Erwan Poisson
Partner
Paris

Erwan Poisson
Partner
Paris
Contact details
Erwan is a Partner in the Litigation department at Allen & Overy Paris. He advises international and domestic companies in complex commercial, civil, and criminal disputes, from the prelitigation stages of a matter, including alternative dispute resolution methods, to Court trials. He also covers representations before the courts of French-speaking African countries in commercial and criminal litigation matters, as well as before international courts (in particular, the ILO Administrative Tribunal).
A general litigator, Erwan notably advises in the areas of banking and finance litigation, where his experience includes liability claims against banks, financial services and investment funds; corporate litigation, including disputes between majority and minority shareholders, disputes related to shareholding agreements as well as representations and warranties.
He has also developed specific expertise in conflicts of laws and jurisdictional issues (a subject he teaches at university), international judicial assistance, asset-tracing and recovery, and the enforcement of foreign judgments and arbitral awards on assets located in France.
Erwan also handles contractual and distribution disputes as well as product liability matters and insurance disputes, with a focus on the aviation sector.
Erwan has worked in France and in the UK and he is qualified in both jurisdictions.
Band 4
Chambers Global/Europe 2023 - France (Litigation)
""Erwan Poisson has the capacity to present a case in a very concise and precise manner which was truly outstanding. The matter was extremely complex and he was able to explain it to all involved in the case, it showed his capacity to adapt to who he was speaking to.""
""He is easy to work with and he provides very good advice on complex issues.""
Chambers Global/Europe 2023 - France (Litigation)
Leading Individual (Corporate and commercial litigation)
Legal 500 EMEA 2023 - France (Dispute resolution: Commercial litigation)
Leading Individual (Corporate and commercial litigation)
Legal 500 EMEA 2022 - France (Dispute resolution: Commercial litigation)
"Erwan Poisson is a high-ranking lawyer, well aware of his clients needs. He helped in a tough and technical environment."
Legal 500 EMEA 2022 - France (Dispute resolution: Commercial litigation)
Band 5
Chambers Global/Europe 2022 - France (Litigation)
"Erwan Poisson maintains a robust and wide-ranging litigation practice, with expertise in the financial and TMT sectors. One impressed client states: "Erwan Poisson is a highly experienced and knowledgeable litigation partner, highly motivated with a great ability to strike the balance between details and big lines."
Chambers Global/Europe 2022 - France (Litigation)
"He is precise, quick and available. He can work in more than one language and gets the different teams of the firm in France and abroad involved. He knows how to rightly use the resources of his firm."
Chambers Global/Europe 2021 - France (Litigation)
"Erwan Poisson is a very efficient lawyer who is particularly familiar with the issues of business litigation, its dynamics and the highly regulated energy sector."
Legal 500 EMEA 2021 - France (Dispute resolution: Commercial litigation)
Leading Individual (Corporate and commercial litigation)
Legal 500 EMEA 2020 – France (DISPUTE RESOLUTION: COMMERCIAL LITIGATION)
"Erwan Poisson [...] highly skilled, very professional, and ultra-responsive lawyer."
Legal 500 EMEA 2020 – France (DISPUTE RESOLUTION: COMMERCIAL LITIGATION)
'Up and Coming'
Chambers Global/Europe 2020 - France (Litigation)
* * * * - Contentieux financier, boursier et réglementaire AMF (France, ODA 2020)
Erwan Poisson specialises in financial disputes and enforcement cases, advising both French and international clients. Clients say: "He is a connoisseur of financial institutions who is fully involved in his role in defence and in the legal argument."
Chambers Global/Europe 2020 - France (Litigation)
"Erwan Poisson is particularly active in disputes in the banking sector, including class action cases, parallel proceedings and challenging enforcements. Interviewees say: "He is very thorough, has strong and deep analytical skills and is intellectually very robust.""
Chambers 2019 - France (Dispute Resolution: Litigation: Elite)
‘Next generation Lawyer’.
Legal 500 EMEA 2018 - (Dispute Resolution / Commercial Litigation)
‘Erwan Poisson is ‘an excellent listener’’.
Legal 500 EMEA 2018 - (Dispute Resolution / Commercial Litigation)
“Erwan Poisson [is a] name to note”
Legal 500 EMEA 2017 - (Dispute Resolution / Commercial Litigation)
Expertise
Practices
Litigation, Arbitration and Investigations
Investigations, Enforcement and Business Crime
Sectors
Qualifications
Professional
Solicitor of England and Wales, 2007
Admitted to the Bar, Paris, 2002
Academic
Master's degree, Private international law, University of Paris I Panthéon Sorbonne, 1999-2000
Master's degree, Dispute resolution, University of Paris II Panthéon-Assas, 1998-1999
Magister Juris (LL.M), Oxford University, 1997-1998
Degree in International and EU law, University of Paris II (Panthéon-Assas), 1996-1997
Related articles

Expertise
Practices
Litigation, Arbitration and Investigations
Investigations, Enforcement and Business Crime
Sectors
Qualifications
Professional
Solicitor of England and Wales, 2007
Admitted to the Bar, Paris, 2002
Academic
Master's degree, Private international law, University of Paris I Panthéon Sorbonne, 1999-2000
Master's degree, Dispute resolution, University of Paris II Panthéon-Assas, 1998-1999
Magister Juris (LL.M), Oxford University, 1997-1998
Degree in International and EU law, University of Paris II (Panthéon-Assas), 1996-1997
Published work
- Trois questions à Denis Chemla, Erwan Poisson, Michael Young, Option Droit & Affaires, May 2013
- The validity of one-way jurisdiction clauses put at risk by the French Supreme Court, PLC Dispute Resolution, November 2012 (co-written with Denis Chemla, Camille Fléchet)
- Mauvais arrangement vaut mieux que bon procès, La Lettre des Juristes d'Affaire, February 2012, co-written with Augustin Doulcet