02 Jul 2026
Lerins Launches Financing Practice with Arrival of Ariane Berthoud
"Ariane Berthoud joins Lerins from Winston & Strawn as partner to lead its new financing practice, covering acquisition, private equity and project financings."
Ariane Berthoud has more than twenty years of experience advising borrowers and lenders on financing transactions. She specialises in acquisition finance, Private Equity and project finance, intervening at all stages of operations — from selecting the appropriate instruments (senior debt, unitranche, mezzanine) through to closing. She advises clients in France, elsewhere in Europe and in Africa.
Registered at the Paris Bar since 2002, Berthoud began her career at Hogan Lovells, where she worked for 20 years, then joined Hoche to build the Financing team and subsequently moved to Winston & Strawn with a team. She holds a Master 2 (DESS) from Université Paris Nanterre and an LL.M. from the University of Kent.
Lerins co-managing partners Elsa Rodrigues and Laurent Bernet said clients can now access the full range of skills a transaction requires — from M&A to financing, tax and employment — and that Berthoud's expertise adds a complementary capability for handling complex operations.