Dewey & LeBoeuf

Olivier Chambord

Local Partner

Olivier Chambord is a partner in the Paris office. Mr. Chambord has a broad commercial practice that covers international project development, cross border and national mergers and acquisitions and private equity, with a particular emphasis on the energy, chemical and commodities industries. He has worked on numerous upstream, midstream and downstream oil and gas, chemicals, petrochemicals, soft commodities projects and mergers and acquisitions in Europe and in Africa.

His previous professional experience includes working for a firm of solicitors in London and in Paris for the French corresponding firm of a US law firm.

Representative Matters

International Projects

Assisting Proparco in connection with its investment in a telecom company in Chad;
Advising an asian investment fund in connection with its contemplated acquisition of interest in oil blocks in the Republic of Congo and in the Central African Republic;
Advising a major Chinese oil company in connection with the drafting and negotiation of the documentation for its USD multibillion investment in Niger for the acquisition of upstream hydrocarbon assets, the construction and operation of the first refinery in Niger, and the construction and operation of pipelines for transportation and export of crude oil and refined products;
Advising a major Chinese oil company in connection with the establishment of a joint-venture company for the construction and operation of a refinery in Chad and the drafting and negotiation of the financing and security documentation in connection thereto;
Advising an independent North American company in connection with various issues relating to its interest in oil blocks in West African countries (Gabon, Ivory Coast);
Advising a European mining company in connection with its mining interests in the Democratic Republic of Congo;
Advising an oil company in connection with its contemplated acquisition of interest in an offshore oil block in the Republic of Congo;
Advising an oil company, in relation to the contemplated acquisition of upstream and downstream hydrocarbon assets in various countries of West Africa;
Advising an oil company in connection with its contemplated acquisition of interest in heavy oil blocks in Madagascar;
Advising an independent UK company of the energy sector, in connection with its contemplated acquisition of upstream assets in Algeria;
Advising a US independent company on the farm-out of interests in the Ivory Coast;
Advising a French independent company on the farm-out of interests in Gabon;
Advising an international oil company in its negotiations of Condensate and LPG sales and purchase agreements in Algeria.

Corporate Transactions

Advising founders and investment funds Emertec Gestion, BNP Paribas Private Equity and UFG Private Equity in the sale of CoFluent Design to Intel;
Advising a multinational petrochemichals company in its acquisition of a refinery and related assets in the south of France for approximately €700 million;
Advising a multinational petrochemichals company in its acquisition of a steam cracker and related assets in the south of France;
Advising a leading international sporting goods/sportswear company in the acquisition of a French sporting goods/sportswear and ski business for approximately €485 million;
Advising a leading media company on the sale of its media business in France;
Advising a leading international insurance company on the pre-closing restructuring of its French activities in the context of the listing of a part of its worldwide activities on the NYSE;
Representing a multinational reinsurance company on the restructuring of its pan-European activities by way of a cross-border merger;
Representing a US company on its acquisition of a polymers plant in the south of France;
Advising investors in the acquisition of office real estate in France and Germany;
Representing a French telecom services group in its corporate restructuring; Advising French and foreign venture capital funds on various financing rounds of French high-tech and biotech companies; and
Negotiating financing rounds on behalf of various high-tech and biotech start-ups.

Selected Activities

Member of the Association of International Petroleum Negotiators (AIPN);
Member of the French Association for Energy Law (Association Française de Droit de l'Énergie – AFDEN);
Teaches at the University of Evry, Paris.

Awards and Recognition

Recommended for Project Finance: Energy, M&A and Private Equity in Legal 500 - Paris (2011-2012).

Education

Université Paris II Panthéon-Assas, 1994, French Postgraduate Law Degree (Diplôme d'Etudes Supérieures Universitaires - droit et activité judiciaire)
CAPA-Bar Exam, Paris, 1994, Certificate of professional qualification as an attorney
Manchester Law Faculty, 1993, LL.M. (International Business Law)
Sorbonne University, 1992, Maîtrise de droit des affaires (French graduate law degree)