International law firm Bird & Bird welcomes back Tax expert Etienne Guillou who returns to the firm as a partner in Paris. He rejoined the firm on 5 June 2023.
Etienne started his legal journey at Bird & Bird in the firm’s Tax team in Paris back in 2004 and was with the firm for 7 years. Etienne has since worked in various international and French firms, including Dentons and King & Wood Mallesons. Most recently, he was a counsel in the Tax team of a well-regarded French law firm, Latournerie Wolfrom Avocats.
He advises companies and investment funds on the tax aspects of mergers, acquisitions, restructuring and investment operations. Etienne also has extensive experience in general business corporate tax law and advises French and international groups on a range of tax issues, including tax consolidation, optimisation, taxation of financial flows, transactions and tax audits.
Etienne’s appointment is a part of Bird & Bird’s strategy to significantly grow its Tax and Corporate teams internationally. The French Corporate team in particular is advising on progressively larger and more complex cases, so Etienne’s long-standing expertise in this area will further bolster the team’s offering to clients, particularly in the case of restructuring, both in France and internationally.
Willem Bongaerts and Gaetano Salvioli, co-heads of Bird & Bird’s international Tax practice, comment: “Etienne’s extensive experience advising on transactions involving French tax residents, aspects of French VAT rules, double tax treaties and French reporting obligations will make him an excellent addition to our international Tax team. Welcome to the team Etienne!”
Alexandre Vuchot and Emmanuelle Porte, co-heads of Bird & Bird in France, say: “We are delighted to welcome Etienne back to Bird & Bird. We have been fortunate to work with Etienne on a wide range of transactions over the years and know that he’ll be an excellent addition to both the French Corporate team, as well as the wider Bird & Bird network.”
Etienne adds: “I’m thrilled to return to Bird & Bird to work alongside this very talented group of experts in the firm’s Tax and Corporate teams. It’s an exciting period of expansion for the firm’s Corporate practice and I’m very much looking forward to seeing the team continue to grow and expand the range of advice we offer our clients both domestically and internationally.”
