Employment Law · France
Find the right workplace discrimination lawyer in France
Discrimination at work is heard by a court designed for employment disputes, with its own rules on evidence, representation and time limits. Tell us what happened and we introduce you — free of charge — to an avocat who handles these cases in France.
- Compare avocats who handle employment discrimination
- Understand how the conseil de prud’hommes procedure works
- First response usually within 24–48 hours
Free matching · No obligation · You choose the lawyer
Get matched with a lawyer
Tell us about your situation and receive a free, confidential case review.
How we help
A specialist at your side, without the guesswork
Discrimination at work can be difficult to name, let alone prove. French employment law protects employees against unequal treatment in hiring, pay, promotion and dismissal, and the claim is heard by a court built specifically for workplace disputes. A workplace discrimination lawyer in France can tell you whether what happened to you falls within that framework, which evidence matters, and how the procedure actually runs. Our free matching service introduces you to an avocat who handles these cases regularly — before the conseil de prud’hommes and, if needed, on appeal. You stay in control: you speak to the lawyer, you decide whether to instruct them, and being matched costs you nothing.
France in practice
How employment discrimination claims work in France
France routes employment disputes through a dedicated court and its own procedural rules. The sections below set out who hears these cases, who may represent you, what a claim costs and which time limits apply — all drawn from official French sources.
A court built for workplace disputes
Employment disputes between employers and employees in France are heard by the conseil de prud’hommes. This first-instance court is composed of an equal number of elected lay judges — conseillers prud’hommes — representing employers and employees, rather than professional judges. If the two benches are tied, a professional judge from the tribunal judiciaire casts the deciding vote.
Do you need an avocat to be heard?
Before the conseil de prud’hommes, parties may appear in person, so legal representation is not compulsory at first instance. That changes on appeal: representation by an avocat is mandatory before the cour d’appel, which re-examines the case in fact and in law. Many clients therefore instruct a lawyer at an early stage.
What a claim costs
Court acts themselves are free in France, but filing before a civil court of first instance or the conseil de prud’hommes requires a €50 fiscal stamp, and an appeal with mandatory representation requires a €225 electronic stamp. Lawyers’ fees are not fixed by statute: they are agreed with you in a convention d’honoraires and may be hourly, fixed or include a success fee.
Legal aid and who pays
Aide juridictionnelle can cover all or part of the cost of proceedings, including lawyer’s fees and bailiff or notary costs. Full legal aid applies to a single person whose reference taxable income does not exceed €12,862 (2025 threshold); partial aid is granted at 55% or 25% depending on income brackets and household composition.
Time limits in employment matters
French law sets specific limitation periods for employment claims: twelve months for a dismissal claim and two years for a claim about the performance of the employment contract. These are the periods recorded in the Code du travail. Which one applies to your situation depends on how the claim is characterised, and that is a question for the lawyer.
Who is qualified to act
To practise in France, a lawyer must hold a Master 2 in law (required since 1 January 2025) and the Certificat d’aptitude à la profession d’avocat, obtained after eighteen months at a Centre régional de formation professionnelle des avocats. They must also take an oath before the cour d’appel and be registered on the roll of one of the 164 local bars.
Key time limits — Employment Law
| Matter | Time limit | Practical note |
|---|---|---|
| Employment dismissal claim | 12 months | The period within which a challenge to a dismissal must be brought. |
| Employment contract performance claim | 2 years | Applies to claims about how the employment contract was performed, rather than to its termination. |
Country information on this page comes from official French sources — the Ministry of Justice, the Conseil national des barreaux, the Code du travail and justice.fr — consulted at the time of writing.
- Ministry of Justice — Organisation of courts and tribunals in France
- Ministry of Justice — The French legal and judicial system (PDF)
- Conseil national des barreaux — Conditions of access to the legal profession
- Code du travail — Article L1471-1 (time limits)
- justice.fr — Court fees and the cost of proceedings
Why people wait
The three things that keep a claim from starting
Most people who contact us have a real story and no idea what to do with it. These are the obstacles we hear about most often.
Nothing was written down
Discrimination in pay, promotion or recruitment rarely leaves an obvious paper trail. Emails, appraisals and shift rotas may be the only record — and you are not sure what a court would consider relevant.
You are still in the job
Many employees hesitate because they need the income and the reference. You want to understand your options before telling anyone, and you do not want to make a difficult situation worse.
The rules feel foreign
A court made up of elected employee and employer judges, an unfamiliar procedure, a lawyer whose fees you have to negotiate: the French system is not obvious from the outside, and that uncertainty delays decisions.
What you get
Matched to a lawyer who knows this ground
We do not decide your case. We make sure it reaches someone qualified to advise on it, quickly and without a fee for the introduction.
Matching, not advertising
You describe your situation once. We use that description to identify lawyers whose practice covers employment discrimination in France, rather than sending you to the first name available.
Knowledge of the prud’hommes
The lawyers we work with appear before the conseil de prud’hommes as a matter of routine, so they know how the paritary bench works and how evidence is presented there.
Clarity on fees before you commit
French lawyers charge by agreement, set out in a convention d’honoraires. You can ask directly about hourly rates, fixed fees, success fees and whether legal aid may apply.
One request, several profiles
Instead of contacting firms one by one, you send a single request and compare the responses, in your own language, before deciding who to instruct — or whether to instruct anyone.
Across Europe
Cross-border situations welcome
If your employer, your contract or your place of work touches another country, we can look beyond France and identify lawyers who handle the cross-border side of the matter.
Questions
Workplace discrimination in France: common questions
How do I find a workplace discrimination lawyer in France?
Send us a short description of what happened and where you work. We compare it against lawyers who regularly handle employment discrimination before the conseil de prud’hommes and, where needed, the cour d’appel. You receive the contact details of a lawyer who fits, and you decide whether to instruct them.
Which court deals with workplace discrimination in France?
Employment disputes between an employer and an employee go to the conseil de prud’hommes, a first-instance court made up of elected lay judges sitting in equal numbers for employers and employees. If the two benches are tied, a professional judge from the tribunal judiciaire casts the deciding vote. Appeals are heard by the cour d’appel.
Do I need a lawyer to bring a claim before the conseil de prud’hommes?
Not necessarily at first instance: parties may appear in person before the conseil de prud’hommes, as well as before the tribunal de commerce and the tribunal de proximité. Representation by an avocat is, however, mandatory before the cour d’appel, which re-examines the case in fact and in law.
What does it cost to pursue a discrimination claim in France?
Court acts are in principle free. Filing before the conseil de prud’hommes requires a €50 fiscal stamp, and an appeal with mandatory representation requires a €225 electronic stamp. Lawyers’ fees are freely agreed in a convention d’honoraires and may be hourly, fixed or include a success fee. Aide juridictionnelle may cover all or part.
How long do I have to act in an employment dispute?
French law sets twelve months for a dismissal claim and two years for a claim concerning the performance of the employment contract. Which period applies depends on how your claim is characterised, and that analysis belongs to the lawyer who reviews your facts. Early advice is usually more useful than late advice.
Can I use the service if I do not speak French?
Court proceedings in France are conducted in French. Our matching service runs in English, Spanish and French, so you can describe your situation in the language you prefer and still be put in touch with an avocat registered with a French bar who handles employment disputes.
Free matching
Tell us what happened at work
One short description is enough to start. We will look for an avocat who handles workplace discrimination in France, and you decide whether to go further. No cost, no obligation and no pressure at any point.