Liquidation & Asset Division · France
Find liquidation lawyers in France for your case
Whether a business is being wound up, a couple’s property has to be divided, or an estate is being distributed among heirs, liquidation work in France turns on the right court, the right professional and the right deadline. Tell us what you are facing and we will match you with a lawyer who handles that kind of file.
- Avocats registered with a French bar
- Business, matrimonial and estate asset work
- Free matching, no obligation to instruct
Free service. We never charge you for the match, and you decide whether to instruct the lawyer we suggest.
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Liquidation in France: what clients actually need
Liquidation lawyers in France work on files where assets must be identified, valued, sold or shared out: a company being wound up, a matrimonial regime being dissolved, or an estate being distributed among heirs. The framework is French and largely codified, so the outcome depends on which court has jurisdiction, which professional must sign the documents, and how much time is left before a claim becomes time-barred. Because the French court structure is unusually specific — a judicial order for private and commercial matters, and a separate administrative order for public bodies — the choice of lawyer matters from the first letter you send. We set out the essentials below and then match you, free of charge, with a lawyer who already handles this type of liquidation work in France.
France in practice
How liquidation files work in France
France is a codified civil-law country, and liquidation — of a business, a marriage or an estate — is governed by statute rather than by precedent. The sections below set out the courts, professionals, formalities and costs that shape these files, drawn from official French sources.
Which court hears your file
France separates its courts into a judicial order (tribunal judiciaire, cour d’appel, Cour de cassation) for private and criminal disputes, and an administrative order (tribunal administratif, cour administrative d’appel, Conseil d’État) for disputes involving public authorities, with the Tribunal des conflits settling clashes between them. Commercial matters go to the specialised tribunal de commerce, and employment disputes to the conseil de prud’hommes.
When an avocat is compulsory
An avocat is mandatory for most civil claims above €10,000 before the tribunal judiciaire and for every appeal before the cour d’appel; before the Cour de cassation only specialised avocats aux conseils may act. You may appear in person before the conseil de prud’hommes, the tribunal de commerce and the tribunal de proximité, although complex liquidation files are rarely handled without representation.
Notaries, deeds and land registration
Notaries in France are public officers with a monopoly on real-estate conveyancing, marriage contracts and succession deeds. Any transfer of real property must be evidenced by an authentic deed drawn up by a notary practising in France before it can be registered in the land registry, and the notary collects the transfer taxes. In liquidation files that step often decides when assets can actually be realised.
Dividing matrimonial assets
Couples who marry in France without a prenuptial contract are automatically subject to the communauté réduite aux acquêts: assets owned before the marriage remain personal property, while property acquired during the marriage for valuable consideration is community property. Spouses who want a different outcome may opt for separation of property, full community or universal community in a notarised marriage contract.
Forced heirship limits what can be given away
French succession law protects descendants through the réserve héréditaire, so a testator cannot freely dispose of the whole estate. The reserved portion is half of the estate with one child, two-thirds with two children and three-quarters with three or more children; only the remaining quotité disponible may be bequeathed freely. Total disinheritance of children is therefore impossible under French law.
Costs, stamps and legal aid
Court acts themselves are free, 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; administrative courts charge nothing. Lawyers’ fees are freely agreed in a convention d’honoraires, and aide juridictionnelle can cover all or part of the costs where income falls below the official thresholds.
All country-specific information on this page is taken from official French sources — the Ministry of Justice, the Conseil national des barreaux, justice.fr, Legifrance and the Code du travail — consulted in 2025.
- Ministry of Justice — The 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 profession of avocat
- justice.fr — Court fees and the cost of proceedings
- Legifrance — Matrimonial regimes and the community of acquests
- Legifrance — Reserved portion and disposable share in succession
- Legifrance — Notarial deeds and registration of real-property transfers
- Legifrance — General limitation period for civil and commercial claims
- Code du travail — Article L1471-1 on employment claims
- Legifrance — Succession: option to accept or renounce an inheritance
- Legifrance — Consumer debt limitation period
- Legifrance — Lease actions for unpaid rent and charges
- Legifrance — Time limit for an administrative appeal
- Legifrance — Divorce: no limitation period for the action
Why files stall
The three problems we hear most often
Liquidation matters in France rarely fail on the law. They fail on timing, on the choice of professional and on the practical distance between you and the court.
The file is stalled and nobody says why
Liquidation files in France often stop because the wrong professional was instructed, a notarial deed is missing, or a limitation period has quietly expired. Without a lawyer who reads the calendar first, assets can become unrecoverable before anyone notices.
One file, several professionals, no clear owner
An avocat, a notary and, in some matters, an avocat aux conseils each have a defined role in France. Deciding who leads your case — and who merely signs a deed — is the first practical question we help you settle.
You are dealing with a French system from abroad
If you live outside France, the language, the two separate court orders and the notarial formalities can feel impenetrable. A lawyer registered with a French bar can act for you and keep correspondence in a form the French courts and registries accept.
How we help
Matching you with the right French lawyer
We are not a law firm. We are a free matching service that shortens the distance between your problem and a specialist who works on it every week.
Lawyers who practise in France
We only match you with avocats registered on the roll of a French bar. They must complete 20 hours of continuing education each year and answer to their local bar’s disciplinary rules.
Built around your type of liquidation
Tell us whether the file concerns a business, a matrimonial regime or an estate, and we look for lawyers whose practice covers that ground rather than generalists.
One brief, several options
You describe the situation once. We then present lawyers who handle this work in France, so you can compare approach and fee structure before instructing anyone.
Free, and no obligation to instruct
Matching costs you nothing. Lawyers’ fees in France are agreed directly between you and the lawyer in a convention d’honoraires, and you remain free to walk away.
Cross-border files
French matters with a European dimension
Liquidation work follows the assets: the competent court, the professionals and the formalities all depend on where the property sits. We cover France alongside the following European jurisdictions, so a file that crosses a border can be handled coherently.
Questions
Frequently asked questions about France
Do I need a French avocat, or can I handle the file myself?
It depends on the court. An avocat is compulsory for most civil claims above €10,000 before the tribunal judiciaire and for every appeal before the cour d’appel; before the Cour de cassation only specialised avocats aux conseils may act. You may appear in person before the tribunal de commerce and the conseil de prud’hommes, but complex files rarely gain from that.
Which court in France deals with commercial and liquidation-related disputes?
France separates its courts into a judicial order for private and criminal matters and an administrative order for disputes involving public authorities. Within the judicial order, the tribunal judiciaire handles general civil claims and the tribunal de commerce is the specialised business court. Appeals go to one of 36 cours d’appel, which re-examine the case in fact and in law.
How much do liquidation lawyers in France charge?
Lawyers’ fees in France are freely agreed between you and the lawyer — there is no statutory tariff outside the legal-aid scale. Fees are normally set out in a convention d’honoraires and may be time-based, fixed, or a fixed fee plus a success fee. Court costs are separate: €50 stamp for a first-instance civil claim, €225 for an appeal with mandatory representation, and nothing before the administrative courts.
How long do I have to bring a claim in a French liquidation file?
It depends on the claim. The general limitation period for civil and commercial debt is five years, lease actions for unpaid rent and charges three years, consumer debt two years, and personal-injury claims founded on extra-contractual liability ten years. Heirs have ten years to accept or renounce an inheritance. An action for divorce is not subject to a limitation period.
Will a notary be involved in my French file?
Very often, yes. Notaries in France are public officers with a monopoly on real-estate conveyancing, marriage contracts and succession deeds. Any transfer of real property must be evidenced by an authentic deed drawn up by a notary practising in France before it can be registered in the land registry, and the notary collects the transfer taxes on the sale.
What happens after I send my request?
You describe your situation once, in English, and indicate the country and the area of law. We pass it to lawyers registered in France whose practice covers your type of file, and they respond to you directly. Matching is free, there is no obligation to instruct anyone, and you keep control of the decision.
Next step
Tell us about your liquidation file in France
Describe the situation in a few lines: what is being liquidated, who is involved, and what has already happened. We will match you with a lawyer who handles this kind of work in France, free of charge and without any obligation to instruct.