White & Case boosts real estate bench in Paris with three-partner hire

White & Case has hired a three-partner real estate-focused team from DLA Piper in Paris.

The hires are led by Antoine Mercier, formerly head of real estate France at DLA Piper, alongside M&A specialist Sarah Fleury and finance-focused Romain Guénin. Mercier and Guénin both spent more than a decade at DLA, while Fleury only joined the firm at the end of 2024.

Victoria Landsbert, co-head of White & Case’s global real estate industry group, said the team brought "market-leading experience", including in fast-growing sectors such as data centres, and would strengthen the firm’s Paris capabilities.

The play mirrors a broader trend playing out in the London market, with firms ramping up senior corporate real estate hiring to capitalise on the surge of private capital into European real estate and infrastructure - with data centres a core asset class driven by the AI revolution.

Paris heritage

White & Case’s Paris office is the firm’s oldest in Europe. Established in 1926, the office will mark its centenary this year and currently counts 61 partners, according to the firm’s website.

Paris has long been a core European hub for White & Case, with particular strengths in banking and finance, capital markets, structured finance, M&A and international arbitration. The addition of a senior real estate trio adds further depth to its private capital and transactional platform in the city.

Paris in focus

The hires come amid heightened competition for talent in Paris, as international law firms step up investment in the market.

In November, Eversheds Sutherland landed a seven-lawyer employment team from Bird & Bird, while both Linklaters and Freshfields made high-profile team moves in the city last year.

Beyond law firms, legal tech companies are also expanding their Paris footprint. Legal AI platform Harvey announced just this week that it is opening a Paris office as it targets more corporate and law firm clients in the French market.