Cohen & Gresser is pleased to announce that Shannon Daugherty, Pauline Koch, Marvin Lowenthal, and Pierre Wolman have been promoted to counsel.

"Congratulations to these talented lawyers on their well-deserved promotions," said Lawrence T. Gresser, the firm’s managing partner. “Shannon, Pauline, Marvin, and Pierre each demonstrate extraordinary commitment to client service and embody our firm's core values of excellence, integrity, and respect. We recognize their outstanding accomplishments and positive impact, and look forward to their continued success at Cohen & Gresser.”

Shannon Daugherty – Counsel, New York

Shannon Daugherty practices complex commercial litigation and criminal and regulatory defense. Shannon advises clients across a broad array of industries on a wide range of disputes, including contract, civil RICO, bankruptcy, and tax matters. She also maintains an active pro bono practice. She has been recognized by Super Lawyers as a Rising Star for business litigation.

Pauline Koch – Counsel, Paris

Pauline Koch practices corporate transactions, compliance, and mergers and acquisitions. Pauline holds a Master’s degree (JD equivalent) in English and North American Business Law, as well as a Master’s degree in International Law from the University of Paris I Panthéon Sorbonne. She received her Bachelor of Laws from the University of Strasbourg and her LL.M. from UCLA School of Law. Pauline is admitted to practice in France and California.

Marvin Lowenthal – Counsel, New York

Marvin Lowenthal practices white collar defense, general commercial and securities litigation, and privacy and cybersecurity. He is a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP) in the United States. Super Lawyers has recognized Marvin as a Rising Star each year since 2018.

Pierre Wolman – Counsel, Paris

Pierre Wolman’s practice encompasses advice and litigation on corporate and M&A transactions both for publicly listed and private companies as well as on a wide range of regulatory and compliance issues. He holds a Masters II Degree in business law and taxation from the University Paris II Panthéon – Assas and a Master in Financial Regulation and Risk Management from Sciences Po Paris. He also holds a Bachelor of Civil Law from University College Dublin, Ireland. Pierre is admitted to practice in France.

In their latest article for Finascope, Muriel Goldberg-Darmon, Guillaume Guérin, and Pierre Wolman discuss the impact of the June 2024 European directive on due diligence for French companies. The directive aims to prevent negative human rights and environmental impacts from large companies, their subsidiaries, and business partners. It expands the obligations established by the 2017 French law, lowering the employee threshold and introducing stricter penalties. This shift will likely lead to increased litigation, especially as a new regulatory authority will oversee compliance and impose fines for violations.

In this article for Finascope, Muriel Goldberg-Darmon, Guillaume Guérin, and Pierre Wolman analyze the press release issued on May 29, 2024 by the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) concerning the best practices to be followed by listed companies in their exchanges with financial analysts prior to the publication of financial results. They also discuss the French Financial Markets Autority’s position on the subject.

In this article for Finascope, Muriel Goldberg-Darmon, Guillaume Guérin, and Pierre Wolman analyse a draft legislation, which intends to introduce the possibility for listed companies to issue shares with multiple voting rights at the time of their listing. In particular, they discuss the regime of those shares and the impact the draft legislation could have on the attractiveness of the Paris marketplace.

In this article for Finascope, Muriel Goldberg-Darmon, Guillaume Guérin, and Pierre Wolman discuss the four new recommendations on financial advertising published by the French Professional Advertising Regulatory Authority in collaboration with the French Financial Markets Authority. They also discuss the new certificate of responsible influence in the financial sector.

In this article for Finascope, Muriel Goldberg-Darmon, Guillaume Guérin, and Pierre Wolman discuss how the implementation of the European CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive) in France will significantly strengthen companies’ sustainability reporting obligations and increase their litigation risks. In particular, they address the disputes that could arise from the French Financial Market Authority (AMF) or from investors.

In this article for Finascope, Muriel Goldberg-Darmon, Guillaume Guérin and Pierre Wolman discuss the new guidelines regarding the conduct of an internal anti-corruption investigation, published in March 2023 by the French Anti-Corruption Agency and the French Financial Prosecutor's Office. Muriel Goldberg-Darmon, Guillaume Guérin and Pierre Wolman also analyze the importance of the internal anti-corruption investigation in the context of the negotiation of a judicial public interest agreement (the equivalent of the Deferred Prosecution Agreement in the United States).

In this article for Finascope, Muriel Goldberg-Darmon, Guillaume Guérin and Pierre Wolman discuss the reinforcement by the French Financial markets authority of its policy with respect to dilutive financing transactions. In particular, they describe the new disclosure requirements for listed companies, namely the obligation to publish a press release and a warning in the event of a dilutive financing transaction concluded with an intermediary.

In this article for Finascope, Muriel Goldberg-Darmon, Louise Le Guilchet, and Pierre Wolman address the complexity of the new European regulations, Taxonomie and CSRD (Corporate Sustainable Reporting Directive), that strengthen the requirements for companies in terms of extra-financial reporting. They also analyze the risks litigation companies now face as a result of the new regulations.

In this article for Finascope, Muriel Goldberg-Darmon, Guillaume Guérin, and Pierre Wolman discuss how the new Control Guidelines published by the French Anticorruption Authority (AFA) clarify the sequence of the control procedure and integrate the current practices of the AFA in terms of control.

In this bylined article for Finascope, Muriel Goldberg-Darmon, Guillaume Guérin, and Pierre Wolman discuss the main contributions of the guide published on 16 March 2022 by the Strategic Information and Economic Security Service (SISSE), the French Business Federation (MEDEF), and the French Association of Private Companies (AFEP). This guide offers companies a methodology for classifying their “sensitive” data following the reform of the French blocking statute.

In this article for Finascope, Muriel Goldberg-Darmon, Guillaume Guérin and Pierre Wolman discuss France’s new whistleblower protection framework, which follows the adoption of the European whistleblowing Directive of 2019. In particular, they analyze the changes made to the “Sapin 2” law adopted in France in 2016.

In this article for Actes Pratiques et Ingénierie Sociétaire, Muriel Goldberg-Darmon, Guillaume Guérin, and Pierre Wolman summarize and explain the different steps of a SPAC from a French-law perspective. They also address the issue of public information that must be provided to the public. (Subscription required.)

In this article for Finascope, Muriel Goldberg-Darmon, Guillaume Guérin, and Pierre Wolman discuss the Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF's) modification of the Investigations Guidelines (Charte de l’enquête et du contrôle) regarding the right to remain silent. They also examine its articulation with a potential obstruction and/or cooperation with the AMF during an investigation.

 

In this C&G client alert, lawyers from our New York, London, and Paris offices discuss the evolution of SPAC investment in the U.S., UK, and French financial markets and provide an in-depth analysis of the position taken by the regulatory authority in each of these prominent financial hubs to help potential sponsors, investors, and target companies determine the right market for their needs.

In this C&G client alert, Muriel Goldberg-Darmon, Guillaume Guérin, and Pierre Wolman discuss the implications of two recent French rules that are meant to strengthen France’s control over foreign investment.