Wesley R. Johnson Jr.
Partner

Partner-in-Charge
Paris

Contact

(T) +33.1.56.59.39.39
(F) +33.1.56.59.39.38

Education

  • Harvard University (J.D. cum laude 1982; M.A. 1978); Cambridge University (M.A. 1982; B.A. with first class honours 1977); University of Michigan (B.A. magna cum laude 1975)

Bar Admissions

  • California and Paris Bars

Wesley Johnson's practice focuses primarily on European cross-border mergers and acquisitions, in a wide variety of business sectors. He is Partner-in-Charge in Paris.

Major client representations have included chemical group Rhodia in dispositions and restructurings involving French and overseas assets; La Poste Française, including acquisition of the DPD parcel network in Germany; Rossi family interests in connection with the sale of Martini & Rossi to Bacardi; France Telecom/Orange with its acquisitions of Spanish mobile operator Amena and network services provider Equant; Thales in dispositions of the Magellan GPS business and of its stake in Embrear; Canadian paper group Cascades in a business combination with Reno de Medici; OM Group in connection with the "revisitation" of mining concessions initiated by the Democratic Republic of Congo; and Russian private equity firm OPK and Sergei Pugachev in the acquisition of French luxury food group Hédiard, French newspaper France Soir, and U.S. biotech company Biopure. Other clients include China Guangdong Nuclear Power Corporation, Compass Group, Crown Packaging, Eutelsat, Parker Hannifin, Scotts Miracle-Gro, Sinochem, Total, and WL Ross.

Wesley is cited yearly as among the best corporate/M&A lawyers in France in the guides Chambers Global, Chambers Europe, PLC Which lawyer?, and The Legal 500 EMEA. He is a co-founding member of "Continuing Legal Education Europe," a London-based nonprofit CLE organization. He has lectured extensively on M&A and corporate governance topics, including for the Conference Board Directors' Institute. He is president of the Société Sportive du Jeu de Paume et de Racquets, the Paris real tennis club.


Wesley Johnson