Stéphane Catays

Stéphane has significant experience in real estate transactions. He advises and assists investors and corporate clients in the acquisition and disposal of single and multi-asset real estate portfolios.

In particular, Stéphane assists his clients with respect to:

• share deals: acquisitions/disposal of companies holding real estate assets/portfolios;
• implementation of real estate joint-ventures and of asset management agreements;
• sale & lease back operations;
• for asset deals: drafting of preparatory agreements (avant-contrats), management of the relationships with the notary and supervision of the drafting of the notarized deeds during the negotiation phase.

In addition to his corporate real estate practice, Stéphane has established a robust expertise on commercial lease agreements (drafting, negotiation, renewal, grouping of sites, reinstatement matters, leases of off-plan real estate properties (baux en état futur d’achèvement), etc.) for both investors and occupiers for all types of assets (e.g. offices, commercial premises, hotels, shopping centres, light industrial parks, etc.), and more generally speaking on all corporate occupier and investors strategy matters, which allowed him to acquire a strong understanding of the real estate market and of associated legal issues, which he uses efficiently to assist his clients in the framework of real estate M&A transactions.

Stéphane also has a strong knowledge of the retail and hospitality sector (acquisitions/disposal of companies, fonds de commerce (business as a going concern) and droit au bail (leasehold right), for domestic and international clients).

Stéphane has written several press articles on real estate and corporate topics, and is a member of the “commercial leases subcommittee” of the Paris Bar association. He is ranked among the top French lawyers for real estate transactions and lease matters (Option Droit & Affaires and Decideurs Immobilier 2014-2015-2016).

Stéphane holds a postgraduate degree in business and tax law (University of Paris I, Panthéon Sorbonne – 2004) and graduated from the Paris Bar School in 2005.