Paragraph 1: Board of Directors

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Article R121-32

French Code governing the entry and residence of foreign nationals and the right of asylumIn force

Updated 7 Nov 2023

2° The Secretary General of the Ministry of the Interior;
> and 3° The Director General for Foreigners in France at the Ministry responsible for Asylum;
4° The Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs 4° The Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs;
5° The director of civil affairs and the seal at the Ministry of Justice;
6° The Director General of Social Cohesion at the Ministry of Social Affairs;
7° The head of the department responsible for women's rights at the Ministry responsible for women's rights;

8° The Director General of Overseas Territories at the Ministry for Overseas Territories;





The Budget Director at the Ministry for Overseas Territories 9° The Budget Director at the Ministry responsible for the budget. The ministers concerned shall appoint permanent substitutes for the Secretaries-General, Directors-General, Directors of Administration or Heads of Department who represent them.
If the Chairman is unable to attend, the Director General for Foreign Nationals in France at the Ministry responsible for Asylum will chair the Board or, failing this, the most senior representative of the State.
The representative of the Office's staff will be appointed by the Chairman of the Board. The representative of the Office's staff on the Board of Directors and his or her alternate are elected for a three-year term by the Office's staff in accordance with the conditions laid down by order of the Minister responsible for asylum. The three qualified persons mentioned in the eighth paragraph of Article L. 121-13 are appointed for three years by decree on a proposal from the Minister responsible for Asylum, after consultation with the ministers represented on the Board of Directors.
The Managing Director attends meetings of the Board of Directors in an advisory capacity.
The Board of Directors may invite any person with an interest in the agenda to attend its deliberations.

> The General Manager attends meetings of the Board of Directors in an advisory capacity.
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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