Hogan Lovells’ Paris restructuring partner Astrid Zourli is leaving the firm to join French powerhouse Darrois Villey Maillot Brochier as head of its restructuring practice. She is bringing along a senior associate from her team when she makes the move.

The addition of Zourli, scheduled to take effect March 9th, is Darrois' first step in rebuilding after an eight-lawyer restructuring team left for Linklaters in July 2025, Darrois co-managing partner Martin Lebeuf told Law.com International in an interview. That team included Darrois co-managing partner François Kopf, who became global chair of Linklaters’ restructuring and insolvency practice.

“The restructuring practice is vital, essential, to our core business, which is corporate and strategic M&A and litigation,” said Lebeuf. “Our corporate clients, banks, need expertise in restructuring, for example, when they face difficulties or buy an asset from a company that is in difficulty or is restructuring.”

Zourli joins Darrois after six years at Hogan Lovells, including four as a partner and two as counsel, according to her LinkedIn profile. She earlier spent seven years at Weil, Gotshal & Manges, including six months in that firm’s New York office.

She advises companies, shareholders, creditors and investors on complex reorganization and liquidation proceedings, both domestic and cross-border. Her expertise includes debt and equity restructurings, distressed M&A transactions, operational reorganizations, and related litigation, Darrois said.

Zourli said she has worked on a number of high-profile French restructuring matters, including for shipping company Bourbon, glass tableware company Arc, Technicolor Creative Studios, bicycle parts maker Mavic and smartphone reconditioner Remade.

Darrois plans to hire more restructuring lawyers after she arrives, she said, adding, “We are going to build a new team from a blank page.”

Darrois has more than 90 lawyers, including 28 partners, according to LeBeuf.

Hogan Lovells thanked Zourli for her contributions to the firm and wished her well.

Hogan Lovells has recently lost other partners in Paris. The firm, which plans to merge with Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft later this year, lost an eight-lawyer Paris PE/M&A team to Proskauer earlier this month. However, it also hired a five-lawyer public law team in Milan from BonelliErede.

McDermott Takes Kirkland Debt Finance Partner in Paris Kalish Mullen. Courtesy photo In another Paris move, McDermott Will & Schulte hired Kirkland & Ellis debt-finance partner Kalish Mullen as a partner in its transactions practice. Mullen focuses on debt finance for private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Mullen has been a Kirkland partner for four years. He was previously at Weil, Gotshal & Manges.

He will work closely with colleagues across Paris, London, Milan, Frankfurt, and other European hubs on complex, multi-jurisdictional matters, McDermott said.

In an email, Kirkland thanked Mullen for his contribution to the firm and wished him well in the future.