Managing corporate legal requirements is crucial for the smooth operation of your company in France and the protection of its directors’ liabilities. Our law firm provides expert guidance to ensure full compliance with your ongoing corporate legal obligations.
We Support You in Complying with Your Corporate Governance and Secretarial Obligations in France
French companies are subject to stringent rules governing, in particular:
decision-making by corporate bodies (including shareholders, boards of directors and legal representatives);
the approval of annual accounts and the allocation of profits;
the maintenance of statutory corporate records (including share transfer registers, shareholder accounts and minute books).
Compliance with these requirements requires careful monitoring and can be both time-consuming and resource-intensive for corporate officers and their teams.
Why Rely on Our Firm For Your Corporate Secretarial and Annual Accounts Approval Process?
Our value proposition is based on strong corporate law expertise developed within leading international firms, a strategic understanding of the legal issues faced by companies and their management, proactive monitoring of your legal obligations, and a high level of operational responsiveness.
Whether through ad hoc support or full outsourcing, we adapt to your organisation to enable you to:
streamline internal resources by offloading administrative tasks, while reducing legal exposure;
rely on an experienced corporate law advisor for ongoing support;
anticipate future transactions by maintaining investor-ready documentation and robust governance practices.
How Can We Support You in Practice?
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Review of historical corporate records to identify necessary corrective actions;
Remediation of identified risks and compliance gaps;
Recommendations on implementing robust internal processes going forward.
management of the annual accounts approval process, in coordination with internal stakeholders and your external advisors;
preparation of mandatory reports from the management;
organisation of the annual general meeting and drafting of corporate minutes;
handling of all related filings and formalities;
maintenance of statutory corporate records.
standard share capital increases and reductions;
amendments to the registered office, corporate name or corporate purpose, etc.;
payment of interim dividends.
appointment, renewal and removal of corporate officers;
appointment of statutory auditors;
advice on compliance with limitation of directors’/officers’ authority;
support in the exercise of delegated powers;
organisation and conduct of shareholders’ meetings and corporate bodies’ meetings in accordance with applicable law, the articles of association and any shareholders’ agreement in force.
oversight of the corporate secretarial function of subsidiaries;
preparation of management reports on annual consolidated accounts, where applicable;
support in group-level governance matters;
coordination of cross-border corporate legal matters through our network of foreign correspondents.
Corporate Services for French Companies in the Healthcare Sector
We have developed specific expertise in French corporate law within the healthcare sector, including group practice structures for regulated healthcare professionals (physicians, pharmacists, dental surgeons — including SELs, SCMs and similar vehicles), private clinics and healthcare centres.
We provide tailored support designed to address the specific regulatory constraints applicable to these structures in France, including bespoke decision-making processes, as well as the preparation and filing of annual disclosures with professional orders and competent regulatory authorities.
A Long-Term Partnership
Our “Corporate Services” offering is intended to serve as the cornerstone of a long-term partnership with our clients. Beyond assisting you with the legal management of your annual accounts approval process and other corporate decisions, we can leverage the full breadth of our business law expertise to support you:
Why is proper corporate secretarial compliance essential for your company?
Corporate secretarial matters constitute a significant administrative burden, which officers and their teams may struggle to manage, as they are primarily focused on value-generating operational activities.
However, failure to comply with mandatory requirements may undermine the validity of corporate resolutions and the transactions they support (including amendments to the articles of association, capital transactions, dividend distributions, etc.).
It may also trigger officers' and directors' liability and adversely affect the company’s credibility vis-à-vis its stakeholders, in particular its investors.
What are the specific challenges of corporate secretarial compliance for a high-growth startup?
Proper corporate secretarial management in high-growth companies raises specific challenges.
As the company scales, founders and executives face increasing pressure to implement a robust governance framework. At the same time, they must remain focused, alongside their teams, on business development.
Non-complicances may constitute a key area of vulnerability, giving rise to risks of invalid corporate decisions, directors’ liability, and reduced attractiveness to potential investors.
Against this backdrop, outsourcing to a law firm helps mitigate legal risks, free up internal resources and strengthen the company’s credibility ahead of future fundraising rounds.
Do you offer solutions for the digitalisation of corporate secretarial functions?
Yes. Depending on your requirements, we can implement digital tools to support your corporate secretarial function and statutory record-keeping, using secure and efficient platforms.
You benefit from centralised access to your corporate documentation, full electronic traceability of corporate actions, and more seamless collaboration, ensuring greater responsiveness, reliability and efficiency.
Which companies can benefit from your corporate secretarial services?
Our corporate secretarial services are intended for a broad range of clients, including start-ups (at formation or during growth phases), SMEs, mid-sized companies (ETIs), and in-house legal teams of large corporate groups.
We can assist regardless of the legal form of your entity, including SARLs, SASs, SAs, SCIs, SCMs, economic interest groupings (GIEs), healthcare-related entities, associations, and more.
Outsourcing or ad hoc support: what engagement models do we offer?
Regardless of how your legal function is organised, we tailor our services to your requirements, whether through full outsourcing, co-management with your in-house legal team, or targeted interventions.
Each engagement is specifically defined upfront and subject to clear budget visibility.
