André Soulier

André Soulier is a highly experienced and nationally recognized trial lawyer. His litigation practice involves a broad range of business, criminal and civil matters and he is experienced in all phases of litigation work.

André has extensive expertise in personal injury and liability cases, especially with respect to the financial compensation of victims, since he has participated in numerous high-visibility trials relating to major cases in France over the past forty years.

André’s areas of practice include criminal cases, white collar crimes, industrial risks and accidents, public law, real estate, insolvency & bankruptcy, business law and sports law.

As a passionate litigator, he was notably at the origin of the 1970 French Indemnification Act which provides for the indemnification of people wrongly sentenced to jail and then cleared of all charges pursuant to a dismissal, discharge or acquittal ruling.

André advises and defends French and foreign companies operating in a wide range of industries, such as the traditional industrial sector, the finance industry and the so-called “new economy” sector.

André is also a well-known public figure in France and Europe. He served as a Member of the European Parliament from 1992 to 1999 and participated in many diplomatic missions in Europe and in the rest of the world.

André has acted as a deputy mayor of Lyon for more than 20 years and organized a large number of artistic, cultural and sporting events which helped the city extend its influence all over France and Europe. He was notably behind the G7 Summit in 1996 and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Selected Operation Summary

Litigation

• Defended one of France’s largest listed real estate property management companies in commercial disputes and commercial lease related litigation
• Defended a large chemical group alleged to have polluted the Rhône River
• Assisted and defended wine producing companies before civil and criminal courts
• Defended the interests of leading pharmaceutical companies in a case involving alleged product contamination by the HIV virus
• Represented families of victims of the “A320- Sainte-Odile aircraft accident” that resulted in the death of 87 passengers and obtained sizeable indemnification whereas the charges against the aviation company and aircraft manufacturer were subsequently dismissed by the court
• Defended 52 plaintiffs in the law suit brought in connection with the fire of the “5-7” discotheque in Saint-Laurent-du-Pont that resulted in the death of 150 persons
• Defended the plaintiffs in the law suit brought in connection with the explosion of the Feyzin oil refinery (Rhône) where 18 site workers and firemen died and 88 persons were injured
• Instigator of the 1970 French Indemnification Act which provides for the indemnification of people wrongly sentenced to jail and then cleared of all charges pursuant to a dismissal, discharge or acquittal ruling, following the Jean-Marie Deveaux case where Mr. Deveaux was finally acquitted by the Criminal Court of Côte d’Or after 8 years in jail and three appeals before the Cour de Cassation(French Supreme Court), including two by the French Ministry of Justice
• Obtained the repeal of Article 222-33 of the French Criminal Code (that punished sexual harassment) by the French Constitutional Council on May 4, 2012

White Collar Crime

• Defended corporate officers notably against charges of misappropriation of corporate assets
• Defended the chairman of a construction group accused of various breaches of the legislation on commercial companies
• Defended business leaders in a publicized case concerning false invoices in the scrap industry

Sports Law

• Advised and assisted several professional French soccer teams in their relations with players, coaches, managers, sponsors and national and international bodies
• Defended a legendary club of the French football championship in a slush fund case before the courts of Lyon and Paris
• Assisted and defended an exceptional cyclist champion in the context of defamation proceedings

Construction & Urban Planning

• Advised a leading European commercial real estate developer in connection with several office tower and skyscraper construction projects (including Tour Oxygène, 115 meters high, Lyon, 2005-2010 and Tour Incity, 200 meters high, Lyon, 2011-2015)
• Managed and followed up the restructuring of several inner-city areas in France
• Assisted a European energy leader in a dispute relating to defects on immovable assets located within a nuclear power plant

Insolvency & Bankruptcy

• Defended international creditors in the framework of complex insolvency and bankruptcy proceedings before French commercial courts
• Successfully managed proceedings before the Nîmes Court of Appeals and the Dijon Commercial Court on behalf of a 400 million euros American lender
• Provided assistance in Paris and Lyon to a real estate asset manager in the so-called “Docks Lyonnais” case

Business Law

• Assisted a global leader in asset management services
• Counseled and assisted a world leader in stainless steel products
• Provided legal and strategic advice to international investment and development funds

Background – Public Life

• Member of the European Parliament, 1992 – 1999
• Chair of the Human Rights Sub-Committee of the European Parliament, 1997 – 1999
• Deputy Major of Lyon, 1977 – 2001; 1st Deputy Major, 1983 – 1989
• Vice Chair of the Lyon urban community, 1977 – 2001
• Member of the Rhône-Alpes Regional Council, Chair of the Commission on Education and Training, 1977 – 1992
• Major of Villié-Morgon (Beaujolais), 1970 – 1977
• Chair of the Ethics and Disciplinary Committee of the French National Soccer League, 1989-1992
• President of the Legal Committee of the French National Soccer League, 2005-2017
• Member of the Jefferson Circle 1992-1999

Main Publications

• Mes mille et une vies, Le Cherche Midi, 2021
• Comparative Comparative Environmental Law and Regulation, France chapter, Oceana Publications, 1997
• International Insurance Law and Regulation, France chapter, Longman Law, Tax and Finance, 1996
• Carton Rouge, Editions n°1, 1996

Credentials

• Officer of the National Order of Merit
• Knight of the Legion of Honor

Professional Associations

• French Arbitration Committee
• A.N.A.
• American Chamber of Commerce in France

Education

• Diploma of Advanced Studies in Political Economy, Lyon School of Law, 1957
• Graduate of the Lyon Institute of Political Science, 1956
• Law degree, Lyon School of Law, 1956

Languages

• French
• English