French law

French law

If you do business or own property in France, you’ll already know that the French legal system is very different to that in England.  Add to that the complexities and uncertainties of Brexit, it’s clear that if you're dealing with a legal issue in France, it's best to get expert advice.

At Tees we have the practical experience and expertise to resolve many issues relating to French law.

Our French legal system expertise

We have a strong French legal team, led by our own resident avocat based in Bishop’s Stortford, England. Hervé Blatry is a rare resource in a UK law firm, being a French-qualified avocat with over 25 years' experience of guiding clients safely through the French system. Hervé is a member of the Paris Bar and has practiced in Paris for many years, with extensive experience in the French courts, before coming to the UK. He is registered with the Law Society as a European Lawyer - and of course he is fully bi-lingual. We can also provide English translations of any relevant documents if you need us to. In some cases, a professional translator may be used for lengthy documents and we will advise on this.

French property

Buying a house in France often starts as a dream but it can get complicated. Different laws and legal processes in France are notoriously tricky to navigate, even if you have excellent French! Tees have been helping clients buy and sell French property for over 20 years. We've advised on the sale of every kind of property and we know the French system inside out. 

Our French law experts will work to keep the process straightforward and help to avoid costly mistakes. We can advise you on both contentious and non-contentious issues with a wide range of contracts concerning property in France, for example:

• sale and purchase
• leases (civil or commercial)
• construction contracts
• mortgages
• farming agreements.

French contract law

If you're working or doing business in France, you can get advice about contracts from our French law team. We’ll guide you through everything, from drafting and negotiating new contracts, to agreement and signing. We can advise on:

• contracts for the sale of goods
• distribution agreements
• business purchase or rental agreements
• non-disclosure agreements
• sales or purchase of shares

French dispute resolution

Relationships, both professional and personal, can sometimes go wrong and differences in language and systems can make things worse. Our French law team can help with:

• enforcement action if existing contracts are not being honoured
• construction disputes
• property disputes
• disputes with banks regarding mortgages
• commercial contracts disputes.

When you come to Hervé for help, he’ll listen carefully to what has happened and establish all the facts. He’ll try to work out with you whether an amicable solution can be reached and if it can, he’ll draw up a settlement agreement for you. If you and the other party are happy with this, you’ll both sign the agreement and that’s an end to the dispute, even if you have already started legal proceedings in France. However, if legal action can’t be avoided, Hervé will work with an experienced, correspondent lawyer in France to bring the action in the French courts.

French wills and inheritance

As with other laws, inheritance rules in France are very different to the rules in the UK. If you have French assets, we may advise that you make a French will (depending on your individual circumstances and wishes) even if you're not a French citizen or living in France.

After your death, any French assets you own may be subject to French law or English law. If you've only made a will in the UK, it won't necessarily apply to any assets you hold in France, or the application of English law could have adverse undesirable consequences, including on the tax front. A French will can help speed up the inheritance process, make the practical arrangements easier for your family and give you peace of mind that what you intend to happen, does actually happen when the time comes.

Our services include:

• fixed-fee French wills - wills for a couple: £400 plus VAT, a single will: £350 plus VAT
• arranging gifts during your lifetime
• lasting powers of attorney under French law
• specialist advice for beneficiaries.

What to do next

If you have any concerns about a legal issue relating to business, property or disputes in France, give us a call for a free and confidential discussion and let’s talk about how we can help.