Fees
Fees are agreed with the client and settled in writing before any work begins. This page describes how they are calculated.
Legal basis
Article 10 of Act no. 71-1130 of 31 December 1971, as amended by Act no. 2015-990 of 6 August 2015: fees are agreed with the client, and a written agreement is concluded when the matter is opened, save in cases of urgency or force majeure.
Fixed-price consultations
These are the amounts the firm publishes on the platform of the French National Bar Council. They are firm, inclusive of tax, and payable on booking.
| Service | Duration | Price incl. tax |
|---|---|---|
| Appointment at the office | 55 minutes | 100 € |
| Video consultation | 30 minutes | 45 € |
| Telephone consultation | 30 minutes | 45 € |
| Written opinionReview of the file, with the option to attach a document. | — | 320 € |
Rates taken from consultation.avocat.fr, the platform of the French National Bar Council.
Book an appointment on avocat.frThe four bases of calculation
01
Time-based fee
An hourly rate is set in the fee agreement. Time spent on the matter is recorded by type of work — review, drafting, meetings, hearings, travel — and itemised on each invoice.
What this basis suits
Matters whose scale cannot be fixed at the outset: litigation, negotiations, transactions whose timetable depends on a third party.
02
Fixed fee
A fixed and final amount covers a list of tasks set out in the agreement. Anything outside that list is dealt with by written variation, never by a charge added at the end of the matter.
What this basis suits
Work whose scope is identifiable from the start: incorporation, drafting a shareholders' agreement, an employment audit, a termination agreement.
03
Retainer
A periodic fee covers a volume of routine advice and an agreed response time. Matters beyond that scope — litigation, transactions — are billed separately, under one of the two modes above.
What this basis suits
Companies that seek regular advice on routine employment questions and want an adviser already familiar with their organisation.
04
Success-related supplement
A supplement may be added to the principal fee, calculated on the result obtained or the service rendered. It can never make up the whole of the remuneration: article 10 of the 1971 Act prohibits a fee fixed solely by reference to the outcome.
What this basis suits
Matters concerning an identifiable sum of money, where the client prefers to reduce the fixed component. The rate and its basis are set out in writing before the matter is opened.
What the fee agreement contains
It is signed before the matter is opened and you keep a copy. Every line below appears in it.
- The subject of the engagement and its exact scope
- The basis of calculation and, where applicable, the hourly rate
- An estimate of the expected volume and duration
- How you are informed before any overrun
- The treatment of disbursements — court fees, bailiff, expert, travel
- The billing cycle and payment terms
Three questions often asked
The first exchange is not charged for
It serves to identify the subject of the request, check for conflicts of interest and say whether the firm can act. Advice — that is, legal analysis — is by contrast a chargeable service: the line between the two is pointed out before it is crossed.
Legal expenses insurance and legal aid
If you hold legal expenses insurance, you are free to choose your lawyer: the insurer cannot impose one on you. The firm tells you what is covered and what remains payable by you. The firm acts under the French legal aid scheme: if your means qualify you, the application is filed with the legal aid office of the relevant tribunal judiciaire, and the firm tells you which documents to gather.
If you dispute a fee
You may refer the matter to the President of the Val-d'Oise Bar, who rules on fee disputes. If you are a consumer, you may also refer it free of charge to the mediator for consumer disputes of the legal profession, whose details appear in the legal notice.
Why matters carry no published rate
A consultation has a known duration, so a firm price — that is the table above. A matter does not: its volume depends on the other side, the court and the timetable. Publishing an hourly rate would suggest it can be priced before it has been examined. What is published for a matter is the method of setting the fee, which you check before signing; the amount is settled after the first exchange, which is not charged for.