Emmanuel KAEPPELIN is a co-Managing Partner at DELSOL Avocats and co-head of the Mergers & Acquisitions – Corporate Law department.
For nearly thirty years, he has advised small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), mid-market companies, French and international groups, and investment funds on their external growth, business succession, capital restructuring, and private equity transactions. In particular, he advises on acquisitions and divestitures, LBOs/MBOs, capital raising, and corporate reorganizations, as well as on the negotiation of shareholder agreements and joint ventures.
His practice has a strong international focus. Emmanuel KAEPPELIN is a member of the board of directors of TELFA (Trans-European Law Firm Alliance), a pan-European network of leading independent law firms. In this capacity, he regularly leads and coordinates cross-border transactions on behalf of acquirers, investors, or groups with operations in France and abroad.
His practice focuses in particular on :
- business acquisitions and divestitures, as well as due diligence for acquisitions ;
- LBOs, MBOs, growth capital transactions, and fundraising ;
- capital restructuring : mergers, spin-offs, partial asset contributions, and group reorganizations ;
- shareholder agreements, joint ventures, and corporate governance transactions ;
- supporting foreign groups in France, from their initial establishment to their external growth initiatives ;
- merger control law, including notifications to French and European authorities ;
- key commercial and strategic contracts related to the transactions handled ;
- certain project financing transactions, particularly in the hospitality, renewable energy, and industrial sectors.
He works across a wide range of industries, including manufacturing, the environment, services, consulting, transportation, logistics, and technology, which enables him to approach M&A transactions not only from a legal perspective but also in light of their economic, operational, and governance implications.
Before joining DELSOL Avocats, Emmanuel KAEPPELIN also served as chief administrative officer of a Danish group in the tourism sector, with responsibilities in finance and business development. This corporate experience sets his practice apart and informs a particularly pragmatic approach to negotiations and the challenges faced by executives and shareholders.
He is a regular speaker at conferences in France and abroad focused on strategic M&A issues, particularly regarding deal breakers, asset and liability warranty assurances, price adjustment and locked-box mechanisms, the negotiation of asset and liability warranties, shareholder agreements, and the strengths and weaknesses of AI in M&A transactions.
Emmanuel KAEPPELIN is regularly recognized by leading legal rankings. Best Lawyers has recognized him since 2020 in the categories of Mergers & Acquisitions Law, Corporate Law, and Leveraged Buyouts. Legal 500 lists him among DA’s key attorneys in M&A, particularly for acquisitions, equity financing, and private equity transactions. Chambers also highlights him as a key contact at the firm. These distinctions reflect, in particular, his expertise in mid-market transactions involving family-owned businesses, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), mid-cap companies, international groups, and financial investors.
A graduate of Jean Moulin Lyon III University—where he earned a DESS in Business Law and Taxation, a Magistère in Business Law (DJCE), and a specialized degree in corporate law—Emmanuel KAEPPELIN began his career in the Corporate Finance–M&A department at Reed Smith in Philadelphia before joining DELSOL Avocats.
