Dream secondment?
Strolling along the streets of Antibes on the French Riviera, one can expect to see picturesque beaches, a bustling daily market and sunny squares dotted with cafés and patisseries. Now, this seaside city is welcoming another site, the new office of UK outfit Penningtons Manches Cooper.
Nestled between Cannes and Nice on the French south-east coast, Antibes is home to the largest yachting harbour in Europe, Port Vauban, and plays host to the Antibes Yacht Show each spring. It is this close association with the yachting industry that has drawn Penningtons to the sun-soaked region.
Penningtons is the first UK-headquartered firm to set up base in the seaside resort town which, as of 2017, has a recorded population of just over 70,000. It has followed fellow yachting legal powers HFW and Hill Dickinson to the Riviera, both of which have opened offices up the road in Monaco.
Commenting on the office launch, Sarah Allen, head of the firm’s specialist yacht team, said:
“It is such a significant step to add to our international network a base in Antibes, the heartland of the superyacht industry in the Mediterranean. We believe it makes a real difference being in situ and look forward to the opportunities that this expansion brings for us and our clients”
The Antibes hub will be Penningtons’ second French office, the firm having put down roots in Paris in 2007. Penningtons’ Parisian base has earned a name for itself in naval construction disputes which the firm will be hoping to build on by establishing a presence in Antibes, as well as adding value to their shipping, yachting and private wealth practices.
The Legal Cheek Firms Most List 2025 shows Penningtons takes on 14 trainees each year in their UK offices but international secondments seem to be few and far between.
A firm spokesperson told Legal Cheek that while formal secondment opportunities to Antibes are not planned in the near future, trainees will likely have the chance to work on Antibes-related matters.
So, it seems the dream secondment might have to wait a little longer!