Paris and Washington, DC, January 6, 2015. Heenan Paris, a Paris based law firm with a niche project development practice focused on Africa, will open an office in Washington DC to capitalize on its burgeoning growth.
The new office will be managed by Sanjoy Jay Bose, a Heenan Paris partner, who specializes in international project development and finance and public-private partnerships. Mr. Bose will be joined by Stephen D. Juge, partner, who has extensive experience in developing international projects including involving energy. Also joining the DC office: William DeVan, Of Counsel, who has significant experience in dispute resolution and arbitration in the energy sector, particularly in emerging markets.
A full bio of all three men can be found below.
The DC office will cooperate closely with the Paris office on the strategic growth of the firm's recognized natural resources, energy, infrastructure and project finance practices on the African continent. In this regard, the firm was recently engaged as counsel to the Municipality of Bafoussam, Cameroon, in connection with a major public-private partnership to develop a utility-scale electrification project for that country.
Jean-Francois Mercadier, Managing Partner of the Paris office and Sanjoy Jay Bose, Managing Partner of the Washington, DC office, said the U.S. administration's commitment to developing Africa's energy sector drove the decision to open an office in Washington. "The establishment of our Washington, DC office will permit us to serve our clients more effectively in connection with their projects, in particular on the African continent. Our proximity to US agencies and institutions which participate in the financing of energy projects in connection with the 'Power Africa' initiative introduced by the U.S. government is a valuable asset for all of our clients and partners."
Combining subject matter expertise with a pragmatic approach to addressing legal issues and completing projects, the partners of Heenan Paris, coming from prestigious international law firms and qualified to practice in various countries, can provide their French and international clientele with tailored legal solutions. Heenan Paris is recognized for its cutting-edge expertise in the energy and infrastructure sectors in Africa.
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About the Washington office principals:
Sanjoy Jay Bose: Managing Partner of the Washington, DC office
Sanjoy Jay Bose is an American attorney admitted to practice in New York and the District of Columbia (Washington, DC), and has more than twenty years' practical experience in international project development and finance as well as in public-private partnerships (PPP). Since 1992, he has worked on more than forty major energy and infrastructure projects throughout the world and acquired an in-depth experience in connection with structuring, drafting and negotiation of all the principal project and financing agreements. Sanjoy advises project sponsors, project lenders, governments and public sector entities on the structuring, development and financing of energy and infrastructure projects and has extensive experience working with project stakeholders to identify, allocate and mitigate project-specific risks, such as credit risks, technology and market risks, construction and completion risks, operating and performance risks, as well as legal, regulatory and political risks.
Stephen D. Juge: Partner in the Washington office
Stephen Juge is an attorney admitted to practice in the United States in New York, the District of Columbia (Washington, DC) and Louisiana, and has practiced in France as a Conseil Juridique (Legal Advisor) and Corporate Counsel (Juriste d'Entreprise). During his career, Stephen Juge has held several positions as general counsel of leading international businesses involved in different sectors of activity, in which he was in charge of corporate and governance matters as well as transactions and dispute resolution on a world-wide basis. Accordingly he has developed, notably when he was General Counsel of Euro Disney and later Disney Europe, cutting-edge experience in complex operations such as mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and contracts for public-private partnerships, restructuring, financing and the development of infrastructure projects. From 2010, Stephen Juge was Senior Vice-President, General Counsel and Company Secretary of UNIFY, formerly Siemens Enterprise Communications, a world leader in enterprise telephony.
William DeVan: Of Counsel in the Washington, DC office
William DeVan is an American attorney admitted to practice in Virginia and the District of Columbia (Washington, DC). With more than twenty years of practice in leading law firms in Washington, DC, William DeVan is a litigator with significant experience in dispute resolution and arbitration matters involving commercial and construction contracts. He has also developed in-depth expertise in international arbitration relating to construction projects, including in the energy sector.
