Fasken Martineau has opened an office in Paris through a local merger and the addition of a four-lawyer team from Dewey & LeBoeuf.

The 650-lawyer Canadian firm has merged with seven-lawyer Paris firm Gravel Leclerc & Partners, as well as adding a Dewey team led by senior counsel Jean-Claude Petilon, who joins as a partner.

The new office will be headed by Serge Gravel, an M&A specialist and one of the founding partners of Gravel Leclerc.

The office, Fasken's second European base alongside London, will advise on areas including corporate and commercial, finance, projects, energy and infrastructure, real estate, litigation and arbitration. It will start out with 11 lawyers, including eight partners.

Fasken managing partner David Corbett said: "In a difficult economy, this merger and expansion speak to the power of our brand worldwide. With two offices in the EU, we now have the largest presence in Europe of any Canadian-based law firm."

Fasken has offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec City. Its only other international base, aside from London, is in Johannesburg.

Click here for more international coverage