Who we are > Our people > Lawyers > Daniel Soulez Larivière

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The Rainbow Warrior case dominated the start of the 1980s. The French Minister of Justice asked the President of the Bar to find someone capable of resolving the following three problems:
- a criminal law problem: two French agents were in prison;
- a foreign law problem: the New Zealand legal system was not known in France;
- and an arbitration dispute with Greenpeace, whose boat had sunk as a result of the explosion.

Daniel Soulez Larivière was approached to take on this case. His familiarity with criminal law and the public sector, his experience in espionage cases and his knowledge of the English language and the Anglo-American legal system meant that he was an ideal candidate.

"In September 1985, I left for New Zealand where I was involved in a fascinating case, he reveals. I spent more than three months in that country (10 consecutive trips), which lead to a very successful outcome. The French agents were freed and an arbitration agreement was drawn up between the French State and Greenpeace, represented at that time by Lloydi Cutler, former counsel to President Jimmy Carter."

The reputation acquired following the Rainbow Warrior case enhanced the firm’s profile.

In addition, Daniel Soulez Larivière then began to write books, thus following in the footsteps of his friend Gilles Perrault. His first book, "L’Avocature", was published towards the end of 1982 and is sure to have attracted many people to the law as a profession. In 1985, he published "Les Juges dans la Balance" and in 1990 "Justice pour la Justice". Three books, about lawyers, judges and the legal system, which did not go unnoticed...

In 1988, he was appointed for a term of three years to the Bar Council where he produced a report, at the request of the President of the Bar, on the reform of the legal professions. This report was given a lot of coverage and even made the headlines of Le Monde: "It was at this point that the legal system became more important for society and the force of law was central to these discussions, explains Daniel Soulez Larivière. It was the right time to discuss the evolution of the law, and therefore the evolution of the legal profession, and this report formed the basis for the extensive reform of the legal professions carried out in the 1980s and 1990s. Undertaking this work with, I believe, an established reputation and an awareness of the relevant social issues and considerations of public interest, caused me to make the acquaintance of a certain number of people... and finally, in 1988, at a time when I was working at the Bar Council, the firm really took off."