Clifford Chance (CC) has boosted its Paris office with the hire of a trio of former Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer corporate lawyers led by partner Fabrice Cohen.

Cohen joins CC from Willkie Farr & Gallagher, which he joined just two years ago from Freshfields alongside of counsel Gabriel Flandin and senior associate Basma Paradin. The same team will move with him to CC. Cohen also served as a member of Willkie Farr's European management committee.

Cohen joined Freshfields in 2000 from Salans Hertzfeld & Heilbronn (now part of Dentons) and was promoted to partner five years later. In 2010 he became office head of corporate, before he was succeeded by Herve Pisani at the end of the following year.

CC's Paris managing partner Yves Wehrli said: "Fabrice will be [...] bringing a strong mix of private equity and general M&A expertise to our existing client [offering]. He is amongst the leading individuals in the market. Fabrice has strong client handling skills and his client base is remarkably complementary to our own."

Cohen regularly advises prominent private equity firms, listed companies, financial institutions and large industrial groups on corporate aspects of public and private M&A and on corporate reorganisations.

He recently landed roles on mandates including advising General Motors on its alliance last year with PSA Peugeot Citroen; acting for French financial organisation Caisse des Depots et Consignations and state fund Bpifrance Participations on the initial public offering of Euronext; and representing aircraft manufacturer Airbus Group on the creation of its new defence and space division.