August Debouzy is increasing its white-collar expertise with the hiring of Astrid Mignon Colombet as partner within the Litigation – Arbitration – White-Collar Crime practice group. Joining with two associates, Diane Floreancig and Manon Krouti, she will increase the firm's white collar crime and non-trial criminal resolutions practice.

With 15 years of experience in complex criminal litigation and crisis management, Astrid Mignon Colombet has assisted companies and executives in a number of landmark cases, including the Concorde crash, the Erika disaster and the explosion of the AZF plant.

Over the course of her career, Astrid Mignon Colombet has developed recognized expertise in managing and preventing criminal risks for companies and executives in cases of fraud and cross-border corruption. She has worked alongside clients in negotiating judicial public interest agreements (CJIP) with the French National Financial Prosecutor's Office (PNF) (counsel to a major French bank in the signing of the first CJIP on cross-border corruption resulting from a coordinated resolution between the PNF and the US Department of Justice (DOJ)) and deferred prosecution agreements (DPA) working in cooperation with both US and UK lawyers.

She also advises clients on implementing their compliance programs, conducting internal investigations, managing multi-jurisdictional risks and issues related to the enforcement of the Blocking Statute and the non bis in idem principle.

 "We are delighted to have Astrid and her team join us. Her background, which combines extensive experience in criminal justice, compliance and internal investigations, as well as her strong focus on cross-border cases, is a good fit and will enhance the firm's existing capabilities. She and her team will boost our ability to support our clients faced with increased risks of business-related penalties and growing compliance requirements," explains Mahasti Razavi, Managing Partner.

With the addition of her team, the firm's Litigation - Arbitration – White-Collar Crime practice group now has 28 lawyers, including 6 partners, including Basile Ader, Bernard Cazeneuve, Alexandra Cohen-Jonathan, Marie Danis and Benjamin Van Gaver. Astrid Mignon Colombet will join forces with the team to develop a high-level criminal defense practice for companies and executives. The firm's cross-practice approach and international coverage are strong assets in providing clients with solutions adapted to the resolution of increasingly complex and multi-jurisdictional cases.

"My goal is to promote the collective construction of a French standard of non-trial criminal resolution and white collar criminal defense. In this way, our clients will benefit from solutions adapted to the new geopolitical, economic and procedural challenges resulting from the globalization of law. Developing this standard requires a wide range of skills, which the firm has, and the ability to choose the best referrals abroad on a case-by-case basis. The solid judicial practice of AUGUST DEBOUZY, a leading French law firm, with a real international strategy, was what made me decide to join them" adds Astrid Mignon Colombet, Partner.

About Astrid Mignon-Colombet (47 years old)

Astrid Mignon Colombet graduated from the Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris (1996) and has a PhD in Law from the University of Paris I - Panthéon-Sorbonne (2002). Admitted to the Paris bar since 2003, she started her career working as a lawyer at the French Conseil d'Etat and the Cour de Cassation (2002- 2004). She joined the law firm Soulez Larivière & Associés in 2004 where she was appointed partner in 2011, and then Managing Partner in 2016. Astrid is also the co-president of the Criminal Law Committee of the International Bar Association (IBA, 2019-2020).

Ranked, among others, by Chambers & Partners in "Corporate Compliance & Investigations" (Band 1 in 2019) and in "White-Collar Crime" (Band 3 in 2019), Astrid has appeared before several parliamentary delegations and committees to discuss the protection of French companies in the context of the globalization of law, and most recently, the delegation led by MP Raphaël Gauvain on the protection of companies facing extraterritorial proceedings.

She authored the book, "L'exécution forcée en droit des sociétés" in 2004, published by Economica, and contributed to the book, "Deals de justice, le marché américain de l'obéissance mondialisée", under the direction of Antoine Garapon and Pierre Servan-Schreiber, published by PUF in 2013. She lectures on compliance at the University of Assas (DU degree in compliance management) and the University of Dauphine (anti-corruption compliance certificate). She regularly writes articles and speaks at conferences on negotiated justice, the extraterritoriality of US law and the non bis in idem principle in business law.

About Diane Floreancig (29 years old)

Admitted to the Paris Bar since 2015, Diane Floreancig holds a dual post-graduate degree (Master II) in general private law (2012) and criminal law and sciences (2013) from the University Panthéon Assas (Paris II). She also earned a Certificate of English Law from the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom (2010). Diane's internships have included working at the Legal Affairs Department of the Ministry of Economy and Finance (2014), with a lawyer at the French Conseil d'État and the Court of Cassation (2014) and with the law firm Farthouat Asselineau & Associés (2015).

Diane worked for four years at Soulez Larivière & Associés. She was involved in complex litigation cases involving unintentional offences, directors' liability and public officials' liability, and cross-border corruption. She also assists companies on issues related to non-trial criminal resolutions and compliance with requirements under the Sapin II law.

About Manon Krouti (27 years old)

Admitted to the Paris Bar since 2018, Manon Krouti holds a post-graduate degree (Master II) in international and European litigation (2015) from the University of Paris X Nanterre. She also holds a certificate from Harvard Extension School (2013). Before joining Soulez Larivière & Associés in 2017, Manon completed internships in the litigation and arbitration practice at Willkie Farr & Gallagher and in the Compliance team at the company Lagardère.

At Soulez Lariviere & Associés, Manon mainly worked on corruption cases and cross-border economic and financial offences, particularly in defining pre-trial, judicial or non-trial resolution strategies.  She also assisted companies in addressing their compliance risks associated with anti-corruption laws and international economic sanctions, as well as subjects related to the application of the French Blocking Statute.

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