He was the lawyer of many people, such as Olivier Metzner, Dominique de Villepin, one of the former prime ministers of France, and Jean-Marie Messier, the top executive of Vivendi company. Metzner was one of the most prominent lawyers in the biggest cases in France in the last 10 years.
French criminal lawyer Olivier Metzner became interested in law after reading Franz Kafka.
He studied law at the University of Caen.
He moved to Parsi in 1975 and started working as a freelance lawyer.
He was an expert in criminal law and became known for these cases. He became famous for defending high-profile figures. He had distinctive methods in criminal cases and was particularly known for his ability to detect flaws in procedures and leave his clients free on technical matters.
Olivier Metzner (22 November 1949 – 17 March 2013) was a French criminal lawyer. Metzner was a recognized specialist in criminal law cases, particularly known for his ability to detect defects in procedure and freeing clients on technicalities. On 17 March 2013, Metzner's body was found floating near the Boëdic island in Gulf of Morbihan. Metzner's death was believed to be self-inflicted and he left behind a note in his nearby residence. Metzner never married and was survived by no offspring.
In 2010, he bought Boëdic Island in Morbihan Bay, Brittany, France, for 2.5 million Euros.
He was chosen as the most powerful lawyer in France by GQ magazine.
He died on March 17, 2013, at the age of 63.
His body was floating near Boëdic island, where his home was located, and he left a suicide note.
He never married and had no children.
February 2010
Concorde crash trial begins in France
The trial of Continental Airlines regarding the Concorde plane crash, which crashed in Paris in 2000 and killed 113 people, has started in France.
In the case, American Continental Airlines and five people, including company officials, are accused of causing death.
Prosecutors charge that the crash was caused by a piece of metal dropped on the runway by a Continental plane taking off just before Concorde.
Lawyers of the American Continental Airline, the owner of this plane, argue that they can prove that Concorde was not fit for flight anyway and that the plane caught fire before hitting the metal part.
The investigation concluded that one of the plane's wheels exploded, pieces flying from friction pierced the plane's fuel tank, and the leaking kerosene caught fire and caused the accident.
Continental Airlines, on the other hand, denies accusations that it is responsible for the accident and maintains that Concorde had problems before hitting the 17-centimeter metal piece.
Olivier Metzner, one of the company's lawyers, said: "They will work to prove that Concorde caught fire eight seconds before it touched this metal band, approximately 700 meters behind."