WHY USE US

Legally qualified in both the UK & France. Naturally we are fully bilingual & perhaps as importantly we are bi-cultural. Years of experience assisting clients to realize their real estate ambitions in France whilst working as both the 'in house'' French lawyers for UK based solicitors merge with hands on experience of working within notaire's offices in France within the French system. All these factors combine to equip us with a specialist understanding of not only French & British law linked with French succession & tax issues but how these impact upon non-French purchasers, vendors and owners of French real estate. We pride ourselves on having refined tried and tested methodology designed to bring the best out of the individuals and mechanisms you will encounter as you travel through the French conveyancing process. This combination enables us to deliver a highly professional totally independent personalised service the first principal of which is to safeguard your interests.

Areas of legal specialisation

French conveyancing: existing property purchase & sale French conveyancing: new build off plan purchase Building land acquisition & construction contract advice & assistance Commercial property acquisition advice & assistance Commercial leases Buy-to-let

Leaseback purchase with associated commercial lease French property company formation French commercial company formation Estate planning French succession & inheritance advice Wills & probate Inheritance tax planning Capital gains tax advice

Our service includes

Corresponding with the estate agent Reviewing mandat de recherche (agent's mandate to seek or sell property on you behalf) Liaison with surveyors Advice on the most suitable legal framework for your purchase & ownership in your individual circumstances Introduction to and liaison with the appointed notaire Searches into title, pre-emptive rights, charges, environment, & obtaining registered plan

Reviewing and submitting full written report on the initial contracts French succession advice/inheritance & tax planning with full written report Drafting suspensive clauses and negotiating insertion into initial contract Advice on payment of deposit Comprehensive liaison with notaire Arranging power of attorney should you not be completing in person Making completion arrangements Accompaniment on completion by special arrangement

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WHAT WE DO FOR YOU

For the benefit of our clients we bring the latest in technology to the legal & conveyancing process. This enables us to conduct searches and provide you with essential information in the most thorough & expeditious way possible whilst allowing you to track the progress of your transaction on line at your convenience. Notwithstanding these innovations we view technology as an aid and not a substitute for providing a hands-on approach, all our clients receive personalised and individual attention.

Below is a resumé of the legal process and what we do at every stage.

Stage 1
Pre-purchase advice & written report on the most advantageous vehicle for purchase & ownership of your French property, in the case of both sale and purchase, advice concerning capital gains tax.

Stage 2
Examination and written report on the content of the draft initial contract prior to signature, including negotiation with agent/notaire in respect of contractual queries or conditions precedent considering individual requirements.

Stage 3
We conduct independent local authority and charges register searches (separate to those to be carried out by the notaire at a later stage) examining particular planning questions as they arise.

Stage 4
We liaise with the notaire, forward personal details, copy mortgage offers where applicable, provide an on going conduit of relevant information, anticipating the notaires requirements to seamlessly speed the process through to a stress free conclusion. We have excellent working relationships with notaires throughout France and have dealt with many on a repeat basis.

Stage 5
Where appropriate, further examination of your tax & inheritance position, liaison with the notaire as to content of the deed of sale, arranging proxies where appropriate, commission of marriage contract/insertion of clause tontine/ constitution of SCI, insertion of clauses based on agreements arrived at between the parties, arranging the completion date, obtaining the completion statement, examination of and full written report on the deed of sale.(acte de vente)

Stage 6
Should there not be agent involved, we can arrange changeover of utilities and takeover of vendor’s existing insurance where applicable.

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About Us

We are not solicitors registered with the SRA that speak some French. We are an expanding specialist firm of highly qualified academic lawyers dealing exclusively with French law. Our dual legal qualifications LL.B with L P C.  (U K) Maitrise en droit in Notarial law (France) , combine with our linguistic skills and experience of working within notaire's offices in France where we were specifically tasked  to dealing with matters of French conveyancing ,company formation of all types , succession law, probate, matrimonial affairs:  for English speaking clients from across the world. This level of qualification and experience positions us strategically to look after the interests of clients seeking advice on French  property related legal and inheritance matters.

Your project and or requirement is unique, our services tailor made. We will examine your objectives, explore your options, thoroughly explain the French legal procedures, and work out the most effective way of protecting your interests.

Satisfied clients are our greatest asset. Therefore we work hard to ensure that you get the service you want. We deliver the peace of mind that you are engaged with a pro-active & specialist French property law firm whose aim is to turn your aspiration into realisation.

Our comprehensive French legal advice provides in depth written reports at every stage of your transaction and is coupled with a bespoked , friendly service delivering the highest level of specialist expertise. We aim to provide efficient solutions to both potential difficulty and new opportunity alike.

Our guarantee: no member of our small highly qualified team delegates to junior staff.  We offer an independent personalised service harnessing advanced technology to deliver the swiftest possible responses . We will be with you every step of the way. All this said we do however have to draw parameters, documentation received at 17.30 on a Friday cannot under normal circumstances be dealt with by 09.00 Monday morning most clients are reasonable however our competitive fee structure is geared to a normal working week and whilst it is not uncommon for us to deal with truly urgent matters over weekends and late into the night the nature of this urgency must be legitimate not simply the need of an agent to secure a commission or an over anxious party on the other side

At AFL we take our duty of care very seriously. For this reason and for your total peace of mind and ultimate protection we carry professional indemnity insurance to cover any individual claim of up to £2,000.000 per transaction.

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PROBATE

Regardless of where the deceased was domiciled we can advise on matters of the French estate and liaise with the domestic lawyer acting in the matter.

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BUSINESS START UP/ ACQUISITION OF EXISTING CONCERN

Each proposed enterprise is very individual and has by definition to be bespoke tailored for you in consideration of the French legal system and the particular project.

We would be pleased to examine the enterprise with you in conjunction, if appropriate, with our French avocat and accounting associates in Paris, Toulouse  Montpellier and Monaco.

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COMPANY FORMATIONS

The S.C.I (société civile Immobilière) is a French property owning company. Please refer to the ' Legal process ' page under ' Best vehicle for purchase and ownership '.

All companies are by legislation custom built in France the S.A.R.L. & E.U.R.L are common forms of private limited liability companies individually formed to cater for specific commercial needs on many occasions linked to the ownership of realty.  We would be pleased to act on this type of company formations in connection with commercial acquisition, or as a separate issue, each case will need to be examined individually.

Historically France has not always been perceived as an attractive investment opportunity, relatively high corporation tax and social security contributions coupled with an alternative approach to labour laws have not endeared themselves to some foreign investors yet there have always been opportunities for S.M.E's with the right idea, indeed only recently changes have enabled private investors to set up limited companies with nominal share capital further expanding the potential to reap the rewards of entrepreneurial endeavor whilst benefiting from French life style and ambiance. Should you be considering business start up or acquisition you should be aware of all the implications and statutory obligations. We would be pleased to talk you through the processes and examine the proposed enterprise with you.

CAPITAL GAINS TAX

Non-French vendors and/or prospective vendors of French real estate should plan the disposal with care as there are numerous legal and taxation pitfalls to be avoided in the process not least the pre diliction of agents to ignore the requirement for CGT until it is too late additionally  the all-important  subject of works conformity and vendors  declarations couples with the  sometimes less then precise drafting  of these by the notaire’s   can, and we have numerous examples of when this  has happened, led to buyers being pursued for damages for non-disclosure  that they were simply unaware of  care must  be taken by vendors  to guard against such  incidence; forewarned is forearmed. Please do not hesitate to call for a preliminary discussion.