Evelyne Bagdassarian Joins Baker & McKenzie from Gide Loyrette Nouel

Evelyne Bagdassarian joins Baker & McKenzie SCP’s Tax Practice Group as Local Partner effective 1 February 2011. Following her addition, the group will have 32 lawyers, including six partners, two senior counsel, seven local partners and two counsel.

Evelyne Bagdassarian has assisted a large number of leading French and international groups for more than six years in the Paris office of Gide Loyrette Nouel. She deals with taxation issues connected with transactions involving cross-border and structured financing, securitisation, LBOs and mergers and acquisitions. She also advises investment funds on taxation issues associated with asset management and structuring of real estate and private equity funds. She has also developed great expertise in assisting French and international clients in their investment and partnership projects in the countries of the CIS, particularly Russia, Ukraine, Armenia, Kazakhstan and Belarus.

Evelyne Bagdassarian holds a degree in corporate legal advice (DJCE) from the University of Cergy-Pontoise and a master’s degree in business and taxation from the University of Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne. She has been a member of the Paris bar since 2001. She started her career in the corporate tax departments of Grant Thornton and Deloitte & Touche Paris from 1999 to 2001. She then worked for Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton from 2001 to 2004, before joining Gide Loyrette Nouel in Paris.

“We are delighted to welcome Evelyne to our Tax Practice Group,” said Véronique Millischer, head of Baker & McKenzie SCP’s Tax Practice Group. “Her arrival strengthens the group’s capability in financial taxation. Her grasp of Russian language and culture will also enable the firm to meet the growing demand from our clients concerning their projects with the CIS countries and Franco–Russian projects in particular. Baker & McKenzie’s strong presence in these countries will also contribute to the development of this business.”

Evelyne Bagdassarian will also work in close collaboration with Michael Foundethakis, who joined Baker & McKenzie’s Paris office in October as head of the Europe Banking & Finance Group. Evelyne will assist him with the taxation issues of financial transactions, particularly between Russia and France.