Denis Chemla

Denis is Head of France Disputes and Global Co-Head of Investigations & White Collar.

Denis has extensive experience representing numerous French and international financial institutions and corporates in criminal and regulatory investigations. With over 30 years of experience, he has appeared before criminal and civil courts in both France and French-speaking Africa. His practice encompasses a wide range of areas, from industrial criminal law to financial, tax and economic criminal law, in particular cases against prosecutors from the National Financial Prosecutor's Office (Parquet National Financier). He handles complex, high-stakes international matters for his clients. Denis is one of the first French lawyers to conclude settlement agreements with prosecuting authorities (a public interest judicial agreement – CJIP, a French-style DPA) and has a solid track record in this field. Denis also represents clients in high-stakes civil and commercial litigation, particularly in the financial and energy sectors, as well as in ESG litigation, including one of the first "duty of vigilance" class action in France. He also has substantial experience in product liability litigation, with a strong focus on aviation. A former member of the Paris Bar Council, Conseil de l'Ordre des Avocats, the governing body of the Paris Bar and professor at law universities and leading business schools, he was awarded the Ordre national de la Légion d’honneur, the highest order of merit in France, by the French President in 2017. Denis is recognized by leading legal directories for his exceptional expertise. Chambers & Partners has ranked him in Band-1 for White Collar Crime in France, and the Legal 500 has included him in its "Hall of Fame" for White Collar Crime in France. He is also listed as one of the leading lawyers in Litigation: Elite by Chambers & Partners for France.