Subsection 3: Discipline

Articles in this section · 4

Article L321-23

French Commercial codeIn force

Updated 7 Nov 2023

The Conseil des maisons de vente comprises a Sanctions Committee made up of three members, appointed for a term of four years by the Minister of Justice:


1° A member of the Conseil d'Etat, active or honorary, appointed on the proposal of the vice-president of the Conseil d'Etat;


3° A person who has ceased practising the activity of voluntary sale by public auction within the last five years. Alternate members are appointed under the same conditions.


Members may not be dismissed or reappointed. Unless they resign, the duties of the members of the Enforcement Committee may only be terminated before the expiry of their term of office if they are prevented from carrying out their duties, in accordance with the conditions defined by decree in the Conseil d'Etat.


The chairman of the Enforcement Committee is the Chairman of the Enforcement Committee. The chairman of the Enforcement Committee is appointed from among its members by the Minister of Justice.

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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