A major Israeli law firm has formed an alliance with one of France’s largest independent business law firms, a move that furthers both firms’ ambitions to expand their cross-border business between their home regions and North and West Africa.
The new venture, Firon-UGGC, unites M. Firon & Co. Advocates, a Tel Aviv-based firm of more than 300 lawyers, and UGGC, a Paris-based firm with 170 lawyers.
Founded in 1950, Firon is a top-tier, full-service business law firm with offices throughout Israel, as well as in Romania, Greece and Serbia.
UGGC, founded in 1993, has a global footprint that covers Western Europe, with offices in Paris, Marseilles and Brussels; North and West Africa, with offices in Morocco, Ivory Coast and Ghana; South America, and Asia.
The goal of the joint venture is to provide international legal services and cross-border solutions to clients in Israel, France, Morocco, Ghana and Ivory Coast, the firms said.
The founding firms also highlighted the promise of Israel and Morocco in light of the Abraham Accords, a 2020 agreement that normalized relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and led to subsequent agreements with other countries, including Morocco.
Structured as more than a collaboration agreement, Firon-UGGC will have its own management, including an eight-partner steering committee drawn equally from the founding firms.
It envisions work being done by joint teams of lawyers from Firon and UGGC, as well as lawyer exchange programs between the two firms, they said.
“This new venture will enhance our ability to provide our cross-border clients better services and help them meet ever-greater international challenges,” Zvi Firon, head of Firon and member of the steering committee, said in a statement announcing the venture.
Michel Ponsard, a UGGC partner and member of the steering committee, added that “Israel represents a major jurisdiction, at the forefront of health and data technologies, a growing economy.”
