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WLA CO-PRACTICE · FRANCE · WESTERN EUROPE

FRANCE.
EUROPE'S SECOND-LARGEST
ECONOMY AND
CIVIL LAW GATEWAY.

WLA holds exclusive co-practice partners across All nine WLA core practices in France — Paris. France is a primary EU corridor jurisdiction and the seat of the ICC, the world's leading international arbitration institution.

ICC
World's leading arbitration seat
2nd
Largest EU economy
INPI
National IP office · EU UPC
EU Pay
Transparency — June 2026
LEGAL SYSTEM · FRANCE

THE LEGAL
LANDSCAPE OF
FRANCE.

Civil law jurisdiction. French civil code governs most commercial matters. French Commercial Code (Code de commerce). French Competition Authority (Autorité de la concurrence) for merger control. Works Councils (Comité Social et Économique — CSE) mandatory for most businesses. ICC headquartered in Paris. INPI for national IP; EU UPC accessible from France.

KEY COURTS & INSTITUTIONS
ICC — International Chamber of Commerce — Paris
French Commercial Court — Tribunal de Commerce
Court of Appeal — Paris, Lyon, Bordeaux
French Competition Authority — Autorité de la Concurrence
INPI — Institut National de la Propriété Industrielle
French Labour Courts — Conseil de Prud'hommes
REGULATORY ENVIRONMENT
Autorité de la Concurrence — French merger control
FDI screening — Décret Montebourg — sensitive sectors
Works Councils (CSE) — mandatory consultation
URSSAF — social security compliance
French DGFiP — corporate tax and transfer pricing
DG Entrées et Séjours — immigration and residence
WLA INTELLIGENCE · FRANCE · LIVE

REGULATORY SIGNALS
FROM
FRANCE.

WLA Intelligence tracks regulatory changes, enforcement trends, and deal climate signals from France in real time — updated by the WLA France co-practice partner.

SIGNAL
DETAIL
STATUS
CSE
WORKS COUNCIL
French Works Councils (CSE) — Mandatory Consultation Before All Restructuring
CSE consultation rights strengthened. Every cross-border restructuring with French workforce impact requires formal CSE information and consultation before implementation. WLA co-ordinates French and home-country employment simultaneously.
ACTIVE
EU PAY
TRANSPARENCY
EU Pay Transparency Directive — French Transposition by June 2026
France must transpose EU Pay Transparency Directive by June 2026. Pay band disclosure for new hires. Pay gap reporting. WLA co-ordinates France pay audit alongside other EU jurisdictions as one programme.
HIGH
ICC
ARBITRATION
ICC 2021 Rules — Paris as Primary Seat for EU-India and GCC Disputes
ICC Paris increasingly chosen as seat for EU→India and Gulf→CEE disputes. WLA co-practices French-seat arbitration with both corridor jurisdictions' substantive law simultaneously.
ACTIVE
FRANCE
FDI SCREENING
French FDI Screening — Décret Montebourg Expanded Sectors
French FDI screening expanded to additional sensitive sectors. Non-EU investors acquiring French businesses must assess ministerial authorisation requirement before signing.
WATCH
WLA QUALIFIED™ PARTNER FIRM · FRANCE

THE WLA
FRANCE
CO-PRACTICE PARTNER.

WLA designates one exclusive partner firm per practice per jurisdiction. The WLA France partner firm is the sole WLA co-practice partner for France mandates — WLA Qualified, reviewed annually, and briefed simultaneously with every other WLA firm on every cross-border matter involving France.

NH
WLA QUALIFIED™ PARTNER · FRANCE
HELMA International
Paris, France
Nathalie Hellio · Tax Lawyer · Immigration · Employment

HELMA International is a Paris-based WLA partner firm specialising in tax, immigration, and employment law for expatriates and international businesses operating in France. Nathalie Hellio co-ordinates WLA France co-practice for cross-border mandates involving French tax, immigration, and employment law.

BRIEF WLA FRANCE →
PRACTICES HELD IN FRANCE
CORPORATE M&A
Code de Commerce · Autorité · FDI
DISPUTES
ICC · Commercial Court · CAC Paris
TAX
IS · CVAE · Transfer Pricing
IP
INPI · EU UPC · Madrid Protocol
IMMIGRATION
Talent Passport · OFII · CST
EMPLOYMENT
CSE · Licenciement · Pay Transparency
NEED A FRANCE
SPECIALIST?
BRIEF WLA. 48H.