Clifford Chance
Thibaud d'Alès specialises in commercial litigation (domestic and cross border).
His areas of expertise include disputes in relation to distribution agreements, termination of contractual relationships, "private enforcement / follow-on" actions, mergers and acquisitions, product liability, misleading advertising and/or unfair competition, more specifically in matters related to the telecommunications, aviation, and sport industries.
- Representing individuals or companies (including instrument funds) in the context of shareholders litigation
- Working on several cases in the context of disputes subsequent to termination of contracts
- Assisting and representing a major French company in connection with distribution contracts related disputes
- Assisting and representing the subsidiary of a major international financial group before French Courts in cases in which it was sued by clients arguing that it breached its duty of care and information
- Representing a major IT company in the context of alleged unfair competition / misleading and/or comparative advertising
- Representing a major Telecom company in the context to the reorganization of its distribution network
News and client work
Contact details
- Clifford Chance, Paris
- +33144055362
- Email me
- Speaks French and English
- Practice area TechDigital, Litigation, dispute resolution & risk management
- Sector Telecommunications, media & technology, Aerospace & defence
Career and qualifications
- University of Paris, Panthéon Sorbonne (Masters in Business Law), 1998
- University of Paris, Panthéon Assas (Postgraduate DESS in Insurance Law), 1999
- HEC Business School Group (Masters in Management of International Risks), 2000
- LVMH Moët Hennesy – Louis Vuitton, San Francisco and Paris, 2000
- Joined Clifford Chance 2003
- Admitted as an Avocat in Paris 2004
- Partner since 2015
Professional bodies
- Teaches at the EFB
- Teaches at University Paris I (Panthéon – Sorbonne)
Awards and citations
- Thibaud d’Alès is ranked one of the 'Leading Individuals' for the practice.
Legal 500 EMEA 2024, Media and Entertainment: Sports - France - Thibaud d’Alès is ranked as one of the 'Leading Individuals' for the practice of corporate and commercial litigation.
"Thibaud d’Alès is a star in commercial litigation."
"Thibaud d’Alès is an exceptional lawyer on all levels: great technical quality, perspective, legal culture, high standards and rigor, team management, ability to delegate, multi-skills."
"Thibaud d’Alès stands out for exceptional responsiveness and pragmatism."
Legal 500 EMEA 2024, Dispute Resolution: Commercial Litigation - France - Thibaud d'Alès (Band 2) joins the rankings this year. He advises clients on matters relating to unfair competition, follow-on actions and distribution agreements. His clients include leading actors in the banking and sport sectors.
"Thibaud d'Alès is clearly a highly experienced litigator with intimate knowledge of the French system."
"I am very happy to work with Thibaud. He is highly knowledgeable and responsive, and he has excellent commercial awareness."
Chambers Europe 2024, Litigation: Elite - France
Chambers Global 2024, Litigation: Elite - France
- Thibaud d'Alès is ranked as one of the 'Leading Individuals' for the practice.
Legal 500 EMEA 2023, Media and Entertainment: Sports - France - Thibaud d'Alès is ranked as one of the 'Leading Individuals' for the practice.
Legal 500 EMEA 2023, Dispute Resolution: Commercial Litigation - France - Thibaud d'Alès (Band 3) advises clients on matters relating to unfair competition, follow-on actions and distribution agreements. His clients include leading actors in the banking and sport sectors.
"I had a great experience working with him. If I have another case, I would immediately contact him without hesitation. I trust him to do the right thing for his clients."
Chambers Global 2023, Litigation - France
Chambers Europe 2023, Litigation - France - Thibaud d'Alès is ranked as one of the 'Leading Individuals' for Corporate and commercial litigation.
Legal 500 2022, Dispute Resolution : Commercial Litigation - France
- Thibaud d'Ales advises clients on matters relating to unfair competition, follow-on actions and distribution agreements. His clients include leading actors in the telecommunications and sport industries. One client says: "Thibault d'Ales is an open, practical and solution-oriented individual." Ranked Band 3.
Chambers Global 2022, Litigation - France
Chambers Europe 2022, Litigation - France - Thibaud d'Alès is ranked as "Next Generation Partner".
Legal 500 2021, Dispute Resolution: Commercial Litigation - France
- Thibaud d'Ales advises clients on a number of litigation mandates, including contractual disputes, unfair competition and product liability cases. He is noted for being practical in his advice and able to assist international clients operating in France, with one source saying: "He would break down the court proceedings in France and the peculiarities around how the courts work and apply it to our business." The same interviewee goes on to note: "He is also very accessible. He is able to urgently take calls and answer email, so we have the possibility to speak to him at short notice."
Chambers Global 2021, Litigation - France
Chambers Europe 2021, Litigation - France - Thibaud d'Alès is ranked as "Next Generation Partner"
Legal 500 2020, Dispute Resolution: Commercial Litigation - France - "Thibaud d'Ales assists clients active in the telecommunication, aviation and banking sectors. He is experienced in asset recovery, unfair competition and post-M&A disputes."
Chambers Global 2020, Litigation - France
Chambers Europe 2020, Litigation - France - "Clifford Chance's large 15-lawyer team handles a wide range of cases, including acting on sensitive healthcare-sector product liability cases for clients such as Pfizer and GSK, and representing leading French and international retailers and companies in high-stakes commercial and private enforcement litigation. The team is notably representing SFR and Numericable in several key matters, including a sensitive unfair commercial practice dispute initiated by Free, as well as representing Carrefour in numerous claims against its suppliers. The practice also handles corporate litigation and is representing international banks including RBS in banking and financial disputes. JP Morgan and Apax are also clients. The team is led by the highly experienced Jean-Pierre Grandjean and Thomas Baudesson, and the up-and-coming Diego de Lammerville and Thibaud d’Alès. Counsel Marguerite Aynès is also recommended."
Legal 500 EMEA 2019, Dispute Resolution: Commercial Litigation - France - "Clifford Chance has a broad aviation practice, with a team whose 'members complement each other'. The practice has a strong corporate and commercial focus, with Dessislava Savova and Fabrice Cohen forming the heart of the group, as well as a strong litigation and arbitration component alongside regulatory expertise. In a recent corporate highlight, Cohen advised Airbus on its $750m disposal of Vector Aerospace to StandardAero Aviation Holdings, while Savova acted for Airbus on the implementation of a new industrial and commercial strategy for the insourcing of key aircraft components. Thibaud d’Alès represented the Cessna Citation European Service Center in litigation against owners and managers of airplanes arising from the non-payment of repairing works. Other key contacts include Jason Fry, Simon Greenberg and Thomas Baudesson. Charles-Henri Boeringer was promoted to partner in May 2018."
Legal 500 EMEA 2019, Aviation - France - Thibaud d'Ales advises on a wide range of commercial disputes in the aviation, automotive and telecommunications sectors. Interviewees say he is "extremely thorough, offers good ideas and is able to establish a relationship of trust with his client."
Chambers Europe 2019, Dispute Resolution: Litigation - France
Chambers Global 2019, Dispute Resolution: Litigation - France - "The sports law team at Clifford Chance is headed by Paris managing partner Yves Wehrli and supported by the firm’s corporate, project finance and dispute resolution departments. Notable work highlights include guiding the French Football Federation through the tender process for the selection of an equipment supplier, and assisting Margarita Louis-Dreyfus with the sale of well-known football club Olympique Marseille to Frank McCourt. Finance specialist Benjamin de Blegiers is advising Crédit Lyonnais, Crédit Agricole and Natixis on the refinancing of the Lille stadium and the financing of the resident football club’s capital needs. On the contentious front, the group defended World Rugby in a commercial litigation case filed by a French club challenging the international rules regarding the release of international players for competition, and Thibaud d’Alès is handling a series of disputes concerning a stadium leasing agreement and alleged losses incurred through the organisation of a major international sporting event. Other noteworthy clients include the French Tennis Association and Paris Eiffel Jumping and UEFA."
Legal 500 EMEA 2018, Media and Entertainment: Sports - France - "Clifford Chance’s ‘super engaged and responsive’ 17-lawyer team has ‘a great fighting spirit’ and provides ‘excellent, thorough, timely, dedicated and personable service’. The practice is handling a broad range of disputes including M&A, banking, distribution, commercial and product liability matters, and is regularly instructed in high-stakes commercial litigation, especially in the retail and telecoms sectors. It is representing SFR in a sensitive dispute with Orange regarding the deployment of fibre optic technology in France, and successfully defended Jacob Douwe Egberts before the Court of Appeal in a case launched by Lavazza to stop the commercialisation of co-branded coffees. The practice also obtained a landmark victory at appeal stage for Royal Bank of Scotland in a major "toxic" loan litigation initiated by Lille Urban Community. The practice is also strong in sports-related disputes. Carrefour, Apax Partners, GlaxoSmithKline and J.P. Morgan are other clients. Jean-Pierre Grandjean is highly recognised. Other key names include Diego de Lammerville, who is ‘technically very good, provides strategic advice and demonstrates commitment and understanding of his clients’ business’, and Thibaud d’Alès, who is ‘a very strong and articulate litigator, well prepared, hardworking, and thinks out of the box’."
Legal 500 EMEA 2018, Dispute Resolution: Commercial Litigation - France - Thibaud d'Ales is recognised in the market for his commercial litigation activity. One source reports that "he is very reactive; he always responds in a timely manner and finds a solution for us."
Chambers Global 2018, Dispute Resolution - France
Chambers Europe 2018, Dispute Resolution - France - "Clifford Chance has ‘good knowledge of the different parties involved in the sporting area’. The firm has a prominent practice in football, where it regularly handles the most sensitive matters. It defended Michel Platini in the FIFA-gate case and acted for the Ligue de Football Professionnel regarding governance issues and the commercialisation of the Coupe de la Ligue game broadcast rights. The firm also advises sport federations and event organisers. Paris Eiffel Jumping, the Ligue Nationale de Basketball and the Fédération Française de Tennis are clients. Yves Wehrli and Thibaud d’Alès are the key contacts."
Legal 500 EMEA 2017, Media and Entertainment: Sports - France - "Clifford Chance is retained by large French and international corporations, investment funds and banks. The firm handles sensitive commercial, corporate and banking cases. It is also deals with product liability cases in the healthcare sector. Recent highlights include defending JPMorgan Chase in a dispute with ADP regarding the acquisition of a stake in Turkish airport operator TAV, and successfully representing SFR before the Court of Appeal in unfair competition litigation with Free Mobile. Carrefour, Airbus and Novartis are also clients. Jean-Pierre Grandjean, Thomas Baudesson, Diego de Lammerville and Thibaud d’Alès are recommended."
Legal 500 EMEA 2017, Dispute Resolution: Commercial Litigation - France - Thibaud d'Alès advises clients from the sport, retail, aviation and telecommunications sectors on disputes arising from contracts and distribution agreements, as well as competition mandates. He acted for FIFA president Michel Platini on proceedings brought by the FIFA ethics committee. He is described as "a clever and talented litigator."
Chambers Global 2017, Dispute/Resolution - France
Chambers Europe 2017, Dispute/Resolution - France - Thibaud d'Ales has a solid background in commercial litigation, with notable experience in contentious consumer goods and retail matters including distribution contracts, product liability and contract termination.
Chambers Europe 2016, Dispute Resolution: Litigation - France
- "Clifford Chance has ‘a very high level of litigation expertise’ and produces ‘very high-quality work’. The ‘available and efficient’ team is recommended for ‘strategic cases’ and is especially strong in commercial, consumer and distribution law, where it represents many leading French retailers such as Carrefour. The firm successfully defended SFR in a sensitive dispute with Free Mobile. The practice also deals with major corporate and banking cases. It is representing Apax Partners in a dispute initiated by Chenavari. Other clients include RBS, J.P. Morgan and Hilton. Practice head Jean-Pierre Grandjean is highly regarded. Thomas Baudesson is also recommended along with Diego de Lammerville and recently promoted partner Thibaud d’Alès, who shows ‘excellent pleading skills and is also a good negotiator".
Legal 500 EMEA 2016, Dispute Resolution: Commercial Litigation - France
- "Clifford Chance advises sports federations, professional leagues and clubs and championship organisers on highly sensitive and strategic regulatory and contentious matters, especially in the football industry. It represented the Ligue de Football Professionnel in proceedings brought by seven football clubs regarding AS Monaco FC’s participation in French competitions. The Ligue Nationale de Basketball is also a client. Key figures in the practice include Yves Wehrli, who is especially recommended for managing strategic cases, Emmanuel Durand and recently promoted partner Thibaud d’Alès".
Legal 500 EMEA 2016, Media and Entertainment: Sports - France - Thibaud d'Alès has a solid background in commercial litigation, with notable experience in contentious consumer goods and retail matters including distribution contracts, product liability and contract termination.
Chambers Global 2016, Dispute Resolution - France
- Thibaud d'Alès is "very pleasant to work with and very business-oriented." One interviewee stated: "He's frank and he understands the business and strategy of his clients; he offers not only legal strategy but also the commercial and business side." He advises clients on a wide range of commercial litigation, including product liability cases.
Chambers Europe 2015, Dispute Resolution, France
- Sources consider Thibaud d'Ales to be "very pleasant to work with and very business-oriented." One interviewee stated: "He's frank and he understands the business and strategy of his clients; he offers not only legal strategy but also the commercial and business side." He advises clients on a wide range of commercial litigation, including product liability cases.
Chambers Global 2015, Dispute Resolution: Litigation: Elite - France