France

French team specialises in advising French, Belgian and Swiss companies. The team members are either French native speakers or fluent French speakers and combine legal know-how with a practical understanding of similarities and distinctions in the legal systems and business cultures. Members of our French team practice in all of our core departments.

Due to our long-lasting experience we understand the economic and cultural distinctions between Great Britain and France, Belgium and Switzerland as well as their practical consequences and are able to advise accordingly.

We regularly advise on the following areas:

• Company start ups in England and advice on suitable types of enterprises
• Company secretarial services (e.g. administration of the company registers, fillings with the Registrar of Companies)
• Sale and purchase of companies and intellectual property
• Investments in companies and restructurings, private equity and venture capital, structuring of joint ventures
• Establishment of representations (e.g. distributor or agent)
• Advising on patents and copyrights, licensing of intellectual property, data protection
• Drafting of employment contracts, operating manuals and directives, advice on recruitment and dismissal of employees, negotiating and drafting of termination agreements, all aspects of employment disputes and litigation
• Financing, loans and securities
• Advising on corporate recovery and insolvency
• Advising on tax related issues during transactions and restructurings
• Sale and purchase of real estate and construction projects, leasing of business premises
• Litigation, debt collection and compulsory enforcement, arbitration and mediation

If you require advice in other areas, a member of our French team will be able to advise you in co-operation with the respective colleague.