Section 2: Informing the person entered in the file

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Article R50-38

French Code of Criminal ProcedureIn force

Updated 6 Nov 2023

Informing convicted persons is carried out in accordance with the provisions of this article.

When the person is present at the hearing, the information relating to his registration in the file and the notification of his obligations, shall be made by the president of the court or the clerk or registry agent designated by him. However, the person shall not be notified of his obligations at the hearing if he is placed or kept in detention pursuant to the conviction justifying his inclusion in the file.

Failing this, notification is made by the public prosecutor, or by an agent placed under his authority or a delegate of the public prosecutor designated by him, by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt. If it appears that the person's address is unknown, the public prosecutor shall have the person entered in the wanted persons file.

When it results from consultation of the file carried out by the registrar authorised by the head of the prison in accordance with 4° of article 706-25-9, that the person incarcerated has not been the subject of the information referred to in Article 706-25-8, this information is given to him by the prison registry, on the instructions of the public prosecutor, either at the time of his final release or prior to the first sentence adjustment measure resulting in his leaving the prison, other than a temporary leave, if he is serving a custodial sentence pursuant to the conviction that led to his registration in the file, or immediately, if he is detained for another reason.

In all cases, he/she will be given a receipt or sent a document summarising his/her obligations and specifying the conditions under which they must be met in accordance with the provisions of section 3. This document informs the person entered in the file that the State administrations mentioned in article R. 50-52 may directly query the file pursuant to 3° of article 706-25-9. The model for this document is drawn up by the Minister of Justice.

If the person is a protected adult, the Public Prosecutor shall notify his or her legal representative of the notification made pursuant to this article.

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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