The media landscape in France shifted slightly at the end of 2021, when Le Monde—one of the most storied names in print journalism—bought out BuzzFeed’s stake in the French version of HuffPost to become majority owner of the online publication in France. Fieldfisher advised BuzzFeed and HuffPost with a team led by M&A partner Christopher Mesnooh in Paris; Groupe Le Monde was advised by Juliette Boukobza, the group’s in-house legal director. 

The deal, which brought the worlds of old and new media even closer together, also highlighted the multifaceted role of the in-house counsel at a publishing group—one that ranges from checking copy for libel to advising on M&A deals across the table from Big Law.