January 2021: Tax Litigation Star Stéphane Chaouat and PNF Prosecutor Eric Russo Join in Groundbreaking Moves for French Legal Market

The firm welcomes Stéphane Chaouat and Eric Russo as new partners who will both be based in France. Stéphane Chaouat, a top tax litigator, has joined the firm as partner and head of its Paris tax disputes practice. He is a renowned trial litigator known for resolving high-stakes, complex tax contingencies, disputes, and negotiations. His client base includes financial institutions, private equity funds, public and private companies, and individuals. Chaouat joined Quinn Emanuel’s Paris office in January 2021 along with Counsel Alexandre Groult and Associate Victoire Heriard Dubreuil.

Prominent prosecutor Eric Russo has also joined the firm as a partner, further boosting Quinn Emanuel’s presence in France. A leading prosecutor at the French National Financial Prosecutors Office (PNF), Russo is the first PNF prosecutor to move to a private practice law firm. During his five years at the PNF, Russo ran some of the largest international corruption and tax fraud investigations. He was the first prosecutor to conclude a CJIP (Deferred Prosecution Agreement) in France and the CJIP settlement agreements he concluded on behalf of the PNF (against HSBC, Societe Generale and Airbus respectively) represent a total amount of €2.7 billion. He also led the PNF prosecuting team during the trial against UBS which resulted in the unprecedented € 3.7 billion fine sentenced against the bank. He has extensive experience and knowledge of complex litigation in economic and financial criminal law.