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 Our fields of expertise

PLUBLIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL LAW DEPARTMENT
BIGNON LEBRAY & Associés has become well-known for its expertise in all areas related to public law, which it puts to use for the purposes of both legal advice and litigation services.

In public law, as in other areas of the law, our firm offers the services of a departmental team of specialized lawyers who assist their clients in defining and setting up projects and who represent them in litigation.

When necessary to provide a complete service to our clients, we in the Public and Environmental Law department collaborate with the Real Estate Law and Tax Law departments of Bignon Lebray.

In Public Law, our expertise covers all areas of activity related to administrative law (public/private partnerships; public markets and administrative contracts; public property law; town planning and environmental management; etc.). We provide both legal advice and representation in litigation.

Our clients belong to the public sector (local governments and their public institutions; mixed-economy companies; companies working in environmental management; associations subject to significant influence; etc.) and the private sector (subcontractors; real estate developers; environmental managers; builders; investors; etc.).

In the public sector, we assist local governments, their public institutions and their entities subject to significant influence, within the framework of general legal assistance contracts or timely consultations. Moreover, our firm offers local governments a sound experience in the domain of public property and public patrimony law.

 

  • We assist local governments and local public institutions in the conception and setting-up of environmental management projects and public building operations, to ensure compliance with town planning rules (industry areas; “ZACs” and public urban housing subdivisions; expropriation and pre-emption; procedures around public inquiries; impact studies; assistance in procedures linked to building permit inquiries).

  • We also help them create, review and amend town planning documents, to ensure that the procedures initiated are legal and, if necessary, to negotiate the documents’ terms with associations and with representatives of the different administrations involved.

  • Lastly, we assist local governments in projects to valorize their public properties and patrimonies (assistance in the setting-up of administrative long-lease rents; authorization to occupy public properties; division of urban housing subdivisions).

In the private sector, we assist investors, real estate developers, environmental managers and urban subdivision builders in significant town planning operations (“ZACs,” urban housing subdivisions, grouped building permits), in the housing and services sector (commercial malls, cinemas, etc.), in the energy field (specific expertise on wind power), in the manufacturing sector, etc. We assist our clients at the various stages of their projects (legal definition, choice of framework for setting up the operation, conception of all agreements and follow-up with administrative procedures).

In Environmental Law, we assist industrial groups, environmental professionals, local institutions, cities and public bodies in the management of regulatory matters related to their activities, as well as with their projects.

We take care of the environmental aspects (audits, guarantee clauses) of their operations, including restructuring, acquisitions and transfers.

We also advise our clients on various issues with respect to French and European Community environmental regulations (listed buildings, waste, atmospheric emissions, water regulation, technological risk management). Our job is to ensure clients comply with regulations and to assist them, if necessary, in negotiations with the relevant public bodies.

In order to address all such issues, and when necessary, we call upon specialized environmental research groups, either chosen by our clients or proposed via a network with which our firm works regularly.