Subsection 1: The Board of Directors

Articles in this section · 7

R114-4R114-5R114-6R114-7R114-8R114-9R114-10

Article R114-7

French Sports CodeIn force
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Updated 8 Nov 2023

The term of office of members of the Board of Directors other than ex officio members is four years, renewable.

The term of office of these members begins on the day of the first meeting following the renewal of the Board of Directors.

If a member loses the capacity for which he was appointed or elected, he shall automatically resign from the Board of Directors.

If the seat of a member of the Board of Directors falls vacant more than six months before the expiry of his/her term of office, another member is appointed under the same conditions for the remainder of the term of office, with the exception of elected members who are replaced by their alternate until the end of the term of office held by the incumbent.

In the event of a vacancy in the seat of an elected member resulting from the departure of the titular member and his alternate, a by-election shall be held under the conditions provided for in article R. 114-5 in order to fill the vacant seat for the remainder of the term of office.

An elected member may only sit in one category.

A member of the Board of Directors may not take part in deliberations in which his personal, professional or financial interests are involved.

The Minister for Sport may extend the term of office of all members of the Board of Directors for a maximum period of one year.

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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