Paragraph 1: Revitalisation by companies subject to the obligation to offer redeployment leave

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Article D1233-38

French Labour CodeIn force

Updated 5 Nov 2023

I. - When a company mentioned in article L. 1233-71 proceeds with a mass redundancy or a collective agreement termination mentioned in article L. 1237-19, the prefect(s) in the department(s) of the employment area(s) concerned shall inform it, within two months of notification of the administrative validation or approval decision mentioned in article L. 1233-57-4, or of the administrative decision to validate the collective agreement referred to in article L. 1237-19-3, after having heard its observations, whether it is subject to the obligation to revitalise employment areas instituted in articles L. 1233-84 and L. 1237-19-9.

To this end, they assess whether the scale of the redundancy or the collective redundancy agreement affects the balance of the employment area(s) concerned, taking into account in particular the number and characteristics of the jobs likely to be lost, the unemployment rate, other restructuring and job losses over the last two years, the socio-economic characteristics of the employment area(s) and the effects of the redundancy or the collective redundancy agreement on other companies in the employment area(s).

II. - The Prefect(s) mentioned in I may also ask the company to carry out a social and territorial impact study as soon as the project provided for in article L. 1233-46 has been notified, which must be sent to them at the latest before the end of the period mentioned in article L. 1233-30.

In the context of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, the Prefect(s) in the department(s) of the employment area(s) concerned may ask the company to carry out the social and territorial impact study as soon as it is notified of the opening of negotiations as provided for in article L. 1237-19, which must be sent to it or to them no later than the day on which the agreement is sent for validation as provided for in article L. 1237-19-3.

III. - In the cases provided for in articles L. 1233-90-1 and L. 1237-19-14, when the job losses concern at least three departments, the decision relating to the obligation to revitalise the employment areas mentioned in the first paragraph of I is optional.

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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