Stéphane Szames

Career

A Doctor of Law, Stéphane joined Ydès as a partner in 2018 after practising at several different bars. He now primarily supports businesses across the PACA region (south of Frnace) in all of their business-related litigation.

In recent years, he has developed a particular interest in mass litigation, notably in matters involving commercial leases but also, and above all, in banking and consumer law, which he coordinates on a national scale.

Among the landmark cases he has handled is the Helvet Immo matter, concerning loans taken out in Swiss francs by borrowers who earned their income and repaid their instalments in euros. As one of the two lead lawyers for the CEPHI collective, Stéphane is among the lawyers who secured the first French decisions annulling these loans, handed down by the Paris Court of Appeal in March 2023 and the Paris Judicial Court in May 2023. These rulings follow on from another major victory obtained by the CEPHI Collective on 10 June 2021 before the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), which held that the parity clause in the Helvet Immo loan was an unfair term and that actions seeking recognition of such a clause were not subject to any limitation period. Initiated 13 years ago, this litigation paved the way for further claims seeking the annulment of loans taken out in Swiss francs, particularly for cross-border borrowers—cases now naturally handled by Stéphane and the other lead lawyer of the CEPHI collective, given their expertise and track record.

Throughout his career, Stéphane has also been strongly involved in teaching and training: he lectured in contract law and international trade law at the University of Paris XI – Paris Sud (1995–2002), served as a business law trainer for Demos in Paris, and taught labour law at the Versailles Bar School (CRFPA).

He has also been published on several occasions, including in Les Petites Affiches on 27 March 2002 (advocating for the repeal of Article 1384 paragraph 2), an article referenced in the French Civil Code under Article 1242 (new numbering), as well as on Village de la Justice on 16 June 2023.