Noting that France is seeing an increase in enforcement activity, Hughes Hubbard & Reed is bolstering its white-collar defense and anti-corruption practice in Paris with the addition of a three-lawyer team from Boken Avocats, a litigation boutique.

Félix de Belloy, a co-founder of Boken, joins as a partner along with two associates, Ralph Moughanie and Laureen Bokanda-Masson, Hughes Hubbard said.

Boken Avocats, originally Beauquier Belloy Gauvain, was founded in 2007 and specializes in white-collar crime defense and commercial litigation. The firm is listed as the author of the French bribery and corruption chapter of the 2019 Legal 500 & In-House Lawyer Comparative Legal Guide.

"Félix is an experienced and tested French white-collar litigator and strategist," Theodore Mayer, chairman of Hughes Hubbard, said in a statement. "His skills, experience, and profile will add to our existing strengths, including our capacity to advise French and international clients in complex litigations or enforcement matters."

Bryan Sillaman, managing partner of the firm's Paris office, added that with "increased enforcement activity continuing in France, his addition is an evolution and a further strengthening of our practice and team here to ultimately provide our clients an even fuller spectrum of services."

Prior to founding Boken, de Belloy practiced for five years as an associate and partner at Beaussier & Associés in Paris, a criminal and regulatory litigation boutique that merged with White & Case in 2010.

In a statement, de Belloy noted that Hughes Hubbard's Paris office "has a team of skilled, multilingual and multicultural attorneys who can assist clients in conducting in-depth and complex internal investigations and implement effective compliance programs."

Both Moughanie and Bokanda-Masson are internationally trained.