Section 3: Prohibited activities, checks and investigations

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Article L232-14-4

French Sports CodeIn force

Updated 8 Nov 2023

When the athlete has refused to consent to the monitoring operations mentioned in article L. 232-14-1, the liberty and custody judge of the judicial court in whose jurisdiction the test is carried out or the liberty and custody judge of the judicial court provided for by the decree mentioned in I of article 706-2 of the code of criminal procedure may, at the request of the director of the testing department of the French Anti-Doping Agency, the competent foreign national anti-doping organisation or a competent international sporting body, authorise the operations mentioned in article L. 232-14-1. The liberty and custody judge shall in all cases verify that there are serious and concordant suspicions that the athlete has contravened or will contravene the provisions of this chapter and that there is a risk of evidence being lost.

The liberty and custody judge may also authorise the testing operations mentioned in article L. 232-14-1 on an athlete whose consent has not been sought, in accordance with the same procedures as those mentioned in the previous paragraph, when the French Anti-Doping Agency, the competent foreign national anti-doping organisation or the competent international sporting body is aware of serious and concordant suspicions that the athlete will imminently contravene the provisions of this chapter.

On pain of nullity, authorisation shall be given for a specific sample and shall be the subject of a written order. This order, which may not be appealed, shall state the reasons on the basis of the facts and law justifying the need for the operation. The operations are carried out under the supervision of the magistrate who authorised them, who may visit the premises to ensure compliance with the legal provisions.

The planned operations may not, on pain of nullity, have a purpose other than the taking of evidence referred to in the decision of the liberty and custody judge.

The fact that these operations reveal criminal offences or breaches of the obligations of this chapter shall not constitute grounds for invalidity of the incidental proceedings.

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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