Paragraph 2: The enforcement court.

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Article D49-2

French Code of Criminal ProcedureIn force

Updated 5 Nov 2023

Except in the courts of appeal listed in the table below, there shall be established in each court of appeal a sentence enforcement court whose territorial jurisdiction extends to the jurisdiction of that court.

Evry

Melun

Auxerre

Reims

COURS D'APPEL

TRIBUNAUX JUDICIAIRES
seats of the enforcement courts of these courts

RESIDENTIAL OF THESE COURTS
d'application des peines

Aix-en-Provence

Aix-en Provence

Reports of the judicial courts of Aix-en-Provence, Marseille, Digne and Tarascon

Draguignan

Jurisdiction of the judicial courts of Draguignan and Toulon

Nice

Forts of the judicial courts of Grasse and Nice

Bastia

Bastia

Forts of the judicial court of Bastia

Forts of the judicial court of Bastia

Forts of the judicial court of Nice

Ajaccio

Resort of the judicial court of Ajaccio

Douai

Arras

Resorts of the judicial courts of Arras, Béthune, Saint-Omer and Boulogne-sur-Mer

Lille

Jurisdiction of the judicial courts of Lille, Dunkerque, Douai, Valenciennes, Cambrai and Avesnes-sur-Helpe

Paris

Paris

Paris judicial court

Bobigny

Bobigny judicial court

Créteil

Créteil judicial court

Bobigny judicial court

Bobigny judicial court

Resort of the judicial court of Evry

Resorts of the judicial courts of Melun, Fontainebleau and Meaux

Forts of the judicial courts of Auxerre and Sens

Reims

Forts of the judicial courts of Reims, Châlons-en-Champagne and Charleville-Mézières

Troyes

The judicial courts of Troyes

Rennes

Rennes

The judicial courts of Rennes, Saint-Malo, Saint-Brieuc, Quimper and Brest

Nantes

Jurisdiction of the judicial courts of Nantes, Saint-Nazaire, Lorient and Vannes

Riom

Clermont-Ferrand

Forts of the judicial courts of Clermont-Ferrand, Aurillac and Le Puy-en-Velay

Moulins

Forts of the judicial courts of Moulins, Cusset and Montluçon

Saint-DenisSaint-DenisFrom the judicial courts of Saint-Denis and Saint-Pierre
MamoudzouFrom the judicial court of Mamoudzou
Mariela Petrova

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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

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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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