Subsection 3: Honorary office, court robes and oath.

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Article R814-50

French Commercial codeIn force

Updated 4 Nov 2023

The title of honorary judicial administrator or honorary judicial representative may be conferred by the Commission nationale d'inscription et de discipline.

Honorary status may only be conferred on persons who have practised for at least twenty years. Periods during which the person concerned has practised as a receivership trustee, company receivership trustee and liquidator, sequestration trustee with the Paris judicial court, court-appointed administrator, or court-appointed agent will be taken into account.

The application is sent by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt to the Government Commissioner to the National Registration and Disciplinary Commission.

The Government Commissioner will have an investigation carried out by the Public Prosecutors at the Courts of Appeal within whose jurisdiction the interested party has had his professional domicile. The commission shall make its decision in accordance with the conditions set out in article R. 811-34.

The decision is notified to the interested party by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt.

The decision of the committee rejecting the application for the award of honorary status may be appealed under the conditions provided for in article R. 814-2.

Withdrawal of honorary status may be ordered by the commission at the request of the Government commissioner, in accordance with the procedures set out in the fourth and sixth paragraphs.

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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