Johannes Jonas is head of the firm’s Paris office and has thirty years of experience managing sophisticated corporate transactions for European, Asian, and North American clients. His practice focuses on cross-border transactions and investments, mergers and acquisitions, employment law, and general commercial law.
Fluent in French, German, Dutch, and English, Johannes has extensive international experience. He maintains a significant base of clients worldwide, particularly in the automotive, life sciences, luxury goods, and technology sectors. Johannes is admitted to practice law in Paris, New York, and Germany.
Johannes has volunteered for many years with not-for-profit organizations and currently serves on the Board of the World Scout Foundation. Prior to joining Cohen & Gresser, Johannes was a partner at Dentons (formerly Salans) in Paris. He also previously practiced in the New York and Paris offices of Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton and the Frankfurt office of Bruckhaus Westrick Stegemann (today Freshfields).
He has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in France in the Corporate Law category.
Johannes Jonas is head of the firm’s Paris office and has thirty years of experience managing sophisticated corporate transactions for European, Asian, and North…
Education
University of Chicago Law School (LL.M. 1989); University of Munich (Dr. jur. 1987); IUHEI – Geneva, Switzerland (Certificate of European Studies 1983)
Bar Admissions
Paris; Berlin; New York State
Activities and Affiliations
Board Member, World Scout Foundation
Member, Verein Deutscher Juristentag
Representative Matters
Represented a German media company in the MBO of a French subsidiary.
Represented a private equity fund in its purchase of the worldwide automotive business of a major American company (five jurisdictions, including France, UK, and Germany).
Represented a German fashion jewel producer in the sale of its assets to the French luxury group.
Read MoreA représenté un groupe allemand de presse lors du rachat par la direction d’une filiale française.
A représenté un fonds de private equity lors du rachat de l’activité automobile d’un grand groupe américain (5 pays dont la France, l’Angleterre et l’Allemagne).
A représenté un joaillier allemand lors de la vente de ses actifs à un grand groupe français de produits de luxe.
Read MoreJohannes Jonas and Guillaume Seligmann were recognized in The Best Lawyers in France’s 2020 listing – Johannes for Corporate Law and Guillaume for Privacy and Data Security Law. Lawyers named to The Best Lawyers in France were recognized by their peers in the legal industry for their professional excellence in their respective practice areas.
We are pleased to announce that Cohen & Gresser's Paris office has been recognized in Legal 500's 2016 France guide for its work in three separate practice areas: Mergers and Acquisitions; Employment; and IT, Telecoms, and the Internet. Legal 500 also noted Cohen & Gresser's growth in Paris over the course of 2015 in its overview of the French legal market.
Legal 500 analyzes the capabilities of law firms across the world. Its rankings highlight "practice area teams who are providing the most cutting edge and innovative advice to corporate counsel."
Cohen & Gresser is pleased to announce the expansion of the firm's tax practice, as partner Franck Le Mentec and associate Fanny Karaman have joined our Paris office. Mr. Le Mentec will head the firm's French tax practice. He was previously a tax partner at Paris firm Cotty Vivant Marchisio & Lauzeral and, before that, practiced in the London and Paris offices of PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Paris partners Johannes Jonas and Angéline Duffour speak to French news website, www.Finyear.com, about major employment, commercial law and tax obstacles to foreign investment in France and the attempts made by the French government to address the issues.
Paris office attorneys Johannes Jonas, Angéline Duffour, and Anna Milleret-Godet speak to Affiches Parisiennes about major employment, commercial law and tax obstacles to foreign investment in France, and about attempts by the French government to address the issues.
Paris M&A partner Johannes Jonas is interviewed about major employment, commercial law and tax obstacles to foreign investment in France, and about attempts by the French government to address the issues.
Paris office attorneys Johannes Jonas, Angéline Duffour, and Anna Milleret-Godet speak to Les Annonces de la Seine about major employment, commercial law, and tax obstacles to foreign investment in France, and about attempts by the French government to address the issues.
In this article, Johannes Jonas is quoted with his comments on a recent legislative proposal by the French Minister Of Justice (shown in the upper part of the article) to reform French law of contracts and render it more adapted to modern economy and international business.
The 2014 edition of Décideurs Leadership & Management du Capital Humain has ranked Cohen & Gresser partner Angéline Duffour in its In-House Agreement Negotiations and Labor Relations category. Additionally, Cohen & Gresser's Paris office has been ranked as a Quality Practice in both the Reorganizations, Social Plans, and Related Litigation and the Employment Law Aspects of M&A Operations/Due Diligence categories, respectively.
C&G's Managing Partner, Lawrence T Gresser, talks to Law360 about the new Paris office and its lead partner, Johannes Jonas.
Cohen & Gresser is pleased to announce the opening of its office in Paris, to be led by former Dentons partner, Johannes Jonas. This is the firm's first office in Europe and its second office outside the United States.
Coverage of Cohen & Gresser's new Paris office has been featured in the following publications:
- .Bloomberg News, February 7, 2014.
- The Deal, February 7, 2014
- Mergers & Acquisitions, February 10, 2014.
Effective September 12, 2015, the minimum number of shareholders in a French stock corporation (société anonyme or SA) has been reduced from seven to two. This modification is only applicable to privately held SAs, publicly traded SAs still being subject to the seven shareholder obligation. Read more
Paris partners Johannes Jonas and Angéline Duffour speak to French news website, www.Finyear.com, about major employment, commercial law and tax obstacles to foreign investment in France and the attempts made by the French government to address the issues.
Paris M&A partner Johannes Jonas is interviewed about major employment, commercial law, and tax obstacles to foreign investment in France, and about attempts by the French government to address the issues.
Johannes Jonas participated in a panel at a conference in Paris organized by Business France about business opportunities for French companies in the United States. The panel, entitled "How to Approach the U.S. Market," discussed business and legal considerations/implications when starting or developing a business in the United States.
Held in San Fransisco in cooperation with BusinessFrance, BPI France, and Munger, Tolles & Olsen LLP.
This presentation focused on discovery and settlement in cross-border litigation in the United States and Western Europe as well as on international commercial arbitration.