Emerging Business Tools
practice areas
honors + affiliations
President, Legal and Tax Committee, CroissancePlus
Secrétaire Général and Executive Committee Member, IE-Club
Member, France Biotech
Listed, Chambers Europe: Europe's Leading Lawyers for Business (2010)
bar admissions
- Paris
- Paris
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68, rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré
75008 Paris, France
Phone: +33 1 53 30 44 03
Fax: +33 1 53 30 43 01
Olivier Edwards is a partner in Morgan Lewis's Business and Finance Practice and leader of our European Emerging Business and Technology Practice initiative. Mr. Edwards focuses his practice on emerging businesses and related transactions—including joint ventures, technology licensing, private placements, and IPOs—on behalf of venture capital funds, their portfolio companies, and mature technology businesses based in France. He has advised companies in the high-tech and biotech sectors, as well as industrial or service-oriented groups of companies, such as those in the wine and spirits, fresh products transportation, tourism, automobile, and men's and women's wear industries.
Prior to joining Morgan Lewis, Mr. Edwards was a partner in and head of the Paris venture capital group at a large international law firm.
Mr. Edwards is a member of three nonprofit organizations dedicated to high-growth-potential companies, both of which he co-founded. He serves as president of the legal and tax committee at CroissancePlus and acts as secrétaire général and as Vice President of the executive committee at PME Finance.
Mr. Edwards has lectured on topics such as stock options, shareholders' agreements, and securities at EFE, Capital IT, HEC, and INSEAD, and has published articles on the same topics in Les Echos, Le Figaro, Capital Finance, and la Revue Parlementaire, as well as Martindale and PLC Handbook (Venture Capital: France, for 2012 and Private Equity: France, for 2012).
Mr. Edwards and his team have been awarded the Golden Trophy for venture capital by Décideurs Juridiques & Financiers three times in a row.
Mr. Edwards received his M.A. in corporate law from the University of London in 1973 and his Diplôme en droit from the Université de Paris II Panthéon-Assas in 1969. He is fluent in French and English.
Mr. Edwards is admitted to practice in Paris.
Olivier Edwards est associé et dirige la pratique européenne « Emerging Business & Technology » de Morgan Lewis après avoir été associé du cabinet Giroux Buhagiar & Associés puis d'un grand cabinet international.
Depuis 1994, il concentre son activité sur la haute technologie et les sciences de la vie et conseille les fonds de capital risque comme les sociétés émettrices dans le cadre des levées de fonds, opérations de fusion-acquisition et IPOs tant en France qu'à l'étranger.
M. Edwards est membre de deux associations à but non lucratif dédiées aux sociétés à fort potentiel de croissance, dont il est l'un des fondateurs : Croissance Plus, dont il est préside la Commission Juridique et Fiscale, et l'IE-Club.
Il a animé de nombreuses conférences et séminaires (EFE, Capital IT, HEC, INSEAD etc..) publié plusieurs articles concernant les actions gratuites, BCEs et stock options, les pactes d'actionnaires, les actions de préférence et les valeurs mobilières dans Les Echos, Le Figaro, Capital Finance, la Revue de Droit Bancaire et Financier et La Revue Parlementaire.
M. Edwards est titulaire d'un M.A de l'Université de Londres (1973) et d'un Diplôme en Droit de l'Université Paris II Panthéon-Assas (1969). Il est inscrit au Barreau de Paris.
education
- University of London, 1973, M.A.
- Université de Paris II Panthéon-Assas, 1969, Diplômé en droit