Women continue to find the law to be an appealing professional path. Around the turn of the twentieth century, people all over the world began to battle for entrance to law schools and the ability to practice law. They are frequently the ‘reserve army’ in law firms, their fate reliant on the economic situation. Certain female attorneys have left remarkable imprints on the field of law. To mark this, we’re taking a look at a founding partner of Huglo Lepage Avocats, Corinne Lepage, and her impact on the legal profession.
Corinne earned her legal degree from Sciences Po. She has a DES in political science and in public law. After that, she spent five years as a trainee in a lawyer’s office at the Conseil d’Etat. She founded the first law firm devoted solely to public and environmental law with Christian Huglo.
Corinne’s experience added value to the firm. She has served as a minister, MEP, and local elected official at the head of a political movement. She has chaired or administered a number of organizations in a variety of fields, including health, anti-corruption, biotechnologies, and human rights, all of which benefit the firm.
She is the one who’s in charge of everything. Nonetheless, the lawyers with whom she works are liberals who have a lot of leeway in managing the files given to them, even if the papers remain under her supervision. Her primary role is to preserve the firm’s continuity and to communicate a forward-looking perspective with her colleagues.
Corinne says, “Obviously, nothing would be possible without the quality of the teams I work with, their skills, and their rigor. ”
Huglo Lepage Avocats
Over the last forty-five years, Huglo Lepage Avocats has gone through many stages. Currently, the organization consists of roughly twenty highly competent individuals that share the same philosophy. It is the first law practice to establish itself as a mission-driven organization. This necessitates an understanding of the general, social, and environmental interests. Whether it’s the cases, the books that they publish, or the many webinars they host, they have a very collaborative management style at the company.
Gender equality is something they pay close attention to. They also have a diverse range of age groups represented.
The firm has high expectations for the level of continuing education given. They have an active training program that includes webinars and the creation of doctrine. In addition, the firm provides a weekly newsletter and a daily legal watch that are largely open to the public.
Value-added Legal Services
Huglo Lepage Avocats is a full- service firm that primarily works in the fields of environmental law (energy, waste, polluted soils, products, classified installations, natural and technological risks, circular economy, biodiversity, environmental health, transportation, and so on) and public law (public procurement, urban planning, regional development, planning, construction). However, they also have a criminal/civil law section that deals with a variety of matters, many of which are environmental in nature and have both civil and criminal aspects.
Corinne believes the value-added services of the company lie on several levels: on the one hand, the company’s long history of working together and size, which allows them to take an interdisciplinary approach to cases, which is often innovative and effective; on the other hand, the growth of the TREEES network, which allows them to draw on the expertise of 28 members. In addition to the two specialists in public law and environmental law and the three doctors of law in the firm, the firm has two specialists in criminal law and one in environmental law.
Finally, the biggest strength is likely the ability to innovate, which combines with a lot of expertise. They have handled most of the significant environmental issues for the past 50 years. They just established new ground with the first case against the French government for climate default.
Empowered by Experience and Expertise
According to Corinne, Huglo Lepage Avocats’ team has had the chance to manage several extremely good environmental litigation issues at the French and European levels, as well as beyond (cf. oil contamination in Mauritius). She says, “We can mention, among others, the emblematic Erika case, the Grande Synthe ruling which is fundamental for climate litigation, and the various pesticide pollution cases.”
Simultaneously, the team is heavily involved in advising on the development of renewable energy projects, including the most cutting- edge ones like agrivoltaics and the coupling of green energy with hydrogen generation. Huglo Lepage Avocats also aids global corporations with the adoption of the circular economy, as well as energy storage facilities and batteries.
Green investments are a big part of Huglo Lepage Avocats’ business. Through strategic, CSR, and ESG assistance, it participates in a number of investment funds. It also collaborates extensively with local governments and firms that grant public contracts, particularly for the establishment of business parks and public orders.
As a result, Huglo Lepage Avocats has been fortunate to receive awards from a number of organizations. The firm received a special mention in environmental law as well as the silver trophy at the Law Summit ceremony organized by the Leaders League group. It is also listed among the best law firms in 2022 by the magazine Le Point. The Palmarès du droit ceremony also distinguished Huglo Lepage Avocats, which won the gold award in environmental law for the second year in a row. It was also distinguished in project financing, and won the silver award in energy and CSR law. Three of the firm’s lawyers received individual awards: Christian Huglo and Corinne were named “Lawyer of the Year” in Environmental Law, and Benoît Denis was named “Lawyer of the Year” in Energy Law.
The firm has also obtained excellent rankings in “Les Décideurs magazine,” which distinguishes the most recognized firms in each field.
A Balanced Work Culture
The most crucial aspects of the organisation are team spirit and the sharing of common ideals. It is critical to be consistent in the firm’s strategy, especially in the environmental industry where the stakes are exceedingly high and the media coverage of the cases is extremely powerful.
The organisation manages to strike a balance between defending associations and assisting businesses and governments in evolving in accordance with the global transition. They share these values and feel that combating climate change, preserving biodiversity, and protecting human health should be the priorities. They take on litigation situations, but always with the goal of assisting the clients in their transformation and advancement while defending their interests to the best of their ability. They are aware that a significant number of the clients chose them specifically because of the relevance of ethical ideals inside the structure, in addition to the technological abilities.
Innovative Ideas
The business goes forward with innovative ideas. This helps the target audience be attracted. Ideas are essential in organization, thoughts while working together. Although Huglo Lepage Avocats has a modest structure, they build a clear vision of CSR policy, done with a carbon footprint and also monitored as part of their status as a mission-driven company.
The organization has a legal documentalist that keeps up with foreign, community, and national news. Attendance at several seminars and symposiums has given them a good picture of the evolution and the legal solutions that they can provide. The organization has been at the forefront of numerous innovations that have since become positive law, including impact studies, compensation for ecological damage, compensation for damage caused by hydrocarbons at sea, compensation for damage caused to airport facility neighbors, the precautionary principle, and so on. Today, they are continuing along this route with climate litigation, health litigation, and biodiversity litigation, all while attempting to advise firms who seek counsel in making critical changes.
Corinne advises being able to provide the necessary leadership to propel the firm forward while remembering that no one is a rocket scientist and that mistakes are inevitable. The ability to work as a team is critical to success.
“The quality of life at work, the interest in what we do, and the meaning are fundamental in today’s society. In short, you have to like the people you work with. ” -says Corinne
Future Perspective
Corinne leads with a concept of constituting a small firm in defence of a transition in a pragmatic manner. Indeed, most of the environmental law firms are dedicated to defending polluters, which is much more profitable. She has, on the other hand, established a happy medium between litigation and consulting. Furthermore, doctrine holds a special place in her heart.
Her long-term goal is to expand her team by recruiting at the rate of two or three employees per year and enrich their involvement with the senior collaborators who have experience of 15 to 20 years so that they lead to growth and success in work and brand.
