The rules are the same everywhere; how they play out is not. A car dealership agreement, a supply deal with a major retailer and a rail tender each call for different instincts, and a different feel for the players and their habits.
We work across eleven sectors whose players, negotiating cycles and regulators we know well.
Healthcare and health products
A sector where regulation comes before competition law: marketing authorisations, regulated prices, promotion rules, dealings with healthcare professionals. We work on distribution networks for medical devices and health products, hospital tenders and commercial practices under special scrutiny.
We handle the competition and distribution issues specific to health products, where sector rules often take precedence over competition analysis.
Rail transport
Opening the market to competition has created a whole new area of litigation: access to infrastructure and service facilities, train path allocation, rolling stock and maintenance contracts, and relations between the infrastructure manager and train operators.
We follow the competition issues raised by the opening of the rail market and run training for teams at rail companies.
Consumer goods
The sector where the calendar rules. Annual negotiations with a hard deadline, single framework agreements, the Egalim laws, logistics penalties, delistings and the threat of them, and DGCCRF inspections on price transparency.
We support clients through the annual negotiation round and handle the restrictive trading practices that arise between suppliers and major retailers.
Luxury
Selective distribution was born here. Selection criteria and how they are applied, protecting brand image, rules on online sales and marketplaces, and action against sales outside the network and parallel trade. We handle the selective distribution and online resale issues that matter so much to luxury brands.
Industry
Long-term supply agreements, relations between main contractors and subcontractors, economic dependence, termination of established relationships, performance and quality disputes, and the lease and site issues that come with industrial premises. We handle the disputes that grow out of long-term supply agreements and contractor–subcontractor relationships.
Automotive
A sector with its own distribution and aftermarket rules: dealer and authorised repairer agreements, access to spare parts and technical information, manufacturer warranties, termination and non-renewal of network agreements, and relations with dealer groups. We follow the rules specific to automotive distribution and aftersales, and train industry teams in competition law.
Energy
Regulated and liberalised markets overlap. Long-term supply contracts and indexation clauses, public service obligations, network access, tenders, and disputes over price swings under existing contracts. We train teams at energy companies in competition law.
Food and drink
Food and drink combines the pressures of consumer goods with rules of its own: origin, composition, nutrition and environmental claims, labelling, relations with growers and the Egalim pricing framework. We handle the negotiation and regulatory compliance issues specific to the sector.
Insurance and reinsurance
Insurance distribution, agreements with brokers and introducers, the information and advice owed to policyholders, policy terms and exclusions, and disputes over claims. We handle distribution issues and the contract terms that govern insurance products.
Banking and finance
Business lending and security, lender liability, credit lines withdrawn, guarantee disputes, and relations between banks and their distribution partners. We handle banking disputes for businesses and their directors.
Technology and communications
Digital services and licensing, platform terms and the balance of power with business users, online distribution, commercial data and unfair competition, and the obligations EU rules place on the largest platforms. The firm is one of the law firms recommended by The Galion Project, a community of tech founders bringing together nearly 400 French start-ups, and helps growing tech businesses with the commercial law issues that come with scale.
Knowing a sector is no substitute for legal skill, but it changes how that skill is used. It helps us anticipate what a judge will take into account, understand what is really on the table in a negotiation, and know who to speak to at a regulator.
