Eric Bouffard is a partner in the Paris office of Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, where he serves as a member of the firm’s Litigation, International Arbitration, Enforcement, Environmental and Social Governance and Business Restructuring Practice Groups.
Eric is particularly active in cross-border litigation, commercial arbitration, commercial law (including insolvency and recovery of debt), industrial risk (latent defects, interruption of production, delay and disruption claims, consequential losses), international trade and insurance before both judicial courts and arbitral tribunals.
He is regularly involved in M&A disputes, shareholder and more generally project partner disputes.
Eric has provided clients with legal and strategic advice for responding to crisis or anticipating them. He is knowledgeable in the conduct of risk assessments and the review and implementation of compliance programs in fast-changing regulatory environments. He advises various French multinationals on Loi Sapin II aspects.
Legal 500 EMEA distinguishes Eric in its Commercial litigation category (Band 2), highlighting he is “highly regarded” and a “key lawyer.” Previous editions described him as an “experienced” lawyer that “provide[s] strategic and spot-on advice” and an “excellent litigator”. “[He] assists both French and international clients with an array of contentious matters”. He is noted for his expertise in restructuring matters and disputes connected to the banking and finance industry. He is appreciated by clients for his “pedagogical skills to explain complex matters” ; “He’s accessible and a straight-talker. He gives constructive advice.”
Benchmark Litigation Europe has named him a “Litigation Star” every year since he entered the ranking in 2020, while Best Lawyers in France has also consistently recommended him for Litigation and International Arbitration.
Prior to joining Gibson Dunn in 2017, Eric practiced with Ashurst from 2005. He previously practiced in the Paris office of Holman Fenwick & Willan, Clyde & Co., and RBM2L. He is a member of the Association Française d’Arbitrage
(AFA), Association Française du Contract Management (AFCM), International Council for Commercial Arbitration (ICCA) and Association Française de Droit Maritime (AFDM).
A member of the Paris Bar, Eric graduated in 1993 from University of Paris II (Panthéon-Assas) where he received a DESS (postgraduate degree) in litigation and arbitration. He is the co-author of Tactics in M&A Arbitration, a book which gives a pan-European view on the questions which systematically arise in M&A arbitration proceedings.
He speaks French and English fluently.
Capabilities
- International Arbitration
- Class Actions
- Energy Regulation and Litigation
- Energy and Infrastructure
- Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG)
- Judgment and Arbitral Award Enforcement
- Litigation
- Securities Litigation
- Transnational Litigation
- White Collar Defense and Investigations
Credentials
Education:
- Université Paris II Panthéon-Assas - 1993 DESS
- Université Paris-Sud XI - 1989 DEUG
Admissions:
- France - Avocat au Barreau de Paris