Paris, La Défense, December 18th, 2024 –

In order to support its growth and the deployment of its artificial intelligence solutions, Lefebvre Sarrut is becoming “Lefebvre Group” and is evolving its governance. The main mission of the group revolves around providing access to and processing high-value legal content for a clientele of legal and accounting professionals. Lefebvre Group brings together 2,500 employees in Europe and has a turnover of €555 million (2023).

Lefebvre Sarrut, the European leader in legal and tax knowledge (Publishing, Training, Software), will now expand under the brand “Lefebvre Group”. The “Lefebvre” brand will be incorporated into the name of each local brand in the 8 countries of the network, currently operating under the names of each market’s historical brands (Giuffrè in Italy, SDU in the Netherlands…). In France, Lefebvre Group already operates under this model with the Lefebvre Dalloz brand: this group/local brand association will now be extended on a European scale.

The brand’s evolution embodies an innovative vision and signals the beginning of a new chapter in the group’s history. This transformation aims to bolster its historical role as a facilitator of legal access in Europe and signifies its ambition to solidify its position as a European leader in services for legal and accounting professionals, ensuring European sovereignty in AI for legal and fiscal domains. This strategic move also signifies a commitment to enhancing international coordination to support the dissemination and future developments of GenIA-L, the generative AI developed by the group.

Lefebvre Group has been a pioneer in developing AI solutions tailored to the legal and accounting professions. With the launch of the GenIA-L solution at the end of 2023, an AI trained exclusively on the group’s document bases, it guarantees high-quality responses. More than just a search or drafting tool, GenIA-L has established itself as a true intellectual partner for 30,000 legal and accounting professionals in Europe. Leveraging the group’s experience and excellence, GenIA-L enables clients to maximise data utilisation effectively.

The group employs the best available technologies with a technology-agnostic approach, ensuring developments align with security and ethical requirements. Under the agreement of November 27th, 2024, OpenAI commits to storing GenIA-L data in Europe. Additionally, Lefebvre Group’s membership in the European Union’s AI Pact initiative in September 2024 underscores its commitment to ethical AI, a first in the sector. By focusing on an AI approach enriched with profound legal knowledge from in-house writers and authors, the group sets itself apart from other market players who primarily adopt a technological approach. Future acquisitions will aim to solidify its position in high-quality content in the countries where it operates.

Lefebvre Group is evolving its governance by replacing its supervisory board with a board of directors. This change reflects the family shareholders’ desire to strengthen their involvement in strategic and operational decision-making, and to contribute to the group’s transformation during this crucial period marked by AI deployment and the transition from a publishing entity to a service-oriented company firmly rooted in AI. This governance evolution will provide strong momentum for the group, supporting the dissemination and further development of GenIA-L across Europe.

These profound changes coincide with the retirement of Olivier Campenon in February 2025, who had been the CEO of the group since May 2018. Over the past six years, he had worked towards uniting previously independent companies into a cohesive group in France, now consolidated at La Défense, since 2022. Olivier Campenon successfully led the restructuring and streamlining of the group’s foreign subsidiaries to become a European leader in legal and tax knowledge. He has been instrumental in exploring the potential of AI and established an R&D team and a culture of innovation that enabled the group to pioneer the launch of generative legal AIs. His successor joined the group in March 2025 as the General Manager, under the guidance of the Board of Directors, chaired by Benoit Sillard.

Benoit Sillard, Chairman of the Executive Board of Lefebvre Group, states, “At this crucial moment of innovation and transition for the group’s future, shareholders have decided to provide the necessary means for the company and reform its governance to accelerate its progress. Faced with globally renowned American players, we see an exceptional opportunity with the integration of generative AI to establish a European leader, aligned with new technologies and meeting European standards. We are fully investing in our expertise and are ahead in the field of AI. Our innovation teams are at the forefront of progress.”

Oliver Campenon, CEO of Lefebvre Group, declares, “After 7 years of leadership within the European Group, I am looking towards new personal horizons. Our consistent growth in recent years reflects our commitment to ESG principles and technological innovation with AI. Under new governance, I am confident that our development trajectory will continue with success and vigor.”