Paragraph 3: Preferential allocations.

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Article 832-1

French Civil CodeIn force

Updated 7 Nov 2023

If maintenance in undivided ownership has not been ordered and in the absence of preferential attribution in ownership under the conditions provided for in article 831 or article 832, the surviving spouse or any co-owner heir may apply for preferential allotment of all or part of the agricultural property and property rights dependent on the estate with a view to setting up an agricultural land grouping with one or more co-heirs and, where applicable, one or more third parties.

This allocation is by right if the surviving spouse or one or more of the co-heirs meeting the personal conditions set out in article 831, or their descendants actually participating in the farm, require that all or part of the group's property be leased to them, under the conditions set out in Chapter VI of Title I of Book IV of the Rural and Maritime Fishing Code.

In the event of multiple requests, the group's assets may, if their consistency allows, be the subject of several leases benefiting different co-heirs.

If the terms and conditions of such lease or leases have not been agreed, they shall be fixed by the court.

The property and property rights that the applicants do not intend to contribute to the Groupement Foncier Agricole, as well as the other property of the estate, are allocated by priority, within the limits of their respective inheritance rights, to the undivided co-owners who have not consented to the formation of the Groupement. If these undivided co-owners are not satisfied of their rights by the allocation thus made, a balance must be paid to them. Unless there is an amicable agreement between the co-partitioners, any balance due is payable in the year following the partition. It may be the subject of a dation in payment in the form of shares in the groupement foncier agricole, unless the interested parties, within one month of the proposal being made to them, have made known their opposition to this method of settlement.

The division is not complete until the deed establishing the groupement foncier agricole and, if applicable, the long-term lease or leases have been signed.

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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