Expertise
Julien Bacus is a partner in the Finance group of Addleshaw Goddard’s Paris office.
Julien Bacus is a recognized lawyer in the field of finance, capital markets and structured finance. Julien advises in respect of a wide range of financing activities in relation to a number of asset classes. He focuses, in particular, on derivative transactions covering different types of underlying assets. Julien has more specific experience in documenting these types of contracts as well as advising on issues relating to netting, collateral, the role of clearing houses and the implementation of new regulations applying to these products.
Julien's activity is also oriented towards restructuring. He advises his clients in financial difficulty on the restructuring of derivative transactions. He is also used to work with his clients on pre-litigation matters linked to derivative and structured finance transactions. In addition, he has extensive experience in the hedging of financing transactions (LBOs in particular) as well as financial regulation.
Julien has developed expertise with his clients in issuing debt products and various types of structured products. In this respect, he has been working both for different types of issuers, including financial institutions, corporates and sovereign entities.
Julien is also a University Professor associated at Le Mans University (Professeur des Universités associé) where he teaches financial and corporate law.
- Experience
- Leading international banks: advising on the regulatory aspects and legal documentation in respect of structured finance and derivatives transactions.
- French leading banks and public entities: advising on the consequences of Brexit on their derivative documentation and adapting the relevant documentation.
- Leading international banks: assisting in relation to the implementation in France, but also in other European jurisdictions, of various regulatory obligations under, in particular, EMIR Rules.
- Leading international banks: advising on the negotiation of variation margin and initial margin arrangements under market standard agreements (in particular ISDA and FBF) to comply with new EMIR regulation. Julien has worked with clients to scope the requirements and to develop standardized variation margin and initial margin documentation tailored to the requirements of our clients and of their counterparties’.
- Association of European energy traders European Federation of Energy Traders (EFET): advising on the enforceability of contractual standards governing derivative transactions in electricity and gas and issuing the French market legal opinion in respect of their EFET documentation.
- Education
- University of Paris II Panthéon-Assas, PhD in French Private Law, 1999
- French bar school, laureate, 1997
- University of Paris II Panthéon-Assas, Master 2 in Business Law, 1995
- University of Paris II Panthéon-Assas, Master 1 in Business Law and Taxation, 1994
- Publications
- The new FBF master agreement on derivative transactions, June 2013, Professional client briefing
- Application of EMIR regulation to corporate, May 2013, Professional client briefing, Mai 2013
- Naked CDS: the ban and beyond, Professional client briefing, March 2012
- The difficulty of legal qualification of carbon credit, Option Finance, no. 897, 11 September 2006
- Financial Information: internet and the protection of investors, with F. Poudelet, Les Echos, 9 December 1999
- Litigation and stock market law, with Th. Gontard, Banque Stratégie, November 1997
- Professional Memberships
- Paris Europlace: member of the financial law committee and of the restructuring committee
- Legal High Committee for Financial Markets of Paris: member of the committee on the legal feasibility of developing an interest rate derivatives clearing service in Paris
- International Swaps and Derivatives Association: member of various ISDA committees
- European Federation of Energy Traders (EFET): French counsel in charge of the drafting and publication of the market legal opinion
- Testimonials/Rankings
- Best Lawyers 2022: Julien was named “Lawyer of the Year - France” for his “Capital Markets: Derivatives” practice. He is also recognized in the “Banking & Finance” category.
- Legal 500 EMEA 2021: Once again, Julien was named among the “Leading individuals” in the category “Derivatives and Structured Finance” and both he and his team continue to be ranked in Tier 2. One client notes: “his team is expert, available and pragmatic. Good knowledge of restructuring aspects”. The previous years, the legal directory quoted clients emphasizing that “his team is responsive and cost effective” and that “Julien himself brings vast experience through his prior roles in both London and Paris. Julien is a commercially focused French derivatives lawyer. He understands the products and the market and importantly the pressures faced by in house counsel” (2020).
- Chambers Europe/Chambers Global 2021: Like in previous years (since 2018), Julien is ranked Band 2 in the category “Capital Markets: Derivatives”. He “is praised by clients for “his charisma and wide-ranging experience”” while “one impressed interviewee says: “he is cooperative, a team player, extremely diligent and competent”” (2021). Julien “draws praise for his commercial and pragmatic approach, with one client enthusing: “He is an established and highly skilled lawyer in derivatives”” (2020).
- IFLR 2020: Julien and the team are ranked in Tier 3 in the category “Capital Markets: Structured Finance and Securitization”.
- Les Echos : in the frame of the best business lawyers ranking edition published by Les Echos on 24 June 2021, Julien Bacus has been reckoned for his expertise in derivative transactions and distinguished as one of 77 best business lawyers in France in 2021.
- Julien Bacus is ranked as leading individual for Derivatives and Structured Finance in the 2022 Legal 500 EMEA guide
- Julien Bacus is ranked as Practice head for Capital Markets – Debt Capital Markets (Tier 3) in the 2023 Legal 500 EMEA guide
- Julien Bacus is ranked by Chambers Global and Europe 2023 for Capital Markets : Derivatives Band 2
- Julien Bacus has been ranked by Best Lawyers (editions 2022, 2023, 2024) in the following category: "The Best Lawyers in France" for Banking and Finance, Capital Markets Law and Derivatives.
