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 is ranked in Who’s Who Legal France: Product Liability Defence 2019, which notes she “stands out in the market for her highly respected product liability, toxic tort and mass litigation expertise.” She has also been awarded the “Best in Product Liability” award at the 2019 LMG Euromoney Europe Women in Business Law Awards.
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 2020 as a ‘Recommended Lawyer’ for his international arbitration and commercial litigation expertise, and has been 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.”
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.
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 2020 for his civil fraud and banking litigation expertise. The Legal 500 notes that Julian is a “highly rated” litigator and an “extremely experienced operator“.
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.”
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”. The Legal 500 recognises Graham for being a “a leading figure in commercial dispute resolution and widely regarded as a rainmaker.”
Abdulali Jiwaji
The Legal 500 UK has noted that Abdulali is recommended for commercial litigation and financial disputes. 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 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.“
Hermès Marangos
Hermès is recognised as a ‘Leading Individual’ in The Legal 500 UK 2020 for his insurance and reinsurance litigation practice. Hermès is ranked as a Band 3 expert in Chambers Global 2020 and Chambers Latin America 2020 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.
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 has been highly ranked in The Legal 500 UK 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”. 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 2020 for his international arbitration expertise, and is praised for being “an excellent lawyer, who is hardworking and has a clear vision.” 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.
