Services for Companies -

French Law & Property

“It is a big advantage to have a lawyer with first-hand experience of the French legal system ”

Introduction

Our French law and property department, which is based in London, offers specialist, bilingual assistance to clients buying or selling property or with business dealings in France.

The department is reknowned for its experience in a number of areas of French law, including:

Buying and selling French property
Establishing and managing French companies
French inheritance and succession planning
Wealth tax
Employment of personnel employed by individuals
Cross-border succession planning and Wills in collaboration with the Private Client Department
Transfer of property share following divorce
Assessment of assets owned (current and most appropriate structure, implication) in collaboration with UK advisor if required

French Property Website

The French department has launched its own dedicated French property website, which provides a comprehensive resource for people looking to buy a property or set up a business in France.

Click to visit www.frenchpropertylaw.co.uk

Background

It is vital for anyone with property dealings in France to get legal advice from a suitably qualified lawyer.

Not only is the French system of buying and selling property very different from the English one; other differences in the law - notably the tax and inheritance system - have potentially far-reaching implications for English purchasers.

For example, in France certain members of your family (parents and children, but not husbands or wives) have an absolute right to inherit part of your assets, whatever your wishes.

The department can offer advice on these and various other matters connected with property ownership or business dealings in France.

People

The team is led by Dawn Alderson, an experienced bilingual avocat and solicitor qualified in both French and English law, who has practised in France for over a decade.

She works with:

Patrick Delas, a French Avocat with extensive experience managing French and English clients looking to set up a business in France.

They have recently been joined by Véronique Cardon who is trained as a Notaire (Diplomée Notaire France) and worked for a large notarial practice in Paris for a number of years before moving to London.

Tel: 020 8394 6374

» E-mail our helpdesk

Click on a name below to bring up a biography:

Dawn Alderson

Patrick Delas

Véronique Cardon

» Request our departmental brochure

Legal Guides

French Wealth Tax New Schedule 2008 Update
French wealth tax (impôt de solidarité sur la fortune – ISF) applies to UK residents whose French assets have a net value of more than 770,000 Euros (approx, £500,000) with a number of exclusions, in particular for businesses and non-resident financial assets.

Patrick Delas looks at the updated details for 2008.

Full article

Purchasing a Property in France

This guide is a chapter written by Dawn Alderson for 'Going to France – Your life and Business companion'. Published by the French Chamber of Commerce in Great Britain, the new edition is a genuine bible for British expatriates intending to set up a home and/or business in France.

Click here to download the Purchasing a Property in France chapter.

The book is available from all good bookshops and can also be purchased directly from the publisher’s website: www.ccfgb.co.uk

Inheritance Law Brochure

The law relating to succession and inheritance tax in France is very different from that in England. Russell-Cooke's French Law department provides a brief outline of the differences and highlights what you need to be aware of.

Download a copy here, using Acrobat.

Setting up a Business in France: An Overview

Download a copy here, using Acrobat.

French Property Overview

Buying a residential property in France.

Download a copy here, using Acrobat.

To request a printed copy of these guides click here.

(If you do not have Acrobat, download it here free of charge.)

Useful Links

French Desk

Russell-Cooke offers a dedicated service for French businesses who are looking to expand their business interests into the UK. Click here for more details in French or English.