Section 14: Limitation period.

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Article L511-78

French Commercial codeIn force

Updated 7 Nov 2023

All actions arising from the bill of exchange against the acceptor shall be barred after three years from the due date.

The bearer's actions against the endorsers and against the drawer shall be barred after one year from the date of the protest drawn up in due time or from the due date, in the case of a no-cost return clause.

Actions by endorsers against each other and against the drawer are time-barred after six months from the day on which the endorser has repaid the letter or from the day on which he himself was sued.

Time-barring periods, in the event of legal action, run only from the day of the last legal action. They do not apply if there has been a conviction, or if the debt has been recognised by separate act.

The interruption of prescription has effect only against the person in respect of whom the interruptive act was made.

Nevertheless, the alleged debtors are obliged, if so required, to affirm, under oath, that they are no longer indebted, and their surviving spouse, heirs or assigns, that they believe in good faith that nothing is still owed.

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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