SAVVY

Levering business experience for efficient legal practice

RESPONSIVE

Listening to clients as a first step to efficiently address their expectations

RESOLUTE

Aiming to propose the most appropriate legal solutions

DIXYS AVOCATS

Dixys Avocats is a law firm associated with pragmatic legal advice given by lawyers with broad in-house experience in high tech industry and used to working with tier one law firms in various parts of the world.

History and news

The law firm DIXYS AVOCATS was set up by François Vuillet in 1996 who had joined the Paris Bar in 1992.

François Vuillet and Pierre Ollivier met when they both, between 1986 and 1989, worked when they both worked in Paris France at the Office of the General Counsel of the Thomson CSF Group (today operating as Thales SA) on several major and strategic transactions.

Pierre Ollivier following a long career as inhouse General Counsel, joined the Paris Bar and set up his legal practice in Geneva in 2015 also adopting the name DIXYS AVOCATS.

Exercising their profession independently respectively in Paris and in Geneva, François Vuillet and Pierre Ollivier created jointly in 2016 a website under the name DIXYS AVOCATS.

Effective January 1, 2019 François Vuillet, the founder of DIXYS AVOCATS has retired from the Paris Bar.

Pierre Ollivier exercising in Geneva is now the sole active member of DIXYS AVOCATS and responsible for the www.dixys-avocats.com website.

DIXYS AVOCATS seeks to lever in house experience in the field of high tech to provide quality legal services to enterprises and entrepreneurs.

MISSION OF DIXYS AVOCATS LAW FIRM

Offer broad legal know how resulting from extensive inhouse legal experience interfacing with:

  • Senior Executive Management, Boards and specialized Board Committees, engineers, finance specialists, HR, R&D, sales and purchasing departments,
  • Other lawyers such as General Counsel and other senior in-house lawyers working for commercial partners, JVs, customers, suppliers, licensors or licensees and,
  • Partners and Senior Associates working at leading international law firms

Adopt a legal approach which reflects an understanding of a Client’s business, technology organizational and environmental constraints,

Advise on mandatory requirements as well as on opportunities offered by applicable laws and regulations,

Recommend pragmatic and legally effective contracts and other legal solutions,

Propose to clients, business-oriented pre-litigation strategies to effectively prepare for potential contractual disputes and full-blown litigation,

Practice transparent and competitive billing methodologies, terms and conditions.

VISION OF DIXYS AVOCATS LAW FIRM

Be perceived, in all aspects of business law, as demonstrating skill sets and competencies expected from a sole practitioner with multifaceted legal experiences,

Be recognized as a legal value provider of innovative and rigorous legal solutions in today’s fast moving and complex, technological national and international environment.

Pierre Ollivier

Member of the Paris Bar since 2015
Authorized as a UE/AELE “Avocat” to practice in Geneva
Admission to Geneva Bar pending
Dual French and British national

 

PROFILE

  • Started his professional career with a firm of International Solicitors in Paris
  • Held various in-house legal positions, and was for over 23 years Corporate General Counsel of the STMicroelectronics NV Group
  • Works since 2015 as a sole practitioner offering legal services to a variety of corporations and entrepreneurs

PRINCIPAL AREAS OF EXPERTISE

Commercial Contracts of an international nature

  • Supply, sale and purchase, sub-contracting, distribution, agency, franchise, license and other IP agreements in the field of technology, research & development, know-how transfers, protection of trade secrets…

Corporate agreements

  • Shareholder Agreements, Joint Venture, consortium, funding or other financing contracts, business transfer, transfer pricing agreements, employee share plans …

Corporate Governance

  • Legal support in the field of corporate procedures to address diverse legal requirements in the area of compliance and ethics, charters, legal audits and training programs to meet stock market listing requirements
  • Legal advice / support to Boards, Special Committees
  • Drafting of Corporate Charters

Litigation

  • Legal support for pre-litigation, mediation and arbitration proceedings

EXPERIENCE

2015 à ce jour

Partner at Dixys Avocats practicing in Geneva

2014 – 2015

Special Counsel Wilk Auslander LLP – Geneva

1989 – 2014

 

Corporate General Counsel at STMicroelectronics NV
(design, development and manufacture of semiconductor products),

  • Member of the Corporate Ethics Committee (2008 – 2013)
  • Head Secretary to the Supervisory Board (1994 – 2008)

1984 – 1989

 

Thales SA
(Equipment and system electronics)

  • Office of the Branch General Counsel (1984-1986)
  • Office of the Corporate General Counsel (1986-1989)

1981 – 1984

Stein-Heurtey
(Design, manufacture and installation of industrial furnaces)

  • Head of the Legal Department

1979 – 1981

Clifford Turner - Paris
(now Clifford Chance)

  • Junior Legal Counsel

MAIN SECTORS OF ACTIVITY

  • Semiconductors, electronics, software, computer or other innovative technologies, biotech, industrial data treatment

DIPLOMAS

  • Diplôme d’Etudes Supérieures Spécialisées en Droit des relations commerciales industrielles et financières internationales
    (Université Paris I – Panthéon-Sorbonne – 1979)
  • Maîtrise de Droit Privé Générale
    (Université de Caen – France – 1977)

POLICY ON FEES

Legal fees are freely determined in accordance with the applicable mandatory provisions regulating the Legal profession in France and Switzerland.

Fees in general take into consideration factors such as the qualifications and notoriety of a Lawyer, the complexities of the file, a Lawyer’s specific expertise, time spent, as well as the importance and urgency of the matter.

Fees may take the following form :

  • an agreed hourly billing rate based on time spent, necessarily and exclusively dealing with the matter entrusted by the Client, and/or,
  • periodic retainers for an agreed scope of legal services,
  • any other form of mutually agreed remuneration, as admitted by the Paris or Geneva Bar as applicable, including if deemed mutually appropriate, the payment of a retainer and/or an additional remuneration based on results.

 

 

Agreed billing terms and conditions will be set forth in an engagement agreement which may, as required and mutually agreed, be duly updated or modified from time to time in writing by Lawyer and Client. The engagement agreement will also specify the timing for periodic invoicing and payments, the applicability of VAT and the agreed modalities for the determination of costs, disbursement and other charges.

Non-payment of fees at due date may authorize the termination of the contractual relationship pursuant to applicable law, notwithstanding the right of the Lawyer to pursue payment of the amounts due. A Lawyer may also cease to represent a Client if said Lawyer fails to obtain clear and timely instructions, or if the mutual relationship of confidence has broken down.

Lawyers agree to submit any dispute concerning their fees or relating to other matters for resolution in accordance with the applicable procedures in the jurisdiction concerned. In France all such disputes are subject to the determination of the Bâtonnier of the Paris Bar.

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GENEVE

5 Grand Rue -1204 Genève - SUISSE
T: +41 (22) 810 83 07
contactgeneve@dixys-avocats.com

Domiciliation in Paris (for correspondence only if necessary)  :
c/o Me Nicole Leloir 12 rue Pierre et Marie Curie 75005 Paris