Sylvie Gallage-Alwis
Partner| sylvie.gallage-alwis@signaturelitigation.com | +33 (0)1 70 75 58 00 |
Biography
After 10 years practicing in a major international law firm, Sylvie became one of the founding partners of the Paris office of Signature Litigation and heads its product liability practice.
Sylvie is one of the youngest French practitioners recognised for her skills as a litigator by directories. She is specialised in all cutting-edge complex disputes linked to products, namely product liability, product safety, toxic tort, mass litigation/class action, regulatory compliance, and environment.
Sylvie is both an Avocat à la Cour in France and a Solicitor in England & Wales. She 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“.
Sylvie has experience in all ranges of product-related litigation. She “stands out in the product liability space for her creative solutions and strategic understanding of the many cases she works on“. She is recognised as a rising star for Product Liability in France since 2015 by the LMG Expert Guides. She represents a variety of globally recognised manufacturers from industries such as automotive, electronic products, cosmetics, new technologies, steel, energy, food, toys, etc. In this scope, she has developed strong regulatory knowledge, putting together innovative defences.
Sylvie is further known in the French market as a leading toxic tort / mass litigation lawyer. As such, she has been involved in most pro-company case law rendered in recent years, notably in asbestos-related cases, with some cases mentioned in the French Civil and Social Security Codes because of the significant reversal in case law they represent.
Sylvie is an active member of the International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC) and the Association of Defense Trial Attorneys (ADTA). She also regularly attends meetings of the International Consumer Product Health and Safety Organization (ICPHSO).
Experience
Product Liability/Product Compliance
- Advising a leading automotive manufacturer in the scope of an investigation on diesel emissions.
- Representing a leading mobile phone manufacturer in the scope of allegations of planned obsolescence.
- Advising a pesticides manufacturer following investigations carried out by the French Customs on the composition of one of its products.
- Advising prominent cosmetics manufacturers in the scope of investigations by the EU market surveillance authorities on the composition and labelling of their products.
- Advising an automotive spare part manufacturer for the launching of innovative products on the EU market (connected vehicles related).
Toxic Tort / Mass Litigation / Class Action
- Handling a docket of more than 7,000 cases filed by plaintiffs on the ground of their anxiety to develop an asbestos-related disease in the future.
- Handling a docket of more than 400 cases filed by plaintiffs alleging that they have developed a disease linked to an exposure to chemical substances.
- Advising a seeds manufacturer in the scope of claims filed by dozens of farmers on the ground of alleged defects of the seeds.
Areas of Expertise
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Signature Partners
Ioannis Alexopoulos
Ioannis is recognised in The Legal 500 UK 2019 as a ‘Recommended Lawyer’ for his international arbitration, banking litigation and commercial litigation expertise, and is noted as a “highly rated litigator”. 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.”
Simon Bushell
Simon is regarded as a ‘Leading Individual’ in The Legal 500 UK 2019 for his civil fraud and commercial litigation expertise, and is recognised as a ‘Recommended Lawyer’ for his banking litigation work. The Legal 500 notes Simon is “an excellent litigator, constantly striving for ways to improve a case or undermine his opponents”. Chambers UK describes him as a “truly exceptional lawyer” and he has also been ranked as a Foreign Expert for his Russian dispute resolution work in Chambers Global. Recognised for being “very clear-sighted and capable of identifying clear strategies for his clients to pursue”, Simon has been consistently ranked in Bands 1 and 2 for his civil fraud expertise in Chambers UK over many years.
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 is ranked in Chambers for Civil Fraud and is recommended in The Legal 500 UK 2019 for his civil fraud, banking litigation, commercial litigation and insurance and reinsurance litigation expertise. The Legal 500 notes that Julian is a “highly rated” litigator and an “extremely experienced operator”.
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”.
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”.
Abdulali Jiwaji
The Legal 500 UK has noted that Abdulali is recommended for commercial litigation, financial disputes and professional negligence issues. The Legal 500 praises him for his ‘ability to analyse difficult issues and provide concise and clear advice’, whilst Chambers Global has described Abdulali as a “technically sound, sensible and robust litigator who always finds practical solutions”.
Emmanuèle Lutfalla
Emmanuèle’s practice focuses on insurance and reinsurance litigation and claims management. She advises leading insurance companies both regarding policy wording and coverage issues. She is also regularly involved in reinsurance litigation. She is regarded as a ‘thought leader’ in Who’s Who Thought Leaders 2018.
Hermès Marangos
Hermès is recognised as a ‘Leading Individual’ in The Legal 500 UK 2019 for his insurance and reinsurance litigation practice, and is also regarded as a ‘Recommended Lawyer’ for his banking litigation and commercial litigation expertise. Hermès is ranked as a Band 3 expert in Chambers Global 2019 and Chambers Latin America 2019 for his Insurance expertise in the region.
Elliott Phillips
Elliott is recognised in The Legal 500 2016 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.
Adam Rooney
Adam is recommended in The Legal 500 UK 2019 for Banking Litigation: Investment and Retail, Commercial Litigation and International Arbitration, and is described as a “highly rated litigator”. Adam has also been ranked in Chambers Global for Dispute Resolution, “on the back of strong client endorsements”, and commentary has referred both to his “clear technical strength” and a “clear understanding and appreciation of clients’ needs”.
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 recognises Thomas as a ‘Leading Individual’ for his aviation and commercial litigation practices, and he is regarded as a ‘Recommended Lawyer’ for his insurance experience. Who’s Who Legal regards Thomas as the “finest product liability lawyer in the country and one of the very best on the continent.”
Daniel Spendlove
Daniel is highly ranked in The Legal 500 UK 2019 Guide for his expertise in banking litigation, commercial litigation and professional negligence. The Guide describes him as “very smart, client focused and details-oriented” and a “highly rated litigator”. He receives praise for being “a strategic thinker” who “brings real energy to cases”.
Josh Wong
Josh is recognised as a ‘Recommended Lawyer’ in The Legal 500 UK 2019 for his civil fraud, banking litigation, commercial litigation and international arbitration expertise, and is 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.
