Villechenon

What Villechenon does

Villechenon is an independent French law firm organized as a SELARL and headquartered at 5 rue La Boétie, 75008 Paris. Founded in 1979 by Francis Pinot de Villechenon, who became honorary in February 2024, the firm is now led by five partners — Marie-Victoire James, Nicolas Manardo, Antoine Béguin, Caroline Ledergerber, and Lisa Moucketassimbache — supported by counsel, associates, a paralegal, and an office manager (approximately 15 people in total). Its practice is concentrated in private equity, venture capital, M&A, capital markets, corporate law, management packages, and international/cross-border transactions, serving French and international growth companies, startups, and investment funds.

The firm executes 50+ transactions per year and over 200 in the past three years, with a disclosed client roster spanning sectors such as climate tech (Hexana, Jimmy Energy, Goodvest), IoT (Actility), femtech (Womed), SaaS (Pricing Hub), mobility (Kooklin), and finance (Semeia, Demea Invest, Serena Capital). Its revenue model is the standard professional services model — fees billed on transactional mandates (deal-by-deal legal advisory) for sponsors, founders, and corporates — with no disclosed subscription, SaaS, or alternative-fee component. Capital structure is small (share capital €197,370), consistent with a tightly held partnership.

In 2025 the firm refreshed its visual identity and onboarded three professionals (Agathe Evesque, Flore Barrière promoted to counsel, Alexandre Soares de Albergaria), reinforcing bench capacity. It is recognized across Chambers (Band 4, 2025), Legal 500, Décideurs Magazine (multiple Gold tiers), Le Point/Statista, CF News, Option Droit & Affaires, and Forbes/FOCI, which collectively anchor its reputational moat in the French PE/VC legal market.

Name

Villechenon

Legal name

Villechenon Société d'Avocats

Website

https://villechenon.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Villechenon is a Paris-based independent boutique law firm of approximately 15 people specializing in private equity, venture capital, M&A, capital markets, and management packages, serving growth companies, startups, and investment funds across France and cross-border mandates.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Legal Advisory Services: Professional legal services rendered to corporations, investors, and management teams in private equity, venture capital, and M&A transactions. Revenue is generated through professional service fees.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Villechenon is an independent French law firm delivering legal advisory services to businesses, investors, and management teams across venture capital financings, private equity transactions (LBO, growth capital, build-ups), mergers and acquisitions, capital markets operations, and corporate law matters. The firm coordinates cross-border engagements through a network of partner law firms in foreign jurisdictions and provides multidisciplinary support via affiliated specialists in tax, employment, IP, data protection, insolvency, and public law.

Product overview

Villechenon is a French law firm offering a unified portfolio of legal advisory services centered on private equity, venture capital, and mergers & acquisitions. The core offering comprises eight integrated service lines: Private Equity (LBO, growth capital, build-up strategies), Venture Capital (startup financing from seed to Series D), Mergers & Acquisitions (full transactional process), Capital Markets Law (IPO, securities issuance, delisting), Corporate (day-to-day company legal management), Management Packages & Profit-Sharing (equity incentive plans), International/Cross-border Services (transborder operations via partner network), and Network of Legal Experts (tax, employment, IP, data protection specialists). The firm acts as project manager coordinating these services for clients from innovative companies to traditional industry players.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Private Equity Advisory Legal advisory services for growth capital, leveraged buyouts (LBOs), and build-up strategies, including legal and financial structuring, drafting and negotiation of transactional documents, legal due diligence, and management package design. Targeted at companies, shareholders, and institutional investors.
• Venture Capital Advisory Legal advisory services for high-growth startups and scale-ups, investment funds, and corporate venture capital investors, covering financing rounds from seed through Series D, including due diligence, shareholder agreements, and investment documentation.
• Mergers & Acquisitions Advisory Legal advisory services covering the entire M&A transactional process including external growth operations, restructurings, and strategic disposals, with legal and financial structuring, due diligence, and contract negotiation.
• Capital Markets Law Advisory Legal advisory for initial public offerings, subsequent issuances of financial instruments, and delisting transactions, supporting clients throughout capital markets activity.
• Corporate Legal Advisory Day-to-day legal management of companies including company formation, group structuring, ongoing legal support, and management of intra-group and shareholder relationships.
• Management Packages & Profit-Sharing Advisory Equity incentive plans for executives and employees, including BSPCE issuance, free share plans, stock option plans, and tailored management packages in the context of fundraising or LBO transactions.
• International / Cross-border Legal Services Cross-border advisory delivered through a network of partner law firms in foreign jurisdictions, covering transborder acquisitions or disposals, foreign employee incentive schemes, SAFE agreements, flip transactions, and international group structuring. Villechenon acts as project manager coordinating international legal execution.
• Network of Legal Experts (Complementary Expertise) Coordinated multidisciplinary legal support via expert lawyers in tax law, employment law, intellectual property, data protection, insolvency proceedings, and public law to provide comprehensive international legal services in complex transactions.

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 200 venture capital transactions over past 3 years
• +1 more outcomes

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

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered supporting and core.

• Tax law expertssupportingOthersNetwork of expert lawyer partners in France and internationally for tax law matters in cross-border transactions
• Employment law expertssupportingOthersNetwork of expert lawyer partners for employment law matters in complex transactions
• Intellectual property expertssupportingOthersNetwork of expert lawyer partners for IP protection in transactions involving innovative companies
• Data protection expertssupportingOthersNetwork of expert lawyer partners for GDPR and data protection compliance in transactions
• Insolvency proceedings expertssupportingOthersNetwork of expert lawyer partners for restructuring and insolvency matters
• Public law expertssupportingOthersNetwork of expert lawyer partners for public law matters in regulated sectors
• International partner law firmscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of partner firms across multiple foreign jurisdictions for cross-border acquisitions, SAFE implementations, flip transactions, and structuring of international groups. Villechenon acts as project manager coordinating international legal execution.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Latham & Watkins: Global law firm with leading Paris PE/M&A practice regularly advising on large-cap French and cross-border transactions. Comparable as a French PE/M&A competitor but at substantially larger scale and broader scope.
• Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe: International firm with a strong Paris-based venture capital and tech transactions practice serving startups, growth companies and VC funds. Overlaps with Villechenon's VC practice but as a much broader, multi-jurisdictional firm.
• Bird & Bird: International law firm with deep technology, venture capital and growth practice in Paris serving startups, VC funds and tech corporates. Comparable in the French VC/tech transactions space but as a much larger global firm.
• McDermott Will & Emery: International firm with a recognized Paris private equity practice serving sponsors and strategic acquirers. Overlaps with Villechenon's PE/VC focus but operates as a much larger multi-practice global firm.

Direct peers

• August Debouzy: Paris-based independent firm recognized for strong private equity, M&A and venture capital practices. Directly comparable to Villechenon as a French independent firm with PE/VC specialization, though larger in headcount.
• Bredin Prat: Major French independent law firm consistently top-ranked for M&A, private equity and capital markets in France. Directly comparable to Villechenon in PE/VC/M&A focus but operating at a much larger scale and on larger-cap transactions.
• BCTG Avocats: French independent law firm with a recognized venture capital and growth equity practice serving startups, funds and corporates. Closely comparable to Villechenon in size, boutique positioning and focus on French VC financings.
• Deprez Guignot Associés (DGA): Paris boutique specializing in private equity and M&A, serving French SMEs, mid-cap firms and investment funds. Closely comparable to Villechenon's boutique positioning in French PE/VC advisory.
• Gide Loyrette Nouel: Leading French law firm with deep PE, M&A and capital markets practices, regularly top-ranked in French and European league tables. Overlaps directly with Villechenon's core VC/PE/M&A advisory focus, serving French and international corporates and funds.
• Reinhart Marville Torre (RMT): Paris-based boutique firm with strong M&A and private equity practices advising mid-cap companies, funds and family groups. Comparable to Villechenon as a French boutique competing in PE/M&A mandates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights2 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/villechenon

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

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 Villechenon