Law firm wins prestigious Franco British Lawyers Society’s Champagne Louis Roederer prize

National law firm Browne Jacobson has won an award celebrating organisations that have demonstrated an “outstanding contribution” to helping French women lawyers practise in London.

The award, created by the Franco-British Lawyers Society (FBLS) and sponsored by Champagne house Louis Roederer, was presented at a summer reception at the Residence of French Ambassador, his Excellency Jean-Pierre Jouyet to the firm’s Senior Partner, Caroline Green.

The firm’s French Group is based in London and comprises of French nationals and bilingual lawyers, specialising in Franco-British business transactions who advise both established French companies and also entrepreneurs who are looking to invest in the UK.

Over the past few years, the team has supported a number of French female lawyers who wish to pursue careers in the London legal market through various initiatives. These include sponsoring a French qualified lawyer in obtaining her Qualified Lawyers Transfer Scheme (QLTS), offering tailored training to French female legal assistants on the difference between the French and UK legal systems, facilitating more in-depth training in various legal specialisms and recruiting and developing French female interns into the practice.

Caroline Green said in her acceptance speech:

“Over the years, our French team has grown from strength to strength with us hosting a number of female Stagiaires and supporting and continuing to support female French lawyers who want to qualify in the UK. I am delighted to say that our team is now predominantly female.

“At a time when more women are joining the profession than men, it is important to be able to provide women with the careers they want and we have been particularly proud to support French women lawyers working in London in this way.”

Dominique Tai, Chargée de clientèle Française at the firm and who previously headed up Browne Jacobson’s French Group for almost 40 years added:

“I am thrilled that we have been recognised for our commitment to helping French female lawyers flourish in the UK legal industry. As a business we take our corporate social responsibility to diversity and equal opportunities very seriously.

“We have found supporting and developing our French female lawyers and legal advisers to be hugely beneficial to our business.

“This approach has enabled us to enhance our excellent client service offering and expand our sector expertise across a broader range of legal disciplines to our French client base, resulting in continuous new work streams.”

Browne Jacobson’s French Group works in partnership with over 400 French companies across a broad range of sectors. The practice which is a member of the French Chamber of Great Britain offers legal advice on a range of matters including M&A transactions, JV arrangements, commercial real estate, IP and HR services.

The Franco British Lawyers’ Society is an educational charity which brings together lawyers from France, Scotland, England and Wales, Northern Ireland. The charity organises conferences on legal subjects with a comparative law element and also awards a number of prizes, including the Champagne Louis Roederer Prize.