Orrick offices in Washington, D.C. Photo: Diego M. Radzinschi/ALM

Pascal Agboyibor, the Paris-based head of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe's Africa practice and a member of its board, has been asked to leave the firm.

“Pascal Agboyibor, of our Paris office, is no longer a partner at Orrick,” the firm said in a statement issued to The American Lawyer. “This is a decision taken by our board in order to uphold our values and culture, and is entirely unrelated to client work. To respect the request for privacy of a third party at Orrick, we cannot share any further details.”

Agboyibor did not immediately return a request for comment on the matter. A source familiar with the situation said that a grievance was filed internally against Agboyibor in December by a “team member” in its Paris office.

Orrick then conducted an independent investigation led by Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, which found evidence of inappropriate conduct and lapses in judgment by Agboyibor, the source said. Orrick's board made the decision last week to part ways with Agboyibor and his last day at the firm was Friday, the source added.

Agboyibor, a former leader of the firm's Paris office, first joined the firm in 2002 from London-based Watson, Farley & Williams. He made partner at Orrick a year later. Agboyibor, originally from Togo, specializes in M&A transactions and project financings for international and local financial institutions and investors. He has also worked on financings and projects in Africa related to agriculture, energy, infrastructure and mining.

Yves Lepage, a partner in Paris at Orrick Rambaud Martel, the firm's name in France, and co-head of the firm's global infrastructure practice, will now become its new Africa practice head, the firm said.