Le blog de Maitre MASSON

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS LAWYER

M&A, INVESTMENTS, CORPORATE

ENGLISH AND GERMAN FLUENT

Francis Masson

Avocat à la Cour

Cell: 00 33 6 74 53 40 17

Fax : 00 33 1 43 06 37 97

ACTIVITIES

- IPO's, LBO's, TAKEOVERS, PRIVATE EQUITY, convertible and indefinite bonds, private equity, cross border M&A; derivatives; forward sales; futures; legal audits, sale and purchase of corporations, ongoing businesses, assets by industrial, commercial, banking, real property, hotel French and international investors; financing and related guarantees; international reorganisation of companies and groups; LOI, MOU, sale and purchase agreements and warranties; shareholders agreements, JV, open/close bids, special affairs.

- Foreign commercial, industrial and financial investments into France and French investments in Europe and the USA, licences for foreign insurance companies and foreign banks, transfers of real property portfolios and receivables between foreign and/or French groups;

- French and international taxation of corporations and individuals, tax audits and practice of international tax treaties; tax representation of foreign entities, dealing with SLF (Service de la Legislation Fiscale), CIF (Commission des Infractions Fiscales), DNED (French Customs Enquiries Authority), etc.

-Turnkey contracts, commercial and synthetic leases, manufacturing, procurement, technology transfer contracts, international agency, distribution, licence, advertising, technical assistance contracts, etc.

- International and French settlements, arbitration, civil, commercial and tax litigation.

PROFESSIONNAL CURSUS:

2007 130, rue de la Pompe - 75116 Paris.

1990-2007 Partner - Masson Piéron Swartz Beaucourt

6, rue Jean Goujon - 75008 Paris.

1977-1990 Conseil Juridique - Law Offices of Samuel Pisar (Paris/New York/Washington)

68, Boulevard de Courcelles - 75017 Paris.

Francis Masson advised and continues to advise industrial, commercial and financial groups, such as Alfa group (Russia - alfa), St-Gobain-Pont-à-Mousson, Alsthom (Turnkey nuclear power plant and industrial contracts and technology transfers), H. J. Heinz Company and its subs. Star Kist Foods Inc. & Weight Watchers, International Data Group Inc. (Le Monde Informatique), DDC Electronics, Independent Newspapers Ltd. & its French subsidiaries (Outdoor advertising), Maxwell Communication Corp., French and medium size listed or not listed companies, for numerous investments, financing, private equity, sales and purchases of companies in the luxus, media, satellite, food , press, printing industries, the Swedish Reinhold group, the Indian/UK Mosaïque group for 10 to 500 M € investments in hotels and offices, American, English, Irish, Swedish, Russian investors, etc. and frequently advised clients for the sale of real property portfolios or companies with major French and International banks, such as CDC, CCF, CDE, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, City Group, Caisse des Dépôts France (Grand Arche), Caisse de Dépôt du Québec, etc..

He advised the IDG group for the creation and development of « Le Monde Informatique », the MCC group for SAGA-Défense (SA de la Grande Arche de la Défense - SAGA DEFENSE) ; he is a shareholder and founding member of Leonardo Finance SA, WCSE Ltd.(GB), Internationaler Juristenverein, Düsseldorf, Germany, and advised the Reinhold group in 1998-2003, to create the 1st. Regus Centre located 72, rue du Faubourg St-Honoré, Paris 8, in front of the Elysées Palace, for the acquisition and extension of the 4 stars Montvallon hotel in Meribel for the 1992 Alberville Winter Olympics, others in Paris (Holiday Inn Tour Eiffel, Groupe Royal Monceau, Hotel Meurice, Hotel Coislin-Place Vendôme, etc...), Le Touquet Grand Hotel), 4/5 star hotels projects/purchases in St-Raphael, Aspen, Colorado, Crans-Montana,Switzerland, etc.

Francis Masson works with numerous law firms in London, Berlin, Rome, North America (NYC, Washington, LA), Russia, China and the Middle East.

Professional trips abroad include London, New-York, Philadelphia, Berlin, Dublin, Stockholm, Switzerland, Madrid, Moscow, etc.

Education:

- 1976-1977: German Law Training Program - Justice Department of North Rhein-Westphalia. Training at Mannesman Law Department and the Law firm Loschelder, Heuking, Kühn & Partner: Düsseldorf, Germany.

- 1975-1976: Translator-Interpreter at the Parlamentary Committees and Federal Court of Canada, Ottawa.

- 1975: Master of business and international law - Paris II Assas, France.

- 1972: Master of German studies - University of Saar, Germany.

Computer skills:

Word, Excel, Powerpoint

Leisure, others:

Jogging, tennis, ski, opera, reading.