Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer looks set to lose four partners in its Paris office to US firm Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe.
The quartet leaving for Orrick’s French arm, Orrick Rambaud Martel, includes Paris employment head Emmanuel Benard, who joined the firm in 2004 from Bélier & Associés.
Finance partner duo Hervé Touraine and Emmanuel Ringeval are also due to leave for Orrick, alongside corporate partner Patrick Tardivy.
Ringeval joined the magic circle firm in 2012 from Weil Gotshal & Manges, where he headed its banking and finance practice.
Tardivy joined Freshfields in 2000 and was made up to partner in 2012.
A Freshfields spokesperson said: “These partners join a firm with a different platform to ours and with a different strategy. We wish them well.
“We are delighted with the current momentum that our Paris practice has developed in the market, which has been reflected in high profile instructions.”
Orrick has over 100 lawyers in its French office, while Freshfields is slightly larger with over 130.
The US firm moved to strengthen its Paris banking group and Africa expertise nearly two years ago with the hire of a partner from Heenan Paris.
Meanwhile, Freshfields saw Frankfurt planning and regulatory partner Michael Schaefer take a team of three associates with him last week to launch boutique firm Chatham Partners.