Hogan Lovells has strengthened its international arbitration practice with the addition of arbitration practitioner Sébastien Bonnard as a partner in the firm’s Paris office. He will join the team comprising Counsel Sabrina Touchard and associates Eleni Jacovides and Florence Warsmann.
Bonnard and his team join from Hughes Hubbard & Reed, where he was managing partner of the Paris office and Head of the firm’s Europe, Africa and the Middle East International Arbitration practice.
Bonnard brings a strong international market reputation in commercial arbitration, with a particular focus on construction, infrastructure, energy and mining disputes in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. He regularly acts as both counsel and arbitrator in proceedings under the major arbitral institutional rules, including ICC, ICSID, LCIA and LMAA. He is also registered on the prestigious ICC France list of arbitrators.
The team’s arrival follows the recent promotions of several partners and counsel internationally and further underscores the continued growth and momentum of Hogan Lovells’ global International Arbitration practice, as the firm continues to invest in its practices and key hubs ahead of its combination with Cadwalader on 1 July 2026.
Des Hogan, global head of the disputes practice group at Hogan Lovells, commented: “Coupled with our existing strengths, this hire positions our Paris team, and more broadly our global team, to continue to compete at the very highest levels for our clients’ most sophisticated mandates. Paris is a very important market for our practice, and the region we call FRIS (France, Italy and Spain) is one of key hubs of our firm.”
Xenia Legendre, Paris office managing partner, added: “We are delighted to welcome Sébastien and his team to Paris. His arrival reflects the ambition and momentum of our arbitration practice in France and across the firm. Paris is one of the world’s most important arbitration hubs, and together with the strength of our dynamic existing team, this further positions us as a destination platform for top clients”.
Bonnard noted, “The strength and momentum of the Paris team, together with the firm’s upcoming transformational combination with Cadwalader make this a particularly exciting moment to join. I look forward to finding opportunities for collaboration with colleagues in other key G20 markets, including New York and London.”
