Paris—Global law firm Dentons has recruited partner Guillaume Kessler to strengthen its Public and Private M&A and Private Equity practices in France and more widely in Europe.

With this addition, the Corporate/M&A team in Paris, led by partner Olivier Genevois, now counts approximately 30 lawyers.

Kessler joins from Orrick, where he was a partner since 2016. He was previously Managing Partner of Olswang France (now CMS). A member of the Paris bar since 1997, he is involved in public and private mergers and acquisitions, private equity, restructuring and international joint ventures. He advises French and international strategic clients, both listed and unlisted, as well as investment funds, and covers a wide range of sectors.

He recently advised Groupe Bertrand, a leading hotel and restaurant group in France, on several transactions, including the acquisition of Groupe Flo, which owns a portfolio of more than 150 restaurants.

“The arrival of Guillaume will enable us to create new synergies with the Banking and Finance, Employment and Labor and Tax teams in France and Europe in order to meet the ever-increasing demand from investment funds, particularly in their search for international build-up transactions for their French holding companies,” said Séverine Hotellier, France Managing Partner at Dentons.

Olivier Genevois, Co-Head of the Europe Cross-Border M&A group and Head of the Corporate and M&A team in Paris, commented: “We are delighted to welcome Guillaume to the Corporate team in Paris. His recognized skills will enable Dentons to further strengthen its positioning in private equity and in cross-border M&A transactions, one of the team’s major strengths.”