Section 4: The commercial freelance administration contract

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Article L1254-23

French Labour CodeIn force

Updated 8 Nov 2023

The contract concluded in writing shall include the following clauses and information:

1° the identity of the employee concerned;

2° a description of the skills, qualifications and areas of expertise of the employee concerned;

3° a description of the service to be provided and the conditions under which it is to be performed by the employee concerned;

4° the date on which the service is to end and, where applicable, the minimum duration of the service where the term is uncertain and linked to the performance of the service;

5° the price of the service agreed between the employee concerned and the client company;

6° The client company's responsibility for the conditions under which the employee works, in particular issues relating to his health, safety and working hours, during the performance of the service on its premises or on its work site;

7° If applicable, the nature of the personal protective equipment made available by the client company;

8° The identity of the financial guarantor of the freelance administration company;

9° The identity of the insurer and the insurance number guaranteeing the civil liability taken out on behalf of the employee for damage caused in the client company during the performance of the service.

Mariela Petrova

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Common Questions

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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