Biography
Nicolas is a partner in the Paris office of Signature Litigation. He has deep experience in the management of complex and international high stakes litigations.
Nicolas specialises in internal investigations and compliance, and advises the Firm’s clients on white-collar crime issues, the implementation of compliance and remedial programmes, crisis management and civil fraud matters.
After qualifying as a French avocat, Nicolas worked for several years in the international arbitration and litigation team of a major international law firm. In 2010, he joined the Société Générale Group. As General Counsel for Litigation and Investigations, Nicolas handled the Firm’s internal investigations and was personally involved in the most sensitive disputes involving Société Générale that arose in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. He played a key role in the settlement of its LIBOR case with the French, US and Japanese authorities and the European Commission. He also managed a case relating to the corruption of Libyan public officials, which led to settlements concluded simultaneously with the US Department of Justice and the French Parquet National Financier. These ground-breaking agreements were seen by many at the time as the most significant developments in the fields of white-collar crime, internal investigations, and compliance of the year. Nicolas also played a key role in a case relating to the OFAC sanctions programmes, settled by Société Générale in November 2018 with a number of US government enforcement authorities.
The Legal 500 EMEA Guide recognises Nicolas as a ‘Leading Individual’ for compliance, and notes he has “outstanding professional skills and shows a good sense of strategy. His previous experience as general counsel led him to play a key role in the negotiations of multi-jurisdictional settlements with prosecution authorities; he thus perfectly knows the international investigations environment.” Who’s Who Legal France 2020 recognises Nicolas for his investigations expertise and notes his “impressive hands-on experience of negotiating multi-jurisdictional settlements”.
Nicolas receives high praise within the industry; his team at Société Générale was awarded the “Trophée d’or Direction Juridique Contentieux” by Décideurs/Leaders League and most recently he won the “Outstanding In-house Counsel” award at the Global Investigations Review Awards in 2018.
Nicolas was educated at King’s College London, and the Sorbonne.
Experience
Cross-border investigations / Compliance / White-collar crime
- Global investigation into LIBOR and EURIBOR rates manipulation.
- Global investigation into suspected FX rates manipulation.
- Global investigation into suspected US sanctions violations.
- Global investigation into suspected FCPA violations.
- Criminal proceedings relating to a major rogue trading case. The suspect was charged and ultimately convicted for forgery, fraudulently accessing IT systems, and breach of trust.
- Civil and criminal proceedings relating to a significant fraud and embezzlement scheme relating to gold consignment agreements.
Civil fraud
- Proceedings relating to the recovery and remedial aspects of a multi-million dollar Ponzi scheme.
Commercial disputes
- Acting for a British oil company in a multi-billion dollar UNCITRAL arbitration, relating to a dispute that arose from the performance of an oil and gas production sharing agreement.
- Acting for a major Saudi construction and engineering company before the Paris commercial court, in relation to a dispute that arose from design and building defects affecting a large scale construction project.
Press Coverage
The impact of Sapin 2 and GDPR on internal investigations – Legal Week – 30 July 2020
Sapin II Law and GDPR, two regulatory frameworks with a delicate implementation – ODA – 15 July 2020
Lutte contre la corruption internationale : interview de Nicolas Brooke – Le Monde du Droit – 12 June 2020
Negotiated criminal resolution in France – Today’s General Counsel – 27 March 2020
Negotiated criminal resolution in France – Lawyer Monthly – 23 March 2020
New EU Directive Sets Out Minimum Standards of Protection for Whistleblowers – The American Lawyer – 21 February 2020
Choosing the Right Defense Strategy – LexisNexis – 14 February 2020
Airbus contractors feeling ripple effect from record fine – Compliance Week – 12 February 2020
New EU Directive Sets Out Minimum Standards of Protection for Whistleblowers – ODA – 7 February 2020
Negotiated criminal resolution in France – Thomson Reuters Regulatory Intelligence – 6 February 2020
New EU directive provides further protection for whistle-blowers – ODA – 5 February 2020
French DPA guidelines – still a work in progress – GIR – 7 July 2019
Signature Litigation announces appointment of new Partner – Les Echos – 8 May 2019
Signature Litigation announces appointment of new Partner – The Lawyer – 8 May 2019
Areas of Expertise
Nicolas Brooke's Latest Published Articles
@SignatureLitLLP
For our 18th key #arbitration development from 2020, Senior Associate Ela Barda explores how a breach of international sanctions can justify the annulment of arbitral awards by French courts: bit.ly/3ppEIfB pic.twitter.com/vBXd1XeUZp
Signature Partners
Ioannis Alexopoulos
Ioannis is ranked in the Chambers UK Guide for international arbitration and is recognised in The Legal 500 UK 2021 as a ‘Recommended Lawyer’ for international arbitration. He is praised as a “brilliant advocate” and the Guide also notes that he is “is experienced in cases involving Greece, the Balkans, Russia and Central Asia, the Middle East, Brazil and sub-Saharan Africa“. Ioannis has also been ranked in Chambers Global as a ‘Foreign Expert Based in UK’ and a ‘Foreign Expert for Greece’ for his dispute resolution expertise and is commended for his ability to “see right to the heart of sprawling banking disputes.”
Paul Brehony
Paul is recognised as a “notable practitioner” in banking litigation by The Legal 500 UK Guide and is also “highly recommended” for commercial litigation expertise. He is further described as “charming, well organised and a pleasure to litigate with.”
Nicolas Brooke
Nicolas has deep experience in the management of complex and international high stakes litigations. He receives high praise within the industry; his team at Société Générale was awarded the “Trophée d’or Direction Juridique Contentieux” by Décideurs/Leaders League and most recently Nicolas won the “Outstanding In-house Counsel” award at the Global Investigations Review Awards in 2018. The Legal 500 EMEA Guide recognises Nicolas as a ‘Leading Individual’ for compliance, and notes he has “outstanding professional skills and shows a good sense of strategy.”
Natalia Chumak
Natalia is ranked in the Chambers UK and The Legal 500 UK Guides for her International Arbitration expertise. She has previously been praised by The Legal 500 and Chambers UK for her “fantastic experience and responsiveness“, for being an “extremely good tactical mind“, a “steely litigator with excellent litigation instincts” and she has been praised for her ability to “remain incredibly calm under pressure“.
Julian Connerty
Julian has been ranked in Chambers for Civil Fraud and the Guide notes he “has considerable expertise in international fraud cases.” Julian is recommended in The Legal 500 UK 2021 for his civil fraud and banking litigation expertise. The Legal 500 notes that Julian is an “extremely experienced practitioner” and “a specialist in international fraud and asset recovery actions”. Julian is also described as “subtle and meticulous” and “inspires great confidence in all around him”.
Steven De Lara
Steven practices in both London and Gibraltar. A multi-faceted lawyer, Steven is used to concurrently manage complex contentious and non-contentious commercial, corporate and regulatory mandates. He enjoys a wide corporate and commercial practice, often acting on joint venture and shareholder disputes, contentious asset management, professional negligence claims and Fintech claims. Steven is ranked in the Chambers Europe 2020 Guide for General Business Law: Dispute Resolution. The Guide notes he is an “insightful, dedicated lawyer with great attention to detail“ and adds that Steven is “extremely hard-working, client-focused and very knowledgeable.” The Legal 500 EMEA Guide also recognises Steven as a ‘Recommended Lawyer’ for dispute resolution in Gibraltar.
Sylvie Gallage-Alwis
Sylvie is described by Who’s Who Legal as a “dynamic and determined litigator“, who is “a firm favourite among clients” as “she always goes the extra mile to support her clients, and is proactive in seeking commercial solutions to disputes” and is “analytical, intelligent and responsive“. The Legal 500 EMEA Guide ranks Sylvie as a ‘Next Generation Partner’ for Product Liability Litigation in France and she is recognised for her work on “high-profile toxic tort and product liability cases, handing a number of asbestos claims.”
Graham Huntley
Graham is consistently recognised by The Legal 500 and Chambers as one of the UK’s highest ranked commercial and banking litigators and has been involved in some of the most significant cases of recent years. Chambers UK describes him as “an intense and effective solicitor with an incredibly client-focused approach” and he has previously been described as “very bright, very hard-working, a good tactician” and “very committed and driven”. The Legal 500 recognises Graham for being a “a leading figure in commercial dispute resolution and widely regarded as a rainmaker.”
Abdulali Jiwaji
Abdul is regarded as a ‘Recommended Lawyer’ in The Legal 500 UK 2021 for Banking Litigation: Investment and Retail and Commercial Litigation. The Guide notes he “is always on the ball and has a good tactical brain” and recognises he “has always provided sound and very considered advice”. Abdul is also praised for being “a steady hand during turbulent times”. Chambers Global has described him as a “technically sound, sensible and robust litigator who always finds practical solutions”.
Emmanuèle Lutfalla
Emmanuèle is recognised as a ‘Thought Leader’ in Who’s Who Legal’s France 2020 Guide. She is also ranked as both a ‘National’ (in France) and ‘Global’ Leader for Product Liability Defence in Who’s Who Legal. The Guide notes Emmanuèle “excels in handling disputes at the intersection of product liability and insurance matters, representing clients from the life sciences sector in litigation and product risk management.” The Legal 500 EMEA Guide ranks Emmanuèle as a ‘Recommended Lawyer’ for commercial litigation.
Hermès Marangos
Hermès is recognised as a ‘Leading Individual’ in The Legal 500 UK 2021 for his insurance and reinsurance litigation practice. Hermès is ranked as a Band 3 expert in Chambers Global 2020 and Chambers Latin America 2021 for his Insurance expertise in the region.
Elliott Phillips
Elliott is an internationally recognised barrister and specialises in global commercial litigation and international contentious trusts disputes. He has been recognised in The Legal 500 for his experience in dispute resolution work and is also ranked as a Band 2 individual in both Chambers Global and Chambers Europe for General Business Law: Dispute Resolution — Gibraltar. In 2019 Elliott was recognised as one of the world’s leading private client lawyers and trusts and estates litigators, and was listed in the Private Client Global Elite community. The Legal 500 EMEA Guide recognises Elliott as a ‘Recommended Lawyer’ for dispute resolution in Gibraltar, and notes he “is a specialist in international trusts and estates disputes.”
Flore Poloni
Ranked in Who’s Who Legal Arbitration – Future Leaders, Flore is described as “the most dynamic young arbitration practitioner in Paris“, “a very dynamic and multi-skilled lawyer” and praised for her “excellent communication skills and perfect knowledge of arbitration“. The Legal 500 EMEA 2020 Guide ranks Flore as a ‘Recommended Lawyer’ for dispute resolution in France and a ‘Rising Star’ lawyer for International Arbitration, recognising her “extensive expertise in international arbitration” and “extremely capable”.
Thomas Rouhette
Thomas is ranked Band 2 by both Chambers Global and Europe for his litigation and aviation law expertise, with sources praising him for his “invaluable” advice, experience and knowledge. The Legal 500 EMEA Guide consistently recognises Thomas as a ‘Leading Individual’ for his aviation and commercial litigation practices. Who’s Who Legal regards Thomas as the “finest product liability lawyer in the country and one of the very best on the continent.”
Tom Snelling
Highly ranked in the Chambers UK Guide for his commercial litigation expertise, Tom Snelling is described in the 2020 Guide as “extraordinarily good” and an “utter pleasure to work with and enormously talented, with a sixth sense for where a case is going and very sound judgement”. The Guides have also noted that Tom is “amazingly dedicated with strong credentials in international litigation” and that he is both “practical and commercial”. Tom is recognised as a ‘Recommended Lawyer’ in The Legal 500 UK 2021 for his Banking Litigation: Investment and Retail and Commercial Litigation expertise.
Daniel Spendlove
The Legal 500 UK Guide describes Daniel as “an exceptionally committed, exceptionally hard working lawyer, with a careful and thorough approach to issues” and “a really effective litigator“. He has also been described as “very smart, client focused and details-oriented” and “excellent, with great attention to detail, wide experience and excellent client care’“. He has also been praised as “highly professional”, and “a strategic thinker” who “brings real energy to cases”. He is highly ranked across the Commercial Litigation, International Arbitration and Professional Negligence categories. He was recently described, by Commercial Dispute Resolution magazine, as “one of a new breed of independent and forceful commercial litigation partners”.
Josh Wong
Josh is recognised as a ‘Recommended Lawyer’ in The Legal 500 UK 2021 for his international arbitration expertise, and the Guide notes that he is “an expert in security, asset tracing and enforcement actions involving multiple jurisdictions”. He is also ranked in Chambers Global as a ‘Foreign Expert Based in UK’ for his Chinese dispute resolution, arbitration expertise, and as a ‘Foreign Expert for China’ for UK dispute resolution.
