Racine

What Racine does

Racine is an independent French business law firm founded in 1981 and headquartered at 40 rue de Courcelles, Paris. The firm operates as a société d'exercice libérale par actions simplifiée (SELAS) and is co-managed by Associé co-Gérant Frédéric Broud. Racine employs more than 250 lawyers, including 75 partners, organized across 16 practice areas (including M&A, banking and finance, real estate and construction, tax, employment, IP/IT and data protection, competition, litigation and arbitration, restructuring, ethics and compliance, business criminal law, and public law) and 12 industry sectors. It operates from 7 offices: Paris, Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille, Nantes and Brussels, with an International Desk coordinating cross-border work through partnerships with foreign law firms.

The firm's core offering is multi-disciplinary legal advisory and litigation services billed on an hourly, fixed-fee or retainer basis to corporate clients, investment funds, mid-market SMEs/ETIs and public institutions. Notable recent mandates include advising Strada Partners on the Rivage Groupe platform investment, advising on the Malherbe/Geodis sale (target revenue ~€450 million in 2024), supporting MPO Group's restructuring, advising Hivest Capital Partners-backed Agora Makers on the Kuzzle acquisition, advising idiCo-led investors on the Maison Kaviari MBO, advising Nhood on the SCC France acquisition, and supporting RATP Dev on the Vectalia Béziers Méditerranée takeover.

Racine holds continuous top-tier rankings across Legal 500, Chambers and Partners, Best Lawyers, IFLR 1000 and International Tax Review, including an Elite ranking from Chambers for Corporate/Commercial Litigation, and maintains GDPR-compliant operations with Eric Barbry serving as Partner and Data Protection Officer. The firm complements its advisory practice with add-on products including specialized newsletters, legal training programs, expert articles and an online jurisprudential database (lesbrevesenlignes.fr). There is no public disclosure of revenue, no external parent company, no venture backing, and no M&A activity on the firm itself.

Name

Racine

Legal name

RACINE, société d'exercice libérale par actions simplifiée

Website

https://racine.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Racine is an independent French business law firm founded in 1981, with more than 250 lawyers and 75 partners across 7 offices in France and Belgium. It serves corporates, private equity sponsors and public institutions across 16 practice areas and 12 industry sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Legal Services: Revenue generated through professional legal services including advisory, litigation, arbitration, and transactional work across multiple practice areas including corporate/M&A, banking & finance, real estate, employment, tax, and litigation. Services are billed through hourly fees, fixed fees for specific matters, or retainer arrangements depending on client needs and engagement scope.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Racine is an independent French business law firm providing advisory, transactional and dispute-resolution legal services to corporations, financial institutions, investment funds and public bodies. It organises its offering around 16 practice areas — including corporate/M&A, banking & finance, insurance, real estate & construction, employment, tax, IP/IT & data protection, competition, public law, ethics & compliance, and restructuring — supported by lawyers, partners and an International Desk across offices in France and Belgium. Services are billed as hourly fees, fixed fees for specific matters, or retainer arrangements.

Product overview

Racine is a French independent business law firm founded in 1981, operating as a multi-specialist practice with over 250 lawyers across 7 offices in France and Belgium. The firm offers comprehensive legal services organized into 16 core expertise areas covering corporate law, M&A, litigation, banking and finance, insurance, employment, real estate, tax, IP/IT, ethics and compliance, and sector-specific advisory across 12 industries including agribusiness, banking, insurance, energy, hospitality, luxury, media, and transport. The core offering consists of legal advisory and litigation services, supported by complementary modules including legal publications, newsletters, training programs, and an online jurisprudential database. The firm primarily serves French and international corporations, investment funds, financial institutions, and public entities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Legal Advisory Services Multi-disciplinary legal advisory across corporate law, litigation, banking and finance, insurance, real estate, employment, tax, IP/IT, competition, public law, ethics/compliance and restructuring for corporate clients, financial institutions and public bodies.
• Litigation and Arbitration Representation in complex commercial disputes, business criminal law and general criminal matters, including court litigation and arbitral proceedings, for corporate clients.
• Mergers & Acquisitions – Corporate Law Advisory on M&A transactions, corporate restructuring, private equity and venture capital investments, and broader business law mandates for buyers, sellers, sponsors and target companies.
• Banking, Finance & Insurance Legal services for banking regulation, financial services, structured finance, debt restructuring and insurance matters, advising banks, lenders, borrowers, insurers and financial services clients.
• Ethics & Compliance Advisory on regulatory compliance, ethics programmes and corporate governance covering French and European requirements, including anti-corruption, probity and internal investigations.
• Employment Law (Droit social) Labour and employment law services for employers, covering collective procedures, restructuring, individual and collective employment litigation, and HR-related advisory.
• IP/IT & Data Protection Intellectual property, information technology and data protection services, including GDPR compliance advisory, IP/IT contracts, and technology-related mandates.
• Real Estate – Construction Legal services for real estate transactions, property development, construction contracts and urban planning, advising investors, developers, owners and tenants on French real estate matters.
• Restructuring & Distressed Companies Advisory on insolvency proceedings, recovery plans, prevention and treatment of corporate difficulties, and distressed-company restructuring for companies in financial distress and their stakeholders.
• Tax Law Advisory Corporate tax advisory, transaction tax structuring, tax litigation, real estate tax planning and private client tax work for businesses and high-net-worth individuals.
• Competition & Distribution Law Advisory and contentious work on EU competition, French competition and distribution law, including antitrust, distribution networks and commercial relationships.
• Public Law – Energy Public law mandates including administrative law, public contracts, energy regulation and related sector-specific advisory for public bodies, regulated companies and energy-sector clients.
• Insurance – Civil Liability Legal services in insurance and liability matters — including construction insurance, IARD, personal insurance, civil liability and medical liability — for insurers, policyholders and healthcare clients.
• Agricultural & Agri-business Law Sector-specific advisory for agribusiness clients, covering French agricultural law and food-industry legal issues.
• Family & Private Client Law Private client legal services covering family law, property rights and succession/wealth planning for individuals, family-owned businesses and high-net-worth clients.
• Business Criminal Law & General Criminal Law Defence and advisory work on business criminal law (penal des affaires) and general criminal law for corporate executives and companies facing criminal exposure.

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• International Law Firm NetworksupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerRacine maintains relationships with foreign law firms to support clients' international activities. The International Desk coordinates with partner firms for cross-border transactions and legal matters involving multiple jurisdictions.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bredin Prat: Leading independent French business law firm headquartered in Paris with a similar multi-practice structure covering M&A, litigation, finance, and competition. Closely comparable to Racine in scale, independence, and client mix of French corporates and PE sponsors.
• Gide Loyrette Nouel: Major French-headquartered international law firm with deep Paris roots and global offices. Directly competes with Racine for premium French corporate, finance, and dispute resolution mandates, and shares the French-origin, multi-practice identity.
• CMS Francis Lefebvre: French arm of the CMS international network offering full-service business law with significant French regional presence. Competes head-to-head with Racine across M&A, tax, employment, and real estate for mid-cap French corporates.

Broad incumbents

• Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer: Magic Circle firm with a strong Paris office and global coverage. Competes with Racine on cross-border M&A, disputes, and competition matters where Racine is not lead counsel, representing the larger, broader incumbent in the same market.
• Clifford Chance: Magic Circle firm with a substantial Paris practice covering corporate, finance, and disputes. A larger incumbent whose Paris office overlaps with Racine's M&A, banking & finance, and competition practices on larger cross-border matters.
• A&O Shearman: Merged Magic Circle (Allen & Overy) and US firm (Shearman & Sterling) with a major Paris presence. Competes with Racine on M&A, finance, and international disputes where Racine typically does not lead, representing a broader incumbent option for clients.
• Linklaters: Magic Circle firm with a prominent Paris office covering corporate, finance, capital markets, and disputes. Larger incumbent whose Paris practice frequently competes with Racine on mid-cap French matters with international elements.
• Hogan Lovells: Global law firm with a substantial Paris office serving French corporates on M&A, finance, regulatory, and disputes. Represents a broader incumbent option for clients seeking international reach alongside French law expertise.
• DLA Piper: Global law firm with a sizeable Paris office offering corporate, finance, and dispute resolution services. Competes with Racine for mid-cap French matters, especially those with cross-border components.
• Dechert: International law firm with a focused Paris office covering corporate, finance, and litigation. Overlaps with Racine's transactional and contentious practices, particularly for international clients needing French counsel.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/racine_avocats
• Facebookfacebook.com/Racine-Avocats-200959753278632
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/racine

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Racine