09 Feb 2026
Wan Avocats appoints Tiphaine Gourlay as partner to strengthen intellectual property and art law
"Tiphaine Gourlay joins Wan Avocats as partner to reinforce the firm's intellectual property and art law practice, drawing on in‑house experience and expertise in cultural institutions and the Middle East."
Tiphaine Gourlay brings to Wan Avocats five years of in‑house experience at France Muséums, where she served as Deputy Secretary General. She began her career as a lawyer specialising in intellectual property and was recruited by the cultural engineering consultancy to provide legal expertise for the development strategy of its activities, notably for its long‑standing partner the Louvre Abu Dhabi and other clients in the Middle East and worldwide. That period allowed her to develop cross‑disciplinary skills and a strong appreciation for the strategic and operational requirements of clients on the ground.
Rejoining private practice with enthusiasm and enriched by her years in industry, Tiphaine returns to the profession alongside Isabelle Wekstein, the founder of Wan Avocats, sharing the same ambition for the firm. She is committed to offering integrated legal services to cultural industries in both the public and private sectors, covering exceptional operations as well as everyday legal needs. Wan Avocats provides multidisciplinary advice and litigation support in intellectual property, corporate/M&A, tax, employment, commercial and competition law, with deep sector knowledge of its clients’ activities.
With significant experience in the Middle East, Tiphaine intends to develop lasting legal ties between France and the United Arab Emirates in the field of art law amid the region’s cultural expansion. She has been admitted to the Paris bar since 2015, holds a Master’s degree in Literary, Artistic and Industrial Property from Université Paris II Panthéon‑Assas, and recently completed a certificate in Management and Business Diagnosis as part of the ESCP Business School Manager Dirigeant programme.
Tiphaine began her career as an intellectual property lawyer within multidisciplinary firms focused on the creative industries, including a previous period at Wan Avocats, before joining France Muséums where she held successive roles as legal counsel, head of legal and then Deputy Secretary General.
Isabelle Wekstein commented that she is very proud and happy that Tiphaine has chosen Wan for her return to the profession, and that Tiphaine’s field experience and international skills will be valuable for the team and clients.