Fees
Transparency and predictability
You will know what your case costs before you commit to anything. No step is taken without a written and signed fee agreement.
First telephone conversation of 20 minutes, free and without obligation · Aide juridictionnelle (legal aid) accepted · Payment by instalments possible
Methods of calculation
Four arrangements, sometimes combined
A fixed fee may be coupled with a success fee, a retainer supplemented by time-based billing for the litigation. All the amounts given on this page are inclusive of all taxes and are minimum figures.
from 144 €
For a one-hour appointment
A one-hour appointment, at the Firm or by video conference, followed by a written note setting out the strategy that may be envisaged and its timetable. Deducted from the fixed fee if the case is subsequently entrusted to the Firm.
from 576 €
Amount settled after the first conversation
A fixed amount, known in advance, for a defined service. It does not move if the case takes longer than expected: the risk of duration is borne by the Firm.
144 € / hour
Detailed statement of work done
For cases whose scope cannot be fixed in advance: open negotiation, litigation with unexpected turns, urgency. Every invoice sets out the work done, its date and the time spent.
from 240 € / month
Monthly allowance of advisory hours
For local authorities, companies and training bodies, with a guaranteed response time. Any litigation is billed separately.
Before any engagement
Transparency on fees is a fundamental principle of the relationship between a lawyer and his client. In accordance with the rules of the profession, every instruction gives rise to a written fee agreement, signed before the case is taken on, specifying how the fees are calculated, their foreseeable amount and the billing arrangements.
Everything begins with a first telephone conversation of twenty minutes, free and without obligation. It allows the nature and complexity of the case to be assessed, together with the steps to be envisaged. On that basis a fee proposal is made, freely discussed, then set out in the agreement. You come away from that conversation with an order of magnitude, a timetable and a frank answer as to your prospects.
Online consultation
Have your case examined
A fifth route: you send in your documents, the lawyer examines them and replies to you — by telephone or in writing. The first orientation conversation itself remains free.
Reply by telephone
Telephone consultation
60 €
- You set out your situation and attach your documents
- The lawyer examines them before calling you
- Possible next steps and time limits for appeal
- Written summary after the call
Written reply
Preliminary analysis of the case
90 €
- Examination of the documents you send in
- Written reply within 48 working hours
- Admissibility, prospects of success and strategy
- Costed quotation if action proves necessary
Prices inclusive of all taxes, 20 % VAT included. The amount paid is deducted from the fixed fee if the case is subsequently entrusted to the Firm.
Orders of magnitude
What will your proceedings cost?
Every line is a minimum: the amounts are understood as « from » figures, inclusive of all taxes, 20 % VAT included. The final amount is settled after the first conversation, according to the volume of documents, the number of grounds to be developed and what is at stake. Court costs and disbursements are not included.
Administrative litigation
Public service law · Public procurement · Disciplinary matters
| Procedure | From | What the fixed fee covers |
|---|---|---|
| Recours gracieux or recours hiérarchique (preliminary appeal to the administration)Often 2 months to act | 576 € | Analysis of the decision, drafting of the preliminary appeal, monitoring of the administration’s time for reply and preservation of the time limit for bringing proceedings. |
| Recours pour excès de pouvoir (application to set aside)Tribunal administratif (administrative court) | 1 536 € | Originating application, replies, communication of the documents, hearing and follow-up of the enforcement of the judgment. |
| Claim for compensationPlein contentieux (full jurisdiction proceedings) | 1 728 € | Quantification of the loss, preliminary claim for compensation, application, written submissions and hearing. |
| Référé-suspension (urgent application to suspend)Urgency | 1 152 € | Urgent application, demonstration of the urgency and of serious doubt as to the lawfulness of the decision, hearing and follow-up of the order. |
| Référé-liberté (urgent application to protect a fundamental freedom)Order within 48 hours | 1 536 € | Application in cases of absolute urgency, demonstration of a serious and manifestly unlawful interference with a fundamental freedom, hearing and order made within forty-eight hours, weekends included. |
| Disciplinary chamber of first instanceHealthcare professionals | 1 536 € | Defence submissions, preparation of the hearing, hearing before the disciplinary chamber of first instance and follow-up of the decision. |
| National disciplinary chamberAppeal | 1 344 € | Grounds of appeal or defence submissions, preparation of the hearing, hearing before the national disciplinary chamber. |
| Appeal, cour administrative d’appel (administrative court of appeal) | 1 728 € | Notice of appeal or defence submissions, further submissions, hearing. |
An appeal on a point of law before the Conseil d’État (France’s supreme administrative court) requires representation by an avocat aux Conseils (a lawyer admitted to the supreme courts). The Firm prepares the file, drafts the note setting out the grounds and liaises with that colleague: his fees are quoted to you separately, before any application is lodged.
Immigration law
Very short time limits for appeal
| Procedure | From | What the fixed fee covers |
|---|---|---|
| Application for or renewal of a residence permit | 672 € | Choice of the legal basis, compilation and checking of the file, filing with the préfecture or on the digital platform, chasing and follow-up until the decision. |
| Refusal of a residence permitApplication to set aside2 months to act | 1 056 € | Application to the tribunal administratif, written submissions, application for an order that the permit be issued, and hearing. |
| Obligation to leave French territory, OQTF (an order to leave French territory)With a period for voluntary departureShort time limit, to be checked as soon as it is served | 1 200 € | Challenge to all the decisions served, refusal of leave to remain, order to leave French territory, country of removal and IRTF (a ban on returning to French territory), then the hearing. |
| Obligation to leave French territoryWithout a period for departure, detention or house arrestUrgent procedure, 48 hours | 1 248 € | Urgent application to the court, preparation and conduct of the hearing listed at short notice, application for release and immediate follow-up of the decision. |
| Assistance in immigration detentionJuge des libertés et de la détention (the judge who rules on detention) | 576 € | Examination of the lawfulness of the arrest and of the placement in detention, hearing before the juge des libertés et de la détention, appeal where appropriate. |
| Refusal of naturalisationMandatory preliminary appeal | 960 € | Preliminary administrative appeal to the minister responsible for naturalisations, then an application to the tribunal administratif de Nantes. |
| Family reunification | 1 056 € | Compilation of the file, monitoring of its examination, challenge to a refusal or to the silence of the administration. |
The time limits for appeal in immigration law are among the shortest in administrative litigation, from forty-eight hours to a few weeks depending on the measure served, and they are not suspended by a preliminary appeal to the administration. Call the Firm on the very day the decision is served, before gathering your documents: an incomplete file can be completed, an expired time limit cannot be recovered.
Employment law
Conseil de prud’hommes (the French employment tribunal) · Cour d’appel (court of appeal)
| Procedure | From | What the fixed fee covers |
|---|---|---|
| Rupture conventionnelle (negotiated termination) | 672 € | Quantification of the severance payment, assistance at the meetings, negotiation with the employer, review of the form and follow-up of its approval. |
| Conseil de prud’hommes, first instance | 2 304 € | Claim form and schedule of documents, conciliation and case-management hearing, written submissions, communication of the documents, hearing for judgment. |
| Référé prud’homal (urgent employment tribunal proceedings) | 864 € | Urgent application, preparation of the hearing, advocacy, follow-up of the order and of its enforcement. |
| Appeal, cour d’appel | 1 920 € | Notice of appeal, submissions as appellant or as respondent, case management, advocacy. |
Civil law
Contracts · Leases · Co-ownership · Liability
| Procedure | From | What the fixed fee covers |
|---|---|---|
| Contractual disputeTribunal judiciaire (civil court)5-year limitation period | 1 224 € | Analysis of the contract and of the breaches, formal notice, writ of summons, written submissions, communication of the documents and hearing. |
| Recovery of an unpaid debtOrder for payment or référé-provision (urgent interim payment) | 744 € | Formal notice, choice of procedure according to the amount and to whether the debt is disputed, application or summons, then follow-up until an enforceable title is obtained. |
| Lease or co-ownership disputePreliminary conciliation often required | 1 032 € | Rent arrears, contested notice to quit, service charges, works, challenge to a decision of the general meeting, unreasonable neighbourhood disturbance. |
| Compensation for lossContractual or tortious liability | 1 416 € | Quantification of the loss, exchanges with the insurer, urgent application for an expert report where appropriate, claim for damages and hearing. |
In landlord and tenant matters, the costs of the commissaire de justice (French enforcement officer) are frequent and sometimes high: order to pay, service of documents, application for the assistance of the police. They are not included in the fixed fee and are re-invoiced to you to the euro.
Success fee
A share of what you obtain, never the whole of the Firm’s fees.
A supplementary fee of between 5 and 12 % inclusive of tax may be agreed on the sums actually received, including settlement payments. It is added to the fixed fee or to the hourly rate and is payable only where payment is in fact received.
The law prohibits a lawyer from being paid on results alone: article 10 of the loi du 31 décembre 1971 requires a basic fee. An offer of « 100 % on results » is unlawful.
Scope
What the fixed fee covers, and what is added to it.
Included in the fixed fee
- All the appointments, calls and emails on the case, with no meter running
- The analysis of the documents, the construction of the grounds and the quantification of the claims
- The drafting of the application, of the written submissions and of the schedule of documents
- All the hearings, including adjournments
- A written report after each hearing and each decision
Disbursements, re-invoiced to the euro
- Droit de plaidoirie (advocacy duty) of 13 € before the civil courts
- Acts of the commissaire de justice, service of documents, formal records, seizure
- Cost of an expert report ordered by the court
- Sworn translation of foreign-language documents, frequent in immigration law
- Travel outside the Île-de-France, on production of receipts and with prior agreement
The questions you are asking yourself
What will really be left for you to pay.
Can I obtain aide juridictionnelle?
Yes, the Firm accepts instructions under the aide juridictionnelle scheme. Subject to means, the State then bears all or part of the fees, in whole or in part depending on your situation.
It is particularly common in immigration law and in detention proceedings. Say so at the very first call: the application for legal aid is filed alongside the appeal, without delaying it. Conditions and procedure: aide-juridictionnelle.justice.gouv.fr.
Can my legal expenses insurance pay?
Often, yes. Look at your home insurance policy, your motor policy, your bank card or your health insurance: the cover is frequently included without your knowing it.
You are free to choose your own lawyer; the insurer cannot impose one on you (article L. 127-3 of the code des assurances). It does, however, pay only up to a ceiling for each set of proceedings, generally below the real cost. The difference is borne by you: it is quantified for you before anything is done, not afterwards.
If I win, will my opponent reimburse my legal fees?
Only in part. The court may order the losing party to pay you a sum under article 700 of the code de procédure civile before the civil courts, or under article L. 761-1 of the code de justice administrative before the administrative courts.
Judges set the amount at their discretion and it rarely covers the whole of the fees incurred. It belongs to you in full and is set off against what you have paid.
And if I lose?
The fixed fee remains payable: it pays for work done, not for a result obtained. You may also be ordered to pay a sum to your opponent under the same provisions.
That risk is set out and quantified for you before proceedings are commenced. If your case appears hopeless, the Firm will tell you so at the first conversation: that too is what it is for.
How and when must I pay?
By bank transfer or by card. Payment is made in instalments: 40 % on signature of the fee agreement, the balance according to a timetable agreed together and recorded in the agreement.
In the event of a disagreement over fees, the bâtonnier of the Paris Bar may be asked to rule, free of charge, by you as by the Firm (articles 174 et seq. of the décret du 27 novembre 1991).
First conversation
Obtain a costing for your case.
Twenty minutes on the telephone, free and without obligation. You come away with an order of magnitude, a timetable and a frank answer as to your prospects.
Monday to Friday · Aide juridictionnelle accepted · Payment by instalments possible
Before you commit
Does this schedule match your case?
The amounts above are minimum figures. The figure that concerns you depends on things that nobody can guess for you: the date on which the decision was served on you, what has already been done, and how much time you have left. The first orientation conversation is free: it is usually enough to establish where you stand and what the next steps will cost.
06 99 43 38 76First conversation — freeA fee agreement is signed before any intervention: you know what you are paying before the work begins.