Simon Associés

What Simon Associés does

Simon Associés is a Paris-headquartered French business law firm founded in 1992 by Jean-Charles Simon and François-Luc Simon, operating as a SELAS (Société d'Exercice Libéral par Actions Simplifiée) with approximately 200 lawyers across France. The firm provides multidisciplinary legal advisory services across 15+ practice areas including corporate/M&A, litigation and arbitration, taxation, employment law, intellectual property and digital law, restructuring and distressed companies, real estate, criminal business law, compliance, public business law, and media/sport/entertainment. Its primary clients are French PME/PMI (SMEs), ETI (mid-sized companies), and select Large Caps spanning sectors such as healthcare, retail, technology, hospitality, financial services, and automotive.

The firm combines traditional legal advisory with proprietary digital tools developed under its wholly-owned subsidiary Simon Associés Innovation Labs Services (SAILS), established in 2018. These include Data Comply One (a GDPR compliance platform co-developed with Groupe Visiativ), Simon Legal Client Management/SICLIMA (a collaborative client portal built with Séraphin Legal), and the MacadamIA AI-focused innovation initiative. Distribution occurs through 7 integrated French offices (Paris, Lyon, Montpellier, Nantes, Toulouse, Versailles, Lille), the 20+ firm Réseau Simon Avocats network, four international desks (Iberian, Italian, African, Chinese), and the transnational Simon International alliance covering 15+ countries.

The firm's go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-based, relying on partner-led client acquisition, themed newsletters, podcasts (LE DIRIGEANT, Simon Emission Juridique), industry events, and PR/media presence. Revenue is generated from professional services fees structured as hourly rates, fixed fees, and success fees on multi-year mandates. The firm is independently owned under founder management with no public funding history, and has been recognized as 'Cabinet de l'Année' and 'Cabinet Français de l'Année' at the Palmarès du Droit in both 2023 and 2025.

Name

Simon Associés

Legal name

SIMON ASSOCIES, SELAS

Website

https://simonassocies.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Simon Associés is a Paris-headquartered French business law firm founded in 1992, employing approximately 200 lawyers across 15+ practice areas and 7 integrated French offices, serving SMEs, mid-sized companies, and large corporations with multidisciplinary legal advisory and proprietary digital compliance tools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Legal Advisory Services: Core legal services revenue from corporate, litigation, tax, employment, M&A, restructuring, and other practice areas. Fees structured as hourly rates, fixed fees, and success fees depending on matter type and client relationship.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Simon Associés is a multidisciplinary French business law firm offering legal advisory services across 15+ practice areas including corporate/M&A, litigation and arbitration, tax, employment, intellectual property and digital law, real estate, distressed companies and restructuring, criminal business law, public business law, distribution/competition, media/entertainment, health and life sciences, public affairs, and international matters. The firm serves French SMEs (PME), mid-sized companies (ETI), and large corporations from 7 integrated offices across France, supplemented by a national network of 20+ affiliated firms and an international alliance.

Product overview

Simon Associés operates as a multi-disciplinary business law firm rather than a software company. Its core offering is legal advisory services across 15 practice areas. The firm does, however, offer two named digital product/service modules: Data Comply One (a GDPR compliance software co-developed with Groupe Visiativ) and Simon Legal Client Management (a collaborative client portal built with Séraphin Legal). These tools are presented as innovation offerings under the firm's Innovation section, complementing its legal service portfolio.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Data Comply One: GDPR compliance software developed in partnership with Groupe Visiativ for SME/ETI companies
• Simon Legal Client Management
• Simon International
• Réseau Simon Avocats

Products and services

• Corporate / Financing / M&A / Private Equity Legal advisory for corporate matters, financing, mergers and acquisitions, and private equity transactions, covering growth companies, mid-market firms, and large corporations across France.
• Litigation & Arbitration Dispute resolution services including commercial litigation and arbitration for businesses operating in France and internationally.
• Tax Advisory Tax advisory services for businesses including corporate taxation, transactional tax planning, and tax optimization.
• Labor & Human Resources Law Employment and labor law advisory covering individual and collective labor relations, social restructurings, and HR matters for French businesses.
• Intellectual Property, Digital, Compliance & Data Legal services covering IP, digital law, data protection, and compliance including GDPR advisory and technology-related matters.
• Real Estate / Construction / Urban Planning Legal advisory for real estate transactions, construction projects, commercial leases, and urban planning matters.
• Distressed Companies & Restructuring Legal services for financially distressed companies including preventive proceedings, safeguard plans, judicial restructuring, and creditor negotiations.
• Criminal Business Law & Compliance Legal advisory for criminal business law, anti-corruption, competition law, fraud, export control, and corporate compliance programs.
• Public Business Law Legal services for public business law matters at the intersection of law, public decision-making, and corporate strategy.
• Distribution / Competition / Consumer Law Legal services for distribution networks, franchise systems, competition law, and consumer protection matters.
• Public Affairs Strategic advisory at the intersection of law, public decision-making, and corporate strategy, supporting businesses in their dealings with public stakeholders.
• Health & Life Sciences Legal advisory for the healthcare and life sciences sector, including clinics, EHPAD (nursing homes), medico-social organizations, and life sciences companies.
• Media / Sport / Entertainment Legal services for media, sport, and entertainment industry clients, covering image and reputation, content, and commercial agreements.
• International Legal Services Cross-border legal advisory through dedicated international desks (Iberian, Italian, African, and Chinese) and the Simon International alliance covering Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.
• Contractual Techniques Legal services for drafting, reviewing, and negotiating complex commercial contracts.
• Image & Reputation Legal advisory for image, reputation, and related rights protection for businesses and individuals.
• Office Notarial - Pergeline Simon Notarial services associated with the law firm, providing authentication and contractual formalities for corporate and real estate matters.
• Data Comply One GDPR compliance software co-developed with Groupe Visiativ, enabling SMEs and ETIs to initiate, manage, and maintain data protection compliance through a guided workflow. Offered under the Simon Associés Innovation Labs Services (SAILS) subsidiary.
• Simon Legal Client Management (SICLIMA) Collaborative digital client platform providing secure document sharing, synchronized case data, video conferencing, chat, and messaging, accessible via mobile, tablet, and PC. Built in collaboration with Séraphin Legal.

Quantifiable outcome

• Recognized as Cabinet de l'Année and Cabinet Français de l'Année 2025 and 2023 at Palmarès du Droit
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Club Afrique OccitanieminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 March 2019Partnership with Club Afrique Occitanie for business development and networking in African markets through the Africa Desk.
• PatelinConseilcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 September 2018Strategic alliance in Hispanic countries of Mercosur covering Argentina and other Latin American markets through transnational convention.
• VisiativcoreTechnology or Integration · 23 May 2018Strategic partnership with Visiativ to create Mission RGPD (Data Comply One), a comprehensive GDPR compliance solution combining Visiativ's digital platform with Simon Associés' legal expertise. This led to the creation of Simon Associés Innovation Labs Services (SAILS) subsidiary.
• ASGV AdvogadoscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 May 2012International convention with Brazilian law firm ASGV Advogados for cross-border legal services in South America, specifically covering Brazil.
• Les Amis du CercleminorOthersMembership in Les Amis du Cercle, a club of law firms sharing the values of the Cercle that have committed to support the organization's actions.
• LinkapitalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with Linkapital for organizing Les Matinales des Enseignes, a series of business breakfasts on distribution and retail topics.
• Club Enseignes & BusinessminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with Club Enseignes & Business MDC, an ecosystem animator for organizing events on digital transformation in retail.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Bredin Prat: Leading Paris-based independent business law firm of comparable scale (~200 lawyers) with similar full-spectrum corporate, M&A, litigation and restructuring practices; serves many of the same French Large Cap and ETI clients and competes head-to-head for premium French mandates.
• FTPA: Independent French business law firm focused on tax, corporate and international matters; smaller than Simon Associés but directly comparable in practice mix and French mid-market positioning.
• Jeantet: Paris-headquartered business law firm of similar size with full-service corporate, M&A, tax, employment and dispute resolution practices; competes for the same mid-market French and international mandates.
• August Debouzy: Major independent Paris business law firm with comparable multidisciplinary coverage (corporate, M&A, litigation, public law, social) and a similar premium French client base; directly competes with Simon Associés for ETI and CAC 40 mandates.

Broad incumbents

• Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer: Magic Circle firm with a major Paris office covering M&A, disputes, antitrust and restructuring; competes for premium French and cross-border mandates and sets the pricing ceiling for large transactions where Simon Associés is positioned as co-counsel or local counsel.
• Gide Loyrette Nouel: Largest independent French-headquartered international law firm with substantially broader global footprint and headcount; competes for the same French Large Cap mandates and provides the natural scale benchmark for premium French business law work.
• Dentons: World's largest law firm by headcount with a sizable Paris office; competes for French mid-market and international mandates through its polycentric global platform that overlaps with Simon International's alliance network.
• Allen & Overy (A&O Shearman): Magic Circle firm with significant Paris corporate, banking and litigation practices; competes for sophisticated French and cross-border mandates, especially in regulated industries overlapping with Simon Associés' Life Sciences and Health practices.
• Linklaters: Magic Circle firm with strong Paris M&A, capital markets and banking practices; competes for premium French Large Cap and cross-border mandates at the upper end of Simon Associés' target market.
• Clifford Chance: Magic Circle firm with deep Paris presence across corporate, finance, litigation and tax; competes for the largest French M&A and capital markets mandates that Simon Associés' ETI/SME-focused practice would only co-counsel on.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SIMONASSOCIES

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Simon Associés