Gwenaël Kropfinger is a tax partner and a member of both the Private Funds and Private Equity M&A Groups, as well as the firm’s Private Capital industry group. Gwenaël has extensive experience advising private equity funds and multinational groups on the tax structuring of M&A transactions, including leveraged buyouts (LBOs) and capital markets deals.
In addition to his transactional work, Gwenaël is highly experienced in the formation and structuring of French and pan-European private equity funds.
He is also regularly involved in general reorganisation projects for corporate groups, providing comprehensive tax advice across the full spectrum of private capital activity.
Education
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University of Paris I, Pantheon Sorbonne, H.E.C. Master II, Business and Tax Law
Avocat admis au barreau de Paris
Awards & Recognition
The Legal 500 EMEA: 2025
The Legal 500 EMEA: Tax - Recommended, 2021-2023
Best Lawyers in France: Leveraged Buyouts, 2026 (recognized since 2022)
ITR World Tax: Transactional Tax - Highly Regarded (France), 2026
Leaders League (France): “Mid-cap LBO transactions” - Leading, 2025
Leaders League (France): “LBO tax” - Highly Recommended, 2025
Leaders League (France): “Transactional tax” - Highly Recommended, 2025
Option Droit & Affaires (France): “Transactional tax", 2025
Option Droit & Affaires (France): “LBOs and growth capital, with the majority of transactions exceeding €200 million”, 2025
Matters
Prior to joining Proskauer, Gwena毛l鈥檚 representative matters include advising:
- a global asset management company on its investment in a group dedicated to the equipment and deployment of telecommunication networks and datacenters, on the acquisition of a player in cellular stimulation and on the acquisition of a company working in the development of infrared systems
- an asset manager, a key player in sustainable investment, and a company specialising in private equity as part of the acquisition of a group operating in the maintenance and construction of heating and air conditioning equipment
- a UK investment fund as part of an optician chain’s acquisition (EV 800 million), on the sale of a 49% stake in a frozen food trading company to a food company (EV 2.2 billion) and on the acquisition of a textile company
- two French private equity firms and an independent asset management company on the sale of a French furniture and decoration company to an asset management and financial services firm. (680 million euros EV)
- a private equity fund regarding the acquisitions of a customer experience management outsourcing company, a manufacturer of optical measuring and recording instruments, a specialist in the distribution of calcium aluminate-based materials (EV EUR600m) and concerningthe sales of an insurance brokerage company to an Anglo-American multinational providing insurance companies (EV EUR730 million) and a leading technologies company providing secure solutions to a leading global alternative investment manager focused on private equity (EV EUR1.5 billion)