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When Domitille Philippart joined Soulez Larivière & Associés on 16 February 2009, she discovered a firm that was compatible with her strong sense of curiosity, dynamic nature and more generally, her aspirations and expertise. "Specialised in criminal law and all types of litigation", she explains, "Soulez Larivière & Associés is a firm on a human scale, with genuine team spirit that places as much importance on interpersonal relations as it does on the legal expertise of its members."

With an undergraduate degree in law from Durham University in the United Kingdom, and a postgraduate degree (maîtrise) in public law from the Sorbonne and the Paris Institute of Political Studies, Domitille’s educational background is quite varied, to say the least. In addition to extensive legal studies, she has wide-ranging knowledge in fields such as history, economics and finance.

From 2005 to 2007, Domitille completed several internships in competition law, one with a general law firm and two others with the competition and EU litigation divisions of the international firms Salans and White & Case. During the same period, she took an interest in the work of friends specialising in criminal law and in the lawyers’ association "La Conférence" and discovered a passion for criminal law. Domitille then became a member of GENEPI, a student association that provides educational courses for prisoners and helps raise public awareness about living conditions in prisons.

After a three-month internship with Thierry Lévy, Domitille Philippart joined the Chabert firm. These two firms specialising in criminal law exposed her to ordinary criminal offences, as well as criminal law in business and the press. She was responsible for a large number of cases, and soon had an opportunity to try them.

With this extensive litigation experience behind her, Domitille joined Soulez Larivière & Associés in February of last year. "I have already had a chance to work on a wide range of areas: cases involving asbestos, commercial litigation, and matters relating purely to criminal procedure, such as the AZF case, which began when I joined the firm. In preparing the groundwork for hearings in complex cases like these, which is always time-consuming and extremely tedious, everyone is involved. No activity is the preserve of any particular person and the entire team remains in contact at all times. To make the most of everyone’s experience, we always have the possibility of consulting with colleagues. Although they are often quite busy, they always make themselves available (and I would even say they make it a point of honour to do so)."

"After less than two weeks at Soulez Larivière & Associés, I was able to jump right into the action, trying cases in various courts, including the Social Security Court, the Industrial Tribunal, the Criminal Court or the Indictment Division [of the Court of Appeals], such as in Mayotte, where I argued a case for the firm relating to the Rwandan genocide. I feel that everyone at the firm very naturally shares a common attitude. With every case, both those that generate high media interest and the very smallest cases, we can take the time we need to dissect every aspect, thoroughly examine the legal issues involved and work closely with the client to develop a defence. This gives the firm a very rich working environment and perfectly reflects my vision of this profession".