Yam Atallah
Yam Atallah co-heads our corporate/M&A and private equity departments.
Yam is US- and French-qualified and for over 30 years has been advising businesses across various industries on domestic and cross-border transactions, including mergers & acquisitions, strategic commercial alliances and corporate reorganizations. He routinely assists private equity funds, investors, founders and management teams with the negotiation of Private Equity/LBO transactions and in their subsequent relationships with the other parties. Yam also regularly advises large and medium-sized family businesses, with a particular focus on corporate governance and liquidity issues.
- Legal 500 EMEA 2026 – Yam Atallah is quoted in the categories:
- Mergers & Acquisitions (below €100)
Franklin is a solid and established player in the mid-cap market, assisting funds and SMEs with M&A and cross-border deals, spanning various industrial fields including hospitality, real estate and TMT. The firm has continued to grow its ranks in March 2025 with the arrival of co-head Antoine Denis-Bertin, who brings a wealth of experience handling transactions in the financial services segment. The team is co-headed by Yam Atallah, Alexandre Marque, Lionel Lesur.
Testimonials
« High intelligence, very agile and insightful. A true business partner. » - Private Equity: LBO
Franklin is active across the full lifecycle of LBO investments, including primary and secondary buyouts, MBOs, build-ups, exits, refinancings and management incentive arrangements. The team regularly advises on both sponsor-side and management-side transactions, with experience in first-time LBOs and growth-driven buyouts. The practice is co-led by Yam Atallah , Antoine Denis-Bertin, Lionel Lesur, Alexandre Marque and Jacques Mestoudjian, who offer deep private equity, corporate, competition and tax expertise.
« High intelligence. Excellent tactical and strategic mind. Very good negotiator. »
« They are very responsive, flexible and innovative a great team to work with. »
- Mergers & Acquisitions (below €100)
- Chambers France 2026 – Corporate/M&A: Mid-Market
Franklin houses a strong team able to advise clients on mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures. The team possesses expertise in handling domestic and cross-border LBO transactions. Its clients hail from the healthcare, technology, financial services and real estate sectors.
« We appreciate Franklin’s responsiveness, clarity and collaborative approach. »
« The Franklin team is flexible available and proactive on follow-up. »
« Franklin’s lawyers are prompt in their communication, provide practical and actionable legal advice and demonstrate a deep understanding of their client’s needs. »
« Franklin is responsive, professional and consistently reliable. »
« The law firm is a trusted partner for any company looking for high-quality legal counsel with a pragmatic and forward-thinking mindset. « - Leaders League 2026 – Yam Atallah is ranked in the “Transactions between €75m and €500m” (Leading) categorie of the M&A Guide
- Option Droit & Affaires 2025 – Yam Atallah is quoted :
- in the category M&A deals under 200 million euros ranking (4 stars)
- in the category Equity development and LBOs, the majority of which involve companies with less than €50 million in assets (3 stars)
- Leaders League – Gold award « Mergers & acquisitions – Mid to large » – 2025
- Yam Atallah is individually ranked in the US directory Best Lawyers 2026
- Leaders League 2025 – Yam Atallah is ranked in the “Mid-cap LBO transactions ” (Excellent) category of the Private Equity Guide
- Leaders League 2026 – Yam Atallah is ranked in the “Corporate / M&A” (Excellent) category ot the Africa Desk Guide
- IFLR 1000 2025 – Private Equity (Tier Five)
- Georgetown University Law School (Washington D.C., USA) : L.L.M
- University of Paris : postgraduate degree (D.E.S.S.) in Bank and Finance
- University of Nancy : B.A. (Maîtrise) in Business Law
- Paris Institute of Political Studies