Norton Rose Fulbright (NRF) has made a key appointment with tax partner Antoine Colonna d’lstria from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer moving to its Paris office.
A member of the Paris Bar, Colonna d’lstria spent 16 years at the Magic Circle firm. He predominantly advises French and multinational groups as well as investment funds.
Recommended by The Legal 500, Colonna d’lstria has been involved in a number of transactions across Europe in recent years, particularly in the real estate, M&A, refinancing and restructuring sectors, as well as tax audits and litigation.
Colonna d’lstria’s departure follows a four-partner team exit from the firm’s Paris office to Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe last month. Corporate partner Patrick Tardivy, finance partners Emmanuel Ringeval and Herve Touraine and Paris employment head Emmanuel Benard all exited the firm.
For NRF, it follows the April hire of corporate partner Christophe Asselineau in Paris from Shearman & Sterling where he headed the Africa Group.
NRF head of tax for Europe, Middle East, Asia and Brazil Dominic Stuttaford said: ‘Our European tax practice continues to grow with Antoine’s appointment, which is the fourth to our team in the last eighteen months. Tax is an increasingly important issue for multinational companies and is a key consideration in a business’ overall risk profile. Antoine will add further depth and capability to our practice.’
George Paterson, head of the NRF Paris office, added: ‘Antoine’s appointment is great news for our Parisian team. His practice spans a number of key industry strength areas for the firm that will build on our existing experience. Antoine will be a great asset to our corporate and real estate practice in particular.’
sarah.downey@legalease.co.uk