
Elisabeth Malafa
Biography
Elisabeth Malafa is an associate in the Dispute Resolution Group of Baker McKenzie in Paris. She advises and represents clients in all stages of domestic and international litigation before French courts and international arbitral tribunals.
Prior to joining Baker McKenzie in 2021, Elisabeth completed an LL.M. at UCLA School of Law, where she was a managing editor of the UCLA Journal of International Law and Foreign Affairs and a research assistant in artificial intelligence in the legal industry.
Admitted to the Paris and New York Bars, Elisabeth is fluent in French and English.
Practice Focus
Elisabeth focuses her practice on cross-border commercial disputes, with a focus on breach of contract, M&A litigation, private international law and international criminal matters. She has handled matters in a variety of industry sectors, including consumer goods, retail, luxury, IT, hotels, and transport.
Representative Legal Matters
- Acting for a major car rental company in connection with a claim brought against it before the Paris Court of Appeal for breach of contract.
- Acting for the liquidator of an insolvent French company in connection with a claim against the US directors of the company.
- Acted for a UK-based investment firm in summary proceedings related to the enforcement of a French mortgage.
- Acting for a Middle Eastern real estate fund in a post M&A arbitration under the ICC Rules.
- Advised a software company for the risk assessment of the termination provisions in its general terms and conditions.
Prior to joining the Firm:
- Assisted a leading French utilities company listed on Euronext in commercial court proceedings in connection with a high-profile $15 billion merger.
Professional Associations and Memberships
- Paris Bar Association
- New York State Bar Association
- American Bar Association - International Law Section
- Association Henri Capitant
- French-American Foundation
Admissions
- Paris~France (2022)
- New York~United States (2021)
Education
- University of California at Los Angeles (LL.M.)
- University of Versailles (Licence, Master 1, Master 2)
- Université Paris II - Panthéon-Assas (Diploma in Technology and Digital Law)
Languages
- English
- French
Baker & McKenzie A.A.R.P.I. is a member of Baker and McKenzie International.