Business law firm in France for foreign companies
Are you looking for a business lawyer in France for your company or group?
FACCHINI Law Firm is a French business law firm that advises foreign companies and represents them before French courts.
We work in French, English, Italian and Spanish, and reply within one hour.
FACCHINI Law Firm advises your company at every stage of its business in France
FACCHINI Law Firm acts in Lyon, across the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region and throughout France, in business law and commercial law.
We assist foreign companies and groups that have a subsidiary, a customer, a partner or a dispute in France.
BUSINESS LAW ADVICE & LITIGATION
REPLY WITHIN ONE HOUR
PERSONALISED SUPPORT & REPRESENTATION THROUGHOUT FRANCE
Your business lawyer in France
Maître Angélique FACCHINI holds a master’s degree in business law (Master 2) and is a member of the Lyon Bar (Barreau de Lyon).
She advises companies on their projects and represents them in litigation before the French commercial courts.
Her clients include SMEs, large companies, groups and foreign companies with business in France.
FACCHINI Law Firm is based in the 3rd arrondissement of Lyon, a few metres from the Rhône Prefecture, and acts throughout France.
With your French business lawyer, company law, contracts and disputes stay with one firm, your corporate and commercial lawyer in France.
Business law services for foreign companies in France
- Setting up or buying a company or a business in France.
- Drafting and negotiating contracts with French partners.
- Representing you in disputes before French courts.
- Recovering unpaid invoices from French customers.
- Assisting you when a French subsidiary, customer or partner is in financial difficulty.
Each matter receives personalised follow-up.
A business lawyer in France working in four languages
We work in French, English, Italian and Spanish.
We explain each step of a French matter in clear terms and keep your management informed in English, Italian or Spanish.
Our business law practice areas in France
Company law
We set up French companies for foreign groups and entrepreneurs: choice between SAS, SASU, SARL or EURL, drafting of the articles of association (statuts), publication in a legal notices journal and registration until the company obtains its Kbis extract (the certificate of registration).
We draft shareholders’ agreements (pacte d’associés).
We handle disputes between shareholders: abuse of majority or of minority, breach of a pre-emption right or of an approval clause (clause d’agrément) when shares are sold.
Commercial contracts
We draft and negotiate commercial contracts: sale and purchase, services, subcontracting, supply, distribution, franchise and commercial agency.
We draft general terms and conditions of sale (conditions générales de vente).
Under French law, general terms bind the other party only if they were brought to its attention and accepted, and where they conflict with special conditions, the special conditions prevail (Article 1119 of the French Civil Code).
Commercial litigation
We act in disputes with suppliers, customers, partners and service providers, from negotiation to court, at first instance and on appeal.
Ending an established commercial relationship, even partially, without written notice that reflects its length makes the party ending it liable (rupture brutale des relations commerciales établies, Article L. 442-1 II of the French Commercial Code).
Where 18 months’ notice was given, that party cannot be held liable on the ground that the notice was too short; the relationship may also be ended without notice if the other party’s failure to perform its obligations is serious enough to justify immediate termination, or in the event of force majeure.
These disputes are heard by eight specialised courts, including those of Lyon and Paris, with appeals to the Paris Court of Appeal (Articles L. 442-4 and D. 442-2 of the French Commercial Code).
We also handle unfair competition claims (concurrence déloyale).
Business assets (fonds de commerce)
We assist buyers and sellers of a business: goodwill and customer base (clientèle), trade name, leasehold rights and equipment.
We draft the preliminary agreement and the deed of sale, then handle the formalities: the sale must be registered and published in a legal notices journal and in the BODACC (the official bulletin of civil and commercial notices).
The seller’s creditors may object to payment of the price within 10 days of the last publication (Articles L. 141-14 and L. 141-17 of the French Commercial Code).
The price is therefore usually held in escrow (séquestre), in a CARPA account (the lawyers’ settlement fund) when a lawyer acts as escrow agent.
We also handle disputes arising from the sale of a business.
Commercial leases (baux commerciaux)
We draft commercial leases and act in disputes between landlord and tenant, which are generally heard by the judicial court (tribunal judiciaire) rather than the commercial court (Article R. 211-3-26 of the French Code of Judicial Organisation).
A lease clause that prevents the tenant from assigning the lease to the buyer of its business is deemed unwritten (Article L. 145-16 of the French Commercial Code).
Assigning the lease alone (cession de droit au bail) usually requires the landlord’s prior consent under the lease; without such a clause, French law allows the assignment (Article 1717 of the French Civil Code).
Debt collection
A debt collection lawyer in France sends the formal notice to the French customer, takes the claim to court and oversees the enforcement of the judgment on behalf of the foreign creditor.
We recover unpaid invoices from French customers, amicably and before the courts, throughout France and abroad.
Insolvency proceedings
Maître Angélique FACCHINI is an insolvency lawyer in France for the company and its directors, for foreign creditors and for buyers of a French business in difficulty.
We advise, assist and represent companies in financial difficulty, in the amicable procedures (mandat ad hoc and conciliation, in which a person appointed by the president of the court helps the company negotiate with its creditors) and in safeguard proceedings (procédure de sauvegarde), judicial reorganisation (redressement judiciaire) and judicial liquidation (liquidation judiciaire).
We act for businesses, whether companies or sole traders, and never for the personal over-indebtedness of private individuals (surendettement des particuliers).
Corporate restructuring
We assist with the sale of companies (cession de sociétés) and of shares (cession de parts sociales ou d’actions), group restructuring and the acquisition of businesses in difficulty.
Before signing, we check the target’s debts and pending disputes.
Common situations for a foreign company in France
| Your situation | What we do | Practice area |
|---|---|---|
| You are setting up a company or a subsidiary in France | Choice of company form, articles of association, formalities, shareholders’ agreement | Company law |
| You sell to French customers | General terms and conditions of sale, commercial contracts | Commercial contracts |
| A French partner ends a long-standing relationship | Review of the notice given, negotiation, claim for damages | Commercial litigation |
| You are buying a French business or company | Checks on debts and disputes, sale agreements, formalities | Business assets, corporate restructuring |
| A French customer does not pay | Amicable and court recovery of the debt | Debt collection |
| Your French subsidiary, customer or partner is in financial difficulty | Amicable procedures, safeguard, judicial reorganisation, judicial liquidation, filing of claims | Insolvency proceedings |
Why choose FACCHINI Law Firm as your business lawyer in France
FACCHINI Law Firm has developed in-depth experience in business law and commercial law.
We support company directors in advisory and litigation matters, at every stage of their company’s development.
Our recognised expertise in insolvency proceedings in France
In 2025, FACCHINI Law Firm received the Trophée d’Or (gold award) of the Palmarès du Droit, organised by Le Monde du Droit in Lyon, in the Entreprises en difficulté - Restructuring category (businesses in difficulty and restructuring).
Trophée d’Or
Entreprises en difficulté - Restructuring
Palmarès du Droit
Lyon 2025
Why work with a business lawyer in France
What this means for a foreign company
- Advice: choice of structure, contracts and terms of sale before you commit.
- Compliance: corporate formalities and contracts that meet French requirements.
- Risk prevention: notice periods, lease clauses and shareholder rules checked in advance.
- Dispute resolution: negotiation of an amicable settlement whenever possible.
- Representation: before the French civil and commercial courts, at first instance and on appeal.
FAQ: business lawyer in France
1. What does a business lawyer do in France?
A business lawyer (avocat d’affaires) advises and represents companies in company law, commercial law, contracts and commercial disputes.
2. Is a French business lawyer also a commercial lawyer and a corporate lawyer?
In France, business law (droit des affaires) covers both commercial law and company law.
At FACCHINI Law Firm, a foreign company therefore has a single point of contact for corporate matters, contracts and disputes.
3. How can I check that a lawyer is registered with the Lyon Bar?
The Lyon Bar (Barreau de Lyon) publishes the directory of its members on its website.
Maître Angélique FACCHINI’s entry in the Lyon Bar directory can be viewed there.
4. Do you act outside Lyon?
Yes.
FACCHINI Law Firm is based in Lyon and acts for companies throughout France, including in Paris.
Transactions can be completed remotely, with electronic signature.
5. In which languages can you assist us?
We work in French, English, Italian and Spanish.
6. How should a company choose a business lawyer in France?
The useful criteria are the lawyer’s experience, availability, responsiveness, pragmatism and specialisation.
For a foreign company, the languages spoken and the ability to work remotely also count.
7. How are a business lawyer’s fees set in France for a foreign company?
The fees are agreed with the foreign company and set out in a written fee agreement (convention d’honoraires).
Three methods are used: a fixed fee; a fee based on time spent, at an hourly rate agreed in advance; and a success fee, which comes on top of a fixed or time-based fee and depends on the result obtained.
FACCHINI Law Firm asks for a retainer (provision).
8. How does a foreign company start working with you?
The company contacts us by phone, by email or through the contact form, and receives a reply within one hour.
A confidential first discussion with Maître Angélique FACCHINI then sets out its situation in France and the next steps.
Business law firm in Lyon, acting throughout France
We act throughout France: Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse, Nice, Nantes, Montpellier, Strasbourg, Bordeaux, Lille, Saint-Étienne…
We regularly act for companies from the UK, the US, Canada, Australia and the European Union that are developing their business in France or are in dispute with French companies.
Business lawyer before the courts of Lyon and Paris
As a rule, disputes between commercial companies, and disputes over commercial transactions, are brought before the commercial court (tribunal de commerce).
In Lyon and Paris, this court is called the tribunal des activités économiques (TAE): both are among the twelve courts of a 4-year pilot scheme that began on 1 January 2025 (Law no. 2023-1059 of 20 November 2023, Article 26, and Ministerial Order of 5 July 2024).
We represent companies before these courts, as before every commercial court in France.
Find us opposite the Rhône Prefecture in Lyon.
FACCHINI Law Firm
Contact Maître Angélique FACCHINI, business lawyer in France
Would you like more information about our services or to arrange an appointment?
Contact Maître Angélique FACCHINI directly by phone, by email or through the form below.
You will receive a reply within one hour.