Johannes Jonas

Partner, Paris

Johannes Jonas

Partner, Paris

Johannes Jonas is head of the firm’s Paris office and has more than thirty years of experience managing sophisticated corporate transactions for European, Asian, and North American clients. His practice focuses on cross-border transactions and investments, mergers and acquisitions, employment law, and general commercial law.

Fluent in French, German, Dutch, and English, Johannes has extensive international experience. He maintains a significant base of clients worldwide, particularly in the automotive, life sciences, luxury goods, and technology sectors. Johannes is admitted to practice law in Paris, New York, and Germany.

Johannes has volunteered for many years with not-for-profit organizations and currently serves on the Board of the World Scout Foundation. Prior to joining Cohen & Gresser, Johannes was a partner at Dentons (formerly Salans) in Paris. He also previously practiced in the New York and Paris offices of Clearly, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton and the Frankfurt office of Bruckhaus Westrick Stegemann (today Freshfields).

He has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in France in the corporate law category, by New York’s Super Lawyers in the mergers and acquisitions category and by Leaders League in the “Highly Recommended” category for M&A: mid-cap.

Johannes Jonas is head of the firm’s Paris office and has more than thirty years of experience managing sophisticated corporate transactions for European, Asian,…

Education

University of Chicago Law School (LL.M., 1989); University of Munich (Dr. jur., 1987); IUHEI – Geneva, Switzerland (Certificate of European Studies 1983)

Bar Admissions

Paris; Berlin; New York State

Activities and Affiliations

Board Member, World Scout Foundation
Member, Verein Deutscher Juristentag

Representative Matters

Represented a German media company in the MBO of a French subsidiary.

Represented a private equity fund in its purchase of the worldwide automotive business of a major American company (five jurisdictions, including France, UK, and Germany).

Represented a German fashion jewel producer in the sale of its assets to the French luxury group.

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Five of our Paris-based lawyers have been recognized in the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in France.

Johannes Jonas is recognized for corporate law. His practice focuses on cross-border transactions and investments, mergers and acquisitions, employment law, and general commercial law.

Angéline Duffour is recognized for labor and employment law. Her practice focuses on all aspects of employment law in a diverse range of industries (including hospitality and leisure, life sciences and health care, chemical industries, luxury, fashion and transportation).

Muriel Goldberg-Darmon is recognized for banking and finance law, financial institutions, mergers and acquisitions law, and regulatory practice. Her practice focuses on advising listed companies and their managers, investment funds, insurance companies, and financial institutions on a wide range of regulatory and compliance issues, investigations, and corporate transactions.

Franck Le Mentec is recognized for tax law. His practice focuses on cross-border taxation, both for multinational enterprises and private clients.

Guillaume Guérin is recognized for regulatory practice. His practice focuses on advising publicly listed and non-listed companies and their managers, investment funds, and financial institutions on a wide range of regulatory and compliance issues, investigations, and corporate transactions.

The Best Lawyers in France relies entirely on peer review to determine and recognize professional excellence.

Established in 2014, Cohen & Gresser’s Paris office provides comprehensive legal services for our clients, including advising on corporate, employment, tax, financial services, white collar defense, and litigation-related matters. Our Paris attorneys work closely with the lawyers in our other offices on cross-border transactions, investigations, and litigation, in order to provide superior service to French and international clients.

Cohen & Gresser is pleased to announce that 29 of the firm's lawyers are included on the 2023 New York Metro Super Lawyers list and 11 lawyers are included on the 2023 New York Metro Rising Stars list across a range of practice areas.

Super Lawyers named C&G co­founder Mark S. Cohen one of the Top 10 lawyers in the New York metropolitan area. Partners Jonathan S. Abernethy and Karen H. Bromberg have also been named to the Super Lawyers list of the Top 100 lawyers in the New York metropolitan area. Additionally, Karen has been recognized as one of the Top 50 women lawyers within the same region.

Super Lawyers and Rising Stars are annual lists of outstanding lawyers who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. Only 5 percent of the lawyers in each state are selected as Super Lawyers, and only 2.5 percent are selected as Rising Stars.

The C&G lawyers recognized on the New York Metro Super Lawyers list are:

The C&G lawyers recognized on the New York Metro Rising Stars list are:

Cohen & Gresser’s Paris office has earned six practice rankings and 13 individual rankings in the 2022 Leaders League guide. Leaders League highlights the firm’s “experienced lawyers” and ability to handle complex, cross-border matters.

Leaders League is an independent research and rating agency that provides comprehensive rankings and in-depth analysis of law firms and lawyers. The rankings are based on extensive research by an experienced team of analysts.

Ranked Practice Areas:

• Marketing, communication & digital – Advertising law & marketing

• Media & entertainment – Fashion Law

Ranked Individuals:

Franck Le Mentec: Wealth management – Wealth tax: regulation and litigation; Tax law – LBO tax

Guillaume Guérin: Compliance – Compliance program

Johannes Jonas: Private Equity – Development capital transactions

Loïc Henriot: Dispute resolution – Litigation with regulators and for listed operations; Compliance – Compliance program; Compliance – International investigation and internal investigation; Dispute resolution – Banking & Finance Litigation; Dispute resolution – Commercial litigation; Labor & Employment – Criminal labor law; Dispute resolution – White collar crime

Muriel Goldberg-Darmon: Dispute resolution – Litigation with regulators and for listed operations; Compliance – Compliance program; Compliance – International investigation and internal investigation; Private Equity – Development capital transactions; Asset management – Asset management

Established in 2014, Cohen & Gresser’s Paris office provides comprehensive legal services for our clients, including advising on corporate, employment, tax, financial services, white collar defense, and litigation-related matters. Our Paris attorneys work closely with the lawyers in our other offices on cross-border transactions, investigations, and litigation, in order to provide superior service to French and international clients.

Paris Partners Johannes Jonas, Muriel Goldberg-Darmon, and Loïc Henriot were recognized in the 2023 edition of The Best Lawyers in France. Johannes was recognized for Corporate Law; Muriel for Banking and Finance Law, Financial Institutions, Mergers and Acquisition Law, and Regulatory Practice; and Loïc for Criminal Defense and Litigation.

About The Best Lawyers in France

The Best Lawyers in France were recognized by their peers in the legal industry for their professional excellence in their respective practice areas.

Cohen & Gresser is pleased to announce that 37 of the firm's New York and Washington D.C.­based attorneys have been named to the 2021 Super Lawyers List across a wide range of practice areas. C&G co-­founder Mark S Cohen and partners Jonathan S Abernethy and Daniel H Tabak have also been named to the Super Lawyers list of the top 100 lawyers in the New York metropolitan area, and partner Karen H Bromberg has been recognized as one of the top 50 women lawyers in the New York metropolitan area.

Super Lawyers ranks outstanding lawyers who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. Only five percent of the lawyers in each state are selected as Super Lawyers, and only 2.5 percent are selected as Rising Stars.

Super Lawyers

Jonathan S Abernethy: Criminal Defense: White Collar

Kwaku Andoh: Mergers & Acquisitions

Elizabeth Bernhardt: Business Litigation

Thomas E Bezanson: Personal Injury – Products: Defense

Colin C Bridge: Criminal Defense: White Collar

Karen H Bromberg: Intellectual Property

Jason Brown: Criminal Defense: White Collar

Joanna K Chan: Securities Litigation

Mark S Cohen: Business Litigation

S Gale Dick: Business Litigation

Christian R Everdell: Criminal Defense: White Collar

Lawrence T Gresser: Business Litigation

Oliver S Haker: Business Litigation

Johannes Jonas: Mergers & Acquisitions

Nicholas J Kaiser: Real Estate

Jeffrey I. Lang: Business Litigation

Melissa H Maxman: Antitrust Litigation

Ellen Paltiel: General Litigation

Nathaniel P T Read: Business Litigation

Bonnie J Roe: Securities & Corporate Finance

Stephen M Sinaiko: Business Litigation

C Evan Stewart: Securities Litigation

Daniel H Tabak: Business Litigation

Scott D Thomson: Business Litigation

Alexandra Wald: Business Litigation

Ronald F Wick: Antitrust Litigation

Rising Stars

Luke Appling: Civil Litigation

Sharon L Barbour: Criminal Defense: White Collar

Drew S Dean: General Litigation

William Kalema: Business Litigation

Sri Kuehnlenz: Civil Litigation

Winnifred A Lewis: Securities Litigation

Marvin J Lowenthal: Criminal Defense: White Collar

Barbara K Luse: Criminal Defense: White Collar

Matthew V Povolny: Business Litigation

Benjamin Zhu: Criminal Defense: White Collar

Paris Partners Johannes Jonas, Muriel Goldberg-Darmon, Loïc Henriot, and Guillaume Seligmann were recognized in the 2022 edition of The Best Lawyers in France. Johannes was recognized for Corporate Law; Muriel for Financial Institutions and Regulatory Practice; Loïc for Criminal Defense; and Guillaume for Information Technology Law and Privacy and Data Security Law.  Additionally, Héloïse Masson was recognized in The Best Lawyers in France: Ones to Watch. Héloïse was recognized for Privacy and Data Security Law.

About The Best Lawyers in France
The Best Lawyers in France were recognized by their peers in the legal industry for their professional excellence in their respective practice areas.

Paris Partners Johannes Jonas, Muriel Goldberg-Darmon, Guillaume Seligmann, and Loïc Henriot were recognized in the 2021 edition of The Best Lawyers in France. Johannes was recognized for Corporate Law; Muriel for Financial Institutions and Regulatory Practice; Guillaume for Information Technology Law and Privacy and Data Security Law; and Loïc for Criminal Defense. Lawyers named to The Best Lawyers in France were recognized by their peers in the legal industry for their professional excellence in their respective practice areas.

Johannes Jonas and Guillaume Seligmann were recognized in The Best Lawyers in France’s 2020 listing – Johannes for Corporate Law and Guillaume for Privacy and Data Security Law. Lawyers named to The Best Lawyers in France were recognized by their peers in the legal industry for their professional excellence in their respective practice areas.

Effective September 12, 2015, the minimum number of shareholders in a French stock corporation (société anonyme or SA) has been reduced from seven to two. This modification is only applicable to privately held SAs, publicly traded SAs still being subject to the seven shareholder obligation. Read more

Johannes Jonas participated as a panelist in a Womble Bond Dickinson CLE webinar titled “Exploring Cross-Border Privilege Issues" on October 26, 2023. The panel explored how attorney-client privileged communications and work product protections are defined and applied across jurisdictions.
This presentation focused on discovery and settlement in cross-border litigation in the United States and Western Europe as well as on international commercial arbitration.

Johannes Jonas a participé à un webinaire organisé par le cabinet d’avocats américain Womble Bond Dickinson intitulé "Exploring Cross-Border Privilege Issues" (Analyse des questions de confidentialité professionnelle transfrontalière) le 26 octobre 2023. Le groupe a examiné la manière dont les communications privilégiées entre avocats et clients et les protections des dossiers de travail sont définies et appliquées dans les différentes juridictions.