2026 Best Lawyers® in France Honours Legal Talent, Reflects Corporate Sustainability Demands Ahead

AUGUSTA, Ga. (June 12, 2025) — Best Lawyers^® today announces the release of the 2026 editions of The Best Lawyers in France^™ and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in France^™, providing law firms with a powerful, data-driven resource to benchmark professional excellence, attract top talent and strengthen client trust in a competitive market. 

This year marks a 16% increase in voter participation, the highest voter engagement in Best Lawyers’ research history for France. This notable rise reflects a growing commitment among legal professionals to participate in peer evaluation and underscores the trust in Best Lawyers methodology as a credible standard for peer-driven recognition. 

“With over 750,000 peer evaluations submitted and 377 first-time honorees, France’s legal community continues to engage in a process they trust to reflect their professional principles,” said Phillip Greer, CEO of Best Lawyers. “This level of participation highlights how strongly lawyers value recognizing excellence, upholding integrity and elevating peers who meet the highest standards across generations and practice areas.”

The 16th edition of The Best Lawyers in France recognizes over 3,700 lawyers, representing the top 5.7% of the profession across major metropolitan areas and practice specialties. In addition, 80 honorees earned the prestigious “Lawyer of the Year” designation, awarded to individuals who received the highest overall peer feedback for a specific practice area and geographic region.

Now in its fifth year, Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in France recognizes more than 900 early-career lawyers across 36 practice areas, underscoring the increasing significance of this distinction in identifying rising stars.

Corporate Practice Areas Lead Recognition 

Corporate Law and Mergers and Acquisitions continue to lead in lawyer recognition, followed closely by Tax, Labor and Employment, and Litigation. These areas reflect consistent demand across both advisory and corporate sustainability matters in France’s legal sector. 

“France’s legal community continues to demonstrate excellence as it faces regulatory shifts and evolving client needs,” said Elizabeth Petit, Vice President of Research and Development at Best Lawyers. “From environmental governance pending the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive to cross-border corporate compliance, the lawyers recognized this year reflect heightened demand for legal counsel skilled in complex compliance, governance and ESG frameworks.”

Paris remains France’s leading center for legal talent, with over 3,375 recognized lawyers. Lyon and Marseille also stand out as influential hubs shaping legal strategy and innovation across the country.  

Further strengthening its position in the French legal market, Best Lawyers will announce the inaugural 2026 Best Law Firms^™ - France and release its French Legal Market Report, providing a comprehensive overview of legal trends, on October 2, 2025.  

Search The Best Lawyers in France and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in France results by lawyer name, firm, region and/or practice area at www.bestlawyers.com.