Olivia Lê Horovitz, ’91, is a University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law alumna, who is a founding partner at Rimon Law in Paris, France.

1. Could you please describe your practice and how you decided to go into this field?

My practice primarily focuses on cross-border mergers and acquisitions, private equity transactions, and foreign direct investment regulations. I assist clients with a wide range of complex, multijurisdictional transactions, including the sale of businesses, distressed companies, restructurings, divestitures, spin-offs, recapitalizations, and complex joint ventures involving multiple jurisdictions and international commercial contracts.

I regularly advise American, European, Israeli, Middle East, and Chinese companies seeking to invest in Europe through private and public acquisitions, as well as French companies expanding internationally. I also work with French and foreign investment funds, strategic investors, and start-ups on financing and acquisition activities, as well as private and public companies at all stages of their development.

On the counselling side, I advise clients on a wide range of domestic and international corporate governance and responsibility matters, including Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) matters.

On the industry side, I have developed a thorough knowledge in the technology, media, and telecommunications (TMT) sectors, such as 3D printing, as well as in life sciences, renewable energy, industrial, and aerospace industries.

The reasons I went into these fields of law, and in particular  the international and cross-border aspects of my practice, were driven by my family background. My grandfather, Abraham Horovitz, born in 1880 was a lawyer in Frankfurt. My great-grandfather, Rabbi Markus Horovitz, came from a village in Hungary named Tiszaladany to Frankfurt in 1878 where he founded the Borneplatz Synagogue in 1882. Sensing the growing threats of the time, my grandfather left in 1937 Germany for England with his entire family, shortly before the Kristallnacht.  In England, he was unable to practice as an attorney and became a solicitor. My mother was nine years old when they left Frankfurt, she therefore spoke fluent German and English. She met my father, who came from Vietnam in 1948 to study international law in London and they both left for France in the late 1950s where my brother and I were born.

Therefore, my extended family is spread across the United States, England, Israel, Vietnam and France. These international roots naturally drew my interest for international and comparative law matters and my desire to study abroad.

2. What are some of the most interesting issues or cases that you have worked on during your career?

I’ve been fortunate to work on many exciting cases. A few highlights include:

• LastMinute.com acquisition of TravelPrice (2002): This marked the rise of Europe’s online travel economy, similar to Expedia’s growth in the U.S.. At Kahn & Associés law firm, where I was a partner, we represented major private equity funds and numerous high-tech and biotech companies.

• Opening the Paris office of K&L Gates (2008): This was both an entrepreneurial challenge and a unique opportunity, this coincided with the onset of the financial crisis.

• Microsoft’s acquisitions of French high-tech companies in France: These strategic transactions involved complex issues, such as intellectual property ownership, labor law, and the integration of founders into Microsoft’s Seattle-based team. One highlight was presenting the differences between U.S. and French law on these acquisition topics at Microsoft’s Redmond campus.

• A high-profile acquisition project of a French flagship naval repair industry company under bankruptcy proceeding which involved the French ministry and local public actors: I advised a famous U.S. private equity fund and its subsidiary on the acquisition offer.

• A complex ICC arbitration case: This involved the enforcement of a shareholders’ agreement under French law, governing a Malagasy company, and required navigating both Malagasy and French legal systems.

• A complex Middle Eastern joint venture: Since opening the Paris office of Rimon Law firm in 2021, I’ve worked on a fascinating joint venture between a renowned French company and local partners. This involved navigating a shareholders’ agreement subject to French law with a company governed by UAE law and exploring future projects in Saudi Arabia.

3. How did you decide to pursue an LLM degree through McGeorge?

As someone with a diverse, international family background, I was eager to study abroad and gain global experience. McGeorge School of Law offered a unique program that combined studying in Europe and American legal studies in the U.S. Beginning with classes in Salzburg, followed by an internship at a U.S. law firm and coursework in Sacramento, the program was perfectly aligned with my goals.

At the time, I had already completed two LLM degrees at Panthéon-Sorbonne in Paris, one in International Law and the other one in Foreign Trade Law and had worked for two years at a French law firm. With a scholarship from the Paris Bar and the French foreign ministry, McGeorge provided the ideal opportunity to broaden my horizons and embark on an international academic journey I was dreaming of.

4. What impressed you or surprised you the most about your LLM experience?

The program’s diversity was remarkable. Engaging with students from all over the world provided rich discussions and invaluable insights into different legal systems and cultures. Many of these classmates remain close friends after all these years. I completed the LLM program in 1990-1991.

Starting with classes in Salzburg eased the transition from civil law to common law systems, particularly understanding precedents  and tackle the challenges of learning and writing exclusively in English.

The professors were outstanding, and their passion for teaching left a lasting impression. I recall Krysta Ban, Kojo Yelpaala, Stephen McCaffrey, and Hans-Henrik Lidgard and many others as particularly inspiring.

The program also significantly boosted my career opportunities, with multiple offers from prestigious law firms upon my return to France. At that time, very few students had studied abroad and obtained an LLM, so it gave me a distinct edge in the job market.

5. Do you have any advice for young lawyers who would like to go into your field of law?

I strongly encourage young lawyers to pursue international experiences. These are incredibly enriching and, for me, remain some of the best times of my life.

Seize every opportunity to improve your English, especially your legal English skills, which can be challenging at first.

Building and maintaining a strong professional network is equally crucial. Participate in associations, attend industry events, and stay connected — it’s often who you know that matters as much as what you know.

Along the way of your career, it is probably important to ask yourself and understand what you want to accomplish. Set clear, measurable goals throughout your career. This helps in staying focused and achieving your objectives. Getting specialised and knowing well an industry makes also a difference.

Finally, be collaborative: share ideas, make introductions, and support others in your network. It will make your life as a lawyer far more fulfilling.

6. Do you have any suggestions on how McGeorge can best facilitate connections between international alumni?

Maintaining an updated alumni directory which I know is already the plan. Encouraging initiatives in each country or region to organize small gatherings. Indeed,  smaller, localized groups could bring fresh ideas and encourage participation in meetings.

I was fortunate to attend the last alumni meeting in Prague which was very friendly and inspiring after many years during which I did not participate. I tried to reach out to many alumni of my year to join which many of them did. Since then, I am really looking forward to the next meeting in Paris and trust there will be even more alumni attending.

Creating a real network where alumni would make recommendations, send referrals and fostering collaboration would also strengthen the sense of community.

Additionally, promoting alumni achievements which you are doing through these newsletters, is an excellent idea and may serve as inspiration for others and foster connections between alumni who have the same interests.