Thierry Laloum
Partner, Corporate & Financial Services
Thierry Laloum is a partner in the Corporate & Financial Services Department and head of the Public & Environmental Law practice of Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP in Paris.
Mr. Laloum has a wealth of experience in economic law (e.g. privatisations, foreign investments in France and financing of local governments), public contracts (concession agreements and public private partnerships), planning law (building permits and expropriation procedures), public domain and regulated sectors.
Thierry advises both public (public bodies, local governments, semi-publicly owned companies) and private entities (mainly financial institutions, investment funds and public works companies).
Significant projects he has handled include the development of underground trains, high speed railway lines, motorways, ports, hospitals, airports, stadiums, and waste treatment facilities among others, including in the context of Public Private Partnerships (PPP).
He has been continuously ranked as a "Star individual" in the area of Public Law / Public Contracts by Chambers Europe since 2019. Chambers noted that "Thierry Laloum is an important name in the market and is easy to work with" and "He does an excellent job and is one of the top lawyers in Paris”. A client noted that “Thierry Laloum is an exceptional lawyer. His strategic and pragmatic approach sets him apart. Always solution-oriented, even in complex situations. Thierry Laloum’s knowledge of his clients’ business enables him to always satisfy their needs.” and "He is fully dedicated, extremely competent and business-oriented. Thierry Laloum is the lawyer you want to have with you on complex matters."
Moreover, Thierry Laloum’s team has been ranked Band 1 by Chambers in Public Law / Public Contracts for more than a decade.
As far as Legal 500 is concerned, Thierry has been listed in its "Hall of Fame" for overall excellence in Administrative and Public Law since 2018. He has been recognized by a client as “a brilliant lawyer who stands out for his in-depth understanding of his clients’ issues and his ability to provide tailor-made legal advice."
He has also been recognized as "Lawyer of the Year" in Public Law by Best Lawyers for 2023, 2022, 2019, 2018 and 2010.
At last, he was honored in 2018 with a Lexology/ILO "Client Choice Award" in the Public Law category.
Experience
- Advised the consortium formed and led by Meridiam (including Strabag and supported by Munich Airport) in connection with the successful bid, signing and closing of the concession of the Sofia Airport in the Republic of Bulgaria
- Advised Meridiam, HDF, SARA and CEOG in connection with a project to build and operate a solar power plant coupled with a H2 battery storage system, allowing uninterrupted power production, including during the night. This is the most significant H2 power plant project being developed globally.
- Advised Santander Corporate & Investment Banking, Akréa Banque Entreprises et Institutionnels, La Banque Postale, Crédit Agricole CIB, BRED Banque Populaire and BBVA on a €55.6 million senior secured loan facility and a €4 million VAT bridge facility in relation to the financing of the development by Allego (Meridiam’s affiliate) of over 2,000 electric vehicles charge points over 200 charging locations across France, in partnership with Carrefour.
- Advised a consortium formed by Eiffage, and Arcade VYV in connection with the financing of the CEGELOG concession agreement to be entered into between the French Ministry of the Armed Forces, and Nové, in relation with the housing of the French military personnel.
- Advised Vinci Autoroutes on the performance of the concession agreement related to the financing, construction and operation of the motorway bypass of Strasbourg (the A355).
- Advised Schindler on a major litigation related to a tender procedure won by Schindler’s main competitor.
- Advised the consortium led by Banque des Territoires, CNP Assurances and EDF Invest on the acquisition of a 50% equity interest in Orange Concessions
- Advised Air France-KLM Group and Air France on securing the funding by the French State of €7 billion to help overcome the COVID-19 crisis
- Advised Bouygues Telecom on the creation of a strategic joint venture with Cellnex Telecom to deploy a fiber optic network in France in order to provide mobile and fixed fiber based connectivity and accelerate the roll-out of 5G in the country
- Advised the lenders on the €60 million project financing for the construction of an extension to the Prado Carénage tunnel in Marseille
- Advised the commercial lenders and institutional investors on the refinancing of a portion of the debt of the concessionaire of the high speed railway between Tours and Bordeaux, the largest refinancing of an infrastructure project in France (€2.2 billion)
- Advised Dalkia on the negotiation and signing of its partnership agreement with Amundi Transition Energétique to support the development of renewable heating networks in France
- Advised the Azzurra consortium (comprising the Atlantia Group, EDF Invest and Aeoporti di Roma) on its bid for the privatization of Nice's airport and during its discussions with the French State. The consortium acquired 60% of the French State's interest in the company that controls the three airports on the French Riviera. T. Laloum now advises the consortium on the performance of its concession agreement and its relationship with the French State
- Advised the consortium formed by the Nord de France Administrative Region's Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the territorial Côte d'Opale Chamber of Commerce and Industry, CDC Infrastructure and Meridiam with respect to the 50-year concession agreement for the operation, maintenance and development of the sea-ports of Calais and Boulogne-sur-Mer for fifty years, including the design, completion and financing of an extension to the Calais port representing an investment of more than €900 million
- Advised the lenders on the refinancing of the debt of the concessionaire of the A63 motorway , which involved a €860 million credit facility with a 25-year maturity
- Advised Agence France Locale, the first French bank 100% owned by local governments and dedicated to their financing, on all the legal aspects of its creation and of its operational launch including its structuring and the drafting of the legal corpus governing its operations. T. Laloum also assisted Agence France Locale il the context of its €3 billion EMTN program and €750 million inaugural bond issue
- Advised the city of Paris in the context of the award of the contracts related to the restructuring and operation of the Paris Parc des Expositions (exhibition centre)
- Advised AutoStrade Per l'Italia, the signatory of the PPP agreement related to the Ecotax project, in the context of the unilateral abandon, by the French State, on the said project
- Advised the winning consortium of the 25-year PPP project to design, build, finance, operate and maintain the Nîmes - Montpellier high speed railway, for a total investment of circa €1.8 billion. T. Laloum is now advising the consortium in the context of the performance of the PPP agreement
- Advised the European Investment Bank on various administrative law issues related to its €1.2 billion contribution to the financing of the High Speed Rail Line between Tours and Bordeaux
- Advised Transdev and SNCM in the context of the performance of the concession for the transport of goods and people between metropolitan France and Corsica
- Advised the region “Pays de la Loire” in relation to the implementation of its euro medium-term notes program
- Advised the “Mulhouse Alsace Agglomération” in the context of its sale of tramway rolling stock to the State of Victoria (Australia)
- Advised DFE on the financing aspects of the construction, maintenance and operation of the new campus of Grenoble University
- Advised SMBC Europe Limited and Dexia Crédit Local on the €219 million, 30-year PPP agreement between the consortium Stade Bordeaux Atlantique and the city of Bordeaux for the construction and maintenance of the 40,000-seat Bordeaux Stadium
- Advised SMBC Europe Limited, Société Générale, Crédit Agricole CIB, and BBVA on the €245 million, 30-year PPP concession agreement between the city of Nice and the Nice Eco Stadium consortium for the construction and maintenance of the new 35,000-seat, environmentally sustainable stadium
- Advised a consortium formed by Vinci Concessions, Vinci Energies, AXA IM, SFR and TDF in connection with the €1 billion financing of the GSM-Rail project (design, construction, deployment of a GSM telecom network dedicated to the French national railway system) -- a deal that was named PFI's "Europe Telecoms Deal of the Year" for 2010
Credentials
Education
Université Paris, DEA de droit privé, 1991 Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Lyon, Diploma, 1997