A new 15-lawyer private equity boutique led by a former Ashurst partner has opened for business in Paris, aiming to capitalize on a surge in mid-cap private equity deals in France after the COVID-19 pandemic.

The new firm, Moncey Avocats, is a spinoff of Desfilis, a French boutique firm founded in 1920 by the former general counsel of Renault and specializing in advising family offices and investment funds.