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Capucine Lanta de Bérard joined the firm on 1st December 2009. "From the moment I arrived", she explains, "I realised just how compatible the firm’s approach to industrial, environmental and public health risks was with my seven-year experience as a legal consultant in the field of risk prevention".

Capucine’s first major legal experience was in the public health sector. "After a six-month internship", she recalls, "in November 2002 I joined the French National Cancer League as a legal consultant. My first assignment related to unlawful tobacco advertising, and then I worked on a wide range of cases, in particular relating to the Evin Act, and I was fortunate enough to assist the association in its decision to sue for damages in several criminal proceedings. The government had recently launched its Cancer Plan, things were changing, and we obtained promising results in just a few months. Then, after the Public Health Act took effect in August 2004, and under the impetus of the [WHO’s] Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, the first debates relating to the ban on smoking in public places began in France. The state of scientific knowledge, the position of the Court of Cassation’s Industrial Division regarding the duty of safety, and increasing public awareness of this issue generated a fascinating public debate. I was able to get involved by meeting with the various players involved, and working on the laws and regulations in an effort to find the best possible solution. I learned a lot during my time with the League, and I was so passionate about my work that I even postponed starting the French Bar School. But I reached a point where I felt frustrated with not being involved in the implementation of the law itself... I then regained my desire to become a lawyer and learn how to construct an argument, and I continued my work as a League consultant while going back to school".

Capucine received her CAPA degree (professional qualification to practice law) in 2008 in Versailles. Her other qualifications include a postgraduate degree (maîtrise) in Private Law with a speciality in Commercial Law from the University of Paris 10, and a postgraduate degree (DESS) in New Technology Law, Law and Cyberspace, from the University of Lille 2, for which she received upper second class honours.

She spent her legal internship in 2008 with Flécheux & Associés, where she worked on cases involving administrative law, criminal law in business and health and competition law, and had the opportunity to participate in regular advisory services for a Parliamentary lobbying initiative.

Today, her work at Soulez Larivière & Associés is also very wide-ranging and makes full use of her core expertise. "In the few weeks since I joined the firm", says Capucine, "I have already worked on a broad range of cases, touching on social security and criminal matters as well as litigation in the business and aviation sectors. With these initial experiences, I have rediscovered the strong sense of protection of justice that has guided me in my decision to become a lawyer. It is, of course, an important notion in the positions taken by Daniel Soulez Larivière with respect to the law, but it is also shared by everyone at the firm. At Soulez Larivière & Associés, not only do I feel that I am learning something all the time— I also feel like I am making the most of the expertise I have acquired over the last few years".