litigation defense on a broad range of consumer-facing issues impacting retailers and consumer product manufacturers, with a particular focus on defense of consumer false advertising class actions, e-commerce, advertising and marketing, and digital and social media issues. Her priorities for the San Francisco office include increasing cross-office visibility and collaboration, particularly among BCLP’s other West Coast offices, and continuing to promote the firm’s capabilities in the tech-savvy Bay Area market. Merrit joined BCLP in 2009.  

Charles, who also serves as Global Head of BCLP’s Construction Disputes Group, works for clients from all sides of the construction industry and has experience in litigation, adjudication, arbitration and mediation as well as in project advisory and forensic investigation work. Charles has spent his entire legal career at the firm. He moved to Abu Dhabi from the London office in early 2009 to help open the new office and to promote the firm’s international Construction capabilities. Given BCLP’s reputation as a go-to firm for complex construction disputes in the region, and the UAE’s position as a global hub for business activity, Charles’ priority is to help ensure the firm is well positioned to capitalize on these opportunities. He will also work very closely with lawyers in the firm’s two new Saudi offices – in Riyadh and Al Khobar – to develop a more visible regional presence and maximize the firm’s regional cross-selling opportunities. 

Jean-Patrice succeeds Constantin Achillas and Olivier Mesmin, who served as co-OMPs in Paris; Merrit replaces Tom Lee in San Francisco; and Charles follows Richard Davies as UAE Country Managing Partner.  

“We are tremendously grateful to Constantin, Olivier, Tom and Richard for their outstanding leadership and dedication as Office Managing Partners, all while actively managing thriving practices,” Steve said. “Each has played a vital role in fostering collaboration, driving growth and ensuring that our offices remain places where our people can thrive, in support of our clients and one another.”