Denis Chemla
Partner
Paris
Denis Chemla
Partner
Paris
Contact details
Denis leads the Disputes group in Paris, where his practice encompasses a wide range of complex litigation matters both in civil and criminal courts. He appears in court for major international corporates or financial institutions, practicing principally in banking and finance, corporate and securities litigation, regulatory defence work and white-collar crime.
He assists clients in all types of French and cross-border regulatory and criminal investigations. Under Denis’ leadership, his team has developed a significant expertise in internal investigations. He also has substantial experience in product liability litigation, with a strong focus on aviation.
His practice is quintessentially international and he has gained considerable experience dealing with complex cross-border issues, such as conflicts of law and jurisdiction and devising international litigation strategies involving France and other countries. Denis is one of the few practitioners to appear regularly before the courts of French-speaking African countries, where he represents international corporates and financial institutions in commercial and criminal matters.
Denis served in the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo in 1999 as a legal advisor to the Head of Mission. He is also the Spokesperson of Droits d'Urgence, a non-governmental organisation providing free legal aid to disadvantaged groups. A former member of the French National Human Rights Commission (by the appointment of the Prime Minister), he teaches international litigation at ESCP Europe, a leading European Business School. He is currently serving as an officer of the Litigation Committee of the International Bar Association. In December 2013, Denis was elected as a member of the Paris Bar Council (Conseil de l'Ordre des Avocats) – the governing body of the Paris Bar. In December 2017, Denis was awarded the the Ordre national de la Légion d’honneur, the highest order of merit in France.
Denis is a recognised practitioner by « Best Lawyers » since 2010 in Arbitration and Meditation, Aviation Law, Criminal Defense and Litigation.
Recognized in the Top 40 Lawyers of the CAC 40 - Paris
Forbes Magazine - 21 June 2023
Band 1
Chambers Europe 2023 - France (White collar crime)
""Denis Chemla is a very good litigator and is well respected.""
""One of his striking features is that he is one of the few great commercial and criminal lawyers, which gives him an edge.""
Chambers Europe 2023 - France (White collar crime)
Band 3
Chambers Global/ Europe 2023 - France (Litigation)
""Denis Chemla understands our sector and he is highly respected, knowledgeable and provides great advice.""
""Denis is very good, he is sharp with strong technical expertise and understands our constraints and limits.""
Chambers Global/ Europe 2023 - France (Litigation)
"The "brilliant" Denis Chemla is an esteemed lawyer capable of advising on a wide breath of criminal disputes, including money laundering, corruption and unfair commercial practices. His client roster includes the likes of major global financial institutions and large corporates. One client commends his ability "to anticipate the case perfectly well."
Chambers Europe 2022 - France (White Colar Crime)
"The "excellent" Denis Chemla is particularly recognised for acting on matters emanating from the banking and finance sectors. He also advises on shareholder conflicts and regulatory disputes."
Chambers Global/Europe 2022 - France (Litigation)"
Leading individual
Legal 500 EMEA 2023 - France (White collar crime)
Recommended
Legal500 EMEA 2023 - France (Stock market litigation)
Recommended
Legal4 500 EMEA 2023 - France (commercial Litigation)
Recommended
Legal 500 EMEA 2023 - France (Compliance)
""Denis Chemla is an essential criminal lawyer; very subtle, his advice is extremely relevant. Marine Gourlet is an excellent collaborator.""
Legal 500 EMEA 2023 - France (White collar crime)
"Leading Individual"
Legal 500 EMEA 2022 - France (Dispute resolution: Commercial litigation)
"Denis Chemla and Dan Benguigui have a very in-depth knowledge of the challenges of the banking and financial sector, which greatly facilitates interactions and increases the efficiency of the handling of the litigation files entrusted to them."
Legal 500 EMEA 2022 - France (Dispute resolution: Stock Market Litigation)
"Denis Chemla is an outstanding professional. He is always present, proactive and on top of matters. He is a pleasure to work with."
Legal 500 EMEA 2021 - France (Dispute resolution: White-collar crime)"
"Leading Individual" (Corporate and commercial litigation)
Legal 500 EMEA 2020 – France (DISPUTE RESOLUTION: COMMERCIAL LITIGATION)
Band 3
Chambers Global/Europe 2020 - France (Litigation)
* * * * - Contentieux financier, boursier et réglementaire AMF (France, ODA 2020)
* * * * - Droit Pénal des affaires et sanctions AMF (France, ODA 20)
"Denis Chemla has notable expertise in financial and commercial disputes. He represents domestic and international corporates as well as banking clients."
Chambers Global/Europe 2020 - France (Litigation)
"Denis Chemla acts on contentious and non-contentious matters involving money laundering, international sanctions and bribery aspects. He is notably recognised for his criminal litigation expertise."
Chambers Europe 2019 - France (Corporate Compliance & Investigations in France)
"Denis Chemla is noted for his experience in banking disputes, as well as commercial cases and white-collar crime. He often advises on criminal investigations involving tax, financial regulations and money laundering. Clients laud his tactical approach, suggesting: "He is a lawyer who thinks in 360 degrees; he looks at all possible options.""
Chambers 2019 - France (Dispute Resolution: Litigation: Elite)
"Leading Litigation practitioner in France"
Expert Guides: Best of the Best Global, 2019
"Thorough, practical and creative advice, he's sharp as a tack and extremely good on his feet when it comes to presenting in court."
Chambers Europe 2018 - France (Dispute Resolution: Litigation)
"Denis Chemla of Allen & Overy LLP is cited by market sources for his experience in dispute resolution. He has a strong focus on the aviation sector and regularly handles product liability, white-collar crime and regulatory defence cases"
Chambers 2018 - France (Transportation: Aviation)
"Practice head Denis Chemla ‘is excellent at analysing legal issues, able to provide memos setting forth legal issues in a short timeframe and willing to think outside of the box to come up with practical solutions’.”
Legal 500 2017 – France (Dispute Resolution / Commercial Litigation)
"Denis Chemla has an 'excellent strategic mind and international experience; he is very easy to work with as an international client'."
Chambers 2017 - France (Dispute Resolution: Litigation Elite)
"Denis Chemla is able to ‘handle large and complex matters without being scared to debate difficult and untested issues, and is not afraid to move out of his comfort zone to explore out-of-the-box solutions’."
Legal 500 2017 – France (Dispute Resolution / Commercial Litigation)
"Denis Chemla stands out in our research as one of the country’s leading litigators."
Who’s Who Legal 2017 - France
"Denis Chemla gains recognition for his international outlook and specialist expertise in white-collar and regulatory litigation."
Who’s Who Legal 2017 - France (Business Crime Defence & Investigation)
Expertise
Practices
Investigations, Enforcement and Business Crime
Litigation, Arbitration and Investigations
Sectors
Qualifications
Professional
Admitted to the Bar, New York, 1990
Admitted to the Bar, Paris, 1987
Academic
LL.M., General Legal Studies, New York University School of Law, 1990
Post Graduate, International Law, University of Paris II, Panthéon Assas, 1986
Msc, Private Law, University of Paris II, Panthéon Assas, 1985
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Expertise
Practices
Investigations, Enforcement and Business Crime
Litigation, Arbitration and Investigations
Sectors
Qualifications
Professional
Admitted to the Bar, New York, 1990
Admitted to the Bar, Paris, 1987
Academic
LL.M., General Legal Studies, New York University School of Law, 1990
Post Graduate, International Law, University of Paris II, Panthéon Assas, 1986
Msc, Private Law, University of Paris II, Panthéon Assas, 1985
Pro bono
- Denis is the Spokesperson of Droits d'Urgence, a non-governmental organisation providing free legal aid to disadvantaged groups.
- Denis also served in the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo in 1999 as a legal advisor to the Head of Mission.
- Denis has served as legal expert to the Council of Europe in numerous legal assistance field missions in Eastern and Central Europe, Russia, Armenia, Ukraine and Georgia.
- Denis won in October 2013 the prestigious PILnet pro bono award at the 7th annual European Pro Bono Forum.
Published work
- Pro Bono : de l'action individuelle à l'action politique, Lettre des Juristes d'Affaires, December 2013
- 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 Erwan Poisson, Camille Fléchet)
- La procédure accusatoire garantit-elle les droits de la défense ?, Lettre des Juristes d'Affaires, December 2011
- Conseil constitutionnel et mariage gay : service minimum ; Note sous Conseil constitutionnel, QPC, 28 January 2011, Corine C et a. numéro 2010-92 QPC », La Gazette du Palais, April 2011
- Réforme de la garde à vue : de qui se moque-t-on ?, La Gazette du Palais, January 2011
- Pro bono : les exclus ont toujours plus besoin de nous, La Gazette du Palais, November 2010 (co-written with Jean-Luc Bédos)
- Carte judiciaire : du courage !, Les Echos, 12 October 2007
- LVMH/Morgan Stanley : un arrêt "remarquable", Option Finance, September 2006 (co-written with Frédéric Grillier)
- Référé probatoire et secret bancaire : un secret bien gardé, Revue de Droit Bancaire et Financier, May 2004 (co-written with Emmanuelle Bouretz)
- Prospectus liability in Europe and the US: Understanding the issues, Global Counsel, September 2003 (co-written with Julian Copeman and Alex Bafi)
- Denis Chemla was Chief editor of the Code des droits contre l'exclusion, Dalloz, 2011.
