Section 1: Jurisdiction

Articles in this section · 6

Article 697-1

French Code of Criminal ProcedureIn force

Updated 7 Nov 2023

The courts referred to in article 697 shall hear crimes and misdemeanours committed on the territory of the Republic by military personnel in the performance of their duties.

These courts have jurisdiction over all adults, whether perpetrators or accomplices, who took part in the offence.

By way of derogation from the provisions of the first paragraph above, these courts shall not have jurisdiction over offences under ordinary law committed by members of the gendarmerie in the performance of their duties relating to the judicial police or the administrative police; they shall nevertheless retain jurisdiction over them in respect of offences committed in the service of maintaining law and order.

If the criminal court referred to in article 697 declares itself incompetent to deal with the facts brought before it, it shall refer the Public Prosecutor's Office to proceed as it sees fit; it may, with the Public Prosecutor's Office heard, issue a committal or arrest warrant against the accused by the same decision.

Mariela Petrova

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Common Questions

Working with a corporate lawyer in France — Q&A

Any time a strategic decision changes how the company is owned, governed or contractually bound — incorporation, fundraising, M&A, restructuring, shareholder agreements, or major commercial contracts. Earlier engagement always costs less than later remediation.

A notary (notaire) is a public officer who authenticates specific deeds (mainly real-estate transfers and certain family-law acts). A corporate lawyer (avocat) advises on strategy, negotiates and drafts company documents, and represents you in disputes. The two roles complement rather than overlap.

Yes — most of our clients are foreign suppliers, investors or holding entities. We bridge the gap between French law and your home jurisdiction's expectations and deliver everything bilingually.

The SAS (Société par Actions Simplifiée) is the default choice for most international structures: flexible governance, single shareholder allowed, no minimum capital, and works cleanly with foreign holding entities. We assess SARL, SA, SCI on the merits when the situation calls for it.

Yes — communications with a French avocat are protected by the secret professionnel (Article 66-5 of the Law of 31 December 1971). This protection is broader than the common-law attorney-client privilege and applies to written and oral exchanges.

We work on fixed fees for clearly scoped engagements (incorporation, contract drafting, audits) and on monthly retainers for ongoing advisory. Hourly billing is the exception, not the default. You always know the cost before work starts.

Typical timeline is 2–3 weeks from KYC kick-off to RCS registration, assuming standard documentation. Holding-company structures, foreign-shareholder identification or in-kind contributions can extend this — we flag the gating items at the first meeting.

Absolutely. We routinely coordinate with your in-house counsel, expert-comptable or notaire — pragmatic collaboration is the norm, not the exception. We send them everything they need to do their part without duplicating work.

Mariela Petrova

Mariela Petrova

Avocate au Barreau de Paris

Toque #C2396

15+ Years In Corporate Practice

English · French · Russian

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Communications protected by professional secrecy — secret professionnel de l'avocat, Article 66-5 of the Law of 31 December 1971.

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