Section 1: Decisions.

Articles in this section · 19

Article R464-5-3

French Commercial codeIn force

Updated 5 Nov 2023

I.-The applicant may apply to the Director General of Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control or the General Rapporteur of the Competition Authority for a place in the order of arrival with a view to benefiting from the total or partial exemption from financial penalties referred to in IV of Article L. 464-2. The authorities to which the application is made will set a deadline to allow the applicant to gather the information required.

II. II -The information provided by the applicant during the period referred to in I is deemed to have been provided on the date of receipt of the application, as recorded in the letter or official record indicating its place in the order of arrival.

III -The applicant provides the information requested during the period referred to in II. III - The applicant must provide all the information he or she has in relation to the practice in question, in particular:

> His or her name and address 1° The applicant's name and address;

> The applicant's name and address 2° The circumstances that led to the request being made;

> The names of all other parties involved 3° The names of all the other undertakings or associations of undertakings which take part or have taken part in the practice in question;

>The products and territories concerned 4° The products and territories concerned;

> The duration and nature of the practice 5° The duration and nature of the practice in question;

>
6° Information on any other application for total or partial exemption from financial penalties submitted in the past or likely to be submitted in the future to any other competition authority concerning the practice in question.

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

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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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