Paragraph 6: Availability.

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Article R6152-64

French Public Health CodeIn force

Updated 31 Oct 2023

I.-A hospital practitioner may, at his or her request, be granted leave of absence :

1° For an accident or serious illness of the spouse or partner with whom he/she is bound by a civil solidarity pact, a child or an ascendant, for a period not exceeding three years, renewable up to a total of nine years;

2° To bring up a child under the age of twelve or suffering from a disability requiring continuous care, for a period not exceeding three years, renewable up to a total of nine years;

3° To follow his spouse or the partner with whom he is bound by a civil solidarity pact, if the latter, by reason of his profession, establishes his habitual residence in a place distant from where the practitioner carries out his duties: the period of availability may not, in this case, exceed two years; it is renewable for the same period without exceeding a total of ten years over the entire career.

Availability is also granted automatically, at his request, to the practitioner holding the approval mentioned in articles L. 225-2 and L. 225-17 of the code de l'action sociale et des familles when he goes abroad or to an overseas department, an overseas collectivity or New Caledonia, from a metropolitan department, another overseas department or from Mayotte, Saint-Barthélemy, Saint-Martin or Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon with a view to adopting one or more children. In this case, the period of leave may not exceed six weeks per approval.

II. -Leave of absence at the request of the person concerned may be granted, subject to the requirements of the service, in the following cases:

1° For studies or research of general interest: in this case, the period of leave of absence may not exceed three years; it may be renewed once for an equal period over the entire career;

2° For personal reasons, for a period not exceeding three years, renewable for the same period, without exceeding a total of ten years over the entire career;

3° For training, for a period not exceeding one year for every six years of service as a hospital practitioner.

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

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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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