Pierre-Emmanuel Fender is a partner in the Paris office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, and a member of the firm’s Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG), Litigation and Business Restructuring & Reorganization practice groups.

Pierre-Emmanuel specializes in complex cross-border restructurings and French pre-insolvency and insolvency matters. He regularly advises investors on the management or acquisition of defaulting entities, distressed companies undergoing insolvency proceedings, and creditors—including banks and CLOs—for the recovery of their receivables and the protection of their securities.

Pierre-Emmanuel’s practice also focuses on resolving complex disputes through litigation proceedings, primarily in an international context. He is involved in a broad range of general commercial disputes (contract and liability) and corporate litigation (such as shareholder disputes, enforcement of warranties, and takeovers of distressed companies) in various business sectors including aeronautics, insurance, finance, and healthcare, among others.

He co-leads our ESG practice in Paris, providing holistic advice to clients in relation to their corporate responsibility and ESG risks and opportunities, while also preparing them for potential litigation in France.

Pierre-Emmanuel is recommended by Chambers Europe 2023  in its Restructuring/Insolvency category. Clients report that he “is a very good support and a real expert” ; “an excellent technician” ; “he is very precise, easy to work with, technical and a hard worker.” Previous editions emphasized that he has a “very practical approach,” adding that he is “very good in anticipating issues and has a good grasp of the situation in negotiations.” Pierre-Emmanuel is noted for his expertise in cross-border restructurings and French insolvency matters with his client portfolio including lenders, investors and distressed companies. Best Lawyers in France also consistently recommends him for Insolvency since he entered the ranking in 2020.

Legal 500 EMEA 2022  ranks our Paris Commercial Litigation practice in Tier 2, highlighting “a very close-knit and a very complementary team of lawyers, very attentive to their clients and their business constraints. A team with whom it is very pleasant to work.” Previous editions already distinguished Pierre-Emmanuel in this category, reporting that he “has excellent technique, is rigorous and provides a strategic outlook over cases,” and describing him as an “excellent litigator.”

Benchmark Litigation Europe  has named him a “Litigation Star”  year after year since he entered the ranking in 2022, while Best Lawyers in France  has consistently recommended him for Litigation since 2020. Leaders League France has also distinguished him for M&A disputes, Commercial litigation and Arbitration.

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn in 2017, Pierre-Emmanuel practiced with Ashurst for fifteen years.

Admitted to the Paris Bar, Pierre-Emmanuel graduated in 2000 from the University of Strasbourg III Robert Schumann, with a DESS (postgraduate degree) in business law and a DJCE Magistère (postgraduate degree) in Franco-German business law; and with a Maîtrise (LLM) in business law. He is a member of the French Institute of Insolvency Practitioners (IFPPC). In May 2016, he published an article titled, “Prévention des difficultés des entreprises: le banquier et le pouvoir de dire non … sans limite?” in Le Monde du Droit. He is also an occasional speaker at Strasbourg University where he delivers a training and workshop session on French restructuring to DJCE students.

He speaks English fluently.