Medici is proud to announce that its partners Marie-Laure Bizeau, Valence Borgia and Caroline Duclercq have once again been recognized in the 2026 edition of The Best Lawyer in France for their high caliber work in the International Arbitration and Arbitration and Mediation categories.

Valence Borgia has also been ranked in the Litigation category, reflecting the breadth and depth of expertise within our team.

These distinctions are the result of the work of the entire Medici team, to whom we extend our warmest thanks. The firm would also like to warmly thank its clients and peers for their trust and recommendations.

Link to the ranking: Best Lawyers 2026.

Arbitration proceedings are a collective work, much like a symphony: just as the conductor and its musicians must perform in harmony, arbitrators and parties must collaborate seamlessly to ensure an efficient procedure and a well-reasoned award. At a ‘MARDis’ conference organised by the CMAP, the speakers shared valuable advice, best practices, and key reflexes to foster the smooth conduct of arbitration proceedings. They presented five key themes, each reflecting an essential quality in arbitration:

(1) Clarity, achieved by playing “Dolce”, with gentleness and precision;

(2) Comprehensiveness, achieved by playing “Tutti”, in a spirit of collegiality and comprehensive vision;

(3) Responsiveness, embodied by “Attaca”, a fluid sequence of steps;

(4) Adaptability, expressed through “Rubato”, with flexibility and nuance;

(5) Efficiency, found in “Allegro”, ensuring fluidity through harmonious cooperation between parties, counsel and arbitrators.

The conference is available online on the following link : https://youtu.be/awg5aISX0zA

Medici warmly thanks the CMAP and in particular Sophie Henry and Jad El Hage for their warm welcome and the organisation of this event!

As the firm celebrates its 5th anniversary, we are delighted to have once again been ranked for 2025:

• Excellent in the “International Arbitration” category
• Highly recommended in the categories “Commercial Litigation up to €100M”, “PPP contracts” and “Construction litigation”
• Recommended in the category “Advising and contracts (markets and construction)”.

We are also honored by the recognition of our partners as arbitrators:

• Marie-Laure Bizeau, Excellent in the “Dispute Resolution” category
• Valence Borgia & Caroline Duclercq, Highly recommended in the “Dispute Resolution” category.

This recognition underscores our commitment to providing our clients with rigorous support, responsiveness and robust expertise in handling the disputes, both in France and internationally.

We are sincerely grateful to our loyal clients and peers for their unwavering support.

Many thanks to the entire team for their remarkable efforts, dedication and enthusiasm.

To discover our rankings, click here : Medici Law - Leaders League, Marie-Laure Bizeau (Medici) - Leaders League, Valence Borgia (Medici) - Leaders League, Caroline Duclercq (Medici) - Leaders League

 18 months of work, 7 stakeholders, 3 time zones, €400,000,000 at stake: it sounds like a pitch for a TV series, but it is the daily reality of many major infrastructure and construction projects. Behind the scenes, a discreet player ensures that everything goes according to plan: the contract manager. 

What is contract management? 🔍

Contract management is a cross-functional practice at the intersection of contract law, project management and business strategy. In complex projects, where contracts can run to hundreds of pages and every clause can affect the schedule and the budget, it is crucial to have a clear, rigorous and proactive view of contract execution.

In practical terms, the contract manager supports the project from its inception: negotiating the initial contract and its amendments, managing risks, monitoring deadlines and duties, anticipating and resolving disputes, throughout the project and after its completion. 

Why is it so important in complex projects? ⚠️

Take the example of a hospital construction project: several companies, subcontractors, a public project owner, sensitive equipment to be integrated, a strict delivery deadline.... The slightest delay or disagreement can have considerable financial, logistical and reputational consequences. 

So why opt for a lawyer rather than a traditional project manager?

Because in this type of project, the law is omnipresent.

In this context, the contract manager lawyer:

• identifies, negotiates and drafts sensitive clauses (penalties, liabilities, guarantees, conditions precedent, etc.);
• helps to structure an effective internal procedure by coordinating the sales and operational teams to ensure compliance with contractual obligations;
• alerts the parties to legal risks or potential obstacles;
• prepares, from the outset, the case file for possible litigation or arbitration proceedings.

At Medici, with nearly 20 years of experience in France and internationally, we are involved in all these stages:

• Upstream, to secure contracts and anticipate risks;
• During the project, to support operational teams in the event of failures in the field, ensure legal compliance, and to advise on effective internal processes;
• In the event of a dispute, to defend the client's interests, favoring an amicable settlement, and in case of failure, we represent our clients before the courts or in arbitration, thanks to our in-depth knowledge of the case acquired during the project follow-up as contract manager.

Thus, the involvement of a contract manager lawyer during the project is a real strategic and economic lever for the client. A study by the IACCM (International Association for Contract and Commercial Management) reveals that poor contract management leads to a 9.2% loss in project revenue, which has a significant impact on profit margins.

In large projects, anticipation is always better than repair. A well-managed contract becomes a real asset for the company, while a poorly managed contract can incur significant costs. 🚧

For more information: Contract Management.

#Medici #Contractmanagement

Medici has once again been recognised by Le Point in its guide to the best law firms in France for 2025, in the ‘Arbitration Law’ category.

We are sincerely grateful to our clients and peers for their continued trust and support. None of this would be possible without our team, whom we would like to thank warmly.

Medici Alert📣 #Exequatur and #Statute of Limitations – What is the statute of limitations for requesting the exequatur of a foreign arbitral award? 5 years, according to  the Versailles Court of Appeal’s decision dated December 10, 2024 (Case No. 23/03647).

ℹ️ Context: This decision fills a legal gap: until now, case law had only addressed the statute of limitations for requesting the exequatur of a foreign judgment and had ruled in this regard that no statute of limitations applied. However, there was no mention of the exequatur of arbitral awards (Civ. 1, January 11, 2023, Case No. 21-21.168).

✅ Solution: The Court of Appeal thus ruled that the general statute of limitations period of 5 years (Article 2224 of the civil code) applies for requesting the exequatur of an award – foreign in this case. One should bear in mind that this period is distinct from the one applicable to the enforcement of an award after its exequatur, which is 10 years (Article L. 111-4 of the Civil Code of Enforcement Procedures – “CCEP”).

To reach this conclusion, the Court:

1. Exclude the law of the country where the arbitration seat is located (in this case, New York) in favor of the independence of the award from any state legal system;

2. Concludes that the action for the exequatur of an arbitral award, unlike that of a foreign judgment, must be subject to a statute of limitations; otherwise, it would be imprescriptible and therefore contrary to French international public policy;

3. Applies the general 5-year statute of limitations because (a) the 10-year period provided by Article L. 111-4 CCEP does not apply since the award is not yet enforceable and (b) the action for exequatur falls within the category of actions covered by Article 2224 of the Civil Code.

Finally, the Court specifies that the statute of limitations begins to run from the date of the award – not from its notification.

➡️ Impact: Will the solution adopted by the Court for foreign awards apply to awards rendered in France? This question arises because the nature of the recourses against these two types of awards is not identical and thus the solution adopted for foreign awards may not necessarily apply to awards rendered in France. Will the Working Group on the reform of French arbitration law address this issue?

Caroline Duclercq and Valérie Kasparian

We are very pleased that our firm has been ranked for the second consecutive year by Chambers and Partners in the "Chambers France Guide 2025" in international arbitration. Even more, we are extremely proud that our partner Marie-Laure Bizeau is included in the "Ranked Lawyer Band 3" in international arbitration as well!

It is an honor to see our firm and our partner listed alongside the top international arbitration firms, just a few years after the creation of Medici.

We are sincerely grateful to our clients and peers for taking the time to respond to Chambers and Partners' questions and interviews, as well as for their ongoing support.

A big thank you to the entire team for their remarkable efforts, dedication, and enthusiasm.

Link to the rankings: Medici, France 2025 | Chambers Profiles

We are very pleased that the Firm has once again been recognised for its expertise in arbitration in Africa:

• Medici as "Excellent" in the "Africa Desk - International Arbitration & Litigation" category.
  
  
• Our partner Caroline Duclercq as a "Highly Recommended" arbitrator in the "Africa Desk - Arbitration" category.

We are sincerely grateful to our loyal clients and peers for their constant support.

A big thank you to the entire team for their outstanding efforts, dedication and enthusiasm.

To discover our rankings, click here: Medici Law, Caroline Duclercq

Medici Alert📣 #Fraud and #Annulment proceedings – Fraud by a private operator towards a public entity affecting only their contractual relationship: is the international public policy of direction concerned? No, the Court of Appeal of Paris ruled in its decision of 21 January 2025 (Case No. 23/05511).

ℹ️ Context: In arbitration, a party that fails to raise an irregularity in a timely manner during the arbitration process is deemed to have waived the right to invoke it (Article 1466 of the French Civil Procedure Code) – unless it pertains to the international public policy of direction (IPP).

💡 Question: The Court had to determine whether the alleged fraudulent actions of a private operator towards a public entity fell under the IPP of direction. The alleged actions involved purported deception by the private operator about its actual experience, issuing false invoices, and making questionable payments. However, the public entity, which had chosen not to participate in the arbitration, only raised the issue of fraud before the sole arbitrator, Bassam Mirza, after the debates had concluded and were not reopened. The public entity argued that it could raise the issue before the annulment judge on the grounds that it fell under the IPP of direction.

✅ Solution: The Court of Appeal rejected these arguments. It decided that the alleged fraud did not fall under the IPP of direction, as the alleged fraudulent actions "only affected the contractual relationship" in question, even if they could constitute violations of local law, given that:

(i) no corruption of public officials was alleged,

(ii) no public assets were involved – the alleged embezzlement concerned the public entity’s own assets "in the administration of its private interests" and not "in the context of fulfilling its general interest missions," and

(iii) the embezzlement involved a private operator and not a public agent.

Thus, the Court found that the public entity, having failed to invoke the fraud during the arbitration hearings without legitimate reason, while being aware of it, could no longer rely on it during the annulment proceedings and thus these grounds were declared inadmissible.

➡️ Impact: The Court of Appeal of Paris demonstrates a desire to limit the scope of the IPP of direction by excluding purely contractual fraud, even when committed against a public entity. Practitioners should therefore ensure they clearly distinguish the fraud related to the law and corruption from fraud that is "purely" contractual. However, will this boundary always remain so clear?

Marie-Laure Bizeau and Valérie Kasparian

Medici is proud to announce that its partners have once again been recommended for the Category France - Arbitration in the prestigious Lexology Index and Global Arbitration Review, 2025 edition.

These distinctions are the result of the work of the entire Medici team, to whom we extend our warmest thanks. The firm would also like to warmly thank its clients and peers for their trust and recommendations.

Link to Lexology 2025: France - Reports - Lexology Index - Lexology