Our Practice Goups
French Desk
As advisors to our French clients on all relevant aspects of German business law, we understand ourselves as long-term partners and go-to people for all legal and cultural challenges that francophone companies may encounter in Germany. We have extensive experience in M&A transactions and restructurings in Germany and have been supporting French investors in similar areas for many years. Our clients include small and medium-sized firms, high-growth internet and technology companies as well as CAC 40-listed companies.
As well, we advise German companies on M&A transactions in France and counsel German financiers investing in French growth companies, especially in the technology hubs of Grenoble and Lyon. Together with our French cooperation partners, we support our German and Swiss clients in establishing or expanding their business in France.
Our main areas of consultation in French law (including private international law) notably comprise corporate, trade, contract and labor law. Our French Desk is composed of experienced German and French lawyers who are all perfectly fluent in both languages.
In summary, legal advice from our French Desk especially includes:
- German Rechtsanwälte and French avocats advising in French and German law
- Guiding cross-border M&A transactions
- ncorporating foreign subsidiaries in Germany and France, with professional advice on best choice of company legal form
- Delivering corporate law support to foreign subsidiaries, performing corporate housekeeping in Germany and France
- Organizing internal procedures in international corporate groups (liability issues, cash-pool contracts, establishment of reporting lines)
- Providing labor law support in Germany and France, especially while functioning as an outsourced human resources department: drafting and terminating employment contracts, manager service agreements, intragroup mobility of employees, organizing labor law-related internal processes, conflict settlements
- Drafting and negotiating distribution contracts and general terms and conditions for the German and French markets
- Handling litigation and arbitration in Germany and France, achieving out-of-court conflict resolution
- Securing cross-border claims
- Obtaining foreign judgment recognition and enforcement
Contact!
Deal Insights!
Level-up I fund invests in MEta Games
DFA's
Christian Franz and Mélanie Clerc (French desk) advised Level-Up Ventures, a Fund based in France/ Luxembourg in their investment in
the gaming studio MEta Games.
Level-Up is an investment fund primarily focused on mobile studios and gaming technologies.
#Venture Capital #French Desk
Level-up I fund invests in Awesome Prototype GmbH
Level-Up is an investment fund primarily focused on mobile studios and gaming technologies.
#Venture Capital #French Desk
Recent ICC arbitration proceedings in Paris
DFA team members have acted as counsel for oil and mining player in ICC arbitration in Paris involving German and French legal aspects.
#Dispute Resolution# International Business law #French Desk
Loan & Equitiy Financing re-structured for wind farm investor
DFA‘ Christian Franz und Mélanie Clerc advise German investors and operator of French wind farms in restructuring of equity investment and multimillion shareholder loans, moving lender role from investors’ holding vehicle to investor level.
#International Business Law #French Desk
DFA assisted German client to enforce loan repayment by a French Bank
DFA attorneys obtain enforcement of claim for loan repayment by French bank under a French notarized loan agreement, making use of the fact that payment claims under a deed notarised in France constitute an enforceable title under the Brussels I and Brussels Ia Regulation, without having to have recourse to the courts first. Within days of receiving copy of the deed declared enforceable by the competent German court, the debtor paid of the entire amount plus cost.
# International Business law # Litigation
# French Desk
German-French joint venture between maexpartners GmbH & Theano Advisors SAS
Our Partner Dr Christian Franz has advised (with his former law firm) maexpartners GmbH on the establishment of a joint venture with Theano Advisors SAS in France and in Germany
maexpartners GmbH is a German management consultancy focused on industry and high technology, and is particularly active in the operational area.
The transaction involved the establishment of a joint consulting company in France under the name maexpartners SAS, as well as the opening of another joint consulting company in Germany under the name Theano Advisors GmbH. Both consulting companies will be "staffed" exclusively with binational teams, and will place their operational and strategic expertise at the service of large international clients.
#M&A #French Desk
French Group Avril acquires German Lecico GmbH
DFA's Christian Franz advised (with this previous law firm) French Group Avril in the acquisition of Hamburg based Lecithin and Pospholipid Specialist Lecico GmbH, see https://www.lecico.de/mit-der-uebernahme-des-deutschen-lecithin-experten-lecico-avanciert-avril-zu-einem-globalen-marktfuehrer-fuer-non-gmo-lecithine/.
Avril Group employs 7,600 people in 21 countries and generated sales of EUR 6.2 billion in 2017.
#M&A #French Desk
German - French fiduciary transfer
DFA’s Christian Franz and Mélanie Clerc advise French Group in the recognition in Germany of the fiduciary transfer (fiducie) under French law of shares in the Group’s German GmbH subsidiary as collateral of the refinancing of the client group, and in the perfection of the transfer with regard to German transfer of title rules.
#Corporate #French Desk
Multi-jurisdictional labour court proceedings
DFA advises a French Group multi-jurisdictional labour court proceedings in Germany and in France triggered by the dismissal of an officer of the client group’s German subsidiary with forum related aspects under the Brussels Ia regulation and with conflict of law aspects under the Rome I regulation.
#Litigation #French Desk #Labour Law