Founding partner of WAT & LAW, Marie-Bénédicte DESVALLON has 15-year experience across all areas of the energy industry as leading legal counsel within major international projects in Europe, South America and Africa. Her experience ranges from infrastructure in water sector (including offshore activities), energy (power, wind, oil & gas) as well as transport and defence sectors.
Dually qualified as a solicitor of the Senior Court of England & Wales and as an avocat at the Paris bar, Marie-Bénédicte Desvallon advises on turnkey projects in France and worldwide within public-private partnerships in all their meanings.
She regularly advises public investors (Bilateral Investment treaties), sponsors and lenders, construction companies or industry stakeholders on project structuring, project finance as well as contracts drafting and with relevant allocation of responsibilities.
Before working in private practice, she has worked as in-house counsel for BOUYGUES CONSTRUCTION in London, THALES and ALSTOM POWER in France and abroad. She qualified with one of the major English law firm in energy and arbitration sectors.
She has gained valuable know-how on turnkey projects (EPC/IPP, PFI, concession) or acquisition deals relating to water, conventional energy (oil & gas, power) as well as renewable (wind farm, biomass, photovoltaic).
Solicitor of the Senior Court of England & Wales and avocat at the Paris Bar, Marie-Bénédicte Desvallon is of French nationality and is fluent in English, Spanish ; she regularly advises in German and in Portuguese as well.