François M. Chateau

François Chateau is Chairman of the Global Board of Salans and a partner in the New York office.  François is engaged in the representation of French and other European companies in the U.S., and U.S. companies investing in Europe and France.  He primarily represents companies in the fashion, beauty and luxury goods industries, as well as the food industry. He is also head of Salans’ French desk, a special cross-border practice group composed of bilingual French-speaking lawyers based in New York.

François has extensive experience representing clients in the modeling industry as well as artists and celebrities from the movie, sports and fashion sectors.  He handles contract negotiations, intellectual property issues, international tax planning and international trust and estate planning.  François also has expertise in venture capital and venture development. In addition, Francois has also been a successful entrepreneur.

François is a dual French and U.S. citizen. He is very active in the French-American community in the U.S. and is a Chevalier de l'Ordre National du Mérite (France).

Career:

• Trustee of the Brain Trauma Foundation (member of the Executive Committee)
• Former Member and Vice-Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Lycée Français de New York
• Conseiller du Commerce Exterieur de la France (French Trade Adviser)
• Former Lecturer at the Faculté de Droit de l'Université de Paris V
• Former Founder and C.E.O. of Chateaud'eau S.A. 
• Qualified: Paris and State of New York

Education:

• New York University School of Law (LL.M.,1982)
• Paris II University School of Law ("Maitrise", 1980)

Languages:

• English
• French